Madonna Textual Analysis

The music video opens with a woman running away from something with sirens in the background which is a negative connotation, we then see a door shut, which implies that something or someone is being shut out, it cuts to a burning crucifix, which is commonly associated with the Klu Klux Klan, there are then quick cuts to what looks like a woman being beaten by 3 men and one man turns around and gives a menacing look, implying that whoever he is looking at will be next, it then cuts to a church which is a positive as it is holy ground and it then cuts to a black man being led away while in the spotlight with a shamed expression on his face, Madonna then shuts the door and we see a POV of the church, we then see Madonna  on her knees praying, which is usually for forgiveness which connotes that she has done something wrong, it then cuts to a crucifix with Jesus  on the wall in gold which represents the church is a positive way, we then see a figure which looks like the man that was being led away by the police in a wax figure and it looks like he is crying, it is supposed to be Jesus, this was controversial because in the music video he is portrayed as being black whereas normally Jesus is portrayed as a white man. We then see the wax figure start to move and we also see a tear fall down his cheek, which is an occurrence in religious phenomenon, Madonna then approaches the cage and starts singing to the Jesus lookalike, she is on her knees giving off the impression that the church and the wax figure are in power over Madonna. We then see that she enters a dream and she is in the clouds and falling, which could possibly represent that she has done something wrong because she is falling from heaven. She is then caught by an African- American woman, she then kisses the wax figures feet and opens the cage, which could be seen as a metaphor for the majority of African-Americans in prison, the figure then gets out the cage and comes alive and gives Madonna a kiss on the cheek and on the forehead, which implies that she has been forgiven, he then leaves the church and Madonna picks up a knife and then cuts herself but as she looks at her hands she has holes which are similar to those of Jesus on the cross, this is controversial because this is another religious phenomenon and it is consider that it only happens to a chosen few, then a choir joins In with singing along to the song, it then cuts to Madonna being on the street and we see a woman being attacked by 3 men, we then see that the look the man gives to the person we can’t see is in fact Madonna and she stands there and does nothing while an African-American man comes running down the stairs to aid the woman, we then see the African-american man run to aid the woman while the attackers have run away and the spotlight is put on him and the police pull up, this represents the man as being a criminal while the white men get away with it, representing all black males as criminals, we then see Madonna singing in front of 4 burning crucifixes which is associated with the KKK, who hate anyone who is ethnically different to them, we then cut back to the church where a small black boy encourages Madonna to join in with the choir, it is also very controversial because of what Madonna is wearing in the church as she is wearing a very small dress with cleavage showing, another controversial talking point is that she kisses Jesus, we then see the wax figure mould back into his place inside the cage, it then cuts to Madonna at the police station providing evidence for the black male who was wrongly caught killing the woman, she then goes up to the cage like she does in the church which is almost saying that jesus was a normal person and this is another thing that will anger religious fanatics and followers

SEXUALISATION OF MADONNA

Religious aspect of the music video

racism within the video