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

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

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