Anatomy of a Murder

Silkscreen poster for Otto Preminger's 1959 courtroom drama. First and only printing, circa 1985. For more information about Silkscreens click here

Bass' trademark for this film, which centers on a murder trial, is a stylized image of a human body made up of separate parts, each looking as if it was cut out of paper. The pun at the heart of the trademark is the parallel between "anatomy" as the structure of the body, and "anatomy" as the dissection of a body of evidence in a court of law. The various body parts evoke the various fragments of evidence presented in court. Each is irregular around the edges and, although they are positioned adjacent to one another, they do not quite align, just as the evidence about the murder and the motives involved fail to add up.