Marquee Madness: The Attack of the 50-Foot Poster

2001

As it is in Ghana and many other parts of the world, movie going in Los Angeles is a major social event in which almost everyone participates. The way that studios and distributors vie for public attention is a visual phenomenon that is especially grandiose in a city so deeply film-oriented. This collection of life-size cut outs, marquee banners, window clings, mobiles, floor graphics, and posters is sophisticated, elaborate and humorous. As advertising, these forms blend into a sea of battling slogans and logos, but on the walls of a museum they become examples of inventiveness and creativity, as well as our own love for the movies.