A Century of Movie Posters: From Silent to Art House

by Emily King

Film buffs, graphic designers, and art students will relish this beautifully produced and strikingly illustrated volume. Arranged in roughly chronological order, it brings together movie posters from around the world, starting with Charlie Chaplin film ads and the Russian Revolutionary movie posters of the 1910s, then spanning the century to show posters publicizing hits of the 1990s, including The Silence of the Lambs, Spike Lee films, and many more. The bookas sections focus on renowned individual designers, directors, movies, and genres. Important poster designers such as Saul Bass, Jan Lenica, and Juan Gatti receive particular attention, as do great directors who had strong opinions about how their films should be represented. Among the latter are Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard, and Otto Preminger. All major film genres are representedamusicals, Kung Fu movies, films noir, westerns (including so-called aspaghetti westernsa filmed in Italy), science fiction classics, and others. Readers are treated to examples of movie posters not only from the United States, Britain, and France, but also to previously unpublished examples from countries as diverse as Poland, China, and Cuba. For instance, fans of Orson Welles might be surprised to see the previously unpublished Italian poster advertising Citizen Kane under its Italian title, Quarto Potere (The Fourth Estate). This handsome volume will be valued by graphic designers, poster collectors, and anyone sharing the popular passion for cinema.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Media Tie In

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2003

Reviews

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recognized some of the posters. This was interesting.

[Katie Rosso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Says it’s roughly chronological, which is ... sort of true. It’s a bit all over the place, but nice to look at.

[Trike · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty nice overview of movie posters since the beginning of cinema. Shows posters from around the world, not just Hollywood.

Some interesting tidbits of info, but few truly new pieces for cinephiles. Near the end, though, author King does makes the mistake of calling Xenia, Ohio, a "fictional" town. I'm sure the residents of Xenia would be surprised to hear they're imaginary.

[Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually quite fun to look at. I didn't learn anything new, but the movie posters from other countries were especially nice to see.

Also enjoyed by Falon, even though there were a couple in there that mayyyyybe weren't so appropriate for her to see.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this from Hackney library to help me with my current painting project. As well as a key selection of seminal posters the written material is outstanding.

[Bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Movie posters as art. Fascinating.