I know I’ve written about them before – but here’s another post with some more images. I was inspired by House of Mirth and Movies to look through this archive of images from the golden age of Polish film posters and pick out some of my favorites. The images are startling, non-literal, and so completely different from our American sense of film posters that they stop me in my tracks. There are very few faces on them, very few images of stars. The posters here are up to something entirely different. They make you think. They make you stop a second and ponder them.
I’ve posted some of my favorites below – without saying what film it is for. You can guess some of them, from the names on the posters … My favorite of all time is for The Getaway. And the poster for Bridge on the River Kwai makes me want to cry for some reason. Brilliant.
But let’s start with a poster of one of my favorite movies ever:
More below.
I had never seen or heard about these posters. You’re right, they’re very imaginative and provoking. For that reason my favorite is Midnight Cowboy.
Those are all so cool! The first one especially :)
Mere – I know – isn’t that great?? I love the one for Raiders, too.
sheila,
these are great!
have you seen the one for Sunset Boulevard?
owe you a call!
I want the Roman Holiday poster so badly!
Do you happen to know how much most of these cost?
Nicholas – I have no idea. In that archive of images I posted – there is a “for sale” area, so you might want to check there.
I wish they sold Piknik Pods in the local Target. “It has everything for your al fresco lunch! Free blanket enclosed!”
I recognize Taxi Driver, Fatal Attraction… Mostly from the cast lists but sometimes the translated name is still recognizable. Nokny Kowboj really can’t be anything else, right? (And it won the Oskarem!)
Amerykanski Film Sensacyjny, indeed. Great find, Sheila!
Nightfly – Yeah, L’Avventurra I never ever would have guessed from the Polish!!
Same thing with Duel … I only put that one together because Spielberg’s name was on it.
And I love how some things are lost in translation. Like, who is Ali McGrove? I’ve never heard of her before!