Gender Portrayals in Film Posters

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Gender Portrayals in Film Posters

• Jennifer Mintzer

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Introduction

• The art of the poster evokes the soul of a
  movie. It freezes an instant of the film in the
  mind of the moviegoer. It strikes the elemental
  chord of the film. The poster image, a film's
  key art, may linger in the mind as clearly as
  any single scene from the movie.

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Why look at visual representations of gender?

• The film industry is inherently gender-oriented
  and judged accordingly (Best Actor, Best Actress)
• Poster images become part of pop culture, with
  people collecting posters to display as works of
  art the image lasts longer than the film does
  in peoples minds
• Posters are artifacts of culture reflect was is
  important to a culture in how people and themes
  are represented

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• Ernst Gombrich wrote
• an image cannot be divorced from its purpose and
  requirements of the society in which the given
  visual language gains currency
• in other words, image cannot be divorced from
  its social, economic and historical context nor
  can its meaning be divorced from other images in
  the surrounding culture.

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Erving Goffman

• In his 1979 book Gender Advertisements, Goffman
  noted various patterns of how gender is portrayed
  in ads.
• Men usually are standing over women or are
  greater in height than the women in the ad.
• when women are pictured taller than men, the men
  in the advertisement seem to be of a subordinated
  social class and in a servile costume, such as a
  waiter or a chef.
• Women are shown lying down or reclining more
  often than men, associating them with sexual
  positions

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Jean Kilbourne

• In her series of videos called Killing Us
  Softly Kilbourne points out various elements in
  advertising images that underlie supposedly
  progressive images of women
• phallic imagery
• sexual innuendo
• infantilization of women
• symbolic covering of the mouth
• only showing body parts instead of a whole
  woman

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• Kang (1991) did a study looking at various things
  Goffman noted in his book.
• the findings indicate that the images of women
  in 1991 advertisements did not significantly
  change from images found in 1979 advertisements.
  However, distribution or dispersion of
  stereotypical portrayal of women did change
  (Kang, 1991).

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Sample

• Academy Award nominated films from 1991-2000

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What was examined

• How many posters show just a man alone, how many
  show just a woman as the sole character?
• Are there differences in how these images are
  constructed? (ie. gaze, stance, positioning)
• How are women and men portrayed together in
  posters?
• How are groups of women and groups of men
  portrayed in posters?
• How do the taglines of the posters reinforce a
  deeper message within the image?

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Findings (out of 50 posters)

• Men were portrayed as the lone character in 17
  posters
• Women were portrayed as the lone character in 6
  posters
• A woman and man were portrayed together as the
  main focus in 12 posters (all but one had
  romantic overtones)
• One or more men in a poster 7 posters
• One or more women in a poster 2 posters

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Men Alone - Warriors
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Gladiator

• Tagline
• A Hero Will Rise.

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Braveheart

• Tagline
• Every man dies, not every man really lives.

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Men Alone - Freedom
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The Shawshank Redemption

• Tagline
• Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free

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Men Alone Laughing, Carefree
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As Good As It Gets

• Tagline
• Brace yourself for Melvin

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Jerry Maguire

• Tagline
• The rest of his life begins now

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Men Alone Pensive/Tense Moment
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Conclusions on Men Alone

• Men are independent heroes, brave and strong to
  be alone is to be a true man
• Important decision making
• Messages of freedom and hope, starting a new life
• Carefree attitude
• Important to note lack of a direct gaze

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Women Alone Staring at the Viewer
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Pulp Fiction

• Tagline
• Girls like me don't make invitations like this to
  just anyone!
• Lying on a bed, sexual overtones
• Gun in front of her, but not held dangerous
  association

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The Crying Game

• Tagline
• play at your own risk
• Refers to the title of the film, but in this
  context, it has a another connotation

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Elizabeth

• Words in the background of the poster
• Betrayal
• Murder
• Intrigue
• Traitor
• Assassin
• Queen
• Inclusion of this last word connects the queen
  with these negative words
• Slightly reclined position

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L.A. Confidential

• Tagline
• Everything is suspect...
• everyone is for sale...
• and nothing is what it seems.
• By foregrounding Kim Basinger, the implication is
  the subject of the tagline

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Erin Brockovich

• An exception
• She is not looking at the viewer
• However, she is holding a child instead of
  standing on her own. Her role in this poster is
  a mother, not a crusader of justice

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Women Alone
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Conclusion regarding women

• Women alone are dangerous and/or deadly
• Women alone are not what they seem and shouldnt
  be trusted
• Women alone are playing games and/or are a pawn
  in a game
• Direct and seductive gaze at the viewer implies
  availability
• Women are just a body part, not a whole
• Women are symbolically muted

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Women and Men Together
Bugsy Glamour was the disguiseChocolat One
Taste is all it Takes
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Women and Men Together
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Women and Men Together

• An exception (of sorts)
• There is still a romantic overtone, but she is
  disinterested

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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

• An exception
• Though there is a romantic element to the movie
  between these characters, this is not implied in
  the poster
• Interesting to note, however, that she is looking
  directly at the viewer, while he is not

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Groups of Men War/Military
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Groups of Men Camaraderie
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Groups of Women

• Secrets and Lies

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Future Research

• Further research needs to be done to see how this
  carries over in a greater sample size
• Future research
• Do international film posters and/or films differ
  from American posters in their gender portrayals?
• How do DVD covers differ from movie poster ads?
• What effect does this have on which movies people
  are attracted to? (which films have the highest
  box office total?)

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Conclusion

• Gender is portrayed quite differently in film
  posters in this sample
• When women are alone, they are dangerous
• When men are alone, they are heroes, carefree and
  brave
• When women are portrayed together, they are up to
  no good
• When men are portrayed together, they are
  fighting for the country and all the stronger