2. They Live (1989, dir:John
Carpenter)
• Slavoj Zizek identifies ‘They Live’ as one of the key
ideologically Marxist films in popular culture. The
concept of the film revolves around a pair of magical
sunglasses. When the protagonist wears the
sunglasses, he sees the propaganda behind the
veneer of advertising billboards and magazine
covers- “consume”, “obey”, “Submit”, “Conform”.
Additionally, certain businessmen appear to be
faceless, revealing their skulls as a symbol of their
corporate greed.
• Example:
• In the sunglasses scene in ‘They Live’, the over-the-
shoulder midshot featuring the man in sunglasses
who is reading a magazine next to 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. 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 (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.
•
3. Battleship Potemkin
• Eisenstein produced one of the most well-known Marxist films. ‘Battleship Potemkin’ is considered a
Communist ‘red propaganda’ the idea of the revolution of the proletariat revolution against the
bourgeoisie. In the movie this is where sailors (led by Vakulinchuk) rebels on one of the battleships of the
Tsarist Russian naval in the Black Sea which was set in 1905. Potemkin arrives in Odessa (Ukraine) where
Tsarist troops conquests the rebels. In the film there is a machine that appeared to look very advanced
where women, babies and people are violently killed. Later on the ship falls honourably with the red flag
of mutiny, sailors reject to combat their Tsarist companions. The film displays a story against the
oppression which is led by bourge oisie power, a rebellion that highlights the idea of brave rebels is. It is a
revolution for a social fairness: to fight injustice. Its simplicity signifies a chance for believers of the
revolution.
• Linking to postmodernism.
• Marxism is considered a reaction to the improvements of modernism. Although cultural production in this era
being at an all time high, the habit of working class citizens was considered a human rights abuse.
Marxism was a reaction to the advancements of modernism, and the encouragement was to rebel in a
revolution ary fashion. The use of montage (the Kuleshov effect) was a progressive stylistic feature that
echoed self-consciousness prevalent in post-modern media.
