Two weeks after the Blu-Ray release of Noah, and four weeks after its digital release online, the studio that made the film continues to release new images promoting it — and some of them are quite striking.
The thing that distinguishes these images from nearly all of the pictures and posters that have been released so far is that they are not based on photos from the film or its set. Instead of showing Russell Crowe or Emma Watson in character, surrounded perhaps by computer-generated rain and waves, these images are pure illustrations, and even a bit abstract, in a way that might not have felt out of place in the art show commissioned by director Darren Aronofsky.
A publicist working for the studio sent three images directly to Patheos, including the poster that you can see above. The studio has also released a couple other images via the film’s Twitter feed. You can check them all out below the jump.
First, there is this image of the animals and the Earth, with the words “It begins” — spoken in the film by Noah as the animals start boarding the Ark:
The circular pattern of the animals echoes how the birds — the first of the animals to arrive at the Ark — fly in circles in the film, before landing on the ship:
The connection is even more explicit when you compare the poster to the shot from the film which looks straight down at Noah as the birds circle overhead — though the circular motion isn’t really clear in a static frame like the one below:
Note also how the poster above depicts the supercontinent Pangaea, just as the film did — thereby situating this film in a time before continental drift:
Two other images have played on the line in the film about how God is destroying the world with water, not fire, because fire consumes all whereas water cleanses.
See, for example, the image below, which associates the fire with the serpent and the water with the dove (this might be my favorite of the new images):
The Twitter version of that image was accompanied by the statement “Destroy all to start again.” Three days earlier, the film’s Twitter account expressed a similar sentiment with a similar (but animal-free) image of fire and water:
Creation must be destroyed to be remade anew. Own #NoahMovie TODAY on Blu-ray & Digital HD. http://t.co/v80Sn1ERZs pic.twitter.com/WQn92GwEIk
— #NoahMovie (@NoahMovie) August 2, 2014
Finally, the studio tweeted the image below last Thursday:
Strength comes from the Creator. Own #NoahMovie TODAY on Blu-ray & Digital HD. http://t.co/RXOleXc9gF pic.twitter.com/kGdkxiVaNh
— #NoahMovie (@NoahMovie) August 7, 2014
It’s interesting to see how this image, and the accompanying tweet, repurpose two lines of dialogue from the film.
First, in the film, when Noah says “I am not alone” to Tubal-Cain, he is referring to the fact that he has the Watchers there to back him up. But this poster — which depicts the Ark at a point in the story when the Watchers have left the picture entirely — suggests instead that God is with Noah and, thus, God can be with us, too.
Second, the tweet itself says “Strength comes from the Creator.” In the film, Noah says this to draw a sharp line between those who eat meat and those who rely on God for their strength. But there is no trace of that vegetarian subtext in this tweet, which seems to be speaking of strength from God in more general terms.
If any more posters like these come along, I will add them to this post.
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