I am fascinated by colons in titles when they are used well. It makes a work seem much more thought out for some reason and leaves me curious about it without ever having watched or read that work.
Take Dr. Stranglove , which I’ve never actually seen. Its subtitle ‘Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb’, when juxtaposed with the title, elevates the movie because it shows a dual nature. It shows that reality is sometimes behind the thing you see.
This usage always allows the viewer to focus on the movie’s thesis of the bomb and not be transfixed merely by the titular character. It is a sort of lightning rod for ideas in that it explores another side to the character, to who he is and what his pursuits really mean.
It is important for subject matter like this also because the movie is about a WMD. That should not be forgotten and so that’s why the title becomes all the more visceral, it’s about the breaking of will and who we are. I may have never seen the movie, as some of you may be pointing out, but I do know what the movie is about.
I do not write w/o researching at least somewhat.
Anyways, that is one example of how colons, when done well, are artistically useful. Most punctuation has been diminished from having any real effect behind comedic these days. A well placed period can instill a sense of anger that no other punctuation mark can but that’s about the wildest thing you get these days. That’s why the colon is so cool.
Clay
Clayton Tomlinson 