“In the not too distant future, wars will no longer exist. But there will be Rollerball.” That I remember was the tag-line on the UK poster for this 1975 sci-fi classic. This French poster doesn’t bother with any of that, instead relying on a powerful graphic image which pretty well sums up the movie! The…
The Battle Of Algiers
Here is a rather striking poster for a film I must admit I have never seen. The Battle Of Algiers is supposedly a land-mark movie in cinema-verite. It covers events in the Algerian war between rebels in North Africa and the French government. The movie was shot on location in 1966, largely with non-professional actors…
Bonnie And Clyde
In the ongoing debate about graphic violence in the movies, Bonnie and Clyde is something of a watershed. It is tame stuff by today’s standards, but in 1967 the climactic assassination scene, where Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed and ripped apart in a slow motion orgy of gunfire, attracted plenty of notoriety, and became hugely influential…
Godzilla
Christmas is coming, but sorry I do not have any festive-themed movie memorabilia to post, so this red and green Godzilla poster will just have to do! I’ve seen various Godzilla movies over the years (including the rather mediocre recent reboots), but frankly I do not remember if I have ever seen the original 1954…
Young Frankenstein / High Anxiety
I’m not much of a Mel Brooks fan, but these French posters showcase two of his better attempts at spoofing beloved genres. Personally, I didn’t find Young Frankenstein particularly funny, but I must admit it is a wonderful pastiche of the original Universal monster movies. Its black and white photography, in particular, really captures the…
High Plains Drifter / Pale Rider
These are two mythical Westerns from Clint Eastwood, both of which essentially have the same conceit – the Clint character is the reincarnation of a dead lawman murdered by bandits, who returns to deliver justice to the perpetrators. High Plains Drifter was the first Western Clint directed himself, and the influence of Sergio Leone looms…
Casino Royale
It is no secret that 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale is an unholy mess. This is a movie which took 5 directors to make and it and includes multiple actors as different incarnations of James Bond (played by David Niven and Peter Sellers amongst others). I have only seen this once (on TV, years ago)….
Raging Bull
Martin Scorcese’s biography of boxer Jake La Motta is the movie for which Robert De Niro famously piled on nearly 30 kg and won his second Oscar. It has phenomenal performances, fantastic black and white photography, and the fight scenes are wonderfully choreographed and edited. But it is very slow burn, and whilst it is…
Vampire Circus
Sometimes there are movies whose title and concept far exceeds the execution. Vampire Circus IMHO is one. Now, admittedly some horror fans love this movie, and it is a great title, but if you have seen the movie you will know it is cheaply made and poorly acted, like much of Hammer’s 1970s output. Sadly,…
Battle Of Britain
Here are a striking pair of French posters for this classic – and very British – war movie. Battle Of Britain was released in 1969 and depicts the RAF’s ultimately successful air war against the Luftwaffe at the height of WW2. The amazing cast represents a who’s who of British actors from the period. Renowned…