Madmen is a cult postmodernist T.V. Series spanning, so far, three seasons on American broadcast channel 'AMC'; more recently, the first and second seasons are aired in the early hours of the morning on BBC4. Talking about the channels showing of Mad Men's first two seasons, BBC4 controller Janice Hadlow said
"We're very proud to have shown the first series of Mad Men on BBC Four, and are delighted to be able to bring the second series of this stylish an
d captivating series to its many British fans too."
The series, created by Emmy award winning producer Matthew Weiner, is a stylised and provocative period drama set in and around the offices of a New York advertising agency called 'Sterling Cooper' in the 1960's.
The drama, produced by Lionsgate Televison, is the first 'basic cable' show to have been awarded the coveted Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series; along with 8 other Emmy awards and 3 golden globes, it's one
of T.V.s best kept secrets, along with hit show 'The Wire'.
The show deals with a range of themes and concepts, and is praised by critics for its historical authenticity and style. Sexism, Class, Gender Power Struggles, Sex, Sexuality and Religion are just some of the topics and themes touched on by the show, mostly through main characters 'Don Draper' (Jon Hamm) and 'Peggy' (Elisabeth Moss).
The opening sequence is a key component to the shows success, and has been the topic of conversation for many people in the media industry, and just as many outside it. With the use of 60's styling and the silhouetted man, it is obvious from the opening moments just what this show will be about; the whole sequence is postmodernist as it was created as an intertextual reference to the show creators biggest influence, Alfred Hitchcock. The style is derived from Saul Bass's opening titles for the Hitchcock film 'North by Northwest' which was made in 1959; this falls under the umbrella of postmodernism as it is an intertextual reference that requires influence from the past in order to make something new.
http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2009/04/14/falling-man-and-ma
d-men-154
In the essay from the link above, Gary Edgerton (Old Dominion University) talks about the obvious and the not so obvious clues as to what the show is about that feature in the opening sequence. He also talks about the opening sequences busy, bold style; 'alot happening in 30 seconds' which could be interpreted as the postmodernist condition where society leads a 24/7 lifestyle. He also points out the intertextual references i
earlier stressed, and develops these ideas on a deeper level and suggests that the 'falling man' implies a 'resolutely post 9/11 perspective'
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