Zabriskie Point (1970)

Cinema Posters of the 20th Century, Suntory Museum, 2001, p. 109 and A Century of Movie Posters from Silent to Art House, Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 2003, p. 119

This poster, designed by the well known American graphic designer, Milton Glaser, was Glaser's only foray into designing a poster for film. The artwork was presented to the director, Michelangelo Antonioni, who unfortunately didn't like the way that it depicted his film, which wasn't how he wanted it to be marketed, and so did not use this design for the film's American release. This special poster is a complete contrast to the main studio poster, which was used, and is far superior in design. Glaser was a prolific graphic designer, who designed many fantastic advertising posters, and is best known for his “I Love New York” logo.

This American drama was directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, and stars Mark Frechette, Daria Halprin and Rod Taylor. This counterculture film was partially set at Zabriskie Point, in Death Valley, California, USA—the lowest elevation in North America. At the time of release the film was an absolute failure, but over time has gained cult status, owing to its use of music by Pink Floyd, The Youngbloods, Kaleidoscope, Jerry Garcia, Patti Page, Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, John Fahey and Roy Orbison, as well as its cinematography and direction.