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Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)

Name: Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)
Director: Anton Corbijn
Released: 2023
Duration: 100 min

Representation Score

4.7/10

Fair

2023

Director

Anton Corbijn

Runtime

100 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Anton Corbijn’s documentary serves as a specialized historical retrospective of the Hipgnosis design collective. It prioritizes the preservation of a specific aesthetic legacy and the intersection of graphic design with rock music history. The film adheres closely to the historical and demographic realities of the mid-20th-century British art and music industries. Because it focuses on a specific niche of the UK art school scene, the representation remains largely homogeneous. Ultimately, the work does not seek to disrupt traditional social hierarchies. Instead, it functions as a focused study of visual semiotics and the professional lives of its male protagonists.

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Category Breakdown

Does Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on the professional history of Hipgnosis and the rock industry. It does not center LGBTQ+ identities or same-sex relationships as primary narrative drivers.

How does Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) portray gender?

Limited

The documentary highlights the male founders of Hipgnosis and their male musical collaborators. It reflects the male-dominated environments of the 1960s and 70s music industries.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)?

Fair

The subjects reflect the demographic homogeneity of the UK art school scene and British progressive rock. It does not actively employ diverse racial or ethnic perspectives to disrupt traditional demographic patterns.

How does Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film explores a specific counter-cultural aesthetic and the evolution of branding. It remains a celebratory retrospective of artistic achievements within the established music industry framework.

Does Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) include disability representation?

Limited

There is no significant evidence of subjects with visible or invisible disabilities serving as central narrative agents. The focus remains on the creative processes of the designers.

Present on Screen

Provides a detailed historical study of visual semiotics and the evolution of music branding.
Offers a cinematic exploration of the intersection between graphic design and rock music history.

Limited or Absent

Lacks significant representation of women or non-binary individuals in the creative narrative.
Does not actively include diverse racial or ethnic perspectives within the historical subject matter.
Fails to address disability or neurodivergence through a lens of ability to act.

Official Synopsis

In 1968, art students Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell made a trippy photo collage for their musician friends Syd, David and Roger. The resulting album and album cover, A Saucerful of Secrets, helped launch two careers: that of Pink Floyd, one of the 70s megabands, and of Hipgnosis, which, over the course of the next 25 years, designed a stream of iconic album covers.

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