Posterwire.com is a movie poster weblog. From images of the latest Hollywood one-sheets to vintage movie posters, this film poster weblog hopes to offer a bit of insight into film key art.
Tom’s Temple of MST3K Stuff web site has collected images of movie posters from all of the films featured on the cult classic television show Mystery Science Theater 3000. It’s a great collection of B-movie imagery, covering a wide selection of genres, from the The Crawling Eye to Danger: Diablik.
Here’s something you don’t see every day: A new Drew Struzan illustrated movie poster that isn’t for a George Lucas film. Ain’t It Cool News reports Struzan has created the poster for the new Spanish film comedy Torrente 3: El Protector. The film is the third in a series of comedies about a “horrendous Spanish detective”.
You might look at the Drew Struzan Torrent 3 movie poster illustration one of two ways: getting work doing traditional illustration for modern-day Hollywood one-sheets is extremely limited or illustrator Drew Struzan has a history of embracing varied film projects that you might not be aware of. (He is, after all, a true “work for hire” illustrator who has done more than illustrate Star Wars one-sheets.)
We’re not sure how well Struzan’s tradmark “kissed by the sun” warm color schemes or color penciled air-brush techniques work as an illustration for a Spanish comedy (a fan boy over at Ain’t It Cool News nicknamed the poster Jake and the Fatman: The Movie), but it certainly makes for an interesting illustration — right down to the hair on star Santiago Segura’s chest.
George Clooney and Matt Damon star in the political thriller Syriana. The movie was inspired by Robert Baer’s book See No Evil: The True Story of a Foot Soldier in the CIA’s War on Terrorism. Directed by Stephen Gaghan, the writer of the film Traffic, the film interweaves multiple stories against the backdrop of the international oil industry and terrorism.
The “internets” have been abuzz about the recently released Syriana movie poster. The stylized graphic shows a “See No Evil. Hear No Evil” conceptual image of star George Clooney. While this type of distressed poster treatment is nothing new in the world of one-sheets, the logotype as a blindfold certainly grabs the viewer’s attention. (And also invokes, at least to some of us, the iconic images of blindfolded Americans from the Iranian hostage crisis which began in 1979.)
As we are constantly reminding everyone, there is nothing we like more than “Exploitation” movie posters from past decades. Whether it’s 1950s drug panic films or blaxploitation from the 1970s, the exploitation genres rely on what serves low budget film advertising best: sensationalism. When you take that trait and apply it to a relatively cheap advertising medium (such as one-sheets), movie poster magic can result. More importantly, exploitation posters are a prime example of an advertising campaign overcoming the limitations and quality of the films they are selling. This “saved by advertising” approach is something that Hollywood still tries to replicate to this day.
The Reel Gallery is continuing their movie poster book series with the Exploitation Poster Art book by Tony Nourmand and Graham Marsh, along with an accompanying auction of vintage exploitation one-sheets at Christie’s. From the Exploitation Poster Art website:
Sex, drugs, delinquency, Black power, alternative culture and, of course, rock and roll: these are just some of the themes which have attracted the attention of the cinema’s bottom-feeders over the past eighty years. A few of the resulting films have become cult classics, but most were simply tacky — few would probably now want to sit through two hours of High School Hellcats or Prison Girls. The posters produced to promote them, on the other hand, are wonderful period pieces that vividly evoke the social fears, temptations and taboos of bygone eras.
A review of some notable traits of famous movie poster illustrators might go something like this: Bob Peak might be considered the master with his versatility. Drew Struzan the most popular via his accessible illustration style. John Alvin commanded layout and composition. Saul Bass was the pioneer with his graphic design.
One important factor is missing from this list: Sex.
(As Diddy might say, who is “bringing the sexy”? [cough])
The answer: Illustrator Robert McGinnis.
Since the 1950s, McGinnis has created over 1000 paperback book covers, in genres ranging from romance novels to detective mysteries. (Those interested in Robert McGinnis and his cover artwork should check out the phenomenal book: Paperback Covers of Robert McGinnis.) The closest to a true pin-up artist that key art illustration has seen, McGinnis became well-known for his ability to create alluring and striking images of women — so much so they received their own nickname — the “McGinnis Woman”.
Considering the mantra in Hollywood is “sex sells”, it was only natural to employ the premiere alluring paperback book cover artist for movie poster illustration. And what better film subject for this than the sexiest of super spys, James Bond?
McGinnis illustrated several of the Bond film one-sheets during the 1960s through the 1970s. As we see in his Diamonds Are Forever movie poster, McGinnis helped create the signature “pyramid” composition (007 standing on top of a well built foundation of “Bond girls” and an exaggerated perspective view of the surrounding mayhem) found in many James Bond film one-sheets from that era. This McGinnis style (along with his work with illustrator Frank McCarthy) helped create the alluring visual mystique around the Bond character and became a template for other posters in the spy/adventure genre.
Robert McGinnis and his movie poster key art weren’t limited to just Bond girls. From Barbarella to Breakfast at Tiffanys, the allure of the “McGinnis Women” in illustration is obvious.
Walt Disney Pictures has released a new teaser poster for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest teaser one-sheet is essentially a reworking of the existing “Jolly Roger” style skull key art from previous Pirates of the Caribbean teaser posters. This newest teaser poster seems to give a hint of a “hidden Mickey” with it’s two flaming torches… or maybe we’re just seeing things.
Reminder: While this isn’t a topical / news weblog, don’t forget about the Red Cross web page for Hurricane Katrina donations.
