Villarreal 1

Andres Villarreal

Dr. Sharity Nelson

English 1301 - 119

5 December 2022

Dunkirk Poster Analysis

“The event that shaped our world” is the phrase written at the bottom of this advertisement

poster for the film, Dunkirk (Fig 1). It is easy for a viewer to miss it when just glimpsing at it

quickly. There is often more to an image than an individual realizes. Everything from color to

background to text all have a significance to them. That is what this poster promoting the 2017 film

Dunkirk has. It can be often overlooked by audiences when it should be appreciated more for what

it presents. It shows an image of a soldier at the center, looking toward the destruction in front of

him that has resulted from the activity of war. Viewers were able to see the theme and story unfold

from this one image. It represents the film so well with the color variations it contains, the emotion

it conveys, and its display of historical warfare.

This poster’s use of color brings out the attention to detail that was put into it as well as the

mood it displays. It consists of color variations of blue and black, which are usually used to

symbolize gloom in the characters or in the themes of the story. The idea of war is something that is

unpleasant and brings a sense of sadness to all people, so the use of these shades is appropriate for

the image. The sky is a light blue color, which can indicate that the event is either happening

during the early hours of the morning or in the evening at sundown.There are orange shades that

are indicating that there is fire around the area with smoke coming out from them. A darker shade

of blue is used to form the shape of military ships in the foggy distance. This color, along with the
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color of the smoke, makes ships seem difficult to see because of the debris in the air. All these

colors paint a detailed picture of war depicted in the Dunkirk film.

Just like how color can set the mood of the image, the display of people and environment

brings out many emotions. An expression on a person’s face or a scenery can bring out all kinds of

feelings to an audience. Starting with the left hand side of the image, there is a scene of people,

who are most probably soldiers, jumping off a military ship into the ocean. Viewers can indicate

that these soldiers are jumping off out of fear of what is happening around them. This action made

by them helps the viewers feel the soldiers’ fear and desire to survive the chaos that is going on.

Another emotional section falls back on the soldier at the center of the image. He is standing

neutrally with a rifle slung over his shoulder and holding his helmet in one hand while a thin dark

shade covers over him. There are many emotions that are displayed from this one person. Some

people can make claims saying that he is in shock or in a trance at the sight of what is in front of

him. The audience may look at this soldier and try to put themselves in his place and imagine the

thoughts and feelings he must have; feelings of loss, fear, determination, and even thoughts of the

unknown of his own survival. He could be taking a glance at the war right before him, preparing

himself, not knowing if he will live to see another day.

That is how many soldiers felt during this time. World War II was a terrible point in history

with so much war and loss of brave men. History books are filled with events like this to be

learned about, but sometimes it is better to physically see the event to further understand it. The

Dunkirk poster does an incredible job of capturing this historical battle that took place during

World War II in 1940. This can clearly be seen by many aspects of the image, especially by the

soldier in the center. The style of military uniform looks to be around the era of World War II. The

helmet he is holding shows that he was part of the British military, because the British soldiers
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wore helmets of this style. They were shaped in a semicircle to sit on the head with a flat rim

around the perimeter of it. The tip of his weapon can be seen peering from his shoulder. By

looking at the craftsmanship of it, viewers or historians can see that this is a weapon made during

this period of time. One other factor that contributes to historical accuracy is the airplanes flying

over at the top of the image. Airplanes have evolved as years have gone by, so it is obvious to see

that these airplanes are of an older style. These aircrafts were the types with wide wings and

barreled tips and cone-like nose spirals at the tip, which were used widely throughout the war.

Viewers are able to get a glimpse of a historical battle setting during World War II through this

poster.

As a result, there is more to a movie poster than just an image. Dunkirk’s promotional

poster tells the audience its story through the use of color variation, different emotions that are

displayed by the soldier and the environment, and historical points of view that give the audience a

better understanding of the scene of war during World War II. This movie poster gives the

audience an opportunity to see the work of these film makers recreating an event in history that has

never been seen before. It prepares them visually as well as emotionally for what awaits them

when they see it. Dunkirk’s poster is a masterpiece of detail and storytelling and should be

appreciated more for years to come.

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Appendix

Figure 1. Poster for the film

Dunkirk (2017).
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Work Cited

Poster for the film Dunkirk. Amazon.com, 2017,

https://www.amazon.com/DUNKIRK-POSTER-ORIGINAL-Advance-CHRISTOPHER/

dp/B0755MMYHP. Accessed 5 October 2022.