There are several movies with an “image system” that come to mind and some I ran across during research. An image system is a repeated visual technique or image that reappears. Some are obvious like the red balloon that floats though almost the entire 1956 short film “The Red Balloon.”
Some are used to highlight the story…in the “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” the cameraman uses different shot techniques such as blurring and loss of visuals to illustrate the forgetfulness of losing memory. Other image system examples (in too many movies to mention) range from rear view mirrow views in detective or racing movies to views in windows or the use of many reflections in different mirror angles.
In my favorite movies, such as “Tank girl,” “The Mask,” “Roger Rabbit,” and “Cool World” animations and comic book stills or even a cartoon universe are injected that show the same character in similar iconic attire. Lori Petty appears in a tank top or pigtails for Harley Quinn in Batman series fame similar to the character she portrays. Jim Carry is repeatedly seen in a yellow suit when he is in “Mask” form, and both Jessica Rabbit reappearing in her iconic red dress and the “Cool World” Holli Wood character and cartoon world keeps blending with reality.
Dystopian sets and panels help connect some of these plots with the stories they were borrowed from and reinforce continuity of the story setting. Once aware of what image systems are, it is hard to not watch and catch a few director image styles as an “Ah-ha!” moment in future viewing to come.
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Related article:
Tank Girl | Lori Petty Walked so Harley Quinn Could Run (thecompanion.app)
