I know what you're thinkin'. "Is a ticket ten bucks, or only nine?" Well, to tell you the truth the price goes up so often, I kinda lost track myself. But being that this evening out will set you back $44 – and will blow a hole clean through your wallet, you've got to ask yourself a question:
Do I feel lucky?
Well, do ya, punk!!!
OK, maybe that's not the exact way that quote goes, but I couldn't resist. I also couldn't resist keeping with the firearm lead-in image theme of the past couple posts.
As mentioned last time, we're taking a little jaunt into the realm of cinema – specifically, movie posters. Researching my vast image archives and new resources, I'm excited about a couple little design diversions we get to explore here over the course of the next few entries.
The first is just a look at some classic posters that just rock from a graphic design standpoint. All these are pre-Photoshop works of art. Clicking an image will open a larger sample in a new window. Being the chatty brotha that I am, I'll add a bit of my insights as well. Enjoy!
:: Anatomy of a Murder ::
Couldn't decide to start or finish with this one. Designed by the great Saul Bass, this image ranks #1 on many notable "greatest ever" lists. Simple, powerful and iconic.
:: The Seven Year Itch ::
Speaking of iconic. The image and Marilyn and her (ahem) flowing dress is so iconic that you could swap out Yogi Bear for the chap in the background and no one would notice.
:: M ::
Chilling German film. Exemplary art from the period.
:: Dial M For Murder ::
Loves me some Hitchcock. Pivotal moment in the film. I love that unless you've seen the film you don't know enough about what's going on for it to be a spoiler image – but you know something bad is going down. Great use of the rule of thirds (remind me to blog about that sometime)
:: Dracula Has Risen from the Grave ::
Love this poster. The black & white image of the woman highlights the pink band-aids. This is just so tongue-in-cheek – even folks that aren't fans of the genre have to crack a smile at this. Very concept-driven for a movie poster.
:: Magnum Force ::
Another simple black & white design with a single instance of color for impact. The forced perspective really makes this one rock. Dirty Harry's big honkin' gun come right at ya tells you all you need to know about the movie – Clint's introducing crime to some .44 caliber smackdown!
:: Modern Times ::
This works almost better as just a piece of art than it does as a movie poster. Charlie Chaplain was such a mega-star of his time that you could have removed his name from the poster and still known it was him just from the small illustration of him walking away. Wonderful framing of the point of interest with the big mechanical gears.
:: City Lights ::
Chaplain again. And again just a silhouette and everyone knows who it is. Love the depth in the illustration and the dream-like quality of the city imagery.
:: Breakfast at Tiffany's ::
One of the most desired posters you'll find. Saw an original at a comic convention (I know . . . "geek check") selling for $5,000 (no, really). Great illustration of Audrey Hepburn in her most well-known role. Love the blocks of color and how they are used to accentuate the stars slender svelte frame.
:: All About Eve ::
Love classic films, but have never seen this. The poster makes it look like fun. Love the graphic treatment. The stars are really downplayed here in favor of story-telling graphic elements.
:: M*A*S*H ::
Another iconic image. As a designer this is one you look at and go "Man! I wish I had done that!" Decades later and I'm still impressed by how well this works. Inventive concept. Masterful execution.
:: Hook ::
OK, this poster is nice, but the real reason it's here is to be representative of the artist. Drew Struzan is flat-out the "stuff". He's a movie poster "soopah genius". Guarantee you've seen his work. Check out this nice fan site for a huge, chronologically organized sampling of his work. The guys does crazy Photoshop collages – but without the Photoshop! Phenomenal illustrator.
:: The Man with the Golden Arm ::
We'll end where we started – with a couple more from Saul Bass. What I love about his work is that it is so graphic that it has a timeless feel to it. A great reminder to adhere to the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid).
:: Vertigo ::
One of my favorite Hitchcock thrillers - and another poster that's just a delight in it's ability to communicate with simplicity. Really could have done an entire post just on Saul Bass.
You may have noticed that for someone who loves classic horror and sci-fi movies that there were none of those (with the exception of the poster for Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, which really transcends the genre by having such fun with the concept). The reason for their absence is that they get an entire post to themselves. Looking forward to that . . . should be a lot of fun!
