All Poster Forum
Movie Posters => General Discussion => Topic started by: Harry Caul on August 31, 2012, 06:19:22 PM
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I haven't posted much lately as the little time I've had to dedicate to posters has been taken up by curating this gallery show of Eastern European movie posters. I'm not sure if any of you live near upstate South Carolina, but if you do please feel free to drop by.
I got a few new big posters for the show... the star of which for me is Sunset Boulevard. This has been one of my grails ever since I started collecting. My copy is unbacked with great colors and was hand-signed (in the lower left) by the artist -- possibly the only one of the handful in existence that is. Other notable new purchases are The Birds and the Russian 'space cowboy' Star Wars. The artist who did The Birds, Zelek, recently sold his last two personal copies -- both were in near perfect rolled condition, but the paper has tanned (was low quality paper to begin with). I wasn't there for the sale, but it was signed to me on the back. The Russian SW came from Dave (thanks!). And big, huge, mega thanks to Peter, who loaned me the Polish 2001 and Russian Battleship Potemkin for the show!
Anyway, enjoy the digital tour below... but really these photos don't do the posters justice at all. Like all of you, I collect posters and look at them nearly everyday in person and online. I also have a bunch on display at my house. However, none of that prepared me for the awesomeness of seeing them all framed up under the gallery lights. A sight to behold for sure... if any of you have the opportunity to do something like this you definitely should. You've never seen your posters look so good!
Exhibit Description
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300304.jpg)
Russian Star Wars billboard
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300208.jpg)
Russian Conversation, Russian Battleship Potemkin, East German Lavender Hill Mob
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300227.jpg)
All Polish - The Last Stop, African Queen, Sunset Boulevard
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300238.jpg)
All Polish - Roman Holiday, The Birds
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300295.jpg)
All Polish - Wide Blue Road, Alien, 2001
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300293.jpg)
Polish Once Upon a Time in America
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300264.jpg)
All Romanian - The Cowboys, Papillon
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300218.jpg)
All Czech - Once Upon a Time in the West, All the Presidents Men, Battle of Algiers
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300210.jpg)
Czech Alien
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300270.jpg)
Czech Jaws (small)
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300269.jpg)
Czech Pierrot le Fou
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300268.jpg)
Czech Midnight Cowboy (small)
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300267.jpg)
I also put together a 'vertical tasting' from Platoon -- the Polish, East German and Czech.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300263.jpg)
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300262.jpg)
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300261.jpg)
And a lone Cuban poster, Soy Cuba, to illustrate how the practice of having communist state-run film companies contract directly with artists -- typically with no marketers or advertisers involved in the process -- was exported to Soviet client states.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300274.jpg)
Thanks for looking!
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Too freaking cool!
Great stuff Matt. Great.
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clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap
Way to display, Matt!
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I wondered where that card came from... Great stuff Matt!
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I wondered where that card came from...
Yes, I had a few addresses handy and sent some of the promotional post cards to forum members. Please don't take offense if you didn't get one... I only had a few addresses. That said, if you would like one PM your address. It has the same info as the first photo (exhibit description). I should also give a shout out to Bruce as his high res images were used for that mailer :)
Thanks for the kind words guys... it has been really fun pulling this together over the last few months.
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Awesome setup, Dr. Caul. thumbup thumbup
I'm sure a lot of people appreciate seeing all that classic stuff in person, especially at a cool venue like that.
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Having the US posters for comparison was inspired. Looks fantastic, hope you get a crowd for the talk, should be a fun evening.
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Awesome work Matt! You were too modest when you were describing it (and thanks for the card too ;) )
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Having the US posters for comparison was inspired. Looks fantastic, hope you get a crowd for the talk, should be a fun evening.
I'm in your debt Peter... thank you again. cheers
That said, thanks a f#@king lot! moron1 I've always wanted that R60s Potemkin, but after seeing it in person I was absolutely blown away. Now I'm going to actually have to track one down instead of being content admiring it from afar! ;)
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What a labor of love.
I find it hard to pick a favorite.
Each time I look at this thread, it seems like I notice something different.
You been switching out pictures?
wynk
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I find it hard to pick a favorite.
I don't. ;D
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300244.jpg) (http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/P8300301.jpg)
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I really do like the Star Wars Cowboy. I think I will need to pick one up the next time it comes around. But I would need to get it framed, which would cost a ton. And figure out a place to hang it.
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But I would need to get it framed, which would cost a ton.
Well, then you should definitely curate a show like this... the gallery covered all framing costs and I get to keep them :o
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Well, then you should definitely curate a show like this... the gallery covered all framing costs and I get to keep them :o
Wow, very nice! And they even found a place to hang it for you! ;D
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Yeah, that SUNSET BLVD is a stunner.
But now that I look again, I am completely taken by the Russian CONVERSATION.
Amazing selection.
I'll bet a true lover of movie poster art put this exhibition together.
Maybe we can get this Dr. Matthew Johnston to contribute to this forum.
Dude seems to know his stuff.
wynk
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Well, then you should definitely curate a show like this... the gallery covered all framing costs and I get to keep them :o
Really?
Matt gets all the deals. I hate him.
Maybe I can get the local HOOTERS to sponsor a show devoted to half-clad poster babes and get 'em to cover the costs of framing?
Worth a shot....
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clap clap clap
Very well done Matt, any chance you can do a video tour?? for us who are many miles away... :D
How long is the exhibition open for? I was toying with approaching our local Museum to see if they fancied
doing a similar thing but with just British posters; But didn't like leaving my Treasures in a strange place for
too long... I may ask them now and see if I can get some free frames... ;)
Again, Congratulations Matt...
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Top shelf Matt. Nice work!!! 8)
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Looks fantastic Matt, well done! My favourites are the Russian posters for The Conversation and Battleship Potemkin...beautiful.
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thank you again.
You're quite welcome. It's wonderful to see them up on a wall, even if it's not my wall. That said, if by some strange accident the "Sunset Boulevard" gets sent to back to me by mistake don't ever expect to see it again. Plans are already in place to make for the border. Definitely the star of the show and in spectacular shape. J-e-a-l-o-u-s!
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the gallery covered all framing costs and I get to keep them :o
It just keeps getting better.
I have a tough time picking a favorite but If I had to, I would go with the Romanian Cowboy.
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I still got to go with that Lavender hill mob, I like the film so much.
But that SB is very striking....
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Wow. Really enjoy the pics, adding to my ISO list, but especially think your initiative here is especially cool.
Is the Sunset Blvd. actually yours?!?
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Having the US posters for comparison was inspired. Looks fantastic, hope you get a crowd for the talk, should be a fun evening.
I live in a college town and I'm close with several people who teach print-making. They are all very excited and plan to bring their students. I'm expecting a full house (30-50 people) for the talk. And I've already been asked to give it a second time as one of the schools has a competing event. I think I'm going to start by talking a little bit about poster collecting in general, then move on to Eastern European posters and how/why they are so different (or at least various theories people have), and then highlight 3-4 individual works and tell people more about the artists. Should be fun... I'm expecting lots of questions too with so many students there!
And yes, having the US posters up for comparison was a must. It is almost unbelievable, but the average undergraduate student was born the year Pulp Fiction came out! I can't even believe I just wrote that and that it's true :o I didn't want to take it for granted that people would have any frame of reference for the movies. I'm not sure if y'all are interested, but I'll post the blurbs that go along with each poster in a minute. I tried to spend 2-3 sentences on the movie/director and then 2-3 sentences on the artist.
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POLISH POSTERS
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300244.jpg)
Sunset Boulevard
Polish
Artist: Świerzy, Waldemar (1931-)
Year of Poster: 1957
Year of Film: 1950
Origin of Film: United States
Opening with the protagonist facedown, dead, and being fished out of a swimming pool, Sunset Boulevard tells the story of a hack screenwriter’s chance encounter with a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity. Billy Wilder’s film noir masterpiece offers one of the most satirical and scathing "behind the scenes" looks at a narcissistic Hollywood. Świerzy graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow in 1952 and later taught at the University of Fine Arts in Poznań from 1965 and in the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw from 1994. Świerzy, also a set and graphic designer, illustrator, and cartoonist, is one of Poland’s most prolific poster designers, having completed more than 2500 film, circus, travel and advertising posters since 1950. The poster on display is signed by the artist in the lower right.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300242.jpg)
African Queen, The
Polish
Artist: Świerzy, Waldemar (1931-)
Year of Poster: 1962
Year of Film: 1951
Origin of Film: United Kingdom/United States
John Huston’s African Queen, adapted from the novel by C. S. Forester, is perhaps the quintessential cinematic illustration of two people from vastly different backgrounds and experiences overcoming their differences to ultimately fall deeply in love. Set in the Congo during WWI, the making of this legendary movie has received nearly as much, if not more attention as the actual film, whose troubled shot-on-location production was documented in a book by Katharine Hepburn titled, “The Making of the African Queen: Or How I Went to Africa With Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind.” Świerzy graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow in 1952 and later taught at the University of Fine Arts in Poznań from 1965 and in the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw from 1994. Świerzy, also a set and graphic designer, illustrator, and cartoonist, is one of Poland’s most prolific poster designers, having completed more than 2500 film, circus, travel and advertising posters since 1950.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300241.jpg)
Ostatni Etap (Last Stop, The)
Polish
Artist: Trepkowski, Tadeusz (1914-1954)
Year of Poster: R1958
Year of Film: 1948
Origin of Film: Polish
One of the earliest films about the Holocaust, the little known Last Stop is a semi-autobiographical story that chronicles daily life and loss in Auschwitz. Amazingly, it was filmed on-location only three years after Auschwitz was liberated and, as it was mostly dismantled a short time later, remains one of the few surviving film records of the camp. Almost more incredible than the movie is director Wanda Jakubowska’s own story, who as a member of the Polish resistance during the war was arrested in 1942 and was herself sent to Auschwitz. One of the original trio of the Fathers of the Polish School of Poster, Trepkowski studied at the Graphics Industry School and at the Municipal School of Decorative Art & Painting in Warsaw. Hugely influential, Trepkowski began designing posters in 1931, but only ever designed a handful of film posters due to an untimely death at only 40 years of age.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300250.jpg)
Birds, The
Polish
Artist: Zelek, Bronislaw (1935-)
Year of Poster: 1965
Year of Film: 1963
Origin of Film: United States
Director Alfred Hitchcock, known affectionately as the master of suspense, tells the tale of a budding romance at odds with the suitor’s mother in Northern California, whose animosity becomes gradually overshadowed by bizarre and increasingly brazen attacks by birds. The ominous motives of the birds – not birds of prey, but usually-harmless species such as seagulls and blackbirds – are never explained, which is why the innocent sight of crows landing on a schoolyard jungle gym has never been so terrifying. Born 1935 in Nastaszow, Poland, Zelek graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1961, where he studied under one of the original trio of the Fathers of the Polish School of Poster, Henryk Tomaszewski. An active poster designer and typeface creator, Zelek’s work has won many awards and has been exhibited around the world – including a recent exhibition at the Galeria Grafiki i Plakatu this past summer. The poster on display was one of Zelek’s two remaining personal copies and was purchased in Vienna, where he currently resides (signed on verso, ‘To Matt’).
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300249.jpg)
Roman Holiday
Polish
Artist: Flisak, Jerzy (1930-2008)
Year of Poster: 1959
Year of Film: 1953
Origin of Film: United States
William Wyler’s fairytale romance about a reluctant princess (Audrey Hepburn) who escapes her royal handlers and travels around Rome incognito with her new “commoner” friend (Gregory Peck) – who is an American journalist well aware of her true identity and looking for a front page story. Filmed on location in Rome and based in part on the real-life exploits of British Princess Margaret, Roman Holiday offers of light-hearted tour of the eternal city’s best sights. Flisak graduated from the Institute of Architecture in Warsaw in 1953 and got his start with satirical cartoons in "Szpilki" magazine. Flisak, with his extensive career as a poster designer, book illustrator, stage designer, animated films author, and satirical cartoonist, has been featured in exhibitions around the world and won countless awards before his death in 2008.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300257.jpg)
2001: A Space Odyssey
Polish
Artist: Górka, Wiktor (1922-2004)
Year of Poster: 1973
Year of Film: 1968
Origin of Film: United States
Few films are as important to a genre as Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is to science fiction. Co-written by Arthur C. Clarke and with pioneering special effects from Douglas Trumbull, 2001 blends elements of human evolution, technology, surrealism, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life into one of the most highly regarded and scientifically accurate epics in all of cinema history. Górka graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow in 1952 and worked continuously in the field of graphic design, winning numerous awards, until his death in 2004. After traveling to Cuba with a group of Polish graphic designers to conduct training in 1970, Górka went on to Mexico where he taught and worked extensively through the late 1990’s – including the production of a posters series supporting the electrification of the country.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300256.jpg)
Alien
Polish
Artist: Erol, Jakub (1941-)
Year of Poster: 1980
Year of Film: 1979
Origin of Film: United States
A perfect marriage of horror and science fiction, Ridley Scott’s Alien documents the deadly encounter between the small crew of the Nostromo on a commercial deep-space mining mission with a viscous and ruthless extraterrestrial – this is no E.T.! Sigourney Weaver shines as the heroine battling both the sinister intentions of her corporate employer and the titular creature, which sprung from the imagination of cyberpunk surrealist painter and sculptor, HR Giger. Born 1941 in Zamosc, Poland, Erol graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1968. An illustrator, poster, and graphic artist, Erol created some of the most recognizable designs of Polish film posters during his 26 year career in the business.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300254-001.jpg)
Grande Strada Azzura, La (Wide Blue Road)
Polish
Artist: Hibner, Maciej (1931-)
Year of Poster: 1961
Year of Film: 1957
Origin of Film: Italian
Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo’s first non-documentary full-length feature film, Wide Blue Road is a morality tale about a small fishing village’s relationship with perpetual cheater Squarcio (Yves Montand), a fisherman who uses dynamite to get a leg up on his competition. Like many Italian intellectuals of the 1950’s, Pontecorvo’s communist views are on full display as Squarcio’s selfish and destructive capitalist ingenuity is pitted against the collectivism that has traditionally held the village together. Born 1931 in Warsaw, Hibner graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1955, where he studied under one of the earliest Polish poster designers, Joseph Mroszczak. Hibner’s career in poster design spanned more than 30 years and his work as been exhibited around the world, including London, Paris, Wien, Rome and Delhi.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300264.jpg)
Once Upon a Time in America
Polish
Artist: Mlodozeniec, Jan (1929-2000)
Year of Poster: 1986
Year of Film: 1984
Origin of Film: Italian/United States
Auteur director Sergio Leone’s final film, Once Upon a Time in America chronicles four Jewish friends from their rise as gangsters in 1930s New York and culminating with the return-from-exile of one of the members in 1968 where he learns the fate of his friends. Much as he did for westerns, Leone demystifies and de-glamourizes the “gangster flick,” re-creating the harsh, violent world of prohibition-era New York and populating it with heavily flawed characters. Born in Warsaw 1929, Mlodozeniec graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1955, where he studied under one of the original trio of the Fathers of the Polish School of Poster, Henryk Tomaszewski. Known for his comic-style and bright colors, Mlodozeniec’s work, including more than 400 posters, won numerous awards and was exhibited around the world.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300263.jpg)
Platoon
Polish
Artist: Pagowski, Andrzej (1953-)
Year of Poster: 1988
Year of Film: 1986
Origin of Film: United States
Director Oliver Stone’s breakthrough film about a brutally realistic grunt’s-eye-view of the Vietnam War won 4 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. Colored by Stone’s own experiences as a Vietnam War veteran, the film omits the patriotism and pro-US propaganda often found in early Vietnam movies, and instead focuses on the moral evolutions of soldiers asked to fight a war against an ill-defined enemy. Born in Warsaw, Pagowoski studied at the State Collage of Fine Arts in Poznan in 1973-1978 under professor Waldemar Swierzy (Sunset Boulevard). Pagowski started designing posters in 1977 and has since become one of the most active of the ‘new school’ of poster artists, with hundreds of film, travel and circus posters to his credit. Still a designer, he now runs STUDIO P, a graphic art and advertising agency.
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RUSSIAN POSTERS
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300208.jpg)
Star Wars: A New Hope
Russian
Artist: Unknown
Year of Poster: 1991
Year of Film: 1977
Origin of Film: United States
Trying to gauge the importance of Star Wars’ impact on world cinema from it’s plot – the story of a farm boy who joins up with plucky rebel forces to save a princess and bring down a galactic empire run by the evil Darth Vader – almost seems comical at this point. Star Wars is one of the highest grossing film series of all time and also ushered in the phenomenon of merchandising tie-ins, sales of which have far surpassed the film itself. A spectacle as American as Coca-Cola and Levi’s, Star Wars was one of the first films screened for Russian audiences after the fall of the Soviet Union and it was done in grand style worthy of a blockbuster release with pent-up demand. While most Russian films might warrant a single poster style, Star Wars had no less than four designs, including the oversized “space cowboy” billboard design on display here. Interestingly, the innovative and creative designs often found in Eastern Bloc posters were still employed for Star Wars early release, even though they would all but disappear a few years later as film studios eventually attainted distribution rights and unified their global advertising campaigns.
Information on the artist is currently unavailable.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300230.jpg)
Conversation, The
Russian
Artist: I. A.
Year of Poster: 1988
Year of Film: 1974
Origin of Film: United States
Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece, filmed between the two Godfather movies and up for Best Picture along side Godfather II, The Conversation is a movie about paranoia, surveillance, and technology’s role in society. Coppola, inspired by the Watergate break-in and the manipulation of information during the Vietnam war, created this deeply personal project about a paranoid and personally-secretive surveillance expert who has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that a couple he is spying on will be murdered. A defining role for Gene Hackman and considered by Coppola to be his favorite film, The Conversation was released to Soviet audiences during the Perestroika reform movement of the late 1980s. Amazingly, during a time when only a handful of western movies were made available to Russian audiences, The Conversation somehow made the cut – possibly for its perceived criticism of American society – despite its criticism of surveillance on an unwilling and unknowing public. Information on the artist, only known from the signature I. A., is currently unavailable.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300231.jpg)
Броненосец Потёмкин (Battleship Potemkin)
Soviet Union
Artist: Unknown
Year of Poster: R1963
Year of Film: 1925
Origin of Film: Soviet Union
A film at the core of modern cinema, director Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin added volumes to the language of film. Intended as a propaganda film and shot only four years after the creation of the Soviet Union, Eisenstein was interested in the emotional and persuasive effects of montage and editing on audiences in conveying his story of rebellious soldiers on the Battleship Potemkin – one of key early events in the Bolshevik revolution. The film’s impact on audiences was unparalleled, with Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels calling Potemkin "a marvelous film without equal in the cinema ... anyone who had no firm political conviction could become a Bolshevik after seeing the film." Famed for the montage of the valiant proletariat fleeing the Tsar's troops down the Odessa Steps, Potemkin won admirers throughout the world, including the west, for its virtuoso technique allowing audiences to feel deeply for a piece of celluloid. As early as 1958 at Brussells World Fair, Potemkin was named the greatest film of all time. This 1963 country-of-origin re-release poster – with it’s striking black and red eagle motif – was intended for use in the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.
Information on the artist is currently unavailable.
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EAST GERMAN POSTERS
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300233.jpg)
Lavender Hill Mob, The
East German
Artist: Geffers, Kurt (unknown)
Year of Poster: 1959
Year of Film: 1951
Origin of Film: United Kingdom
Director Charles Crichton’s Lavender Hill Mob is heist comedy about a day-dreaming bank employee who, after twenty years of meticulously and faithfully transporting gold bullion, puts together a bumbling crew of misfits to steal a million pounds worth of gold. The heist goes as planned, but after melting down the gold into miniature souvenir statues of the Eiffel Tower and shiping them off to Paris, chaos ensues when they are accidently purchased buy a group of English schoolgirls on holiday. Little is known about the artist, Kurt Geffers. He created posters at least as early as the 1930s, many of which would look at home alongside western designs of the times. After WWII, however, he was employed by Deutsche Film Aktiengesellschaft (DEFA), the state-run East German film studios, and his work took on a decidedly more abstract quality.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300262.jpg)
Platoon
East German
Artist: Brandt, Gerhat (unknown)
Year of Poster: 1989
Year of Film: 1986
Origin of Film: United States
Director Oliver Stone’s breakthrough film about a brutally realistic grunt’s-eye-view of the Vietnam War won 4 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. Colored by Stone’s own experiences as a Vietnam War veteran, the film omits the patriotism and pro-US propaganda often found in early Vietnam movies, and instead focuses on the moral evolutions of soldiers asked to fight a war against an ill-defined enemy. Information on the artist, Gerhat Brandt, is currently unavailable.
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ROMANIAN POSTERS
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300223.jpg)
Cowboys, The
Romanian
Artist: Costa
Year of Poster: 1973
Year of Film: 1972
Origin of Film: United States
One of John Wayne’s later period westerns, The Cowboys follows rancher Wil Andersen’s (Wayne) desperate attempt to get his cattle herd to market and avoid financial ruin after all the working age men leave town for the gold boom. Andersen resorts to recruiting schoolboys between the age of 9 and 13, who age quickly beyond their years as they travel 400 miles across the hard country and fight off a gang of cattle thieves. To this day, the western mythology and films in general and John Wayne in particular are highly revered in Eastern Europe, with Romania being no exception. The striking poster on display here, simply titled ‘Cowboy’, is as much as homage to Wayne himself as it is the film. Information on the artist, only known by the signature Costa, is currently unavailable.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300226.jpg)
Papillon
Romanian
Artist: Leonida
Year of Poster: 1974
Year of Film: 1973
Origin of Film: United States
Based on the autobiography of Henri Charriere, one of a handful of people to successfully escape the penal colony of Devil's Island, Papillon (played by Steve McQueen) tells the story of a wrongly incarcerated French citizen sent to a jungle prison half a world away in French Guyana. While Charriere’s wild claims of innocence, multiple elaborate escapes, romantic involvement with natives, random acts of kindness and an unbreakable spirit remain highly questionable, the abhorrent conditions and treatment of prisoners on the notorious French penal colony are anything but. The Devil’s Island penal colony was operated by France, guillotine and all, for over 100 years, finally closing shortly after WWII in 1953. The Romanian poster on display here prominently features a butterfly (in French, papillon), which was Charriere’s nickname due to a large butterfly tattoo and reputation for escape. Information on the artist, only known by the signature Leonida, is currently unavailable.
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CZECH POSTERS
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300211.jpg)
C'era una volta il West (Once Upon a Time in the West)
Czechoslovakia
Artist: Ziegler, Zdeněk (1932-)
Year of Poster: R1987
Year of Film: 1968
Origin of Film: United States
In Sergio Leone’s epic western, a railroad baron hires a sadistic mercenary to kill a property owner with prime real estate – only to have the owner’s newly arrived wife inherit the property and begin receiving help from some mysterious strangers with their own motivations to fight. Fresh off his “Dollars” trilogy, Leon’s revisionist efforts culminated with him casting Henry Fonda – beloved by many for his portrayal of the hero in countless westerns – as the blue-eyed assassin and cold-hearted killer of children. Fonda reportedly showed up for filming with a thick mustache and brown contacts to play “the villain,” but Leone told him no – he wanted the audience to gasp! Born in 1932 in Prague, Ziegler graduated from the Architecture Faculty of Czech Technical University in 1961. One of the most prolific Czech film poster designers with over 200 designs to his credit, Ziegler has won numerous awards and has had his work exhibited around the world. Also a graphic artist, typographer and designer, Ziegler currently teaches at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300213.jpg)
All the President's Men
Czechoslovakia
Artist: Ziegler, Zdeněk (1932-)
Year of Poster: 1980
Year of Film: 1976
Origin of Film: United States
Based on Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s best selling 1974 book of the same name, All the President’s Men follows a pair of Washington Post reporters as they slowly piece together connections between a botched robbery of the Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate apartment complex and, eventually, the Nixon administration. Borderline nauseating in it’s attention to detail and the journalistic process, the film ultimately succeeds by illustrating the necessity of a free press and the dangers of unchecked political power. Born in 1932 in Prague, Ziegler graduated from the Architecture Faculty of Czech Technical University in 1961. One of the most prolific Czech film poster designers with over 200 designs to his credit, Ziegler has won numerous awards and has had his work exhibited around the world. Also a graphic artist, typographer and designer, Ziegler currently teaches at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300214.jpg)
Battaglia di Algeri, La (Battle of Algiers, The)
Czechoslovakia
Artist: Ziegler, Zdeněk (1932-)
Year of Poster: 1968
Year of Film: 1966
Origin of Film: Italy
Shot in documentary style, Gillo Pontecorvo’s masterpiece on revolution and guerrilla war highlights the increasingly extreme measures taken by the French government to take down an Algerian rebel movement – measures which ultimately provoke a nationwide revolt and the exodus of the French from Algeria. Upon its release in 1968, Roger Ebert wrote, “It is about the Algerian war, but those not interested in Algeria may substitute another war; "The Battle of Algiers" has a universal frame of reference.” In addition to being place-less, Battle of Algiers is also timeless – the film has been used as a training tool by everyone from the Black Panthers in the 1960s to the US government during the war on terror on how to successfully fight, or alternatively defeat, an insurgent movement. Born in 1932 in Prague, Ziegler graduated from the Architecture Faculty of Czech Technical University in 1961. One of the most prolific Czech film poster designers with over 200 designs to his credit, Ziegler has won numerous awards and has had his work exhibited around the world. Also a graphic artist, typographer and designer, Ziegler currently teaches at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300270.jpg)
Alien
Czechoslovakia
Artist: Ziegler, Zdeněk (1932-)
Year of Poster: 1982
Year of Film: 1979
Origin of Film: United States
A perfect marriage of horror and science fiction, Ridley Scott’s Alien documents the deadly encounter between the small crew of the Nostromo on a commercial deep-space mining mission with a viscous and ruthless extraterrestrial – this is no E.T.! Sigourney Weaver shines as the heroine battling both the sinister intentions of her corporate employer and the titular creature, which sprung from the imagination of cyberpunk surrealist painter and sculptor, HR Giger. Born in 1932 in Prague, Ziegler graduated from the Architecture Faculty of Czech Technical University in 1961. One of the most prolific Czech film poster designers with over 200 designs to his credit, Ziegler has won numerous awards and has had his work exhibited around the world. Also a graphic artist, typographer and designer, Ziegler currently teaches at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300269.jpg)
Jaws
Czechoslovakia
Artist: Fischerová, Olga (unknown)
Year of Poster: 1976
Year of Film: 1975
Origin of Film: United States
Based on Peter Benchley’s best-selling novel of the same name, Steven Spielberg's Jaws created the mold for both modern Hollywood blockbusters (a young target audience, heaps of marketing and a big opening weekend) and for modern horror films (the less you show of the monster the more suspenseful). The plot – a giant killer shark terrorizes a fictional resort island in the North East – is just one of many aspects including taut direction and an unforgettable score that helped to make Jaws a modern suspense classic. Aside from her designing over 20 Czech film posters, very little is known about the artist, Olga Fisherová.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300268.jpg)
Pierrot le Fou
Czechoslovakia
Artist: Hilmar, Jiří (1937-)
Year of Poster: 1967
Year of Film: 1965
Origin of Film: France
Jean-Luc Godard’s sixth film, Pierrot le Fou is a loose adaptation of Lionel White's 1960 pulp thriller Obsession, about a middle-aged married man who has a fling with his sexy babysitter and gets dragged into her seamy world. In Godard’s hands, however, the plot is secondary to his ever-evolving and experimental style that blends musical numbers, bold use of primary colors, and multiple references to literature and the history of cinema and painting. Born in 1937 in Hradec Kralove, in what is now the Czech Republic, Hilmar was a painter, sculptor, and graphic artist who studied at The Secondary School of Applied Art in Prague beginning in 1956. Living in Germany since 1969, Hilmar designed 55 Czech film posters during his lengthy career – all of which were on display in a show dedicated to him at the 15th exhibition of The Golden Era of Czechoslovak Film poster series in Prague earlier this year.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300267.jpg)
Midnight Cowboy
Czechoslovakia
Artist: Ziegler, Zdeněk (1932-)
Year of Poster: 1973
Year of Film: 1969
Origin of Film: United States
Based on James Leo Herlihy’s novel, Midnight Cowboy is a bleak look at a New York City that once was, told by a pair of two-bit hustlers played to perfection by John Voight and Dustin Hoffman. It perhaps took a British director, John Schlesinger, to hold a mirror up to the underbelly of urban American life, a portrayal that won him a Best Picture Oscar despite the MPAA awarding Midnight Cowboy the newly minted X-rating – the first given to a major studio film. Born in 1932 in Prague, Ziegler graduated from the Architecture Faculty of Czech Technical University in 1961. One of the most prolific Czech film poster designers with over 200 designs to his credit, Ziegler has won numerous awards and has had his work exhibited around the world. Also a graphic artist, typographer and designer, Ziegler currently teaches at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague.
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300261.jpg)
Platoon
Czechoslovakia
Artist: Weber, Jan (1946-)
Year of Poster: 1986
Year of Film: 1986
Origin of Film: United States
Director Oliver Stone’s breakthrough film about a brutally realistic grunt’s-eye-view of the Vietnam War won 4 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. Colored by Stone’s own experiences as a Vietnam War veteran, the film omits the patriotism and pro-US propaganda often found in early Vietnam movies, and instead focuses on the moral evolutions of soldiers asked to fight a war against an ill-defined enemy.
Born in 1946, Weber graduated from the Václav Hollar School of Arts in Prague, in what is now the Czech Republic. A freelance artist focusing on graphic design, illustration and poster art between 1972 and 1991, Weber now owns Studio GSW and currently focuses on graphic art and the design of books, CD covers, logotypes and typography.
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CUBAN POSTERS
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300274.jpg)
Soy Cuba (I am Cuba)
Cuban
Artist: Portocarrero, René (1912-1985)
Year of Poster: R1980s
Year of Film: 1964
Origin of Film: Cuba/Soviet Union
Soy Cuba was the first joint filmmaking partnership between Cuba, eager to document the history of its revolution just three years earlier and to support its nascent stat-run film industry, the Soviet Union, interested in promoting communism abroad. Despite no expense being spared and with full support from both governments, Soy Cuba, a film consisting of four vignettes covering the days leading up to the revolution, was a commercial and critical failure. The film languished in Soviet warehouses until 1991, after which point a print was screened at Telluride Film Festival – allowing western audiences the first opportunity to witness some of the most technical and inventive camera work in cinematic history. Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola quickly championed the film and helped to get a restored print released for the first time in American cinemas. Born in Cerro on the outskirts of Havana in 1912, René Portocarrero is one of Cuba’s most celebrated artists. Self-taught, Portocarrero worked as a painter, sculptor, ceramicist, muralist, designer and book illustrator and his highly celebrated works are in countless permanent collections around the world.
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Really magnificent, and on every level!
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By the way, these blurbs were inspired by Peter -- who painstakingly wrote up a small, thoughtful entry for each and every poster on his site. Some day I would love to do this for all of my 500+ posters!
http://petersmovieposters.com/ (http://petersmovieposters.com/)
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I live in a college town and I'm close with several people who teach print-making. They are all very excited and plan to bring their students. I'm expecting a full house (30-50 people) for the talk. And I've already been asked to give it a second time as one of the schools has a competing event. I think I'm going to start by talking a little bit about poster collecting in general, then move on to Eastern European posters and how/why they are so different (or at least various theories people have), and then highlight 3-4 individual works and tell people more about the artists. Should be fun... I'm expecting lots of questions too with so many students there!
And yes, having the US posters up for comparison was a must. It is almost unbelievable, but the average undergraduate student was born the year Pulp Fiction came out! I can't even believe I just wrote that and that it's true :o I didn't want to take it for granted that people would have any frame of reference for the movies. I'm not sure if y'all are interested, but I'll post the blurbs that go along with each poster in a minute. I tried to spend 2-3 sentences on the movie/director and then 2-3 sentences on the artist.
In an educational setting such as this, I've always found it a good idea to illustrate a less successful example or two in order to draw comparison to the successful ones that you have on display. Then again, maybe that's what you are suggesting with US poster comparison...
I note that all of the images you display have some relation to the actual film, unlike a good number of Eastern Block posters. Do you have any examples in your collection where the image had little discernable connection the film? (I guess that Czech Alien is close - hard to tell what really going on there)
Very nice Sunset, one of my favorite posters for one of my favorite films...
Note to self: Avoid wearing orange when taking pictures... :)
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For the Czech Platoon, a better comparison might be to the photographic version of the image instead of the standard one sheet. Just a thought...
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To all -- Thanks for the supportive comments!
Ben -- Yes, the Sunset Boulevard is (unbelievably) mine and will be displayed prominently at our house after the exhibit ;D
Archie -- Thanks for the advice and yes, the US posters are mostly shown as an example of what not to do! :P Funny story about the orange shirt (although, yes, ugh in photos)... the Sunset Boulevard and Birds almost didn't make the show. Tom Kuznar (http://www.cinemaposter.com/) acquired these for me and picked them up personally in Warsaw (Sunset Boulevard) and Vienna (The Birds from Zelek himself). However, instead of risking them going through the global postal/customs systems, he hand delivered them to me at the Charlotte airport during his layover on his way back to Chicago last Thursday (2 days ago). As we had never met, I texted him a photo of me with a bright orange shirt and white baseball cap so we could find each other in the airport... he had suggested a trench coat and dark sunglasses but I was trying not to arouse the suspicions of the TSA 8) I went right from the airport to the gallery to swap out my alternates (Charlie Varrick and The Last Detail) in case they didn't make the trip or the deals fell through.
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For the Czech Platoon, a better comparison might be to the photographic version of the image instead of the standard one sheet. Just a thought...
Good point, I actually own the slightly undersized, style B int'l poster:
(http://www.movieposterdb.com/posters/08_06/1986/91763/l_91763_6befabb4.jpg) (http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/Iron-Curtain/posters/P8300261.jpg)
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This looks brilliant Matt, congratulations! I only wish I could pop along to see them all in situ. Will this be the first of many exhibitions to come?
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Will this be the first of many exhibitions to come?
The person who ran the gallery was really taken with my French and Italians... maybe, just maybe ;)
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Seriously impressed, well done
(http://images.zaazu.com/img/French-french-paris-france-smiley-emoticon-000584-facebook.gif)
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Outstanding! Congratulations on a job well done!
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Does anyone know of a website that would let me set up a free gallery exhibit with photos and text? I would love to put this info up on a dedicated site somewhere so it isn't lost the APF archives at some point. Any help would be appreciated...
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Does anyone know of a website that would let me set up a free gallery exhibit with photos and text? I would love to put this info up on a dedicated site somewhere so it isn't lost the APF archives at some point. Any help would be appreciated...
MoviePosterBid.com will be featuring such gallery setups in the future when we get a software change & new design. But they won't be set up as fan pages. galleries only with descriptions, no comments
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Does anyone know of a website that would let me set up a free gallery exhibit with photos and text? I would love to put this info up on a dedicated site somewhere so it isn't lost the APF archives at some point. Any help would be appreciated...
Pinterest, like this:
http://pinterest.com/camdesigns/amsel-s-movie-posters/
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Very cool. That might be perfect.
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That exhibition, the setup and all is absolutely GREAT. Congratulations. Really good work!
Krzysztof
polishposter.com
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The notes are excellent. I read every word.
I know that this would be extremely difficult and time consuming, but I would love to read analyses of the designs and why the artists went in the directions they did.
Obviously, some of the artists are unknown and/or deceased and some of the posters are self-explanatory...
Will your presentation/Q&A be taped?
Your appreciation for these posters is much appreciated.
Thanks for busting it out here.
cheers
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I am always amazed at how much cooler posters look in a framed grouping. The write-ups were fantastic and reflect a lot of effort. Well done, sir. clap
Brian
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Well, I'm not sure I'm sold on the pinterest format for something like this. It was a pain load everything, I couldn't paste in my descriptions (too short of a character limit), and there is absolutely no way I could find to organize it so the descriptions showed up next to the proper poster. In the end their gallery view is just too random. Anyway, here is a link for those who are interested in sharing the info about the show, but don't want to link to the added rambling in this thread:
http://pinterest.com/mpjohnst/film-art-from-behind-the-iron-curtain/ (http://pinterest.com/mpjohnst/film-art-from-behind-the-iron-curtain/)
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That exhibition, the setup and all is absolutely GREAT. Congratulations. Really good work!
Krzysztof
polishposter.com
Thanks Krzysztof, that means a lot coming from you! If I got any of the info wrong in the descriptions, please let me know... thanks again!
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The notes are excellent. I read every word.
I know that this would be extremely difficult and time consuming, but I would love to read analyses of the designs and why the artists went in the directions they did.
Obviously, some of the artists are unknown and/or deceased and some of the posters are self-explanatory...
Will your presentation/Q&A be taped?
Your appreciation for these posters is much appreciated.
Thanks for busting it out here.
cheers
I appreciate the kind comments Ted; this has definitely been a labor of love. That said, I was a little hesitant to 'read' into the designs too much... I prefer not to talk out my ass when possible. I feel like that is what it would have amounted too had I tried. Instead, I offered up the US poster for comparison and let others come to their own conclusions...
Not sure if there are plans to tape the lecture, but I'll see if I can host the slides if nothing else. And I'll see what I can do about a video tour at some point as well...
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Wonderful exhibit -- and a nice touch w/the USA posters featured on the description for frame of reference!
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Outstanding stuff Matt. Very nice job getting a large cross section of poster country of origin and genre while still adding the single film comparison (Platoon).
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Obviously recently returning to this place, I have just been made aware of this thread this evening.
What a show, Matt.
I applaud you and your efforts - if only I lived nearer!
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(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/random%20pics/2-2013-02-13100836_zpsdfac1505.jpg)
This is getting fun :)
A friend of mine who manages a gallery at a different local college is now showing my Eastern European posters! They'll be on display through the spring semester if anyone missed the other show and will be in the Upstate SC area. Please let me know if you do come and I'd be happy to walk through the show with you and chat... There will also be a talk on Feb. 28th. Hope you can make it!
http://news.uscupstate.edu/2013/02/from-behind-the-iron-curtain-eastern-european-film-marketing-posters-on-display-at-usc-upstate/
Even cooler news... there is yet another gallery that wants to do a different poster show with me! I'm going to start a separate thread on the topic as I would love to brainstorm with y'all about how to organize it and what to include. It should be fun though as I was talking with their gallery manager and we thought it would be cool to do a progression through the years. Starting with early cinema (possibly some photos of marquees like in the Uni Horror thread), look at changes in the printing processes (and have a local artist on hand to make screen prints), show posters in old theater frames (like from this thread (http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php?topic=495.0)), posters various countries, etc... There is a lot of space there so I think it could be a really cool show.
The gallery (Hub Bub: https://www.facebook.com/HubBubSC) is showing an unrelated poster exhibit right now... there is a local collector who has been traveling to Cuba for years and years and has an incredibly cool collection of political posters. All you can see in the pics are Che posters, but there are tons of propaganda posters, communistic worker posters, agricultural, etc... Incredibly cool stuff and beautifully framed. I need to up my game apparently...
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/69682_466091446778543_1131371136_n.jpg) (http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/random%20pics/1-2013-02-13100849_zpsb2ffb529.jpg)
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Sounds promising! Keep us posted to see if anyone can help thumbup
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This sounds great Matt and congratulations!
You'll be running your own Gallery soon enough ;)
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Awesome stuff Harry clap
Check you out,being all trendy...well done mate.
Stew
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A friend of mine who manages a gallery at a different local college is now showing my Eastern European posters! They'll be on display through the spring semester if anyone missed the other show and will be in the Upstate SC area. Please let me know if you do come and I'd be happy to walk through the show with you and chat... There will also be a talk on Feb. 28th. Hope you can make it!
Good show!
http://www.youtube.com/v/CKmXRwjWYUM
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I met this girl (who played "Nikita" in the video) on a production in Malibu.
I recognized her immediately.. and she was more beautiful in person than in the music vid. Her eyes literally were that ice blue color!
Stunning!!
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I met this girl (who played "Nikita" in the video) on a production in Malibu.
I recognized her immediately.. and she was more beautiful in person than in the music vid. Her eyes literally were that ice blue color!
Stunning!!
Lucky You!
Here is a less beautiful image from the video I had almost forgotten
(http://www.mysterycorp.com/temp/nikitashoes.jpg)
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That's awesome Matt! Sorry the lads couldn't make the second journey (I'm staring at the "Potemkin" as I type). That's a terrific poster/flyer too, I'll bet the boys in Rochester are gearing up for an NSS "find" of them.
--Peter
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(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s369/drharrycaul/random%20pics/2-2013-02-13100836_zpsdfac1505.jpg)
Outstanding, Matt.
I wish I was nearby.
cheers
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Oh you got your name on a poster too how fancy! ;)
Maybe I can start a new genre - Dr. Matt posters?
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That's Dr. Matthew, Chris....
Very nice indeed, Dr. Johnston, spread the gospel!
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That's Dr. Matthew, Chris....
Very nice indeed, Dr. Johnston, spread the gospel!
I stand corrected!
But I am curious as to the status of the bar at the 'reception to follow'?
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How much for the Matt poster?
AWESOME Matt!
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Yeah, Matt now has his own poster... That will take some beating
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So I also saw Matt this week down in "Jesusland" 8)
I am quite green with envy over some of the amazing deals he lands but I'll stay mum on them.
I missed the BTIC lecture but he was kind enough to show me the BTIC exhibit (and also a local art gallery selling cool Cuban posters). Note that Matt created placards with explanatory information about each poster with a small picture of the US poster for comparison.
(http://www.posternirvana.com/0DNE2/2013-03/HC2.JPG)
(http://www.posternirvana.com/0DNE2/2013-03/HC1.jpg)
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That Matt, what a helpful guy!