King Kong (1933) Poster, French
Estimate £30,000–50,000
A perfect blend of adventure, science fiction and horror, King Kong is the ultimate monster movie. Willis O'Brien's use of stop-motion effects was ground breaking for the time and remains legendary to this day. The film blew audiences away and broke all previous box-office records.
Here, Roland Coudon brilliantly captures the pinnacle of this landmark film, when the mighty King Kong is being presented to the public in a Broadway theatre as 'Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World'. The artwork on this poster is completely unique. Most posters from around the world depicted Kong on the Empire State Building.
Gilda (1946) Poster, US
Estimate £20,000–30,000
Gilda was Rita Hayworth's best-known performance. She was a major Hollywood star of the 1940s, and a top pin-up for GIs during World War II. It is rumoured that after Aga Khan watched the film, he fell in love with Hayworth, and flew to America to meet her. They married a few years later.
This Gilda style B poster is the most sought-after of all-American film noir posters. It shows a full-length image of the ultimate femme fatale, the seductive Gilda.
The Maltese Falcon / Le Faucon Maltais (1941) Poster, French
Estimate £18,000–24,000
This landmark film noir was written and directed by John Huston and was his directorial debut. The film is based on Dashiell Hammett's novel of the same name, and stars Humphrey Bogart as private investigator Sam Spade, Mary Astor as his femme fatale client, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet.
Warner Bros. released the film in America in 1941. Although Humphrey Bogart had already been in several films, he was not yet a massive star. The film was not released in France until 1947 after World War II. The French designer Jacques Bonneaud produced the quintessential poster on the title, placing leading cast members inside the illusive falcon.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Poster, US
Estimate £6,000–9,000
Stanley Kubrick's landmark science fiction film is still considered one of the most influential of all time. The Design Museum, London have an exhibition on Kubrick's work,
Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition
, which runs until 15 September.
This poster was designed for the film's Cinerama release, which was only shown in cinemas which were able to screen this format - a relatively small number. As a result, this poster was printed in smaller quantities to the main release posters.
Top Hat (1935) Poster, Swedish
Estimate £15,000–20,000
Top Hat, considered one of the most iconic screen musicals of all time, was the first film written specifically for the virtuosos: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. In many ways, it is the quintessential Astaire-Rogers film. A cheerful romantic comedy with an easily resolved central conflict, Top Hat contains some of the pair’s most memorable on-screen moments, from the romantic duet ‘Cheek to Cheek’ to Astaire’s brilliant solo ‘Top Hat, White Tie and Tails’. The highly distinguished composer Irving Berlin, also prominently featured on the poster, contributed the music.
This poster was printed in three sheets and would have been pasted onto billboards. As a result, only unused posters would have survived. With its jaunty shapes and lively figures, this Swedish poster captures some of the extraordinary energy brought to the screen by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Poster, US
Estimate £4,000–6,000
This epic British film is based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel. The film stars Peter O'Toole in the title role, together with Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn and Omar Sharif. It is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential films in the history of cinema. The dramatic score by Maurice Jarre and the Super Panavision 70 cinematography by Freddie Young are also highly acclaimed.
It was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won seven. It won four BAFTA awards and five Golden Globes. In 1990, the year before David Lean died, he was awarded the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award.
The Dam Busters (1954) Poster, British
Estimate £8,000–12,000
This British epic war film was directed by Michael Anderson, and stars Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave. It was based on two books - The Dam Busters by Paul Brickhill and Enemy Coast Ahead by Guy Gibson. The film re-enacts the true story of Operation Chastise. An attack in May 1943 by the Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, later called the Dam Busters, on German dams by using Barnes Wallis's bouncing bomb. This attack caused catastrophic flooding and destruction to Germany's industrial base, together with the loss of civilian life.
The Ghoul (1933) Poster, British
Estimate £6,000–9,000
This early British horror film stars Boris Karloff, Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger and Ralph Richardson, in his film debut. Egyptologist and professor Henry Morlant (Boris Karloff) comes back from the dead to punish those who have violated his tomb and betrayed him.
In the 1930s and 50s the artist of this poster, Marc Stone, worked as a poster designer for the Gaumont British Film Studios. He also illustrated pulp paperback covers, and numerous British magazine covers. During World War II up to the early 60s Stone designed recruitment posters for the Armed Forces. Horror posters are the most sought-after genre in film poster collecting.
Batman (1966) Poster, British
Estimate £4,000–6,000
This film was based on the Batman television series and was the first full-length feature film adaptation of the DC Comics character. The film stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. The film was released two months after the last episode of the first season of the television series. The film included most members of the original television cast.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Set Of 8 Standees, US
Estimate £8,000–12,000
This was Walt Disney's first feature animation and when it was released in 1937 was welcomed as a marvel. Disney estimated the cost of making this animation at $250,000, which was already ten times as much as making one of his short animations. However, it ended up costing a staggering $1.5 million, with Disney having to mortgage his home to help finance the film. Luckily it was a gamble worth taking, as the film grossed over $8 million in its international first release and was one of the most successful films of the decade.
Standees were only made for major productions as they were extremely expensive to produce. They were designed to stand just outside the cinemas or in the foyers. Due to their size and material, they were very hard to store, and therefore the majority of these were discarded.
Original Film Posters Online returns with an action-packed offering of vintage movie posters including blockbusters, sci-fi, classics and animation. Withe such an wide range of films represented, there is something to excite all enthusiasts. Click above to see highlights from the sale, which will be open for bidding exclusively online from 23 August to 5 September.