Movie posters need to be immediately appealing to lure the potential customer into the cinema. Some though go way beyond appealing and are really artistic. I will share some of my favourites in this blog, aiming for a grouping of twelve around a certain theme. The theme for today's post is "Legs". It is easy to feature female legs prominently in a banal way - especially the overused 'looking through spread legs' poster trope. I have selected a dozen where it is used in good taste and in an artistic way (well, at least I tried). The image above is made via Photofunia and is free from copyright restrictions.
The Graduate (1967)
The Graduate is an American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols, and starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross. The poster focuses on one of the crucial scenes in the movie, and is perhaps the first one focusing attention so much on today's topic.
M*A*S*H (1970)
M*A*S*H is an American black comedy war film directed by Robert Altman and starring Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt, and Elliott Gould. The madness of war (in this case the Korean one) is reflected in the surreal image used for the poster.
Gotcha! (1985)
Gotcha! is an American action comedy film, directed by Jeff Kanew, and starring Anthony Edwards and Linda Fiorentino - who is smoking hot as the sexy and mysterious East European spy Sasha. The scene used in the poster captures the sexual tension between her nd the young American student. And of course, every Hollywood hotel room in Paris has a view of the Eifel Tower.....
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
And now for something completely different.... Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a n American live-action/animated comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and starring Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, and Joanna Cassidy. The toon character Jessica Rabbit has become an icon, and she is depicted beautifully here.
A League of Their Own (1992)
A League of Their Own is an American sports comedy-drama film about the first women baseball league, directed by Penny Marshall, and starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna. Replacing high heels with baseball shoes in the poster is striking and to the point.
Showgirls (1995)
Showgirls is an erotic drama film directed by Paul Verhoeven, and starring Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan and Gina Gershon. The poster is widely praised for its artistic approach of sensuality.
Bedazzled (2000)
Bedazzled is a fantasy romantic comedy film, directed by Harold Ramis and starring Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley. The poster works very well - with the focus on the legs, the devil's tail gets even more attention.
Goldmember (2002)
Goldmember is an American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach, starring Mike Myers, Beyoncé Knowles, and Robert Wagner. This is the overused 'looking through spread legs' poster trope, but with a comic twist in line with the movie: both Myers' pose and the angle of the legs are fun.
Under the Skin (2013)
Under the Skin is a science fiction horror movie, directed by Jonathan Glazer, and starring Scarlett Johansson. One critic described the movie as "visually stunning and deeply disturbing", and the same can be said about the artistic poster.
Lovelace (2013)
Lovelace is an American biographical drama film centered on porn actress Linda Lovelace, star of Deep Throat, a landmark 1972 film at the forefront of the Golden Age of Porn. It was directed by Oscar-winning duo Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, and starred Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sharon Stone. The poster is simple, to the point, and interestingly goes for a crossed legs pose.
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Kingsman: The Secret Service is an action spy comedy film directed by Matthew Vaughn, starring Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson and Sofia Boutella. This is another good variation on the overused 'looking through spread legs' poster trope, by bringing extra attention to the prosthetic blades of the female assassin, in sharp contrast with the English gentlemen look of the Kingsman.
Inherent Vice (2014)
Inherent Vice is an American period neo-noir mystery comedy film, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, and Katherine Waterston. The poster is especially interesting from a compositional point of view, working with several triangle shapes.
Copyright statement: posting lower quality movie posters is deemed fair use.
