{"id":1318,"date":"2024-12-06T20:45:56","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T20:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/?p=1318"},"modified":"2024-12-06T20:45:59","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T20:45:59","slug":"nope-and-the-spectacle-of-exploitation-in-cinema","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/2024\/12\/06\/nope-and-the-spectacle-of-exploitation-in-cinema\/","title":{"rendered":"NOPE and the Spectacle of Exploitation in Cinema"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Jordan Peele\u2019s NOPE<\/em> (2022) is a bold exploration of spectacle, power, and exploitation. By weaving horror with biting social commentary, Peele asks profound questions about the relationship between people and the media that shapes their perception of the world. The film, while undoubtedly a thrilling alien encounter, functions as an astute reflection on contemporary issues such as marginalization, fame, and the relentless pursuit of spectacle in our media-saturated society.
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A key element of NOPE<\/em> is its engagement with the idea of “spectacle,” as defined by philosopher Guy Debord in The Society of the Spectacle<\/em>. In Debord’s terms, the spectacle is not just a collection of images, but a social relation between people mediated by images. Peele\u2019s film challenges this concept, using the alien creature as a literal and metaphorical representation of the spectacle itself. As the characters\u2014OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer)\u2014attempt to capture the creature on film, they find themselves grappling with the moral costs of turning the extraordinary into something consumable for an audience. It\u2019s a commentary on how spectacle, in both cinema and modern media, can be exploitative, especially when the marginalized are forced to perform for it.
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In the context of the film, exploitation is not just an abstract concept but is embedded in Hollywood\u2019s history and its portrayal of marginalized communities. Peele\u2019s depiction of Black characters navigating this world adds layers to the film\u2019s social critique. This theme is brought into focus early on, in a subtle yet significant homage to cinema\u2019s past with the mention of Eadweard Muybridge. His iconic photographs of motion, particularly his famous 1887 series featuring a Black jockey, serve as a reminder of how early cinema used Black bodies for spectacle and entertainment. This reference speaks to a long history of exploitation in the film industry, one that NOPE<\/em> critiques directly by placing Black characters in the center of a story that explores these dynamics.
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The film also brings attention to the role of old and new media in creating and consuming spectacle. The opening scene, set on a soundstage where an African-American actor\u2019s tragic death is caught on film, critiques the commodification of violence and trauma for entertainment. The tension between new media, represented by the siblings\u2019 attempts to capture the creature for viral fame, and old media, symbolized by the tragic moment in the film\u2019s opening, highlights how the exploitation of spectacle has evolved with technology, but its core remains unchanged.
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The film\u2019s epigraph, Nahum 3:6<\/em>, sets the tone for the moral questions NOPE<\/em> grapples with. The verse speaks of filth being cast upon the world and the creation of a spectacle out of suffering, underscoring the film’s critique of how society commodifies people and events for entertainment. The alien creature, which terrorizes and eludes capture throughout the film, becomes a metaphor for this commodified spectacle\u2014a wild, uncontrollable force that both enthralls and consumes those who seek it.
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In NOPE<\/em>, Peele\u2019s handling of spectacle, exploitation, and representation mirrors the history of cinema itself. Through its layered narrative and vivid imagery, the film forces us to reconsider our relationship to media, questioning what it means to witness, consume, and exploit stories and lives for our own entertainment. NOPE<\/em> is not only a thrilling horror film, but also a sharp commentary on the ways in which we view and treat those who are often rendered invisible in the pursuit of spectacle.
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Jordan Peele\u2019s NOPE (2022) is a bold exploration of spectacle, power, and exploitation. By weaving horror with biting social commentary, Peele asks profound questions about the relationship between people and the media that shapes their perception of the world. The film, while undoubtedly a thrilling alien encounter, functions as an astute reflection on contemporary issues […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9237,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-extra-credit","category-week-10-10-29-10-31-genre"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9237"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1318"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1318\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1319,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1318\/revisions\/1319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}