Mass Culture and Style in The Matrix Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, in “The Culture Industry as Mass Deception,” conclude that mass culture in the United States is identical and unoriginal “under monopoly capitalism” (Adorno, Horkheimer 1242). The Matrix (1999), directed by the Wachowski siblings, is about a group of enlightened outsiders who wage a war against the machines in control of human beings, who are subdued and experiencing a false reality through a simulation called the Matrix. In this paper, I will describe how the film, while seemingly original in its concept of questioning reality and rejecting conformity, ultimately succumbs to the cliches and stylizations of mass culture/media, failing to break from the formula Adorno and …show more content…
The film is heavily dependent on the music, the clothing, and the gothic aesthetic. The music in the movie is a mix of electronic, metal, and alternative rock, adding to the whole futuristic, but dark and dangerous, vibe. The gothic aesthetic is everywhere; it’s in the costumes, the interior decorations, the moody lighting, and the buildings. The main colors being used while they are in the Matrix are black and green, muddled and not as bright as when Neo is removed and brought to the real world. Specifically, the film borrows from the cyberpunk or industrial styles/subcultures of the 1990s - the PVC/leather outfits, the abundance of black clothing and “edgy” accessories, the trench coats, the black glasses. This style (demonstrated best at 0:09:44 during the club scene, where a remix of Rob Zombie’s “Dragula” plays) permeates the entire film, contrasting with the bland, conservative outfits of the agents and the people in the simulations (0:56:33-0:57:45). It is meant to create a distinguishable division between the protagonists and the antagonists - to quote Morpheus’ statement to Neo: “If you are not one of us, you are one of them.” The good guys just so happen to be more rugged and alternative-looking than the bad guys. Adorno and Horkheimer classify style in the culture industry as “the aesthetic equivalent of domination” (1245). Because of the distinctive style of The Matrix, it has become one of the most recognizable and popular films of our time, becoming a part of mainstream culture and having fashion trends, relevant even now, capitalize on its success. Was this a deliberate choice on the part of the film’s directors? Possibly. It would make sense to have a film that stands out stylistically. The sleek, black glasses worn by Morpheus and his band of rebels are no longer normal glasses, they are automatically associated with The Matrix. The same can be said for the trench coats and black leather outfits.
“ From vibrant prints and stylish shades to that classic hi-top fade, the fashion-forward hip hop duo rocked some truly memorable looks.” (Fuse). Baggy clothing was made popular by this rap group and most rappers today include some type of baggy clothing in their outfits which was made popular by Kid N’ Play. Another item that Kid N’ Play made popular were the sleek shades. “It takes a sophisticated kind of dude to pull off such a distinct shape of sunglasses.
The 2006 British film “The Queen” depicts events that unfolded after the death of Princess Diana in 1997. In the film, the British Royal Family did not react the way the public expected them to. Due to their lack of grief that was publicly shown towards Princess Diana’s death, it resulted in their actions being heavily criticised by British media and the public. Newly elected Prime Minister, Tony Blair, had to step in to help the Royal Family deal with their bad relations to the public, with the help of Diana’s ex-husband, Prince Charles. From the in-depth movie analysis, this essay will be able to show that the media is able to influence the people and their stance towards certain topics by applying these media theories: agenda setting through gatekeeping, dramatization, and two-step flow of communication.
Of course, with Mannerism, an unrealistic palette is one of the many characteristics that goes with it. I think that the scene portrayed is quite sad and emotional, and the colors don’t really reflect that but instead steers that emotion away by giving you colors that represent a different emotion. Although the palette is not as off putting as Jacopo Pontormo’s Descent from the Cross, you can still see a similarity on the way Fontana didn’t execute the color selection properly. The blue used for the sky in the background seems a little vibrant along with the rest of colors throughout the piece, besides earth tones. The piece seems to be a bit on the cool tone side, but it is mixed with some warm tones as well, maybe by adding more warmth in to it we would’ve gotten a better tone
(history.com, 2011) Having that insight into the celebrity life was where their fashion inspiration usually came from, they wanted to look like their favorite star and looked up to fashion forward celebs like Madonna.(Dudbridge nd) The fashion in the breakfast club seems to focus more on making it clear what social group the kids belong to instead of copying a pop star, for example there is Andrew, the jock that is dressed in his blue jeans and sports shirt a total opposite to Judd Nelson’s character John bender that wears slouchy pants, a flannel and a jean jacket. The outfits all scream eighties though with the blue jeans and knee high boots; they’re just all from different parts of the teenage culture of the time, which separates them even
The clothing in the movie also represents the interactionist perspective. All of the women wear sweater sets that modestly cover their bodies, but also make them look presentable. The men were always seen with their hair nicely done with gel, and wearing dress pants and a nice collared shirt, or the teens wore their letterman jackets. This style of clothing would make a person think of the 50s, the time the movie took place. This perspective helps bring the movie together by
Like, we can see that the use of red and black color adds suspense and thriller elements in the movie. Mostly, the characters in the movie can be seen wearing red color dress and when Cole gets thrilling experiences of ghost it is mostly shown under the red light. Some of the scene of darkness and low-light are also shown to further thrill the viewers. Mostly the picture of fear and terror can be seen through Cole's eyes. In most of the part of the film he can be seen scared and nervous.
Despite both being from the same school of thought, the Frankfurt School, Walter Benjamin and Theodor Adorno found themselves debating the value of art in a world on the brink of war. The basis of Benjamin’s and Adorno’s argument was not a critique of the art itself, but rather ever-growing trend of the reproduction of art. For Benjamin, as described in, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, the reproduction of art and the novelty of film, which stemmed from technological marvels, was a natural progression and a detractor to the growing fascist presence. However, for Adorno, as discussed in “The Fetish Character of Music and the Regression in Listening”, the simplification of art, specifically music, to a mass producible
The main objectives in chapter 9 include the ways media attempt to influence people’s attitudes, beliefs, and/or behavior, ways media technology can be disruptive and have adverse effects on behavior, the positive and negative influences of certain kinds of media, such as advertisements or reality television programs, on self-image. Even though media is a great outlet, media has changed our generation causing effects on self-image and human interactions. Because of its pervasiveness in American culture, the media affects people in both obvious and subtle ways. Modern media comes in many different formats, including newspapers, magazines, television, social media, etc.
Inspired by social icons in the news, most American followed suit in the crazy hair trends, soon making them the norm. Following the trend of consumerism, dressing for success also became big as citizens tried to mimic the wealth and beauty they had come to know in icons of the time. Genres of dressing also arose in the contrasting styles of “Preppy” and “Street Style”. The first favoring the typical white-suburban look, many wore pastel polos, sweaters, Keds shoes, and jean or khaki pants. Street style, however; followed the rise of Hip Hop and Pop, taking inspiration more from music stars in the form of sequin dresses, colorful athleisure pieces, wild prints, and outrageous colors.
Look wise, this really set them apart from everyone else during this time. By wearing this style of clothing, they really felt like they fit in, in the punk
Even the mechanicals only wear various shades of black, gray, and white. The lack of color in the other character’s clothing places an emphasis on the three lovers and allows for an interesting development as the play
Introduction In our current society, the media is a very powerful medium which cultivates the way the society thinks and behaves. At this stage of the political economy, the intellectual mode of production is largely made through the media industry. Aspects such as Hollywood, television and movies, they frame and direct our thinkings and values towards the direction as they desire.
I believe that Guillermo del Toro has mastered color correction and using a very specific color pallet to express a subtle message in his movies. Both of the films color pallets are dark. I believe that this implied the dark undertone of each
Adorno and Horkheimer drew from Marx with regards to capitalism. According to Lorimer and Scannell (1994), “Following Marx, they saw the application of capitalist methods to cultural production as exploitative of the mass of the production” (p. 165). Adorno and Horkheimer believed that mass culture due to capitalism makes it homogenous. The audience then becomes homogenous and unified. Baofu (2009) further explains the culture industry as, “Popular culture is akin to a factory producing standardized cultural goods to manipulate the masses into passivity; the easy pleasures available through consumption of popular culture make people docile and content, no matter how difficult their economic circumstances.”
People are immersed in popular culture during most of our waking hours. It is on radio, television, and our computers when we access the Internet, in newspapers, on streets and highways in the form of advertisements and billboards, in movie theaters, at music concerts and sports events, in supermarkets and shopping malls, and at religious festivals and celebrations (Tatum,