Movie Art

Original 20th Century-Fox 1956 Re-Release Half Sheet Poster (22×28) for the John Ford iconic drama, THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940) starring Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, and John Carradine. This film is the story of the Joad family, who are forced to leave their land in Oklahoma because of drought and poverty. The stunning black and white cinematography of Gregg Toland enhances the overwhelming feeling of desperation and emptiness that suffuses the entire film. When they decide to go to California to get jobs they’ve only heard about, they encounter every hardship imaginable along the way. And when they do finally arrive, they are forced to live in shantytowns and work for wages that barely prevent starvation. With incredibly powerful performances from the entire cast, this film remains a shockingly realistic yet poetic portrayal of the sufferings so many families experienced in the Great Depression. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. John Ford won the Oscar for Best Director and Jane Darwell deservedly won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her unforgettable performance as Ma Joad. This original half sheet poster is folded and in fine plus condition.

Original Polish Poster (27×41) for the Lewis Milestone/Carroll Reed historical drama, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1962) starring Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, Richard Harris, Hugh Griffith, Chips Rafferty, Gordon Jackson, Frank Silvera and Tarita. This was the second remake of the classic Nordoff/Hall tale of the infamous mutiny by Officer Fletcher Christian and his followers against the egomaniacal and cruel Captain Bligh. The film was not a commercial success, due, in great part, to Brando’s choice of playing Christian as an effeminate fop — hardly the expectation of audiences after Clark Gable’s sturdy, masculine performance in the Oscar winner from 1935. Poster design features a contemporary pop art image of the ship aflame in turquoise Pacific waters. Very Fine Plus.

Original Polish Poster (26×33) for the Claude Chabrol thriller, MASQUES (1987) starring Philippe Noiret, Robin Renucci, Bernadette Lafont and Anne Brochet. MASQUES is a classic French thriller of the sort made popular by Chabrol in the 1970s & 1980s. In this one, Noiret plays a greedy TV personality investigating a woman’s disappearance at a country estate rife with larceny, lechery and cynical hangers-on. Poster design features the three lead actors as store mannequin heads who are literally “thin-skinned.” Art on this poster is by Wieslaw Walkuski. Very Fine Plus.

Original Polish Poster (12×16) for the Howard Hawks screwball comedy, MONKEY BUSINESS(1952) starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe and Charles Coburn. An absolutely insane plot involving monkeys, a secret chemical formula, romance, and hysterical dementia utilizes all the comic abilities of the lead actors. Poster design features the classic image of Marilyn with her dress blowing up from the subway air exhaust (THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH) while a chimpanzee leers at her. Very Fine. Note that this is a rather small poster.

Original Polish Poster (26×38) for the Henry Koster family comedy, TAKE HER, SHE’S MINE (1963) starring James Stewart, Sandra Dee, Audrey Meadows, Philippe Forquet, Robert Morley, Bob Denver, John McGiver and Irene Tsu. In this typical early 1960s comedy, Stewart plays a worried father concerned that his college co-ed daughter (Sandra Dee) is becoming a libertine. He follows her to Europe keeping an eye on her every move. In the end, she’s revealed to be nice girl and the father gets into a variety of sketchy predicaments. The poster art features an image of a typical American businessman screaming — sort of a pop-art, MAD MEN version of Edvard Munch’s THE SCREAM. Art is by Wesja Jestmoja.

Original Polish Poster (23×33) for the Pietro Germi comedy, ALFREDO, ALFREDO (1972) starring Dustin Hoffman and Stefania Sandrelli. This Italian film, very much in the style of other Germi hits like DIVORCE ITALIAN STYLE tells of a nebbish marrying the woman of his dreams, with surprising results requiring divorce. Poster design shows a clown-like caricature of a man surrounded by colorful parrots/love birds. Art on this poster is by Truminski. Very Fine.

Original Polish Poster (27×41) for the Daniel Mann drama, A DREAM OF KINGS (1969) starring Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, Inger Stevens and Sam Levene. This poignant saga follows a desperate man’s attempt to take his ill son back to his homeland of Greece to recuperate. Problems ensue with a romantic triangle consisting of Quinn, his wife (Papas) and his mistress (Stevens). From a novel by Harry Mark Petrakis. Poster design features a winged Greek pillar ready to take flight against a rising sun. With artwork by Rene Mulas, this original Polish poster is in very fine condition.

Original Polish Poster (26×37) for the Randa Haines drama, CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD (1986) starring Marlee Matlin, William Hurt and Piper Laurie. This powerful film was based on Mark Medoff’s popular Broadway play and tells of a romance between a deaf student (Matlin) and a new teacher at her school. Marlee Matlin, in a brilliant performance told primarily through American sign language, received an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture. Poster design features an image of Matlin looking worried and distrustful, literally unable to speak — her mouth erased. With artwork by Waldemar Swierzy, this original Polish poster is in very fine condition.