Film Critique: Encoding and Decoding
Banshees and Griffin used the critically acclaimed film, The Lion King, as their case study. They decoded that the villainy Is linked to stereotypical traits of male homosexuality. Jamie Blanks encoded meaning Into the film. Blanks encoded Ideology of sexuality, class, and culture. Since the film Is In the horror genre, the film might not be taken serious, thus It may be seem to have little to say about actual human relations and Ideologies. According to the cultural studies model, the cultural artifact Storm Warning Is the text, Its producer Is
Jamie Blanks, and the readers are all the people that have seen the film since its release. Readers who enjoyed the film were most likely using dominant readings of the text, they cheered for the couple that were tormented throughout the movie hoping that they would find a way to defeat the “Three Bears”. Yet, whenever there are people that like something, there are always critics. The critics of the film use oppositional readings. For example, some readers may have been bothered that the film traumatized how three men living in the middle of nowhere with a “boorish” epistyle and negative upbringing must be monsters or animals.
The film brings the idea that these men must be murders and rapist because that is the way they grew up thinking. That is almost as if to say that because many African-American grew up in environments that consist of murders and drugs, that they will all grow up to be murders and drug lords. The film made them a victim of their environment. It shows that people living isolated zones must live like animals and do socially unacceptable things like watch animal porn and attempt to rape the first female that comes around.
Other oppositional that could be stated is that towards the beginning of the film, the leading lady, is viewed as very “feminine”. She seemed to be disgusted by the manly things that her male counterpart was doing, she didn’t enjoy the brutality of the killing of the fish nor the murder of the Kangaroo. Later, we see a change In her, showing more toughness after her boyfriend wasn’t doing anything to get them out of this situation as his role says he should. Opposition may view this change as a way of showing that a female doesn’t need a man to help them In situation as they have the mental toughness to help themselves.
At the same time, It showed that the boyfriend was Indeed the “friendly” one. Whether it is intentional or non-intentional. Decoding is the viewer’s interpretation of the meaning. The decoding varies from viewer to viewer based on individual social and historical upbringing. The manner in which the producers encoded the work acclaimed film, The Lion King, as their case study. They decoded that the villainy is into the film. Blanks encoded ideology of sexuality, class, and culture. Since the film is in the horror genre, the film might not be taken serious, thus it may be seem to eave little to say about actual human relations and ideologies.
According to the cultural studies model, the cultural artifact Storm Warning is the text, its producer is around. Other oppositional that could be stated is that towards the beginning of by the manly things that her male counterpart was doing, she didn’t enjoy the change in her, showing more toughness after her boyfriend wasn’t doing anything to change as a way of showing that a female doesn’t need a man to help them in situation as they have the mental toughness to help themselves. At the same time, it showed that the boyfriend was indeed the “feminine” one.
