Director Kevin Macdonald's Picks From 'Original Film Posters'

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Director Kevin Macdonald's Picks From 'Original Film Posters'

  • FLYING DOWN TO RIO
    'I adore this poster for the simple joy inherent in its graphic beauty and punchy colour. And the film is, of course, historically significant - it’s one of a handful of racy, ‘pre-code’ [The Hays Code] comedies that marks not just the first on-screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, but also (I read) the first time that a major actress (Dolores del Rio) appeared in a two-piece swimsuit on screen.'
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  • COOL HAND LUKE
    'In my opinion, this is one of the most sublime American movie posters, combining as it does a timeless movie classic (Cool Hand Luke and his refusal to conform is still very very cool and the egg-eating scene will make you split your sides with laughter while wanting to puke), with one of the most graphically appealing designs ever. What could easily have seemed just another bit of far-out Sixties design, perfectly communicates the radiant charisma of the character. And who can resist the tiny cops and bloodhound in the top left, appropriately indicating how inconsequential the law and its petty enablers are in the face of the ineffable coolness of cool-hand Luke?'
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  • THE THIRD MAN
    'One of the very best British films ever made (I know, I know…but Carol Reed was British, Graham Greene was British. Orson Welles obviously not. And Josh Cotton definitely not).
    I always feel that Cotton gets a rough deal of it, because he is so closely associated with Welles. Everyone remembers the cuckoo clock speech, yet nobody mentions that the film only hangs together because of Cotton’s sympathetic, rather melancholic performance - perfectly encapsulated in this graphically-strong lobby card. There is a lovability and sadness in those eyes.'
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  • VERTIGO
    'Like, I imagine, most poster collectors - I’m tempted by some ill-defined combination of films I love and designs I can’t resist. I won’t buy an ugly poster even if it’s for a top ten film, but I will occasionally buy a stunning poster for a film I’ve never heard of. And the sweet spot is represented by this stunning Vertigo poster. I know the film was just knocked off the top of the BFI’s ‘Best Films Ever’ list - but it still rides high for any cineaste. And even though the design is of course, perhaps the most famous of Saul Bass’s masterworks, this extra-large, almost square version of the familiar poster is such a wonder. It’s the same, but different… possibly even better in its composition. If you can afford it - this is the one!'
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  • LE TESTAMENT ORPHÉE
    'Jean Cocteau’s work as a film director is almost forgotten these days, yet his stylish, surreal movies are always an intelligent, sometimes slightly warped pleasure. These days he’s probably better remembered as an artist - and what better way to bring a little bit of the joy, lightness, and beauty of post-war France into your house than this?'
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  • QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE
    'When I was a boy, Zsa Zsa Gabor used to be a regular guest on TV chat shows. The introduction would always define her as being both a wittily unrepentant divorcée of rich men and an actress. Yet for the life of me, I can’t think of a single Zsa Zsa Gabor film I have ever seen. Still, here we have the poster to Queen of Outer Space featuring an Amazonian Zsa Zsa and a few intergalactic sexy scuffles in the background. This is kitsch of a superior kind, and I’m hooked. And who could resist that strapline: "Mankind’s first fantastic flight to VENUS — the female planet!"'
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  • SHAKESPEARIAN SPINACH
    While I’m as much of a Popeye fan as the next man, I wouldn’t normally want to grace my walls with a poster featuring the bulbous sailor. However - I would most definitely make an exception for this one. First off, who could resist that title: Shakespearian Spinach? I want to see this film; I feel it will be both improving and tasty… rather like spinach. And the pop of those graphics, in a jolly yellow and blue, puts a smile on my face.
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  • 2001 (BEHIND THE SCENES STILLS)
    'Almost any filmmaker I know has a bottomless fascination with this film - and the practical magic that Kubrick used to produce special effects which are still superior to most CGI-reliant modern sci-fi films. These stills give you a peek into the wizard’s lair, which we discover is not actually peopled with conscientious elves, but rather, with sober-looking mechanics in tweed jackets. A piece of film history.'
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  • DR NO
    'I know it is sacrilege (particularly here) to say this, but I don’t usually go for James Bond posters. Too cluttered, too kitsch for my tastes, yet this French Dr No poster really lights my fire. It has a pleasing simplicity and naiveté that seems more late-1950s than early-1960s. It brings out the ‘Boys Own’ adventure aspect of the series - particularly with its subtle title change: James Bond VS. Dr No! It almost makes Bond feel like an episode of Flash Gordon.'
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  • THE INVISIBLE MAN
    'This Danish lithographic poster is quite simply a piece of Expressionist art. Those spooky, glowing discs at the centre of the eyeballs speak of man trapped by an abysmal fate. I’ve never seen this version of The Invisible Man, but don’t feel I need to. My only worry is: would it keep me awake at night if it was in my bedroom?'
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