Film studies global cinema

No Country for Old men does not fit neatly into Stuart Halls theory of spectatorship due to its post modern nature as a neo western that deconstructs genre, rather subverting this theory through eluding a clearly defined preferred reading; however the constructed chaos in the film does still lend itself to a variety of spectator responses through its elusive meaning, with characters full of contradictions and characters that cannot understand these contradictions.  Stuart Hall’s theory of spectatorship can help explain multiple readings of the character of Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. The preferred reading would be to fear Chigurh from this scene, he is anomalous to the western genre, especially in his twisted sense of morality which is hard to understand and grasp. The tension of the scene helps establish this reading through micro features; sound is utilised through a subtle naturalistic soundtrack, blowing wind that underscores the soft spoken dialogue to heighten the...

Stuart Hall’s theory of spectatorship can help explain multiple readings of the character of Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. The preferred reading would be to fear Chigurh from this scene, he is anomalous to the western genre, especially in his twisted sense of morality which is hard to understand and grasp. The tension of the scene helps establish this reading through micro features; sound is utilised through a subtle naturalistic soundtrack, blowing wind that underscores the soft spoken dialogue to heighten the tension of the scene. The slow track in also works to create tension, equally subtle and less perceptible which helps sutra the spectator into the diegesis of the film to heighten this tension. This tension builds fear towards Chigurh which is built further through subverting genre expectations with Chigurh’s elusive moral code. The mise en scene establishes western conventions with the shop keeper wearing a plaid shirt and overalls, cowboy hats sit in the background as ...