Applying 'Levi-Strauss' & 'Barthes' Theory:

'Die Hard' (1.0):

There are many pairs of binary opposites to be seen in the opening of 'Die Hard' and 'Pale Rider'...

- Happy vs. Sad

- New York vs. LA

- Together vs. Apart

- Contrast in musical themes

- Good vs. Evil

- Life vs. death

- Prepared vs. unaware

- Novice vs. experience

- Differences in approach, e.g. Bruce Willis walks into hotel and asks for direction, whereas bad guys enter and kill everyone along the way.

'Pale Rider':

- Cuts between Good guys vs. bad guys.

- Contrast between soft guitar playing and loud horses running.

- Everyday experience vs. spiritual experience.

- Riders vs. Man alone.

- Anger and fear vs. Calm.

- Water vs. Flame.

- Rich vs. Poor.

- Survival vs. Death.

Applying Barthes Theory to the opening of SPEED:

Action Codes:

The opening of SPEED is very clear in showing the audience the main characters, when we see the villian kill the guard it is immediately clear that he has evil plans. Once the police teams are called in we are introduced to the skyscraper where the situation is taking place and straight afterwards to our main characters with the police who will ultimately saved the day. We can tell that the film is set in the present day.

Semantic Codes:

The character of Keanu Reeves clearly represents bravery and does all he can to save the hostages. His viewpoint; "shoot the hostage", which he mentions to his partner also determines his actions when his partner is taken hostage, as he shoots him in the leg.

Enigma Code:

The situation in the building with the lift set to explode is discovered by the two main charcters and they do not hesitate to proceed in adverting the potential disaster. Mystery is set up as we are curious to find out more about the villain involved in these actions of terror and why he is doing it.

Referential Code:

Information is revealed most obviously through the opening credits which seem to go on for an age! The mise-en-scene makes use of lighting contrasts e.g. it is bright on the ground floor of the building, the police staging area, but as they enter unknown territory it appears darker. The lift which is where the hostages are is almost pitch black as the power has been cut.


Symbolic Code:

There are many symbolic codes in the opening sequence of SPEED, e.g. police uniforms symbolising authority and crime stopping. There is also symbolism in the characters emotions such as bravery and fear.