Semiotic Study of the Relationship between the Screen and Historical Reality: The Bodies Series

OpenAlex English

This study delves into the intricate relationship between cinema and architecture by analyzing how architectural space is transformed into cinematic space, particularly within the framework of historical reality. Both cinema and architecture are mediums through which social and cultural meanings are conveyed. In architecture, spaces are shaped by historical processes and carry layers of social- cultural significance, while in cinema, these spaces are depicted as structures that encapsulate symbolic and cultural signs. Using Roland Barthes' semiotic theory with a focus on the concepts of meaning, connotation and myth, this research focuses on Bodies, an 8-part British miniseries adapted by Paul Tomalin from Si Spencer's graphic novel. The series spans four distinct time periods—1890, 1941, 2023, and 2053—and is examined for its representation of historical reality through the lens of architectural elements, technological advancements, and everyday practices of these eras. The architectural styles explored in this study include Victorian architecture, particularly Gothic revival and Queen Anne styles, as well as modernism, post-modernism, and dystopian futuristic designs that depict the evolution of space over time. This study explores how cinema constructs and reimagines historical reality through architectural representation, emphasizing the polysemic nature of cinematic images and the role of audience interpretation. Drawing on Roland Barthes’ semiotic concepts of denotation, connotation, and myth as articulated in Mythologies, The Death of the Author, and The Pleasure of the Text, the research examines how filmic representations of space render historically constructed meanings as natural and inevitable. In this context, the research presents a semiotic framework for understanding the relationship between cinema and space in social, temporal and cultural contexts and the relationship between cinematic space and historical periods. The study draws attention to the importance of spatial design in visual media and emphasizes how architectural spaces are not only a backstage plan but also function as a historical and ideological narrative tool. The findings contribute to interdisciplinary debates by demonstrating how cinematic space becomes a tool of historical ideology, offering a new semiotic lens to architectural and visual analysis.