Two of my favourites both spring to mind, and both make me cry every time.
(I'm not getting into the technicalities of Fourth Wall/Aside Glance. In both these cases an actor looks into the lense as though sharing a thought with the audience, and both, in my opinion, are heartbreaking)
Manhattan: Isaac, (Woody Allen), tries to persuade Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) not to take a flight and leave him. She says he should have asked her earlier, and concludes with "You need to have a little faith in people". Woody, not the greatest actor in my opinion, but excelling himself here, gives the camera the most bittersweet look...
Magnolia: Jim C. Reilly's cop, Officer Jim, goes to see junkie Claudia, played by Melora Waters, with whom he has struck up a relationship but who doesn't think herself worthy of him. As he lectures her, the conversation (brilliantly) is drowned out by Aimee Mann's closing song, Save Me, but with the aid of subtitles we can see he is telling her she is a good person, and if she wants to be with him, to be with him. A split second before the screen darkens, Claudia looks up at the camera with tearful eyes and we see the beginnings of a smile. A totally beautiful moment.
Awight we're The Daamned we're a punk baand and this is called Carn't Be Appy T'day!
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leadingrole344
9 years ago
Of course Huston as the Old Prospector looks directly into the camera, and it's a great bit. Especially after all the savagery of the last several scenes wherein Dobbs has become a maniac, killing Curtin (he thinks), who had earlier saved his life. By the time we return to the Old Prospector, we've nearly forgotten about him. So, in the culmination of him lying in the hammock, a flower by his ear, being fed luscious foods, having gifts brought to him, sipping tequila and finally having a lovely Indian maiden lighting his cigarette, smiling at him and stroking his bearded cheek, he looks at us as if to say, "I can hardly believe this is all happening," it's totally unexpected, and very funny too. A delicious moment.
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leadingrole344
9 years ago
Another very effective and subtle breaking the 4th wall moment is in "JFK." Kevin Costner as D.A. Jim Garrison delivers his closing statement to the jury, imploring them to fulfill their duties as citizens and right a terrible wrong. As he nears the end of his speech, he briefly looks at us and says, "It's up to you."
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