Like Hitchcock, Jacques Tati wasn’t afraid to insert himself into his movies as his Monsieur Hulot character/profile was finely cultivated and featured prominently in many of these alternative versions of posters from various countries.
Here’s a more detailed poster comparison for Trafic (of course, not to be confused with Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic).
Jacques Tati, the French filmmaker known for his playful, experimental films of sound and color, was one of the first directors to make Modernism funny. Although his movies aren’t exactly a barrel of laughs, the wit and style is abundantly clear (even if I did fall asleep in college during a screening of Playtime). The fact that he is often mentioned as one of the greatest directors of all-time even though he only made six feature films is a legacy in itself.
But I’m sure this masterful minimalist would’ve been bored to tears with all the fawning and retrospectives, so let’s not talk and just sit back and enjoy the ride…
EatBrie, the humble home of Thierry Brame’s movie poster collection, is a feast for the eyes. The modest Brame will tell you that his bounty is no big deal, but don’t believe a word of it! Rumored to have the world’s largest stash of Spielberg one-sheets (aside from Mr. Spielberg, I’m sure), Brame’s website breaks down his posters into an easy searchable database by Actors/Actresses, Director, Genre, Country of Origin, Release Date — and, my personal favorite, Last 100 Purchases, where he shows off his most recent mouth-watering buys.
So if you have an insatiable appetite for movie posters, dig into EatBrie — and join his All Poster Forum!
The poster work of French artisté, Roger Soubie, is like a beautiful, unattainable woman. Chic. Sophisticated. And expensive! So it’s no wonder that his style translated well for his many vintage travel posters, too. And recently, Le Intemporel Gallerie in Paris came out with a limited edition book celebrating Mr. Soubie that you can peek at here.
Most cinephiles love Alfred Hitchcock — or at least appreciate the consistent output of “The Master of Suspense”. So now I’d like to combine two things we all can admire — Hitchcock and the French posters of his movies, many of which were done by Boris Grinsson (Vertigo, Rope, The Man Who Knew Too Much, To Catch A Thief) and the super glamorous Roger Soubie (Notorious, North By Northwest).
(Disclaimer: Rear Window is actually the Belgian version, but I couldn’t resist!).
The Film/Art Gallery in Los Angeles has a cool new page up now detailing the transition of movie poster advertising from the feel good 50’s to the Mad Men-esque explosion of photography in the 60’s and 70’s. And there’s also a nice mention of film/art’s tasteful proprietor, Matthew McCarthy, in The New York Times!
Georges Kerfyser created some of the most dramatic French and Belgian posters of the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s — and arguably the sexiest one-sheet of the 20th Century (Blow-Up). What’s even more amazing though is that there is very little personal information about him online, except for the legacy of his name associated with his many fine designs.
In The Art of The Modern Movie Poster, Sam Sarowitz (of Posteritati fame) does a poster breakdown for a few select movie titles, comparing and contrasting the various International poster designs from each country. So I thought I’d do that here with From The Terrace (1960), a not-so-popular film adaptation of John O’Hara’s bestseller, starring then-newlyweds, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Check out the official trailer here.
My personal favorite is the French version, which was done by notable artist, Georges Kerfyser.
Over the past year or so, I’ve had my eye on a number of aesthetically awesome movie posters on Ebay and EMP, but I was usually always outbid. And often times it was by another bidder identified only as “Nicklyk”. So I wondered, who is this Nicklyk and why is he/she stealing away my dream collection?
Well, after some due diligence, I discovered that Nicklyk is Nick Lykiardopulo, the sizzingly stylish owner of The Image Gallery in Athens, Greece that specializes in Pop Art and, yes, movie memorabilia and advertising art (plus, he’s on Facebook!)…Unfortunately, since I can’t imagine I’ll be jetting to Greece anytime soon, I can only fantasize about what wonderful one-sheets he has adorning his gallery walls. Great stuff, Nick!
Movie Poster Museum 