Week One - Lynda Mouledoux

After watching Sherlock Jr. and Peeping Tom I feel as though I am developing a better understanding on metacinema. Both films broke the forth wall. I had seen Sherlock Jr before but this was my first time watching Peeping Tom. Anyways, Sherlock Jr. broke the fourth wall once he fell asleep at the projector. We then witness a ghost like version of Keaton escape his body. This is Keaton dreaming. The ghost-like version of him enters the screen. At this point we are an audience viewing an audience watching a film within a film. The theater eventually fades away as we enter the film entirely. So at first we are completely aware, and then we become less aware as we are immersed into the “knew” film.  It is not until later when Keaton wakes up that we are reminded again that we are watching a film about a film. So, metacinema has been around for quite some time, considering this was made in the 20s. Which is impressive, but so is Keaton.

Peeping Tom, far less comical and far more serious that Sherlock Jr. also is a film about films. Peeping Tom is about filmmaking. Mark has an obsession with his camera and fear. He has a spike on his tripod that he uses to slice victims throats while they are forced to watch. During this time he films the whole thing. He also works on a movie set, which was another reminder that we are watching a film about filming. It’s not entirely about filming, but the camera is almost a character itself. There is so much focus on the camera. It hardly ever escapes Mark’s grip. It is almost his accomplice during the murders. It is such an obsession. Maybe it stems back from his father always recording him, trying to capture fear and document it as he grows up. Which was also pretty creepy. I felt the most unsettled when Helen entered Mark’s apartment the first time, on her twenty-first birthday. She asked Mark if he would show her one of his films, as a birthday present. Mark eventually agrees. I was sure that something bad was about to happen. Helen was wearing a red dress, which paired nicely with the red lights from the dark room, I think the red dress was almost a statement itself- she was blending in with the room that Mark is pretty much consumed with. He shows her films of his childhood, films that his father recorded. He was trying to strike fear from her. He almost starts recording her too, but he doesn’t. For some reason, Helen is special to him. I was extremely relieved when he let he go. I feared she wasn’t going to make it. There were similar feelings of fear when Mark found Helen’s mother in the room. Mark eventually takes his own life, with the spike on the tripod that he had previously used to murder all of hi other victims, and films it. This is the final film in the movie. During this whole time we are reminded, whether it be from the projection or the camera, that filmmaking and film viewing are taking place—and we are watching it all.