Hezbollah flag vs Saul Bass movie poster?
With all the recent events in Lebanon, we came across this post on The Sulla Institute weblog:
I saw the flag used by Hezbollah and it occurred to me that it looked as if it was inspired by the movie poster for the Otto Preminger film EXODUS. Very odd… that was a movie that portrayed the Jews creating the state of Israel in a very heroic light.
Yes, that is odd… and a bit of a reach… just like all those arms reaching for a rifle (or an AK-47 assault rifle in the case of the Hezbollah flag) in both designs.
The Exodus movie poster was designed for the 1960 film by legendary graphic designer Saul Bass. Bass also designed the film’s title credits. The Exodus poster remains one of the more interesting Saul Bass movie poster designs — particularly for his ability to blend an illustrated graphic (the silhouetted arms extended with the gun overhead) with a photographic element (the fire burning away the image of the poster).
The yellow Hezbollah flag design features:
Across the top is a quotation from the Koran, from which Hezbollah took its name — “Verily the party of God shall be victorious” — and at the center is an AK-47 in silhouette, in the hand of the Shiite martyr Husayn, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. In the background is a depiction of the globe, suggesting Hezbollah’s role in the worldwide umma, or community of Muslims. Along the bottom of the Hezbollah flag is written “The Islamic Revolution in Lebanon”.
We will leave it to others to determine the value of The Sulla Institute weblog saying the Hezbollah flag is “ripping off the Jews” by comparing it with a movie poster designed by a Jewish graphic designer for a movie about the creation of the state of Israel. (The imagery of a gun raised overhead isn’t exactly a singular idea or uncommon image.) It does give something for political pundits to link to on their weblogs. It is interesting how movie posters can sometimes be associated with current events, controversies and politics.
Kindly verify the information you post and learn Arabic before you translate:
… “Shiite martyr Husayn, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad.”
Husayn is not the Prophet’s cousin but his grandson from Imam Ali and Fatima (Prophet Muhammed’s daughter).
…”Along the bottom of the Hezbollah flag is written “The Islamic Revolution in Lebanon”.
The correct translation is: “The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon”
Regards,
M.
Kindly verify the information you post and learn Arabic before you translate
Thanks for your feedback. Your “corrections” are referring to a quote from a The New Yorker article, not something we have translated or written.
Any “corrections” should be directed to The New Yorker magazine and/or reporter Jeffery Goldberg in reference to his article:
http://www.jeffreygoldberg.net/articles/tny/a_reporter_at_large_in_the_par.php
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2002/10/14/021014fa_fact4?currentPage=all
Thank you posterwire for the quick reply. If this was published by the New Yorker then this is a graver mistake but their webpage (the one you provided and based on a quick search I conducted) wouldn’t open so I’m thinking perhaps they withdrew it.
This is the first time I see posterwire.com, I like it. Keep it up.
Best,
M.
Well spotted!
“Exodus” is still my favourite film and whenever I listen to the soundtrack, I miss Israel more than ever.