This DVD cover has many things that make it a perfect cover for the film itself. The main striking image is of a polaroid photograph, or a polaroid, of a polaroid, infinately. this has connotations of obsession, as it goes on infinately, and also has the connotations of paranoia, as the main character is looking over his shoulder toward the infinate photos. The white edge of the frame is a stark contrast to the black background, making it stand out. The female character is on a shadowy background, while the main character has pale, warm colours. this instantly makes us think that he is the protagonist, and that there is something sinister about the female character. the fact that you can only see part of her face, as it is in the corner adds to this.

the name of the film is scrawled in bold letters on the bottom of the polaroid, something that happens in the film with polaroids, and as such makes us think that the polaroid photogrraphs are a main theme in the film, as the seemingly most important part of the film's identity, the title, is written on the photo. the fact that the title is written in black, on a white background, which in turn is written on a white background is significant, as it is a series of contrasts which can be quite shocking.

There are a number of enigma codes on the cover, mainly the title itself. "Memento" as a theme could represent many different things in the film; the photographs he takes, the tattoos he gets, or even the underlying memory of his wife, when all short term memory was lost.

The tagline is another enigma code on the cover. It makes the audience ask questions such as "what memories?" or "why are they best forgotten?"

The cover features all of the conventions that a dvd cover contains. it has the starring actor names at the top, the "DVD video" symbol at the bottom left, a certificate, in this case a 15 cert, at the bottom right, and a short 5 star review at the bottom centre.





looking further into the dvd cover of memento, i found 2 alternative covers:
This is the UK special edition of the cover.

it is the same photo as the regular edition, except it has been put into negative. this is more dramatic, and has connotations of photographs, as they are negative images before you get them develloped, and it also has the connotations of looking backwards, which the film definately does.

having put this cover into negative, i can see that it is not a complete negative of the other cover, but has had the contrast upped a bit.

this cover also has the "3 disc special edition" on the cover, just to show that it is the special edition.









This version of the cover is the USA release version. I think it is not as effective. the central image is larger, which decreases the impact, and has less of a connotation of isolation. the yellow text also decreases the effectiveness, as it is less harsh than the shocking scrawl of white on black.