Movie Posters throughout the 20th Century.

I'll be starting by looking at some movie posters from the 1920's onward. I'll be looking at the ways in which the actors are portrayed in the posters, how they're dressed (which will largely be relevant to their role in the film), how they are posed and how the people in the poster interact.

http://www.impawards.com/1920/two_moons.html

This poster from "Two Moons" (1920) shows a rather well dressed cowboy atop a horse with a woman cradled in his arms.
The cowboy is portrayed here as a strong person, he seems to have a firm grip on the woman in his arms, he is shown sitting upright, his shoulders broad and his square chin and solid facial features are shown in profile. His clothes are very smart and well kept, sporting a shirt and tie, along with his cowboy hat. Overall he is depicted as a very strong and dominant figure.
The woman is portrayed here as someone in distress, she is at the mercy of the man cradling her. She wears a long flowing dress, adding an element of grace to her appearance. She does however appear to be somewhat defiant, her fist is clenched at her side and she seems to be giving a defiant look to the man holding her. Overall she is presented as a rather passive figure, although there are implications of a more dominant character there, she seems restrained from acting on her desires by the seemingly more dominant man.

http://www.impawards.com/1931/cimarron.html

This poster from "Cimarron" (1931) shows a man holding a gun standing in front of a woman.
The man is shown here holding a gun in one hand, with the other outstretched as if shielding the woman behind him. He is depicted, once again, as a very square jawed, muscular man, his shirt torn open to show his defined chest. He appears calm but with very determined eyes. Overall this is another depiction of a very strong, dominant figure.
The woman is shown standing behind the man, mostly obscured by his figure. She has a look of shock or fear on her face and holds an arm over herself protectively. She is seen wearing a flowing red dress, again, adding an element of grace to her appearance. Overall she is depicted as someone defenceless and in need of help.

These posters from the earlier part of the 20th century seem to enforce some of the gender roles and stereotypes I looked into in my previous post. Male characters have been portrayed as very heroic, dominant characters while female characters have been depicted largely as submissive characters in need of protection or help.

I will continue to look at some more posters from later on in the 20th century to see if these trends in representation persist.