Unicorns

[agentprovocateur]

Great thread and some amazing posters on show, stunning B0's of Tron and Black Hole (would love to know the story behind the three rubber clad girls!).

I was a massive Matrix collector and have most of the ones I wanted including a couple of the Reloaded 'Credits' holofoils. I also stumbled on what seems to be three unicorns, I bought off ebay a fair few years ago three early proofs (allegedly sent to Keanu Reeve's managers office) of the three main posters for the first film. They're all mounted on foam board and are probably iris prints, below is the 'Lightening' poster one (they all have stickers from the design company on the reverse and the credits are 'greek'). Notice Trinity is a different pose compared to the final version.

Front


Back


I recently posted these on MPF so sorry if you've seen them before. I'm new to film poster forums so just really excited about showing what I've collected and if there's any people with information on them that'd be great.

Probably the one unicorn that I would love to own is a Bond poster, I don't have a photo but have searched high and low and not found it since I saw one at the Reel Poster Gallery in London. I'll describe it and see if anyone knows about it, Sean Connery lying on a masseuse bench at a 45 degree angle (legs bottom left and head top right), he's holding a gun I think and there's a lady behind him. There's no typography on it, very large and is a painting... that is one poster I would love!

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

Probably the one unicorn that I would love to own is a Bond poster, I don't have a photo but have searched high and low and not found it since I saw one at the Reel Poster Gallery in London. I'll describe it and see if anyone knows about it, Sean Connery lying on a masseuse bench at a 45 degree angle (legs bottom left and head top right), he's holding a gun I think and there's a lady behind him. There's no typography on it, very large and is a painting... that is one poster I would love!

I guess you're referencing some version of this Italian Locandina for Thunderball:



Very cool Matrix poster - a true unicorn.  But Trinity looks a little paunchy there....

[Harry Caul]

Mel, the ones with the pink background (like that locandina) are from the 70's re-release.  I think that image was actually first used in the original Italian release, but only as a 1-foglio (27"x39").  Bruce sold one a few years back for a cool $1K.  In general that is a pretty rare size for an Italian poster... I've never even heard of another Thunderball like that, let alone other bonds in that size.  A true unicorn...

[Harry Caul]

You know, after consulting Christie's, I take that back...  that pink background version was used on the original 1965 locandina as well.  However, the one you posted is from the 70's RR.  The original has a different United Artists logo in the lower right (like the one on the 1 foglio I posted).

[agentprovocateur]

Excellent, that's the image but the poster was much squarer and ended where his knees meet the left edge (so there's just a black triangle under the image) and there was no type! Am going to have another search for a photo of the actual poster.

[linder1]

Great thread and some amazing posters on show, stunning B0's of Tron and Black Hole (would love to know the story behind the three rubber clad girls!).

Thanks Monsieur Provocateur, I wish I knew the story too!

Very exciting Matrix item(s) there, this is the definition of unicorn.  Welcome to the forum.

-Erich

[Harry Caul]

Sorry agentP, I got sidetracked with the Thunderball...  Those Matrix mock-ups are definitely a sweet find.  Congrats again!  Would you mind posting the other two?  I know they are already on MPF, but I'm sure folks here would love to see them too!

[agentprovocateur]

Thanks for the great welcome people , here's the other two...

This strap is different
Front

Reverse


This one is about full size if not a bit larger(!), the other two are approx. 12"x16"
Front

Reverse


They're different to anything else I have, unique as far as I know, but apart from a letter I got from the guy with his name and the managers name I'm not sure how they could be authenticated.

ps no news on the Thunderball poster I've mentioned. What I saw could well have been the actual original art used for the two posters posted above. Was pretty sure I saw it at the Reel Poster Gallery, might have a butchers through all their books I have to see if it isn't in one of them.

[Harry Caul]

Well, if you are intent on authenticating them, you might start with the names now while they can still be tracked down (hopefully they still work there).  There may be people on the forum here who know them or the company... you never know until you start poking around.

[agentprovocateur]

Cheers Harry, think I will get onto it. Should have replied sooner, but seriously for the advice.

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

I posted this cool DS Fellowship of the Ring poster (700mm x 1000mm) that I bought off Ebay in the "latest acquisitions" thread but after thoroughly researching it, I believe it belongs in the unicorn category.  Just a handful have been sold - only me, Holiday, CJ, and Mark Lawd have one to my knowledge - and it pops up on eBay once in a blue moon.

The best available information - from an older MPF thread - is that it was intended for Asian theaters but either recalled or never produced.  It has a small HSBC bank ad in the left corner.  I found an old press release stating that HSBC was going to sponsor Lord of the Rings.  Last year a seller of this poster stated that "I got this from a friend about 4 years back who owns theatres in europe and asia. He claims it was never produced due to HSBC losing its association with the movie. Since the HSBC logo is on the bottom these were never used. Very rare." 

However, similar images - with HSBC ads - are on the Thai poster and some Thai bookmarks:



It's not a reprint as far as I can tell - it's printed on heavy paper typical of modern posters and the text and graphics are super-sharp.  It's all in English too - oh, and Elvish too!

[holiday]

You're research skills are commendable, Mel.  I guess that's why you do what you do!

I have no doubt, once I had it in hand, that it's authentic, whatever it is.  I know that sounds contradictory, but it just has the look and feel of an authentic, non-commercial, non-bootleg poster.  Plus, how the hell could it be a bootleg of something that was never produced?  Anyway, I don't know that I'd call it a unicorn, but it's definitely not common.

[marklawd]

Yes, I want to publicly acknowledge Mel's great skill at digging out information as well. I tried to find some detailed information on this subject a year or two ago without success.

I have another Thai English-language style also - not the large ring design shown on page 1 of the unicorns thread - that is perhaps rarer than the style Mel is talking about currently - I'll try and post a picture tomorrow. As Holiday said this can't be a reprint (of what?) and if it was fan art why would someone go to the expense of printing it double-sided - and why would they add a HSBC logo? If it is a deliberate attempt to defraud the originators would have to be systematically targeting a very small number of collectors in the US and Europe - there is no local market - and auctions for this poster are too sporadic for this theory to make sense.

I' ll wager Mel will unearth some more information for us soon.

Mark

[marklawd]

This is the other Thai English-style language one sheet I have - like the US style D but with the following tag-line -

One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them



Mark

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

I was a massive Matrix collector and have most of the ones I wanted including a couple of the Reloaded 'Credits' holofoils.

Great Matrix posters!  I found this unusual 24x33 Matrix on Ebay - the seller says it was "made in England."  I haven't seen it before and the poster archive sites don't feature it.  I'm assuming it's a commercial poster (I haven't received it yet).  The character poses are the same as the US OS but it also has the lightning in the background like the international.  Anybody seen this before?

[holiday]

It's an odd size.  I would suspect it as a commercial poster, too.

[agentprovocateur]

Thanks Dread

Now... back to my mad ramblings of this fabled Thunderball poster, I have found it!

Here is the absolute beauty, to my knowledge it's a Thunderball Advance Italian 4-folio (79" x 55").

What more can I say



AWESOME!!!!

One day she will be mine (cue Bond villain mad cackle)... haaaahaaahahahaha!

* Edit: thought I'd found it on ebay for $12.99 (300406352176)... NOT!

[linder1]

Landscape format B1 SIZE Lawrence of Arabia

[Postertrader]

Great Matrix posters!  I found this unusual 24x33 Matrix on Ebay - the seller says it was "made in England."  I haven't seen it before and the poster archive sites don't feature it.  I'm assuming it's a commercial poster (I haven't received it yet).  The character poses are the same as the US OS but it also has the lightning in the background like the international.  Anybody seen this before?

I am fairly certain this is the bootleg which was "created" from the German pressbook cover. It was never produced to pass off as an original, simply to satisfy the demand for student wall decoration.

[paul waines]

I think this is the U.K. 1Sht, but I'm not sure. It measures 27"x40".

[sergmark]

Dirty Harry on MPF has this prototype Kilian/Star Trek "30th Anniversary" gold mylar poster. (I'm trying to get him over here.) Just a handful of these exist. (This one has cast sigs on it.) Paramount disapproved this design and it was never produced.  I like it - too bad it wasn't produced:

Wow Thats a cool looking print.... I want one ...lol Must be rare

[kovacs01]

Landscape format B1 SIZE Lawrence of Arabia

Absolutely fuc*ing outstanding!  Outside of the 40x60, this is my favorite poster for the film.  

And now for my first post of a unicorn I do not yet own.  I have decided that I will only find one of these with help, if ever.  It is the alternate style Outlaw Josey Wales 40x60.  The art is the same as the domestic style one sheet, but with a funky tricolor scheme and the added stills at the bottom.  This style is only found in the 40x60 format.  If any of you highly knowledgeable folks has any more information on this poster or better yet has one I might be able to buy, I would be grateful.

Schan

[linder1]

Absolutely fuc*ing outstanding!  Outside of the 40x60, this is my favorite poster for the film.  

Schan

Thanks Schan...  I think the landscape format really suits the art -- and with this one there is just *more* art to be seen.  Not to mention it's a unicorn.

And in other news -- am I violating the terms of Unicorn status by posting these when I know of one more set out there?



It's not a complete set as there is one more with Uma.  But I was not too upset by that since the art was based on the yellow suit that is on other posters.

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

I am fairly certain this is the bootleg which was "created" from the German pressbook cover. It was never produced to pass off as an original, simply to satisfy the demand for student wall decoration.

I did receive it and it looks pretty good.  It generally appears to be a legitimate commercial print.  It's 23 3/8 x 33.  All the fonts are razor sharp EXCEPT the "Time Warner Company" section, which is noticeably fuzzy in person and has the "MovieGoods" junky scanned-in quality look to it.  (It actually looks worse than in the picture.)  (Update: Now that I look closely, it's apparent the other logos are scanned in, including the "Silver Pictures" section).

The only clue is "Printed in England." Anybody else have any info on this?  

The seller apparently has quite a few of these for sale for $7.





 

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

Ahh sugar!  A rare DS Lost in Translation (Scarlett Johannson version) surfaced today on Ebay.   I sniped at $113 but somebody else sniped and beat me at the last second. (r***c beat me).  

It only drew two bidders. 

I guess I'll have to live with my reprint and Spanish version