Magnoli Textual Analysis

As consumers we are exposed to a number of texts on a daily basis, these texts can be anything from movie posters to books to DVD covers, from these, assumptions are made as to what the product, movie or book is about. Throughout this essay, Magnolia will undergo a textual analysis; more specifically this essay will provide the most likely interpretation of the text from the audiences view. The concepts of semiotics, framing and genre will be used throughout to help in the discussion and “investigation into how meaning is created and communicated” (Fruend 2013).

Semiotics is the process of “understanding and analysing communications through the use of signs” (King 2014a). The signs displayed on this text such as the classification of MA15+

It is an expectation to know the actors from the pictures and if not, the name of each person is displayed at the top of the cover, this works as circumtextual framing. What is signified to the audience through the various pictures with different actions in each, is that the movie may be about the lives of many different people. A prominent face among the pictures is one that many different audience members would know, Tom Cruise, who is best known for action and drama films. Intertextualised framing is used again in the statements of Golden Globe winner Tom Cruise for best supporting actor and winner of Golden Bear for best film as the meaning of these words is dependent on the movie Magnolia as they would not have happened without it. The images of the awards are also conventional signs because as a society we have agreed upon the meaning of them. Julianne Moore is also a prominent Hollywood actor who is often depicted in the genre of drama. The image of Philip Seymour Hoffman, a successful actor who stars in critically and commercially acclaimed productions, brings the focus of the audience to his picture as it is centred on the cover, this can be interpreted as his character being a prominent protagonist within the film. Above the film title the text “A P.T Anderson Picture” is displayed and below, “from the writer/director of Boogie Nights” is shown, the intended audience can draw upon their extratextual knowledge and come to the conclusion that the genre is most likely drama. The cast of Magnolia also mirrors the majority of that of Boogie Nights, if audiences have this extratextual knowledge of the film the common ground will be noticed. The reference to previous work of the director is also a form of intertextuality as the meaning of Magnolia is dependent on its relationship to Boogie Nights, due to the fact that it is of the same genre. (Harrington 2014b). The use of boogie nights as a