Applying Roland Barthes

CHICAGO

I am focusing on the opening sequence until the blackout after 'All That Jazz'



ENIGMA CODE
The main enigma code in the opening of Chicago is the identity of the two women who the camera follows during the evening. Velma, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, is clearly a nightclub artist, but from the introductory shot of her running down the alleyway towards the club, followed by the action of her tearing the name 'Veronica' away from a poster with both their names on it, makes the audience initially question who Veronica is. When the club owner enquires where her sister is, this is partially explained, but the audience then watch Velma washing blood off her hands, which creates suspense as they begin to wonder why this is - and specifically whether she killed her sister. Details about Velma's evening before the performance are held back during much of the film, which creates a sense of enigma. Roxy is even more enigmatic - we can see that she is fasinated by the show, wishes to imitate Velma and is commiting adultery on her husband, but other than that the audience has no idea who she is. This is significant as her identity becomes a theme of the narrative.

ACTION CODE
Again, there are two main action codes in this clip, one for each woman. We see Roxy taking a man up to her room, who is neither her brother nor her husband. However, as they go upstairs they bump into a neighbour who is told that he is her brother, but as she has seen them kissing the audience knows that the neighbour is disbelieving of this story. The camera pauses for an extra beat on the cutaway of the woman's CU in which she looks suspicious, which lets the audience know that what the neighbor has seen will be important later in the narrative.

Velma's action code comes right at the end of the sequence, as she finishes 'All That Jazz'. A policeman enters the club and looks up at her, and we briefly see her smirk defiantly before she sings the last line. When this event is linked with the earlier events of Velma washing blood of her hands, the audience can tell that the policeman's appearance is going to have an influence on the narrative.


SEMIOTIC CODE
Arguably, it is the costumes that contain most important semiotic codes in Chicago. Velma struggles into a black sparkly dress in the opening sequence, and wears strong bold make-up, noticeably very red lipstick.This represents the flashy showgirl culture that she is a part of, which during the film is a key part of her character, as her ability to create a popular public persona is the main reason for the press interest in her at the beginning. The fact that she is dressed entirely in black suggests that she is dark and mysterious, which is interesting as we later find out she has just killed her sister and husband.

Roxy, on the other hand, is dressed much more innocently, in a pale neutral dress, and a fur coat. This gives her a bland look, which is central to her own character as one of her motivations during the film is to become flashy and seductive like Velma. At this point, Roxy has no murderous incentive and therefore appears a lot less dark. However, when she stares at Velma she holds her jewellery up to her mouth, indicating a desire to become more elegant.

CULTURAL CODE
The only text that appears outside of the films narrative is the title - CHICAGO. It is written in capitals with traditional show lighting, which represents the glitz and glamour of the film. It is also worth noting that the title is created so that it appears to come from behind Roxy's eye, like it was part of her thoughts. This symbolises Roxy's obsession with the performance scene in the city.

SYMBOLIC CODE
Symbolic code can be drawn from most things that appear on screen, but I find the use of proxemics very interesting in this clip. Velma is up on stage to perform, meaning that Roxy stands below her looking up, which represents the positions of power during the films opening between the two characters. The power play between Roxy and Velma is continued throughout the film, and often standing above another character, or sitting whilst another must stand, represents the competition between them.

New Intstructions for weekend
1.  Identify the key actions within the opening - what kinds of actions are included and how is the narrative moved forward?
2.  Identify the enigma codes within the opening - what kinds of questions are posed and how is the audience meant to read these codes?
3.  Identify key characters and think about what they represent in the opening
4. Interpret the cultural codes in the opening.  What kind of knowledge is being drawn on? social/historical/political/art and culture etc.  Highlight the 3 most important references in the opening that help with audience understanding.
5.  Identify key themes and analyse how they are presented visually/technically.