Cool Movie Posters

I've been a fan of movie posters for almost as long as I've been a fan of movies. Even as a kid, in my early teens, I decorated my bedroom with posters from Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Because that's what you did back in the late 70's. 

It wasn't until the 90's that I truly became immersed in all things related to movies. Books, posters, movie still photographs, soundtracks, memorabilia, the films themselves. I didn't go overboard on these things, but I did assemble a satisfying assortment of display-worthy items. Not a completist in any sense, I did at least aim for the most attractive posters for my walls. Even today, I am discerning about what I hang about my place, especially given the space limitations. Though I have several nice vinyl LP record soundtracks for display purposes, I only hang a few at a time, rotating them periodically. I have more posters than I have room for, and though I could change them up now and then, I rarely touch what's already on my walls. For one thing, I can't think of many - or any - other posters I'd replace them with; the other thing is that I am really happy with what I've got set up now: Goldfinger, Casablanca, Star Wars, The Double Life of Veronique, and Three Colors: Red in my living room; and another Goldfinger and a Lost in Translation in the bedroom. These represent some of my favourite movies, so how can I possibly mess with that? I do put up my big Apocalypse Now poster for a while each year. 

There are so many unforgettable movie posters that span the history of cinema. The best of them make effective use of design....  an eye-catching combination of layout and colour and text and images (artwork and photos). A great example is the James Bond Goldfinger poster below.

Iconic images like those on the Jaws and The Exorcist posters are instantly recognizable. So many poster designs have entered into pop culture, into public consciousness. Like E.T., Star Wars (and its sequels... and maybe its prequels), and Back to the Future. Let's not forget less savoury, yet equally brilliant, film posters like those for Halloween, The Thing (1982), and Silence of the Lambs. 

I have a soft spot for the poster illustrations that dominated the medium before fizzling out after the 60's. The paintings were by accomplished artists, often very striking, sometimes subdued, sometimes evocative or just plain exciting. The James Bond films of the 60's and 70's boasted poster art along these lines. This franchise and perhaps the odd other rare exception were about all that brought the illustrative element into the 70's. Artist Drew Struzan seemed to revive that form of illustration with his work on the original Star Wars trilogy, Spielberg pictures, and much more. He built a career out of this sort of renaissance... in the vein of the imagery from the golden era of cinema. You know, a montage depicting the the main characters prominently - either at rest or in action, maybe secondary actors smaller and surrounding, and perhaps one or more thematic visual settings as a backdrop. A mood is set... something wondrous and thrilling, a dangerous adventure. 

There were some terrific bold graphics that were a departure from the painterly methods back in the 50's, 60's and beyond. Saul Bass was famed for his distinctive posters and movie title sequences for directors like Hitchcock, Preminger, Kubrick, and Scorcese.

From about the 80's onward, with few exceptions, we have seen mostly photo imagery on movie posters. For the most part, these worked just fine, but not many were standouts. My beloved James Bond film series suffered from rather lazy poster art designs from the 80's onward. I've discovered that the foreign (especially Japanese and Italian) versions of Bond posters were amazing and far superior to the UK and North American ones.

After some thought, and skimming a few online "Best Of" lists, I decided on a handful of what I think are among the coolest-looking movie posters of all time. Though I've seen all of these films, they are not all necessarily favourites; I can admit, though, that their posters are attractive and/or at least effective in their marketing role. 

Jaws - we ALL know this one: the massive shark about to spearhead the lone swimmer
Anatomy of a Murder - one of Saul Bass' most famous efforts, tied in with the movie titles
Casablanca - there are variations of this, but the version I have is pictured in the photo above
Endless Summer - bold and simple, evoking a hot steamy beach... and the surf lifestyle
Vertigo - though a static image, motion is implied... often imitated, this is a Bass art classic
Rosemary's Baby - even though I'm not fussy about the movie, the poster is creepy & weird
The Exorcist - now iconic, we are frightened of this scene even if we've never seen the film!
Apocalypse Now - that hazy orange sunrise, choppers mounting an attack. Quietly tense.
The Fan (1981) - the version with the white graphic "blade" aimed at Bacall - sharp!
The Thing - an unearthly and mysterious being poised in the snowdrift... hell on Earth?
Scarface - the image split into black and white halves, implying gangster Pacino's duality?
Moon - subtlly speaks to the protagonist's solitude... and his otherworldly dilemma
E.T. - two different posters, both imprinted in the minds of everyone: the bike; the fingers
Back to the Future - Drew Struzan did his magic here, and for the sequels
Lost in Translation - the "Bill on the bed" image says it all. I have the Scarlett in the rain one.
American Beauty - simple and evocative rose on the tummy... purity and its loss
Gone With the Wind - traditional romantic pose against a blazing bright background
Forbidden Planet - prime example of 50's sci-fi: far-out, spacey, sensational, sexy!
Silence of the Lambs - the simplicity of the colourful moth on the ghostly white face... creepy
Pulp Fiction - a cover of a tattered "pulp" novel, sexy dame, cigarette, gun... unseemly
Clockwork Orange - stylized graphic that says little but sets the tone for strangeness
Alien -  the egg, the tagline... the stark, uneasy darkness... sets the stage perfectly
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman - ridiculous & fun... what are those drivers looking at? Right?
King Kong - terrifyingly painted monster ape going wild, in all versions of the poster
Dial M for Murder - famous image from the Hitch film, reaching for the phone... redrum...
Lolita - everyone has seen this girl with the heart glasses, even if they never saw the flick
The Graduate - we all know this image: Dustin, the stocking rolled down Anne's shapely leg
The Godfather - the poster with simply the title and the marionette puppet hand... clever
Rocky - victory pose atop the steps. Hey, it inspired me!
Halloween - a simple yet unforgettable graphic image of the slashing knife and pumpkin head
Ghostbusters - the first "logo' to become a great movie poster design. Who ya gonna call?
Walk the Line - a colourful image of Johnny, guitar slung across his back. Sleek design. 
La Dolce Vita - bold, vibrant and painterly... passionate like the film and its characters
Forest Gump - simple. Like a box of chocolates. We get the idea. 
Amadeus - a film made powerful by fine music and acting and story. Dark and cryptic.
Eraserhead - weird black-and-white pic of a fuzzy-headed man. Watch this and freak out!
Star Wars - the very first poster art was a bit off... an update by Hildebrandt followed
The Terminator - epitome of the 80's? Or set the standard... shades, neon, big gun, Arnie.
The Shining - simple, bright, haunting... that face. No real connection to the movie, but still...
Jurassic Park - another strong logo design that today is still immediately recognizable. Roar!
Metropolis - art deco meets dark futurism, setting the tone for a mechanistic dystopian world.