BORDERLINE GRAPHICS: AN ANALYSIS OF CINEMA MARGINAL POSTERS REGINA C. WILKE PRISCILA L. FARIAS SENAC-SP / BRAZIL USP & SENAC-SP / BRAZIL [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION This paper presents a study on Brazilian Cinema The study of Cinema Marginal posters aims to Marginal film posters. It identifies the political and gathering information for a better understanding cultural context of the posters production, and of Brazilian design history. The posters selected considers their graphic, communicative and for this study are those designed for the films meaningful aspects. listed by Puppo (2008), in his catalogue for an In 1968, the Institutional Act #5 (AI-5) comes into exhibition of Cinema Marginal movies. force in Brazil, and, for the next ten years, the Initially, we describe the political and cultural country is haunted by the most violent period of context influencing Cinema Marginal , and military dictatorship. Cinema Marginal has its summarize the concepts that determine its heyday between 1968 and 1973, a period marked language. We then introduce the Brazilian graphic by the military regime (1964-1985). Such films arts environment of the era, and present the portray the spirit of that era in dissimilar ways identified authors of the posters. Finally, based on that alternate between eroticism, horror, an organization of the posters by affinity groups, romance and suspense, often with political we discuss the posters’ relation to the audiovisual messages in subtext. Its main shared language of the films, proposing a reflection on characteristics are the subversion of cinematic the visual, communicative and meaningful aspects language and experimental attitude. Such films of these graphic artefacts. interact with avant-garde theatre, visual arts and CINEMA MARGINAL Brazilian popular music, especially with the Tropicalia movement, setting up a privileged Cinema Marginal , also called underground or moment of creation, despite the sombre political alternative experimental cinema (‘ udigrudi ’ framework. cinema, according to cinema novo emblematic filmmaker Glauber Rocha) is characterized by its trashy comedies) and traditional Hollywood experimental language and idiosyncratic genres. techniques. The young ‘marginal’ filmmakers broke away from Cinema Marginal production era was marked by one of the tenets of Cinema Novo , that of Brazilian military regime (1964-1985), when dramatically portraying Brazilian reality. In their society came under the control of the armed quest to respond to the historical moment, they forces, who imposed a policy of repression that made room for aesthetic experimentations that curtailed most basic rights and liberties of the would take place, according to Ramos (1987: 31) citizens. In 1968, the Institutional Act #5 (AI-5) in ‘a fictional world that alternates between came into force, and the subsequent ten years enjoyment and horror, always having as a were marked by the most violent events of that reference the middle class itself, the producers of period. In this social-political context, the censor the films themselves, their fears, their angst and would persecute Brazilian politically active artists. their pleasures.’ In the 1960’s, innovative cultural movements PRODUCTION CONTEXT emerged, like Cinema Novo (new cinema), In the 1960’s, technical schools still dominated the characterized by movies that focused on Brazilian teaching of graphic arts in Brazil. On the other reality and lower production costs; and Tropicalia , hand, graphic design was in the verge of being a musical and cultural movement that articulated institutionalized in the country, with a discourse hedonism and opposition to military dictatorship. based on the precepts of functionalism, In the end of the 1960's, there was also the influenced by European schools, especially emergence of countercultural and hippie Bauhaus and Ulm. This institutionalization was movements. The ascend of ‘marginal’ culture in guided by a technical, rational vision, more than Brazilian intellectual debate was underlined in artistic or simply commercial motivations. Within visual artist Helio Oiticica’s motto ‘ Seja marginal, this framework, the Industrial Design courses at seja heroi ’ (‘Be a marginal, be a hero’), that the School of Industrial Design – ESDI, in Rio de alluded to bandit Cara de Cavalo (horse face), a Janeiro, and within the Architecture and Urbanism myth built by the press. undergraduate program offered by the University At this point, Cinema Marginal , a very of São Paulo School of Architecture and Urbanism, heterogeneous set of films, produced were established. approximately between 1968 and 1973, stands The conception of movie posters, in its turn, was, out, in dialogue with tropicalism , with mass mostly, in the hands of draftsmen or illustrators, culture and its icons, with the culture of comics, or of visual artists, who produced the image, and suburban theatre-circus, chanchada (Brazilian of lettering artists who were responsible for 2 DHS Conference 2011, Barcelona, Spain www.historiadeldisseny.org/congres/ rendering texts. The process also involved director, and an editor for the movie for which he technicians specialized in photolithography. designed the poster; Tonacci and Geraldo Veloso The designers of Cinema Marginal posters fit are filmmakers who designed their own film these different profiles. Tebaldo Simionato was a posters. painter and a commercial artist. Ferdy Carneiro This diverse profile of training and professional graduated from Rio de Janeiro School of Industrial practice resulted in an eclectic set of posters. Design, and, other then working as a graphic While one line of work followed the precepts of designer, was also a journalist and an art director ‘good form’, another endorsed the individual for advertising agencies. Fernando Pimenta, who language of the visual artists or illustrators, and attended the National School of Fine Arts and the yet another would ensue the layout-men style of Institute of Graphic Design, was an illustrator and visual communication born in advertising agencies a graphic designer who produced not only posters, (Cardoso 2005). The design of movie posters, at a but also newspaper ads for the films. Rogério given moment, is put in the hands of advertising Duarte, a designer and one of the founders of agencies, which directly sign the pieces, and soon Tropicalism , articulated constructivist principles begin to provide specialists, like Benício, Gilberto with elements of Brazilian popular culture. Oscar Marchi and Fernando Pimenta (Ramos & Miranda Ramos, highly respected in Brazilian visual arts 1997: 96). scene, would also act as an art director and film CINEMA MARGINAL POSTERS set designer. Theresa Simões was a recognized visual artist as well. Miécio Caffé, who was an Of the 61 films considered for this analysis, 43 are illustrator, painted panels for the façades of feature films, five are medium-length films and 14 almost all movie theatres in São Paulo the 1960’s are short movies. It was possible to locate only 37 and 1970’s. Benicio, a self-taught artist, produced posters, all made for feature films. Other movies illustrations for magazines and movie posters, of this category were never released being responsible for around 50% of the commercially, or it was not possible to locate their pornochanchada (a mix of pornography and posters in the public archives visited. comedy genres) posters, and for at least 300 For the purpose of description and analysis, by movie posters overall. Eduardo Catinari, also a observing affinities in the use of image and text, self-taught artist, worked with artistic painting the posters were organized in the following and graphic arts. Mixel Gantus was an illustrator groups: and a set designer. Hamilton and Môca were • Lettering integrated with illustration illustrators. Other poster designers were part of • Text superimposed to illustration the staff involved in the film production: Guara (Guaracy) Rodrigues was an actor, an assistant • Photography associated with graphic style and prevailing dark tone (fig. 1) are resources reminiscent of a horror setting, supported by other elements: the undertaker Zé do Caixão • Photomontage (‘Coffin Joe’, José Mojica Marins’s alter-ego), the • Film frame mosaic coffin, the clock marking midnight, the cross, the • Document simulation cemetery, the skull, blood, all symbols of religion present in popular imagination and treated in LETTERING INTEGRATED WITH ILLUSTRATION tone of blasphemy in the film and in the poster. In seven of the 37 posters analysed lettering is The letters in red are part of the design, integrated to illustration. Handmade illustration reinforcing the sense of depth and match the and the use of perspective are expressive blood that flows from the top of the poster. resources found in three posters of this group. The strength of this technique in the construction of meaning can be verified in the posters for À Meia Noite Levarei Sua Alma (‘At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul’, 1964), author unknown (fig. 1); O Bandido da Luz Vermelha (‘The Red Light Bandit’, 1968), designed by Miécio Caffé (fig. 2); and Nenê Bandalho (‘Despicable Baby’, 1970), by Hamilton (fig. 3). Other posters with lettering embedded in the image were also recorded: O Pornógrafo (‘The Pornographer’, 1970), designed by Mixel Gantus (fig. 4); Meterorango Kid, um Herói Interglático (‘Meterorango Kid, an Intergalactic Hero’, 1969), by Rogério Duarte (fig. 5); and Ritual dos Sádicos