Textual analysis of a scene in ‘They Live’ In the sunglasses scene in ‘They Live’, the over-the-shoulder midshot featuring the man in sunglasses (reading a magazine at a magazine stand) is a critical shot. After this, a shot-reverse direct-address shot of the businessman with a skeleton face and the surprised guy with sunglasses reacting makes a major ideological point. The zombified personification of the businessman is a metaphor and critique of capitalism and modernism. Carpenter represents a Marxist ideology in his depiction of rich, suited businessmen as zombies whilst representing that the magazine clerk as a regular person highlights how the regular citizen is not ‘in’ on the corruption. The sunglasses allow the observer to identify the inner-workings of each character. Carpenter’s motive is to critique the manipulation of citizens through consumerist promoting brainwashing. The imperative verbs that appear on billboards and magazine covers declaring ‘Obey’, ‘Consume’, ‘Marry and Reproduce’ and ‘No Independent Thought’, only appear when the protagonist wears a magical pair of sunglasses clearly indicates the method of indoctrination: it is subliminal. According to Todorov’s narrative theory, this scene would be stage two: the ‘Disruption’, which establishes the conflicts, obstacles and goals in the narrative after the film’s initial ‘Equilibrium’. Carpenter is showing the societal implications of passive spectatorship (as identified with the Hyperdermic Needle Theory). When citizens believe a lie through media conditioning, it can also be known as ‘false consciousness’. Carpenter is encouraging spectators to actively critique media communication, even rejecting the Uses & Gratifications Theory where consumption (however active) attempts to appeal to our baser instincts on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Levi-Strauss’ Binary oppositions exist in this scene: humans vs aliens, good vs evil. Carpenter presents a society divided by ideology and agenda, where the rich and powerful exploit the poor and as a result, lose their sense of humanity, whilst the masses seem oblivious to this oppression. Carpenter encourages the viewer to put on the metaphorical sunglasses that reveals the agendas of corrupt ideologies, identifying the way the world works. The reason why this is a post-modern scene is because the director is critiquing our media-saturated society and challenging the blurred boundary between reality and fantasy (also known as a feature of simulacra and simulation). The glasses reveal the ‘real’ world, and our supposed reality is seen as a con. This paradox and subversion is a key feature of the elusive concept of post-modernism.

EXAMPLE TEXTUAL ANALYSIS – ‘Hitch’ Pen Scene Denotation (Mise-en-scene, Performance, Cinematography, Editing, Sound) Connotation (Representation, Semiotics, Ideology, Motive, Purpose) Effect (Genre, Audience Theory, Narrative Theory, Context) Link (additional terms, answering the question) The shot-reverse, medium close-up shot between the suit-and-booted Albert (the client) and an incredulous Hitch (the ‘date doctor’) trying to listen is filled with dramatic tension. Albert declares that he’s quit his job, hyperventilates and takes out his inhaler. This illustrates that Albert is hysterical when trying to woo an attractive woman (Allegra Cole). It is clear from this exchange that Hitch has a lot of work to do to prepare him for courting a woman. The inhaler signifies that Albert may have questionable health whilst his pacing highlights his distress at giving up his job in order to impress Allegra. According to Todorov’s Narrative Theory, Albert’s abrupt decision to quit his job in defence of Allegra acts as the ‘Disruption’ to propel the rest of the narrative. It is clear that themes of embarrassing errors and attempts to be in a relationship adhere to the Romantic-comedy hybrid genre.