10 July 2006

A LESSON IN MOVIE POSTERS

While looking for something else entirely, I stumbled across the new French poster for the August art-house release, Snakes on a Plane:

Let us compare this to its American cousin:

Clearly, the French poster is superior: it has snakes. Although it lacks Breakdance Karate Woman, who is perhaps the finest aspect of the American poster.

Both use Samuel L. Jackson to poor effect: in the American poster, he looks kind of distracted and is shunted to the side; but in the French one, he appears Photoshopped-in and his eyes are creepy. He is the hero of the film! He is Samuel L. Fuckin' Jackson! He ought to be treated with more respect.

The French tagline translates as "Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight," which is rather too low-key for a film about snakes on a plane, but I am greatly pleased that it lacks the American poster's pun (I suspect this was a translating accident). And I wish to point out that the French title, although spiritually identical to Snakes on a Plane once grammar rules are taken into account, translates literally as Some Snakes on the Plane. And here I thought the title had no room to get better.

3 comments:

  1. I don't know, I like the idea of Jackson being sold as a demonic purveyor of snake planes. Though, apparently, that's not what the movie's about. Still, since when has THAT been a factor in ad campaigns?

    Anyhow, you're right. French version vastly superior across the board.

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  2. The American website is at least better, although according to the date on the poster, the French have two additional weeks to add stuff.

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  3. I think he actually looks a bit snakelike in the French one. Which I am SO buying if i can get my hands on a copy.

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