Film Opening Barthes Analysis (DYM)

Enigma Code (Hermeneutic Code)

• Is the first man mad?
• Is the first man responsible for all the dead bodies?
• Is he still there?
• Is he going to kill the second man?
• Is there a reason he killed all of them?

Action Code (Proairectic Code)

• Second man shoots animal - is it dead?
• Second man discovers alive man with gun - will either get shot?
• First man is arrested - will he escape?
• First man strangles police officer - will this be a success?
• First man puts oxygen thing to someones head - what will it do?

Semiotic Code

• The desert is shown to hint at the location - Texas
• The first man looks straight up with very open eyes and not even at the officer as he is killing him - this could show insanity
• The oxygen thing could have the connotation of life as oxygen is essential to life, so this could work as a juxtaposition as it seems to just introduce death
• The police offers says 'I've got it under control' which gives the impression that he probably doesn't
• The blood of the dog has the connotations of death, which is an insight of whats to come

Cultural Code

• 'Sheriff' what Americans call a Chief Police Officer
• 'I sent to the electric chair' means sentenced to death
• The first man is wearing handcuffs so we know he's been arrested
• When we see the first man behind the police officer we know he is going to attack him from our knowledge of film
• We see loads of parcels in the back of the van which we presume to be full of drugs which the driver has been smuggling

Symbolic Code

• When he says 'I've got it under control' you would think it means hes got it under control but it could also mean he hasn't
• The Blood of the dog could be to symbolise the death to come
• The lack of expression on the first mans face could be to symbolise insanity
• The speech at the start could literally be a symbol for whats going to happen in the film but just disguised as an anecdote
• It seems every character so far has had a gun on their person, this could be to show whats to come