A Rhetorical Analysis Of Movie Posters

The first movie poster was thought to be designed by Jules Cheret in 1890 for an independent short film (“Movie Poster Art- A Short History”). Before the 1900s, movie posters only contained typed wording that broadcasted the movie title, the producer, and the director (“Movie Poster Art- A Short History”). Over the years, movie posters have noticeably progressed into something much more significant. On nearly every movie poster, an image is presented giving one a slight understanding of what the movie may be about. The posters also typically includes prominent cast members. Since the initial poster, it has advanced into a brief foretaste of the movie. In today’s society, a movie poster can arouse something inside a potential viewer that makes

that viewer want to see that movie. The attraction could be the emotional draw, the actor or director, or the rating. One could accredit those potential modes of persuasion to rhetorical devices such as logos, pathos, and ethos. One movie poster, Crimson Peak, uses these methods. The R rating could deter anyone under the age of seventeen from seeing this film. This movie is aimed towards a mature audience and is categorized as a horror film. Horror films have been popular for many years mostly with teenagers and young adults. This movie poster does appeal to each of these rhetorical devices; however pathos is the most forthright rhetorical device of the three. Pathos is the most successful rhetorical device because of the face of Tom Hiddleston, the background imagery, and the text.
While Crimson Peak’s movie poster displays blockbuster actor, Tom Hiddleston’s upper body entirely, his face uses the rhetorical device pathos most flagrantly.

In the poster, half of the actor’s face has been dimmed by shadows. The shadow may leave an uneasiness in a prospective viewer’s eyes because the character may not be disclosing his identity completely. This could mean that the character is withholding certain personality traits to make himself seem more desirable. The shadows upon his face makes the movie seem even more enigmatic because one of the main characters is hiding something. The shadows could also mean that the character is concealing a secret or theoretically lying about something that would disrepute his credibility. This once again adds to the incredible mystery that this movie could surround. This relates to pathos because the mysterious nature of the poster emotionally captivates a potential viewer because the viewer wants to know why the character is hiding a secret, or why the character is not revealing his true identity. Another example of pathos within the character’s face is his eyes. The eyes expose a feeling of guilt. One could tell that the character is feeling guilty about what he has done and that he yearns to take it back. This also appeals to emotions with pathos because a probable viewer would then crave to know what the character has done and why he wishes that he had not done it. The final example of the rhetorical device within the

character’s face is his expression. The viewer can see that the character is tortured. His expression is very lugubrious and troubling. It vaguely pleads for the viewer’s aid. This is also an example of pathos because it can make the viewer aspire to help the character. Again, the character’s face is one of the successful uses of pathos; however, there are many other examples that can be found inside the poster.
Another example of pathos used within the Crimson Peak poster is the use of background imagery. The background imagery within the poster is very complex. The first thing that a potential viewer may notice is the color scheme used. The only colors used in the poster are black and dark green with hints of lighter colors. Dark green is generally associated with greed and jealousy (Parker). This could promote a theme in the movie because of this color on the poster. The dark green featured in the background carries on to the character’s shirt. This could mean that the character is greedy or money hungry. This shade of green could also promote jealousy. The color could mean that this character or another character is very envious or jealous in the movie. The color black is associated with death, evil and mystery (Parker). These themes could be very prominent in the movie and lead one to believe it is of the horror genre. This color scheme relates to pathos because, as cited above, colors evoke certain feelings or themes. If a potential viewer enjoys horror movies or mysteries, this could be a deciding factor in seeing this movie. Another part of the background imagery are the dead bugs and the butterfly on the top of the poster. While this is not the most eye-catching element of the poster, it has a much deeper meaning. While all around the butterfly there are dead bugs, the butterfly prevails. The butterfly could indicate some sort of light in the darkness or life around all the death, if one was to take a more literal approach. This part of the poster’s background imagery relates to pathos because it could make the viewer want to know what the light could portray. It could also evoke a sense of hope into the movie while all the other elements seem bleak. Another element in the background imagery is the hallway itself. The hallway is very dark and gloomy, except at the window. Considering that the window is the only light source, it relates back to the single light in the movie. The light relates back to pathos because, again, the sense of hope adds something to the movie. While background imagery is a huge component in the pathos appeal, there is still another element that brings more to the rhetorical device.
The final example of pathos in the image is the text. In capital letters, beneath the movie’s title, the word “beware” can be found. The font is very assertive. It also catches your attention very easily, although it is at the bottom of the poster. The bold font is very distinguishable throughout the rest of the poster; however, the potential viewer’s eyes are drawn to the word “beware”. This illustrates a strong pathos appeal because it creates mystery while also frightening the prospective viewer. It creates a sense of mystery because the viewer will want to know why one should stay away from Crimson Peak. It will make the viewer want to understand the mystery surrounding this place. It will also frighten the viewer because it is very sternly telling one to avoid going to this place. This may cause the viewer to want to see the movie even more because it follows the theme of horror. Overall, the text portrays a strong pathos appeal throughout the poster.
Some may argue that ethos shines through in the poster more than pathos. One may argue this way because Tom Hiddleston stars in the movie and Guillermo Del Toro directs. Tom Hiddleston is a very successful actor who has starred in multiple blockbuster hits including Thor and The Avengers (“Tom Hiddleston”). These hit films make him a very credible actor. This appeals to ethos because Tom Hiddleston maybe the deciding factor in whether or not to see a film based on his success. Del Toro is a very successful director as well. He has directed famous hits such as Blade II, Pacific Rim, and Hellboy (“Guillermo Del Toro”). He has also been nominated for an Oscar (“Guillermo Del Toro”). This appeals to ethos as well because one may be enticed to see a film knowing a well-known director has directed a certain movie. Ethos is also a possible strong rhetorical appeal.
While ethos may be very convincing, pathos is the stronger of the two rhetorical devices.

While Del Toro was nominated for an Oscar, he was not nominated for his directing. He was nominated for writing a screenplay for El Laberinto del Fauno, a Spanish film roughly translated as Pan’s Labyrinth (“Guillermo Del Toro”). Also, he was only nominated. He did not win the award (“Guillermo Del Toro”). Tom Hiddleston is a very successful actor; however, despite being nominated for twenty awards, he has only won three (“Tom Hiddleston”). He has also never been nominated for an Oscar or any award of that standing (“Tom Hiddleston”). These facts make the actor and the director less credible. This further proves that pathos is the stronger rhetorical device in the Crimson Peak movie

poster.
Pathos is the strongest of the rhetorical devices in this image. The face gives a strong emotional draw. The background imagery stirs up something inside a potential viewer. The text is also of emotional importance. While the other rhetorical devices have been used, pathos shines through within the end result.