A meme has been going around Facebook to post your favorite movie poster of “a great film.” It’s been a lot of fun to see all the different artwork posted by people. Figured I’d share some of them. First, I shared my favorite and then in the comments I shared the many other candidates.
The one below is hanging over my bed. It is also my Twitter avatar. What does it mean. I’ll tell you what, Twitter feminist who emailed me scolding me for it: what it does NOT mean is an “endorsement” of violence against women. Lighten up.
And then, many friends began adding their own favorites to the comments, including some marvelous Polish posters (and if you don’t know about the phenomenon of Polish movie posters, just Google it, fall into the inevitable Rabbit Hole of Awesome, and thank me later.)
The one above caused much hilarity in the comments. This is an example of a Polish movie poster. It is the poster of The Muppet Movie.
Here is the comments thread for this particular piece of genius:
Tracey
Holy God.
Sheila O’Malley
Lol
Tracey
Children screaming. Adults sobbing. This is all I hear.
Sheila O’Malley
His eyes are dead and psychopathic. Dying
John
I roll with laughter imagining the reactions to this on opening weekend. Exactly. Doesn’t quite say; “Bring the whole family!”
Tracey
Hahahahaha.
Tracey
And his smile is trying to hide the fact that his eyes are dead and psychopathic. Like, “I know everyone can read my thoughts. Better smile!”
John
yeah, if your kid looks at this and gets all warm and fuzzy inside….see Polish Rosemary’s Baby poster.
Sheila O’Malley
Tracey – ha! This is Animal’s true essence
Tracey
HA!
I love this topic! such good choices! Funny Games is one of the most memorable of the last ten years easy.
It makes me SO MAD that the main Black Swan poster was the anodyne “cracked face” design — bad picture, bad design — and not that merciless melted crown one or the absolutely incredible La Boca graphic posters, particularly the TERRIFYING deco arabesque one. argh! why?! why?!
Jessie – I am not familiar with those other versions of the poster and am very curious – if you have links on hand, would love to see. I’ll do some Googling though.
Isn’t that “Funny Games” one amazing? It’s one of the only times when I actually went and saw a movie beCAUSE of the poster – it stopped me dead in my tracks when I saw it hanging in the lobby of a movie theatre.
sorry — at the bottom of the page I linked to are the other versions!
that persona-esque one you linked you is a stunner — so often the fan art posters are just light years better (there’s a certain TV show I’m thinking of right now that has 12 years of iconography to draw on and still manages to have just the most hilariously disastrous posters….).
Oh wow – now I see them. Yes – that second one with all the red – that’s the one you were referencing right? – is epic!!
Honestly, most posters now were designed by marketing teams who think that “floating heads” sell movies. Unimaginative!
And God, yes, 12 years now … and the style has not evolved at all – and I’m not sure who it’s supposed to appeal to? I would never have watched the show based on those posters!
This one is the only semi-striking one, in my opinion. I think that was an official one, not a fan-created one.
And definitely agree that fan art is WAY superior.
yes, that’s the one! epic’s the right word — it’s an epic movie, internally.
I don’t think that one even WAS official!!!! I think it’s all been downhill from S1 which at least had some great colours, if rather too many of them. Also has JP doing a classic butt-and-boobs pose which was very equal opportunity of them.
The one where Jared has a snake wrapped around his arm is so stupid!! But somehow hilarious, too, knowing how funny he is in real life.
wow – that Dean one wasn’t official?
I mean, it stops you in your tracks. I would have watched the show based on that alone. Well done, whoever!
oh god it’s so funny. SO SERIOUS.
and then there’s the Season 10 one – I think? – where Dean is behind Sam – and JA is staring off to the side with a lovelorn sad expression. It’s so stupid!
But yeah, the snake one is my favorite. Zero irony.
and if there’s anything JP has in spades – and Sam has in spades – and the SHOW has in spades – it’s irony!!
the Season 10 one
ha ha ha yes! the romance novel cover!!! oh man that one is a legit classic.
It’s like they can’t connect with the meanings or the pleasures of the show at all. At the most basic level, you’ve got those two faces on your hands, and you do that with them? We’ve got 100 years of movie poster design behind us, haven’t we figured out what works yet?!
//Also has JP doing a classic butt-and-boobs pose //
hahahaha ohmygod yes,. And carrying that wierd curvy knife thing which is one of the many items in the Winchester arsenal that never ever gets used, like those throwing star whatnots.
Someone give Dean a copy of that Mari Kondo book
What about something like this?
This was actually a cover for Famous Monsters of Filmland, I think in 2014, and I fell kinda hard for it! That graphic novel approach, used in that season 9 poster, too, just seems to suit the show so well.
Barb – hm, that’s slightly more inventive – and I agree that a graphic novel would be way preferable to the Fabio-ish poses they put everyone in now. I’d like to see something dark and almost abstract. Like the Badlands poster up above. A landscape, a field, a sunset, the Impala and JA and JP in black silhouette.
Boom.
Sheila – oh, yes, please!
What sold me on the one above was the house in the background, when I recognized it. Puts the boys’ poses into a whole different context!
I’m assuming this is the arabesque one – it’s stunning!
I like this one too. It feels Bergman Persona-esque. From another era.
All the best posters come from Ghana.
Jeff – how have I lived this long without knowing about this?
just jumping in to say the Funny Games poster is by graphic art goddess Akiko Stehrenberger who consistently produces the most amazing work.
The poster for Under The Skin… wow!
That one is phenomenal!
Ooh! Thank you, Helena – her work should definitely be celebrated and I am glad to know her name now.
What an incredible archive. It’s a goldmine.
Her name seared into my brain, partly out of envy ;-) mainly because of the Funny Games and this poster.
And thank you for celebrating the art of the poster – such tip top, amazing inventive graphic work from all over the world! Thanks, Sheila!
God, that poster is incredible. Her use of color – throughout – is incredible – and then I love how there is almost no color in the Funny Games one. So so striking!!
Movie posters is a favorite topic! I think especially because so many of them now (at least coming out of Hollywood Proper) are just AWFUL. So when you see beautifully done posters – it’s such a relief.
Or, like Saul Bass’ Hitchcock posters. You know … it gives a MOOD as opposed to a giant picture of Cary Grant’s mug. You know? We KNOW Cary Grant is in it. Saul Bass created this crazy mood with those bold posters. Love it.
Saul Bass is a master, of course.
There are still wonderful posters around but these days they tend to be niche objects for collectors or artwork for companies such are Criterion – rarely used in mainstream campaigns :-(
You undoubtedly follow the Movie Poster of the Week tumblr. Here’s their piece on the Stenberg Brothers – whenever I see their work I am taught a lesson in visual imagination and also visual joy. If you google Stenberg Brothers you can revel for free in a ton of fantastic posters.
I don’t know what I would do without Movie Poster of the Week!!
I have an entire art book of Soviet-era posters! They’re so fascinating. and effed-up. Simultaneously. But gorgeous!
I wasn’t aware of the Sternberg brothers – at least not by name – some of their work is in my book, I just checked! – but God, I loved scrolling down that Mubi page.
SO striking.
This is the book I have.
Thank you, that looks an amazing book!
One of the great joys about books like that is that you get to see wonderful posters for films that don’t even exist any more.
Sigh. I know. It’s a bummer.
The book has all kinds of posters – war drives, and “keep the faith” kind of drives – Lenin predominates. The STYLE is so distinct.
Stunning stuff.
The Only Angels Have Wings poster is great!
I think you’ve posted it before, but I love the Italian poster for Casablanca.
Yeah, that’s the new Criterion cover – so doesn’t really count as a poster (I wish Criterion would sell posters, dammit!!) – but it’s so striking and perfect!
Ooh, that Casablanca one is stunning!
Oh, I love this subject. The Badlands poster is almost too good.
Some of my favorites:
The Last Exorcism poster, which let me tell you startled the shit out of me one night at a bus stop.
The Dark Knight was a flawed movie that had a somewhat annoying influence on the superhero genre, but this poster is fantastic.
Teeth is another good one.
Apocalypse Now is a classic for a reason.
The General by Buster Keaton the Russian version is a great piece of art. I’d put that on my wall.
Desirae – These are all incredible. Only one of those posters have I seen – Apocalypse Now – and you’re so right, I don’t know why it didn’t come to my mind before. It’s stunning!
But the other ones!! Teeth! Awesome! And The Dark Knight! Yes, extremely annoying influence on the industry, on superhero movies and all the rest – but that is a HELL of a poster.
Such great posters, Desirae!
That Buster Keaton poster is also by the Stenberg Brothers!
(God, I need to get a book of their work right now)
I’m scrolling through the blog you linked above on the Stenberg brothers – wow. Every one is a masterpiece.
What’s so great about the Apocalypse Now poster is that it’s almost an image we’ve seen a million times before of some beautiful, faraway place: a river, a hazy red sunset, a flock of birds –
– except those aren’t birds. They’re helicopters, and I got an actual chill in the moment I understood that.
I love the way the Japanese poster for Once Upon a Time in the West gets straight to the point: the big bold title just reads WESTERN. Oddly, the current Japanese Bluray release just has the American cover, in English. It must work, though, because it’s currently #3 in Westerns on Amazon Japan.
-j
Go, Amazon Japan!