‘History I’ and ‘History II’ posters by Tony Robertson (Earthworks Poster Collective),
Sydney, Australia 1977
**Scanned from Suffragettes to She-Devils: Women’s Liberation and Beyond by Liz McQuiston**
Tag Archives: posters
Wednesday Inspiration
“Heathcliff, don’t break my heart.”
“Oh Cathy, I never broke your heart. You broke it! …You wandered off like a wanton, greedy child to break your heart and mine.“
Monday evening two friends and I headed North to the ultra gaudy Beverly Hills, home to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to see Wuthering Heights (Wyler, 1939) which is a part of the Academy’s current film series: Hollywood’s Greatest Year – The Best Picture Nominees of 1939.
The film started at 7:30pm and we got there around 7:15pm, so we had some time to check out the displays in the lobby.
As you can probably tell, these pics were taken with my iPhone. I left my camera in the car. Doh! Oh well. Here, Kendra (probably the biggest Laurence Olivier fan under the age of 50) stands next to the french poster for Wuthering Heights.
Here, Kendra gives her thumbs up next to a photo display for the film. She was excited! So was I! The costume sketches were great.
Our $3 (with student ID) not only got us entry to see this wonderful film in the gorgeous theatre, but we also received this great program with fun behind the scenes information about Wuthering Heights.
We eventually found our way into the theater and it was PACKED! The screening began with a vintage Mickey Mouse cartoon which co-starred the always funny Pluto. Then an introduction was given by some guy who’s name I can’t remember. Next, Samuel Goldwyn Jr. came up to the stage to share with us the story of how his father (who produced this film) got a hold of this script by chance. One day he saw writer Ben Hecht moping around the studio and asked him what was wrong. Apparently his (and co-writer Charles MacArthur’s) adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s Wuthering Heights was not being well received by studio heads. They were saying that it was too morbid. So Mr. Goldwyn read the script, and luckily for us, he loved it! It was nice of Mr. Samuel Goldwyn Jr. to share that story with us. We also had the privelege of seeing a 40 second behind the scenes clip of the cast and crew on location in Thousand Oaks, California where they filmed the cliff scenes. Very neat.
I don’t think I have the words to adequately express how fabulous this film is. This is the first time I’ve sat through the entire film and paid full attention. I’ve seen it probably 5 or 6 times before this, but always half-watching while working on my laptop. The acting in this film is top notch. The same cinematographer who shot Citizen Kane also shot this film. The costumes evolved beautifully throughout the film and supplemented the storytelling. Olivier is really intense as Heathcliff… but when is he not intense? I thought David Niven as Edgar was absolutely dreamy. I told Kendra that I thought he was more attractive than Olivier in this film and she responded “FAIL.” Haha. Lastly, I thought Merle Oberon played Cathy well. Cathy was such a bitch!
I highly recommend this film, if you have not had the pleasure of seeing and experiencing it already. If you enjoy romantic dramas, I guarantee you will appreciate this film.
Say Your Piece
In keeping updated with the web world, I have a handful of credible, wonderful sites/blogs I read on a daily basis. One of which is Best Web Gallery. Maintained by the same guy who writes Web Designer Wall, this is a great way to see the latest and greatest in web design. Today, my attention was brought to this site:
Power to the Poster which, obviously, is a well designed site, BUT it’s the mission of the site that pulled me in. Anyone can download their political posters for FREE, and utilize them to make the members of their communities think about the issues we are facing as a nation. I love it.
THEN I stumbled upon Smashing Magazine’s feature for today, which ties into this whole concept of sharing our thoughts or showcasing ideas in a public space.
Although, sometimes grafitti is not always 100% political, I think that the simple act of reaching outside of social norms and utilizing space that is not meant to be utilized for expression is in and of itself making a bold statement. A very brave one, at that.
This idea of rebellion got me thinking of one of my favorite anarchist collectives, Crimethinc Ex-Workers Collective. Although I cannot forsee ever not having a job and being content with that (unless the U.S. decides to provide Universal Healthcare, which it should), I really respect Crimethinc and admire what they do. They’re such a giving group of people. I’ve probably written about them before. They don’t care about profits, or publicity, all they want to do is spread their message of ultimate autonomy. One of my favorite books Off the Map was purchased from their website (for a measly $2, seriously! seriously awesome), and not only did I get a handful of free posters, stickers and zines, someone from Crimethinc wrote me a handwritten message thanking me for my purchase. I can’t say enough good things about them and the work that they do for no money. Again, love it.
Lastly, going with my theme of bad-ass-ness, I think more people should know about the SPRFKR line of apparel. Why more people aren’t as crazy about them as I am is a mystery to me. I am a plain kind of girl, but the only graphic apparel I seem to like and want to support is SPRFKR.
Their illustrations are amazing, and I love that they don’t put their label name all over their clothing. I don’t know about you, but I don’t enjoy paying money to be a walking billboard for clothing companies. And that is why I like SPRFKR. Good design. Smart design. Great conversation starters.
Sometimes Size Does Not Matter
I’ve been wanting to see this show ever since I found out it was going to be at San Diego State. I missed that boat, but luckily for me, the show was also traveling to good ole’ Cal State Los Angeles. I’ve never been to Cal State LA, and I must say, their Luckman Arts complex is gorgeous. Me gusta mucho. I love how accessible it is from the parking structure, and how easy it is to find from the freeway. Two thumbs up from a tourist’s perspective. (Everytime I go to LA I feel like a tourist). So anyway, going on as we speak…
The Graphic Imperative: International Posters for Peace, Social Justice & the Environment, 1965-2005
Where?
Cal State Los Angeles
Luckman Gallery
5151 State University Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90032-8116
(323) 343-6604
When?
October 27-December 15, 2007
Gallery Hours: Mon-Thurs. and Sat. 12-5pm
How much?
FREE, except for the dollar that you’ll pay for parking… which is a bargain for parking in LA.
I STILL don’t get it.
What initially drew me to this exhibit? Two words: Guerilla Girls! I love seeing their pieces at different exhibits. They’re so inspiring, I would never pass up an opportunity to experience their work up close. The aura of powerful women is always palpable. I know their pieces are posters, and it’s not exactly the same as viewing a painting, because it’s not one of a kind… but I think that’s what’s so great about this exhibit, and about the graphic arts in general. Graphic art, for me, has so much cultural influence and resonates loudly irregardless of which form it takes; whether it’s a billboard, graffiti, a sticker, or in this case, a poster. It’s a piece of art that is utilized in the mainstream of everyday and in turn may be discussed outside of the political arena, making these issues everyone’s problem instead of just the government’s. It’s kind of sneaky if you think about it. We are advertising a social movement like we’re advertising a consumer good. If you capture someone’s attention, the product becomes more popular, and then more people will jump on the bandwagon. Well, that’s in the utopia for social movements in my mind, but I guess in the real world it’s a little more difficult.
The Graphic Imperative exhibits 111 posters that have served to create awareness of social issues or injustices that existed, and in turn created a discourse to try to make change happen. The exhibit includes posters from the past 40 years; four decades that were critical to many issues such as unfair labor, racism, violence against women, AIDS, the environment, and many more.
The Luckman Art Gallery at CSLA is pretty small space, but an average size for a University art gallery. Although the exhibit is small its message is anything but.
