Roman Polanski‘s Carnage is being touted with a colorful new theatrical poster. The image first posted by IMP Awards shows the four cast members, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, Jodie Foster and Christoph Waltz, in a rainbow of colors and emotions. The image is striking for being ostentatious where most serious dramas go for hushed tones intended to establish a seriousness of purpose.
As you can see, the poster is in French. Whether this poster will be used to market the film in the US or anywhere outside of France is unclear at this point; Carnage is still a ways away from its Oscar qualifying run in November. The poster strikes a unique chord mirroring the film’s plot about a meeting of parents that begins calm and peaceful and becomes irate and vitriolic.
Carnage, based on the play God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, tells the story of two sets of parents who agree to meet after their children get into a fight resulting in one child having his front teeth knocked out. What begins as a congenial getting to know you conversation evolves in real time into a confrontation between the parents. John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster play host to Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz.
Roman Polanski adapted the screenplay with input from Yasmina Reza. The the stage production of God of Carnage in England starred Ralph Fiennes, Tamsin Greig, Janet McTeer and Ken Stott. When the play moved to Broadway the cast included Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden. The Broadway production was nominated for six Tony Awards in 2009 and won three of them, including Best Play, Best Direction and Lead Actress for Marcia Gay Harden.
Carnage is set to play at the New York Film Festival on September 30th before opening in theaters nationwide on November 18th 2011.