Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email

2011 December 09 • Friday

This diagram, from the Wikipedia entry on the 180º rule in filmmaking, shows the line that the camera is not supposed to cross, not unless you really know what you're doing.

Luchino Visconti really knew what he was doing. In Ludwig he crosses the line without crossing the line, breaking this rule in an interesting way.

In this scene Ludwig is having dinner with an actress. It follows a pattern he's established of initiating intense relationships with people motivated almost entirely by self-interest. Notice how Ludwig is can barely be seen half the time.

Then Visconti breaks the rule, not by crossing the line but by turning the camera around to look at the scene in a mirror that's on the camera's side of the line.

It's rather startling when this happens but it's not just for show; there's a reason for it. The actress leaves the table, approaches the mirror, takes off her hat and prepares herself for seduction or whatever is going to happen after dinner.

That's from the same shot, after the camera has slowly moved in on the mirror and the focus changes to favor only the actress.