The recent blog regarding my passion for posters, specifically those of the movie kind, reeled in a bit of attention across the Interwebs. So today I’m back to plaster more sweet nothings of poster love.
“The Thing”
Drew Struzan is definitely the undisputed king of late 20th century movie poster art, and he continues cinematically brushing his way well into the current millennium. I own several of his prints, including the “Star Wars” poster I mentioned in a previous post. While that’s my most treasured Struzan piece, I hold a special place in my heart for my original “Cannonball Run” one sheet, which was signed by director Hal Needham. Although Struzan’s work is iconic across the board, from the Indiana Jones series to the Harry Potter flicks and beyond, there’s one piece in particular that’s equal parts haunting and exquisite. I’m talking about his poster for “The Thing,” John Carpenter’s horrific sci-fi yarn, which drips with isolation, paranoia and plenty of gore. Struzan’s interpretation practically gives you chills by capturing the film’s icy setting. And the beam of light bursting from the face of the nondescript man adds the same air of mystery Carpenter dishes out on film. Last summer Mondo released a 26” x 38” screenprint of the original art from Struzan himself ($250) and a limited run of glow-in-the-dark variants ($350). They’re going for serious green on eBay. However, if you have heavy disposable income, you can buy actual Struzan poster paintings via his website. The original art for the “Back to the Future III” poster will run you $150,000.
“White Lightning”
Growing up in the South in the ’70s, Burt Reynolds movies were as much a part of my steady diet as fried chicken and Krispy Kreme. A few years ago I found myself amassing a collection of posters tied to his movies, including “Gator” and “Sharky’s Machine.” Arguably my favorite poster of the bunch is 1973’s “White Lightning.” Like many exploitation films of that era, the art is bold, brash and extremely well done, right down to little details such as the exploding car headlights. My only gripe is the small photograph of a shirtless Burt plastered on top of the bottom left corner of the art. Although it takes a little bit away from the poster’s overall thunder, the predominant artistry found here is so fantastic that all is forgiven. I’m still keeping my fingers crossed on landing a “Smokey and the Bandit” one day, and I try not to covet the autographed one I’ve seen hanging in Tom Brown’s office at Turner Classic Movies.
Roger Rabbit Posters
When “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” splashed into cineplexes during the summer of ’88, I was hooked. I must’ve seen the thing nearly a dozen times on the big screen. I’m reminded of that every time I find myself reciting much of the dialogue when revisiting the film at home. I own several different Roger Rabbit posters, including the original one sheet and a Struzan-painted piece telling audiences that it’s “Time to Toon in Again.” I took the latter to heart and absorbed all the details director Robert Zemeckis put into the picture. This included the mock posters that hung in the office of R.K. Maroon, the head of Maroon Cartoons. The posters depicted various fictitious Roger Rabbit and Baby Herman cartoons the studio would’ve put out with titles such as “Herman’s Shermans” and “Babes in Arms.” An entire set of reproductions of those posters were released to the public later that summer, and I snagged them. Although they’re not worth much at all (you can find them on eBay for $20 or less) I’m still crazy about them. I even hung “The Wet Nurse” poster in the bedroom of my two youngest kids back when they were little bundles.
No comments:
Post a Comment