In this final entry, I will be looking at 70's movie posters (it would seem my topic - 70's and 80's type miscellania - became too large long ago). Sci-fi, fantasy, commodious horror, and classic crime drama will be covered.
Why don't we begin with Silent Running? This classic sci-fi film featured psychological drama and a thoughtful ecological message against the backdrop of empty space, and delivered with groundbreaking special effects that would later be perfected in Star Wars. Not unlike computer typefaces, which I have previously noted emphasized a "futuristic" quality, the lettering in "silent running," with its efficient, lopped-off stems above the shoulder of the "r" and dots eliminated from the "i"'s, as well as an emphasized angularity, shares similar qualities. The typeface used here, otherwise, is basically a tightly kerned Bauhaus. (I believe I have established a trend in 70's logo typography!)
Next, The Shape Of Things To Come. It says "H.G. Wells'", but then more than a few terrible 60's and 70's bearing only the most superficial of similarities to his work used his name in the same way. The typeface used in "The Shape Of Things To Come" appears to be based off of the art deco font Broadway, with the reproduction of the basic forms of the letters quite faithful. The only difference is the innovative use of a single, continuous symmetrical stroke in the individual letters, and a slight augmentation to, as in the case of the Silent Running logo, emphasize an angularity associated with both the computer age and the future. It is interesting to consider how these fonts, which were designed to be "modern" and in effect looking to the future in their own time, would later be revived some 40 years later in roughly their same form, and for the same purposes. It certainly lends class and sophistication to what is actually a very (enjoyably) dumb Star Wars rip-off.
In my previous blogpost, I mentioned the "Phantom Of The Paradise" as an iconic glam rock film, specifically pointing out lightning bolts as key parts of "glam" iconography. As you can see, lightning bolts frame what is part logo, part surreal mandala symbolizing different parts of the film. The title, "Phantom Of The Paradise," is not inappropriately done in neon lights, as the setting is a rock concert venue (called The Paradise). The magenta "Phantom" and the yellow-orange "of the paradise" are part of a dynamic split-complimentary color scheme. The black background creates a high level of luminosity and heightens visual excitation. (I love this poster)
I mentioned a "commodious horror" film would be included, and that is "Frogs" (incidentally by the same director as The Shape Of Things To Come). This movie was one of the many "when nature attacks" horror films that came out in the increasingly ecologically-minded 70's, and as it bears the nauseating, armpit-like aura many 70's films do, I have appropriately labeled it "commodious." Come on, this poster makes you just a LITTLE bit queasy, doesn't it? The "Frogs" logo literally looks like grime or slime graffiti'd on the poster. The strokes appear to have been painted on an uneven surface, and are otherwise inconsistent and unsteady. They are also externally and internally severely degraded, producing that overall nauseating effect of which I've been speaking. That aside, the 2-color scheme of green and yellow, as well as the gross frog with a hand coming out of its mouth (I won't discuss how the frog appears to be normal in size) contribute to a sticky, unpleasant, b-movie poster experience.
Last, a CLASSIC poster. I feel fortunate I'm not inclined or obligated to talk in detail about design, as I could go on for pages and pages about the presentation of the city and the integration of the smoking gun into the cityscape. All I'm REALLY here to talk about is the "Mean Streets" logo. This is a mostly original typeface, utilizing deliberate, angular strokes in the letter "M" and "A" to create diagonal tension and perhaps to suggest violence. The angular "A" nicely parallels the stroke of an adjacent "N", and forms a ligature with E, creating a new letterform. All of the letters are fused together - with the exception of three small cracks, left to maintain legibility - forming one unit. Lastly, "Mean Streets" is colored red - the only color in what is otherwise a black and white composition. The resulting logo has great visual vitality and intensity, and with its red color suggests its ways are paved in - or will surely produce - blood. A logo befitting a movie that deals with these very themes. Superb.
If you have been reading, and have enjoyed my blog, thank you. If you have found it educational, I am astonished. Cheers,
John
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