Blog One- Ashlyn Holliday

           Inglourious Basterds

            Inglourious Basterds is a film directed by Quentin Tarantino and was released in August of 2009. The film is based in France during the early 1940’s, while at the time had been taken over by Nazi Germany and was experiencing the negative consequences of World War II. During certain parts of the film, the focus is directed toward a group of Jewish Americans who despised the Nazis, better known as the “Basterds.” One of the most brilliant aspects of the film is how well Tarantino connects many different storylines together to create an absolutely incredible plot. The film leaves the audience on edge at all times, with the final scene just as spectacular as the opening.

             When you first look at the movie poster for the film, the main focal point is a serious, determined, and uniformed Brad Pitt. Similar to many other roles he has portrayed, this character, known in the film as Aldo Raine, is a tough, harsh, and almost comedic soldier trying to capture Nazis. The movie poster did a great job appealing to Pitt’s ethos, the illustrators knowing full well that he is a well-known and respected actor in the United States. In the background but also centered is Christoph Waltz, another famous and praised actor. Although he is German and not from the United States, his ethos is still valid and respected here in the U.S. When the audience sees these two familiar faces on the center of the movie poster, it is sure to draw in Pitt and Waltz fans.

            Similar to the pictures of the two main characters on the poster, Quentin Tarantino’s name is bolded, capitalized, and placed directly at the top of the poster, catching the eyes of his supporters and loving fans. As a director with a distinct style and platform, he receives plenty of patronage from his admirers.

The other characters on the poster have a lesser role in the movie, but are certainly portrayed accurately in regards to their clothing and facial expressions. The woman on the left has a somber but determined look, appealing to pathos. The audience almost feels bad for her and is concerned with why she seems upset. The bird on the poster also appeals to pathos, because it looks like he is bleeding but is being supported by the Nazi symbol. Does the woman have anything to do with the bleeding bird? Why is she sad? Is she wanting revenge? What happened to the bird in the first place? These questions are some that a viewer of the poster may ask before seeing the movie or even watching a teaser trailer, which is an effective way to get viewers in to the theaters.
            By appealing to ethos and pathos, the movie poster did a perfect job of displaying the movie at first sight. It initially gives spotlight to a couple of incredible actors, a brilliant director, and their ethos. The poster then focuses on pathos in the background with the somber looking woman and again with the bleeding bird. The movie poster shows the genre to be a drama, which is exactly what the movie turns out to be. The audience could not have been surprised or let down after seeing the movie because the poster gave a great look into what the movie would be about and what to expect.