Infilmmaking andphotography, theDutch angle, also known asDutch tilt,canted angle,vortex plane,oblique angle, or aDurkin, is a type ofcamera shot that involves setting the camera at an angle so that the shot is composed with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the frame, or so that the horizon line of the shot is not parallel with the bottom of the frame. This produces a viewpoint akin to tilting one's head to the side.[1] Incinematography, the Dutch angle is one of manycinematic techniques often used to portray psychological uneasiness ortension in the subject being filmed.[2] The Dutch angle is strongly associated withGerman expressionist cinema, which employed it extensively.[1][3]
The "Dutch" in "Dutch angle" is held by some to be a corruption of the German wordDeutsch (meaning "German") due to the supposed popularity of the shot in silent-eraGerman films. Alternatively, the adjective "Dutch" is thought to indicate something out of the ordinary (compare Dutch uncle,Dutch treat orDutch auction) or, as in this case and the similarly namedDutch roll in aeronautics, something which is out of line.[4][5][6][7][8][9]The term "Dutch" is also sometimes used disparagingly in English to suggest something artificial or fake - a usage probably dating from the days in the 17th century when the English and the Dutch were strong trade rivals, sometimes at war. Consider "Dutch courage" - courage induced by drink, and "Dutch treat" - no treat at all, everyone pays their own way.
The Dutch angle is a shot in which the camera has been rotated around theaxis of the lens and relative to the horizon or vertical lines in the shot.[10]
The primary use of a Dutch angle is to cause a sense of unease or disorientation for the viewer.[11] Dutch angles are often static shots, but in a dynamic (moving) Dutch angle shot, the camera can pivot, pan, or track along the established diagonal axis for the shot.[3]
The earliest recorded occurrences of the camera technique is to be found in theEdwin S. Porter American filmDream of a Rarebit Fiend (1906), itself based onWinsor McCay'scomic strip of the same name, already known for its use ofsurrealist and oblique angles in its drawings.[12][13]
The angle was widely used to depictmadness,unrest,exoticism, anddisorientation inGerman expressionist films, leading to one possible theory of its name "Dutch" (Deutsch). Montages of Dutch angles are often structured such that the tilts are horizontally opposed in each shot – for example, a right-tilted shot will be followed with a left-tilted shot, and so on.[14]
Russian film directorDziga Vertov's 1929experimental documentaryMan with a Movie Camera contains uses of the Dutch angle, among other innovative techniques pioneered by Vertov.[15]
In Hollywood's classic age, one filmmaker who used Dutch angles often wasAlfred Hitchcock, whose early career included time at UFA studios in Germany; examples includeSuspicion (1941),Notorious (1946),Strangers on a Train (1951) andThe Man Who Knew Too Much (1956).
The 1949 filmThe Third Man makes extensive use of Dutch angle shots, to emphasize the main character's alienation in a foreign environment. DirectorCarol Reed has said thatWilliam Wyler gave him aspirit level after seeing the film, to sardonically encourage him to use more traditional shooting angles.[3][16]
Dutch angles were used extensively in the 1960sBatman TV series and its1966 film spin-off; each villain had his or her own angle, as they were "crooked".[3][14]
The movie 1995Casino uses the Dutch angle to create a sense of unease and growing chaos when Nicky Santoro and Ace Rothstein's wife Ginger are having an affair in a hotel. The scene begins with Ginger agreeing to "back off" Santoro, and the opening shot of the hotel is at a regular angle, then hits the Dutch angle to help underscore the chaos that this affair will have in everyone's lives.
Dutch angles are frequently used by film directors who have a background in the visual arts, such asTim Burton (inEdward Scissorhands andEd Wood), andTerry Gilliam (inBrazil,The Fisher King,12 Monkeys,Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas andTideland) to represent madness, disorientation, or drug psychosis. In hisEvil Dead trilogy,Sam Raimi used Dutch angles to show that a character had become possessed by evil.[14] InRainer Werner Fassbinder’sDie Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss (1982), a Dutch angle is used to convey the odd tension that strangers are exerting on the main character.
Tom Hooper frequently uses Dutch angles in his work in more creative ways and to reflect the time periods and settings of the stories, as seen in his work onLes Misérables (2012) andThe King's Speech (2010). In the 2008 miniseriesJohn Adams, Hooper uses Dutch tilts to contrast the American scenes with the more traditional-looking cinematography of the scenes in France.[17]
Power Rangers used Dutch angles frequently under former stunt coordinator and executive producerKoichi Sakamoto.
The Dutch angle is an overt cinematographical technique that can be overused. The science-fiction filmBattlefield Earth (2000), in particular, drew sharp criticism for its pervasive use of the Dutch angle. In the words of film criticRoger Ebert: "the director,Roger Christian, has learned from better films that directors sometimes tilt their cameras, but he has not learned why".[18]
Dutch angles are often used in horror video games, particularly those with static camera angles such as early entries in theResident Evil andSilent Hill franchises. Similar to their use in movies, these angles are used to bring about a feeling of unease in the player.[19]
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