The Age of Innocence
Feature Information
Feature by Rumsey Taylor
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Features: Titles Designed by Saul Bass
the Title Credits
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This formalized, decorative introduction to Martin Scorsese’s Age of Innocence contains three layers of information: the principle actors are credited in an italicized serif typeface, seen atop a semi-transparent veil of lace and blooming flowers. The color scheme favors a membraneous red.
The film concerns a debutant society of 1870’s New York. Large bonnets and top hats are the fashion ephemera of this setting, and Bass’ opening employs a tapestry of Romantic materials: lace and calligraphy, imposed over blooming flowers shot in time-lapse photography. Aligning the sequence with the film is a final segue to a shot of actual flowers that begins the film.
