Hey guys! I thought you guys might wanna have a read of an analysis I did of The Untouchables film poster...
I've got to a presentation on in in college sometime, so any feedback would be appreciated, even though it is pretty crap and is writtin in kind of note form... But go easy, i'm only a first year.....
I've also included a picture of the poster'video case, so you guys can refer to it while you read...
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The Untouchables film poster
Tagline plus Al Capone/Robert DeNiro:
The first thing you notice when you look at this poster is the large figure dominating the top half of the poster. This is Al Capone portrayed by the films biggest star, Robert DeNiro. The way Al Capone is displayed in black and white, whilst the rest of the poster is in colour seems to be homage to the classic genre of film noir. The fact that both Robert DeNiro and Al Capone were the films biggest "stars' would seem to imply why he has the largest picture on the poster, even though Robert DeNiro only took 4th billing for the film. Another reason for this could be, is the fact that Al Capone's character is far "superior' and "higher up' than "The Untouchables' below him, which is backed up by the tagline:
“…AL CAPONE. He ruled Chicago with absolute power. No one could touch him. No one could stop him. - Until Eliot Ness and a small force of men swore they'd bring him down…”
The phrase "higher up' doesn't mean he's greater person or a better person, more the fact that's he far more powerful, influential and rich than those beneath him are. A true fact that is played out to the maximum in the film. On the poster, Al Capone is in black and white, smoking an expensive cigar and wearing an expensive suite. He is hard to recognise as Robert DeNiro. This just goes on to show how rich, powerful and "connected' he is.
The above tagline gives us a brief insight into the film's story. It tells us the background to the story and one of the main characters – Al Capone. It tells us his position and what the story is about – a small group of men led by a man called Elliott Ness will bring Al Capone down. Although it doesn't actually tell who the characters are or what they do, common audience knowledge of Al Capone will let it be known that he was a famous Mafia Don, who controlled most the illegal bootlegging of liquor in Chicago and the US in the 1920's. The image of Al Capone taking up half the poster, the fact that he is "above' "The Untouchables' and the phrase:
“He ruled Chicago with absolute power. No one could touch him. No one could stop him”
All imply just how powerful he really was when compared to the four small men standing beneath him.
Also the phrase “No one could touch him” seems to imply that Al Capone was "Untouchable' himself. For people watching the film for a first time, they would think that the title of the film – “The Untouchables” was referring to Al Capone himself, as members of the Mafia are always referred to as a member of an organisation, in plural E.g. "La Cosa Nostra' or "Gangsters' rather than as individuals. They are referred to as part of a Crew or a Family. But if you have watched the film before, you will know that the title is referring to Elliott Ness and his men, which would seem to imply that although Al Capone "couldn't be touched by anyone', he could be touched by other "Untouchables' which is mainly what the film represents.
The phrase:
“Until Elliott Ness and a small force of men swore they'd bring him down”
Focuses our attention on the men at the base of the poster who are obviously Al Capones rivals and the men who will "bring him down'. The way the tagline says, “No one could stop him. Until Elliott Ness and a small force of men swore they'd bring him down” seems to imply the films outcome, that Elliott Ness will stop him. The use of the word "small' as in "small force of men' also goes on to imply just how small they were when compared to Al Capones criminal empire, even though they would almost certainly "bring him down' in the end. Also the use of the word "'swore' would seem to imply that they are policemen.
Eliot Ness and his men:
We now focus out attention on the four men at the base of the poster. They are "The Untouchables'. From their stance and the fact that they are holding guns, strongly implies that they are the men who are going to bring Al Capone down. We notice that they are all staring directly at us, as if to transfix us with their eyes. The man standing at the front of the group is Elliott Ness. We can tell from the fact that he is mentioned in the tagline and the fact that he is larger than the other men that he is obviously the leader of the group. This is also evident by the fact that he is pointing his gun at us, as if to imply an aggressive or action sense to the film.
The posters background:
We see that the group of men at the base are standing against a city background. We learn from the tagline that this is obviously Chicago, and that this is where the majority of the film will take place. The phrase “…He ruled Chicago with absolute power…” is backed up by the way Al Capone's character is positioned above the city background. These two things strongly imply Al Capone's rule and power over Chicago. This is a strong contrast to the way Elliott Ness and his men are positioned in front of the city seems to imply that they are protecting it, whether from higher influences and corruption, or actual physical violence.
Posters Title.
The placing of the title "The Untouchables' changes positions from the film poster and on the DVD and video cases. On the poster, the title is placed below the main bulk of the poster, with all the characters above it. This would seem to imply that the small group of men at the base of the poster just above the title are the untouchables, which is true. But when the title is placed at the top of the poster, above everyone, this one seem to imply that everyone beneath it is an untouchable, so this may confuse anyone who hasn't seen the film. Also the title is written in large and bold letters, to make it stand out and to covey the sense of overall strength and power.
Background:
Made in 1987 and directed by Brain DePalma. Based on a true story. There was a black and white TV series called "The Untouchables' which ran from 1959-63. There was also a series made in 1959 called "The Scarface Mob'. Scarface was Al Capone's nickname E.g. Al "Scarface' Capone. The series starred mainly the same actors as "The Untouchables' and was based on how Elliott Ness and some other policemen helped put Al Capone behind bars.
There has been a more recent series based on the story. A series also entitled "The Untouchables' was aired in 1993.
The film belongs to the crime/action/drama genre. This is clearly evident in the poster. There is the short description of the film, which gives us the specifics of crime, the use of aggressive poses and guns imply action and the overall tone or mood of the poster seems to stress that the film is a drama, and not a comedy of musical.
Stereotyping:
There is some evidence of stereotyping in the poster. For example, the small group of men at the base of the poster. They represent the classic example of stereotyping in film. There is the young, enthusiastic, honourable and "by-the-book' Eliot Ness. There is the accountant type, who is made to look intelligent with glasses and who looks totally out of place holding a gun. He also provides minor comic relief in the film. There is the young foreign sharpshooter and the older, wiser and more experienced member of the group Jimmy Malone. Al Capone's character is also somewhat stereotyped, as most people seem to think of gangsters as rich, dominant, well-dressed, feared and respected. This is evident in the way Al Capone is represented by Robert DeNiro by the way he commands respect and attention while in a fairly casual pose, and the way he is smoking a large and obviously expensive cigar and wearing dark glasses which obscure his eyes, which give him a more mysterious or 'removed' presence.
Historical accuracy:
Although the film is based on a true story, historical accuracy in terms of character representation, content and story all took a backseat to make the film more watchable and ultimately enjoyable. E.g. the character of Jimmy Malone played by Sean Connery in the film was totally invented for the film and the famous shootout on the railway station steps never even occurred. But the characters and story are represented fairly accurately on the poster.
Target Audiences:
The designers of the poster have catered very well for the perceived target audience. The Untouchables was voted the 50th best film of the 1980's, has been included in many "top 100' film polls and has since proved very popular, mainly with males, of all ages. The design of the poster seems to pay homage to the classic "film noir' style of film making, which would appeal to fans of the genre and members of the older generation. They way that the films main stars are represented also appeals well to target audiences. It shows three generations of actor's which would appeal to three generations of moviegoers. The older generation would remember Sean Connery from his roles in the James Bond films from the 1960's. Robert DeNiro was now at the height of his career, with groundbreaking films such as Godfather: Part II, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter and Raging Bull under his belt, not to mention his two Oscars. He would appeal to the current selection of moviegoers, as he was still at the height of his career. Young actors like Kevin Costner and Andy Garcia would appeal more to the younger generation of filmgoers, who can identify with actors of the same generation. So the way the poster makes the film appealable to all generations of moviegoers is a very clever technique, which would make the film more popular and ultimately more successful.
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noledge
It is a real stressfull job though, the ones that do last have got some pretty big Cajones. Bigger than any Mafioso boss.