When most cinephiles visualize Shirley MacLaine, they tend to think of the strong, feisty, older Terms of Endearment-Maclaine — but back in the day, she used to be quite a hot number (as many of these 60s French posters by Boris Grinsson & Co. will back me on that)! And no doubt her sassy personality helped open the door for her hunky little bro, Warren Beatty!
Category Archives: Artists & Illustrators
Best of Bardot
Monday’s mention of Claudia Schiffer doing her best Brigitte Bardot in the Guess Jeans ads made me realize…why not show the real thing? After all, it’s no accident that many of the world’s greatest French poster artists — including Rene Peron, Jean Mascii, Guy Gerard Noel, and Clement Hurel — have done some of their best work to capture her.
Though by no means a definitive list, here’s a few of Bardot’s best…
Symeoni Does Bardot
…but wait, let’s not forget these classic Bardots (And God Created Woman, The Night Heaven Fell) by Italian Stallion, Sandro Symeoni! (via DominiqueBesson)
Peak Show
And the Oscar goes to…Bob Peak (1927-1992)!
That’s right, the fourth floor gallery at AMPAS (i.e., The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences) in Beverly Hills, CA is having an exhibition now until mid-April of the greatest one-sheets drawn by the 1960’s and 70’s poster king. So if you’re not impressed by this year’s nominees, you will certainly find a few winners from Mr. Peak’s best pictures.
The Polish Matisse
Ever hear the one about the Polish actress who wanted to be a movie star? Yeah, she slept with the screenwriter!
Okay, so maybe that kind of old school Hollywood humor isn’t for everybody — but yesterday I mentioned the Polish poster artist, Jan Mlodozeniec (1929-2000), and he is definitely no joke. From the early 1950’s through the 80’s, Mr. Mlodozeniec designed a good majority of the movie posters for the most popular Polish and American films that played in his homeland. From Barbarella to Gremlins, Mlodozeniec’s vivid understanding of color once even compared him to Matisse. So even if you don’t like off-color jokes, at least we all can enjoy the bright, beautiful world of Jan Mlodozeniec…
Once Upon A Smackdown!
Many a talented poster artist has tried tackling the early 80’s mafia pic, Once Upon A Time In America, including Renato Casaro (top left), Clement Hurel (top middle and top right), and Jan Mlodozeniec (bottom, middle), the Polish superstar.
Symeoni Says
If you’re into Italian movie posters, then surely you’ve seen the work of Sandro Symeoni. He might not have gotten the A-list jobs like the infamous BCM Studio, but his work was in many cases just as memorable…
Ripped From The Headlines!
Judging from recent headlines, newspapers are dying off fast — but you can’t beat the stories (as I’m sure Marcello Mastroianni would attest)! Also, famed Italian poster artist, Anselmo Ballester, is credited with this unusual French version of Contre La Loi aka Against The Law.
The Art of Péron
René Péron (1904-1972), the dynamic French artist who was highlighted yesterday for his Caine Mutiny masterpiece, established himself and his art deco style in the 1920’s and never looked back as he designed posters for some of the era’s most memorable films (King Kong, 1933), mixing his rich, vibrant colors and elegant portraiture for six decades. Viva el Péron!
Movie Poster Museum 