This Belgian original poster is for the William Wyler film THE CHILDREN’S HOUR starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and James Garner. The original source material was a play by the great Lillian Hellman. It had been made into a film in the 1936 as THESE THREE but the homosexual subject matter had been too hot for the censors at that time, and so the sexual triangle had been heterosexual. But Wyler, who had directed the 1936 film, wanted to film the play as it had been intended, and the less restricted atmosphere of the early sixties made that possible. Still the film is somewhat restrained by today’s standards. Miriam Hopkins who had played one of the women in the 1936 film appeared again in 1962 in the role of another character. The poster is unfolded and is in very fine condition. There is a small tear at the top border which has been repaired with archival tissue. The name of the Belgian cinema, Acropole, is printed in the playdate area.

Original MGM Three Sheet Poster (41.25×78) for the George Cukor dramatic comedy, THE WOMEN (1939) starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Rosalind Russell. Anita Loos adapted the screenplay from the popular Broadway play by Clare Booth Luce. The play opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theater on September 7, 1937 and played for 666 performances. The story revolves around wealthy Mary Haines (Shearer), who is totally unaware that her husband is having an affair with shop girl Crystal Allen (Crawford). There are over 130 roles in the movie, all played by women. Furthermore, all of the animals used (dogs and horses) were also female. Within two years of the release of this film, Shearer would retire permanently from the screen; within four years, Crawford would leave MGM at Louis B. Mayer’s “request.” MovieArt has received this poster back from the conservation firm where it was linen backed and restored and the result is spectacular. Very rare in this format. We know of only one occasion on which this style three sheet ever appeared in an auction. A spectacular image of Crawford — and two other major MGM stars, Norma Shearer and Rosalind Russell. The photo was taken before the rebacking. We will post the new photo soon.

QUERELLE (1982) is a complicated story. It’s summarized well here:

http://www.fassbinderfoundation.de/en/filme_detail.php?id=45

This is an unusual edition of the German one sheet which was prepared in three different editions. This is the “blue” edition. While this poster is not the original German poster, it does sell well for about a third of what the German one sheet sells for. This copy is unfolded and in very fine condition. Art by Andy Warhol.

Original Claridge Pictures One Sheet Poster (27×41) for the Mark Rydell adult sex drama, THE FOX (1967) starring Sandy Dennis, Anne Heywood, and Keir Dullea. The film is very atmospheric, making you almost feel the cold as you watch it. Although the film dealt with the lesbian relationship between Dennis and Heywood—the telling of their story and romance is intelligent, subtle, and very mature in the hands of the very talented writer D. H. Lawrence. The musical score by Lalo Schifrin, who received an Academy Award nomination, perfectly complements this sensitive and beautiful film. This arrestingly designed one sheet poster is in good condition, with medium sized interior tear in the middle of the poster. Linen-backing would repair this problem handsomely.

Original Italian Locandina (13×27) for William Friedkin’s film of the Mart Crowley play, THE BOYS IN THE BAND (1970), starring Kenneth Nelson, Frederick Combs, and Cliff Gorman. This was one of the first mainstream films that brought homosexuality up close and personal to American filmgoing audiences. The movie went through a period of being considered unfashionable, but it is today recognized that this movie, released one year after The Stonewall Riots in New York, was humanizing and daring at the same time. The Italian poster has a slightly comic look contributing to its charm. Very fine condition.

Original 20th Century Fox Window Card (14×22) for the Stanley Donen comedy/drama, STAIRCASE (1969) starring Rex Harrison, Richard Burton, Cathleen Nesbitt, and Beatrix Lehmann. Once you get past the shock of seeing two of the theater’s most notorious womanizers playing a middle-aged gay couple, you’ll be amazed and surprised at such a touching and sensitive story. Burton is particularly memorable in the heart-breaking scenes with his invalid mother (Nesbitt). This is both a funny and a sad movie about lonely people and their search for love and acceptance. This original window card is in near mint condition.

Original United Artists one sheet poster (14×36) for the William Friedkin crime thriller, CRUISING (1980)—starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, and Karen Allen. This fictional account of a series of gruesome killings of homosexual men by a serial killer in modern day New York City is very dark and disturbing. While plagued by numerous demonstrations during production, the film encountered serious protests upon its release by gay groups who felt the film encouraged homophobia by concentrating on a small minority of hardcore S&M enthusiasts. But some would argue that Friedkin believes that ugliness is at the base of all human existence. Audiences were also unsettled by all the “ambiguity” that the film presented. But Pacino’s performance was excellent, and the documentary style made for excitement and fascination. Friedkin creates a dark and frightening atmosphere, totally enhanced and complimented by a remarkable musical score. This original one sheet poster is in very fine to near mint condition. No fold separations. Folded but clean.

Original Universal Pictures Scene Lobby Card (11×14) for the Lambert Hillyer horror classic, DRACULA’S DAUGHTER (1936) starring Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden, Marguerite Churchill, and Edward Van Sloan. In this sequel to the original Dracula, Prof. Van Helsing (Sloan) is in danger of prosecution for the murder of Count Dracula, but a strange and hypnotic woman (Holden) steals the Count’s body and cremates it. Bloodless corpses start appearing in London again, and Hungarian countess Marya Zaleska sees the aid of psychiatrist Jeffrey Garth (Kruger) in freeing herself of a mysterious evil influence. This is a horror film with a strong sexual & lesbian subtext. Holden is wonderful with her exotic Slavic features and hypnotic eyes. She has a tragic aura about her as a vampire who wants to escape her cursed existence. The film was originally to be written and directed by James Whale, but alas his script was so “outrageous” to the producers that he was taken off the project. This wonderfully eerie scene card is paper-backed and in very fine condition. Presents beautifully.

Original United Artists Insert Poster (14×36) for the William Friedkin crime thriller, CRUISING (1980) starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, and Karen Allen. This fictional account of a series of gruesome killings of homosexual men by a serial killer in modern day New York City is very dark and disturbing. While plagued by numerous demonstrations during production, the film encountered serious protests upon its release by gay groups who felt the film encouraged homophobia by concentrating on a small minority of hardcore S&M enthusiasts. But some would argue that Friedkin’s believes that ugliness is at the base of all human existence. Audiences were also unsettled by all the “ambiguity” that the film presented. But Pacino’s performance was excellent, and the documentary style made for excitement and fascination. Friedkin creates a dark and frightening atmosphere, totally enhanced and complimented by a remarkable musical score. This original insert poster is in very fine condition.

Original German A1 Poster (23×33) for the Andy Warhol/Paul Morrissey cult classic, TRASH (1970) starring Joe Dallesandro, Holly Woodlawn, and Jane Forth. This film was the second in the FLESH-TRASH-HEAT trilogy, and all of these films are a combination of farce and serious drama. They were called “underground” films because they portray unfiltered squalor and outrageous behavior that would have been considered “obscene” by mainstream Hollywood. Morrissey always intertwined satire and seriousness. And in this film there is a wonderful contrast between Dallesandro’s druggy torpor and the nervous energy of the “women” that revolve around him. This is the first Warhol film for transvestite Holly Woodlawn, and both she and Dallesandro make their characters surprisingly complex and even sympathetic. This original German A1 Poster is in folded, near mint condition.