At 17 I went to prison for murder...

Kate Winslet is my favorite actress and when I was thinking about our discussion on intertextuality, I immediately thought of the American Express commercial she did a few years ago. This is a very clever ad in which she references six of her previous movie roles. I have seen all of her movies, so when I first saw the ad I was immediately able to figure out which movies she was referring to and now am able to grasp the intertextuality between them. The script goes as follows:

1. “At 17 I went to prison for murder.” Heavenly Creatures
2. “By 19 I was penniless and heartbroken.” Sense and Sensibility
3. “I almost drowned at 20.” Titanic
4. “My mind started to go at 24.” Iris
5. “Then I had my memory erased at 28.” Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6. “And by 29, I was in Neverland.” Finding Neverland
“My real life doesn’t need any extra drama. That’s why my card is American Express.”

This is an example of vertical intertextuality because it is linking Kate Winslet’s personal life to each of the characters she has played in these six movies. Kate Winslet’s dialogue in the ad takes on a completely different meaning for those who have seen these movies and for those who have not.