Political cartoons are directed towards either praising a governmental regime or mocking it. In the film “Josep,” the cartoonist has used different approaches to portray the France government regime during the civil war in 1939. Aurel, the scriptwriter in the film, has used other elements like; characters, text, analogy, symbolism, irony, and colors.
The story opens with Spanish citizens fleeing the dictatorial government to move to France. Aurel brings his point in the cartoon by introducing the film with a small story concerning the main thesis statement of the comic that will be depicted in the movie. He also teaches Josep, who is an illustrator in the cartoon. Josep is one of the refugees who later finds himself making friends with a soldier from the French side, although he lives in the concentration camps designed to hold the over populous refugees. Josep is seen holding a photo of his fiancée, whom he hopes will join him soon. The author also portrays the character of the French soldiers as cruel and brutal towards the Spanish refugees in the camp (Aurel, min 45)
The author also uses analogy statements to ensure that the viewers get more interested in viewing the movie. He achieves this by using the illustrator to explain concepts that are not familiar to the viewers. He is also keen on choosing his contexts words to avoid repetition and maintain a clear and unique storyline that catches the viewer’s attention. Josep also encounters challenging situations that he must face and deal with throughout the film. Analogy and metaphors have worked together hand in hand to establish significant positive impacts for the cartoon to flourish.
Aurel has used a black and white background in some of the scenes in the cartoon. This color enables the viewers to know that its setting is during the colonial period. This feature also allows the reader to differentiate between (Aurel, min 5). The background gives the livelihood of the characters involved in the plot. Although the primary background color is black and white, the author also uses colored scenes as a means of beautification and mainly to show how the flourished lives of the French soldiers.
The author has employed a unique artistic style to persuade the viewer’s thoughts. This fantastic technique involves the use of irony. Ironically, Bartoli and Serge get along well, whereas Bartoli is a refugee and Serge a soldier. Serge even offers Bartoli a lifeline bond that helps Josep get anchored in the process. When the time had passed, an elderly Lopez Serge recounts all the memories to his grandson (Aurel, min 45).
In conclusion, the author uses analogy, symbolism, and irony as the main critical delivery techniques in making the film. In the political cartoon “Josep,” the viewers are introduced and well taken to France refugee camps, defining most of the characters present in the film. However, other issues have also stood out in the film, such as color and language use. Language use shows the correct choice of words by the author to focus on bringing out the full image of the film.
Work Cited
Aurel ‘Josep’ 2021. : Escaping a Civil War. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS9apnbe9Eg> [Accessed 12 April 2022].
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