You searched for: A%2520Nightmare%2520on%2520Elm%2520Street%25205%3A%2520The%2520Dream%2520Child

Street Trash / B2 / Japan

25.06.13

Poster Poster
Title
Street Trash
AKA
Horror in Bowery Street (Italy)
Year of Film
1987
Director
J. Michael Muro
Starring
Mike Lackey, Bill Chepil, Vic Noto, Mark Sferrazza, Jane Arakawa, Nicole Potter, Pat Ryan, Clarenze Jarmon, Bernard Perlman
Origin of Film
USA
Type of Poster
B2
Style of Poster
--
Origin of Poster
Japan
Year of Poster
1987
Designer
Unknown
Artist
--
Size (inches)
20 6/16" x 28 13/16"
SS or DS
SS
Tagline
--

‘The ultimate melt movie’, the classic 1987 splatter-fest Street Trash is as gore-filled and tasteless as this Japanese B2 poster depicts. A sleazy liquor store owner finds a case of old wine labelled ‘Tenafly Viper’ in his basement and, rather than dispose of it, he decides to offload the case to the local homeless population for a dollar a bottle. It soon becomes clear that Viper is really not fit for consumption and the poor hobos are having literal meltdowns after drinking it. An overzealous cop (Bill Chepil) begins to investigate the deaths whilst two homeless brothers, Fred (Mike Lackey) and Kevin (Mark Sferrazza) learn of Viper’s potency and try to warn others whilst dealing with the machinations of the unhinged homeless Vietnam vet Bronson (Vic Noto).

The blue face at the bottom of the poster is what’s left when the first hobo (pictured to the left) succumbs to the effects of the deadly drink and disintegrates into a toilet bowl, as depicted on the superb US one sheet.

The splendid original trailer can be see on YouTube – “It’s easy to find us…. we’re all over the place.”

Street Trash / one sheet / USA

03.07.11

Poster Poster
Title
Street Trash
AKA
Horror in Bowery Street (Italy)
Year of Film
1987
Director
J. Michael Muro
Starring
Mike Lackey, Bill Chepil, Vic Noto, Mark Sferrazza, Jane Arakawa, Nicole Potter, Pat Ryan, Clarenze Jarmon, Bernard Perlman
Origin of Film
USA
Genre(s) of Film
Mike Lackey, Bill Chepil, Vic Noto, Mark Sferrazza, Jane Arakawa, Nicole Potter, Pat Ryan, Clarenze Jarmon, Bernard Perlman,
Type of Poster
One sheet
Style of Poster
--
Origin of Poster
USA
Year of Poster
1987
Designer
Unknown
Artist
Unknown
Size (inches)
26 6/8" x 39" 15/16"
SS or DS
SS
NSS #
--
Tagline
--

‘The ultimate melt movie’, Street Trash, the classic 1987 splatter-fest, is as gore-filled and tasteless as this American one sheet suggests. The image of the unlucky tramp melting into the toilet was re-used for the multiple VHS and DVD releases and is definitely up there as one of the all-time great horror poster images. I remember reading/hearing who did the artwork but forgot to write it down so if anyone knows could they please get in touch or leave a comment.

It’s interesting that they used a quote from a British radio broadcaster, the late Tommy Vance, for the American poster, but it’s not hard to see why; If that combination of classic titles doesn’t make you want to watch the film then there’s no hope.

The splendid original trailer can be see on YouTube – “It’s easy to find us…. we’re all over the place.”

Here’s the IMDb page for the film. Vaguely interesting bit of trivia: I bought this one sheet from the person who plays the chef in the restaurant scene and only found out after the fact.

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare / Thailand

25.01.17

Poster Poster

This is the original Thai poster for the release of the sixth entry in the beloved horror franchise of A Nightmare Before Elm Street. Entitled Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, it’s one of the weakest entries in the series, and that’s saying something! The finality implied by the title was nothing of the sort and a sequel was released only three years later. This was also the only film in the series to feature 3D sequences and these feature during the final 10 minutes. The 3D effects are largely terrible and had to be watched with the frustrating Anaglyph method, which uses a red filter on one eye and blue on the other. According to this fan site over 11 million pairs of glasses were distributed to cinemas at the time of release.

I watched the film again recently and had a hard time following the plot, if I’m honest. It’s set 8 years in the future (1999) and Freddy has killed almost every child in the fictional town of Springwood. The only surviving teenager ‘John Doe’ (Shon Greenblatt) is confronted by Freddy in a dream and is accidentally knocked past the town’s limits. Freddy cannot follow away from the Springwood but realises that he’ll be able to find more prey if he can somehow escape its confines.

After hitting his head and suffering from Amnesia, John is taken to a youth shelter in a nearby town where he meets other troubled teens and psychologist named Maggie Borroughs (Lisa Zane, sister of Billy). Maggie later discovers she’s Freddy’s daughter who was adopted at a young age. When Freddy tries to use the connection they have to access other children, she and the teens must battle to stop the killer and put an end to his reign of terror for good. Maggie dons 3D glasses and enters the dreamworld of Freddy where she discovers his darkest secrets and discovers the source of his powers; a trio of ‘dream demons’ who prevent him from dying. She realises she must pull him into the real world if she is to inflict fatal damage.

The artwork on this poster is by Tongdee Panumas who was an incredibly prolific film poster artist during the 70s, 80s and 90s. I’ve been unable to find out much about him, other than that he was born in 1947, so if anyone has any more details please get in touch. The central image of Freddy and his glove is from the American one sheet, which can be viewed here.

Note that the dark line seen across the centre of the poster is actually where two painted canvases have been joined together by the artist – the art was then copied ready for printing and the text and other details overlaid.

Child’s Play / one sheet / USA

18.05.11

Poster Poster
Title
Child's Play
AKA
De pop (Netherlands) | Chucky - Die Mörderpuppe (West Germany)
Year of Film
1988
Director
Tom Holland
Starring
Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif
Origin of Film
USA
Genre(s) of Film
Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif,
Type of Poster
One sheet
Style of Poster
--
Origin of Poster
USA
Year of Poster
1988
Designer
Unknown
Artist
--
Size (inches)
26 7/8" x 40"
SS or DS
SS
NSS #
--
Tagline
Something's moved in with the Barclay family, and so has terror.

Where the Green Ants Dream / quad / UK

12.09.16

Poster Poster
Title
Where the Green Ants Dream
AKA
Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen (Germany - original title)
Year of Film
1984
Director
Werner Herzog
Starring
Bruce Spence, Wandjuk Marika, Roy Marika, Ray Barrett, Norman Kaye, Ralph Cotterill, Nick Lathouris, Basil Clarke, Ray Marshall
Origin of Film
West Germany | Australia
Genre(s) of Film
Bruce Spence, Wandjuk Marika, Roy Marika, Ray Barrett, Norman Kaye, Ralph Cotterill, Nick Lathouris, Basil Clarke, Ray Marshall,
Type of Poster
Quad
Style of Poster
--
Origin of Poster
UK
Year of Poster
1984
Designer
Paul Derrick
Artist
--
Size (inches)
30 4/16" x 40 2/16"
SS or DS
SS
Tagline
--

A striking image by the British designer Paul Derrick features on this UK quad for the release of maverick director Werner Herzog‘s 1984 drama Where the Green Ants Dream. The film was the directorial follow up to what many consider to be Herzog’s masterpiece, Fitzcarraldo, and is set in the Australian outback. Co-written with the Australian screenwriter Bob Ellis, the film deals with the contentious issue of aboriginal land rights that has existed ever since the British established a settlement there in the 18th Century. A mix of facts and fiction, the film features a number of aboriginal activists who had been involved in a real-life court case

Bruce Spence, who is best known as the Gyro Captain from Mad Max 2, plays Lance Hackett, a geologist working for a mining company that is carrying out a series of tests on some land that they intend to mine for Uranium. The title refers to the insects that the aborigines believe to be sacred and they fear will be disturbed by the blasting and drilling. One of the tribal elders, as featured on this poster, explains that this disturbance could bring about the end of the world. Lance is instructed to spend time with the activists and try and work out a deal with them so that the mining company can carry on their testing. When that eventually fails, even after they are given a large army plane as part of an attempted deal, the case goes to the courts. 

Paul Derrick’s official website can be viewed here and, according to the short biography on the site, he has been working for many years on publishing and visual identity projects for a wide range of clients, including arts and educational organisations as well as government clients. He also says that he is ‘experienced in undertaking, and art directing, documentary photography to create visual narratives and storytelling.’ There are a few examples of posters he worked on and the British distribution company Artificial Eye is listed in the projects section.

Requiem For A Dream / quad / UK

18.05.11

Poster Poster

Requiem For A Dream / one sheet / USA

17.05.11

Poster Poster

King Kong / 2005 / quad / advance / street style / UK

18.05.11

Poster Poster
Title
King Kong
AKA
--
Year of Film
2005
Director
Peter Jackson
Starring
Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Kyle Chandler, Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis
Origin of Film
New Zealand | USA | Germany
Genre(s) of Film
Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Kyle Chandler, Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis,
Type of Poster
Quad
Style of Poster
Advance - street style
Origin of Poster
UK
Year of Poster
2005
Designer
Unknown
Artist
--
Size (inches)
30" x 40"
SS or DS
DS
Tagline
--

Mr Klein / B2 / street style / Japan

17.05.11

Poster Poster
Title
Mr Klein
AKA
Chi è Mr. Klein? [Who is Mr Klein?] (Italy)
Year of Film
1976
Director
Joseph Losey
Starring
Alain Delon, Jeanne Moreau, Francine Bergé, Juliet Berto, Jean Bouise, Suzanne Flon
Origin of Film
France | Italy
Genre(s) of Film
Alain Delon, Jeanne Moreau, Francine Bergé, Juliet Berto, Jean Bouise, Suzanne Flon,
Type of Poster
B2
Style of Poster
Street style
Origin of Poster
Japan
Year of Poster
1977
Designer
Unknown
Artist
--
Size (inches)
20 4/16" x 28 13/16"
SS or DS
SS
Tagline
--

The Exorcist / B2 / street style / Japan

17.05.11

Poster Poster
Title
The Exorcist
AKA
--
Year of Film
1973
Director
William Friedkin
Starring
Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, Jason Miller, Linda Blair, William O'Malley
Origin of Film
USA
Genre(s) of Film
Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, Jason Miller, Linda Blair, William O'Malley,
Type of Poster
B2
Style of Poster
Street style
Origin of Poster
Japan
Year of Poster
1974
Designer
Unknown
Artist
--
Size (inches)
20 6/16" x 28 14/16"
SS or DS
SS
Tagline
--

Hanover Street / one sheet / USA

08.03.17

Poster Poster
Title
Hanover Street
AKA
--
Year of Film
1979
Director
Peter Hyams
Starring
Harrison Ford, Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Plummer, Alec McCowen, Richard Masur, Michael Sacks, Patsy Kensit, Max Wall, Shane Rimmer, Keith Buckley, Sherrie Hewson
Origin of Film
UK
Genre(s) of Film
Harrison Ford, Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Plummer, Alec McCowen, Richard Masur, Michael Sacks, Patsy Kensit, Max Wall, Shane Rimmer, Keith Buckley, Sherrie Hewson,
Type of Poster
One sheet
Style of Poster
--
Origin of Poster
USA
Year of Poster
1979
Designer
Unknown
Artist
John Alvin
Size (inches)
27 1/16" x 41"
SS or DS
SS
NSS #
790064
Tagline
Love hasn't been like this since 1943. | It was a time of courage and honor - of passion and sacrifice. This is the story of two people swept up in that time - who met - and fell in love.

John Alvin artwork features on this American one sheet for the Anglo-American wartime romantic film Hanover Street. The film was directed by Peter Hyams (Outland, Timecop) and was originally intended to star Kris Kristofferson. When the actor pulled out of the project, deciding instead to go on tour with his band, he was replaced by Harrison Ford. Luckily for the production, Ford was already over in Europe as he was shooting Force 10 from Navarone, another World War II-set film. Lesley-Anne Down plays Margaret, a British nurse with whom Ford’s American airman becomes romantically involved. 

The plot is described on IMDb:

During the Second World War, an American Pilot stationed in England meets a young British nurse during an air raid on London. The two instantly fall in love, despite the fact that the young Nurse is already married; a secret she keeps hidden from her American lover. After being shot down behind enemy lines, while being assigned to ferry a British agent into France, the American pilot realizes that his secret agent cargo is in fact his lover’s husband, and that the two must now work together in order to survive.

The film was apparently a reasonable box-office hit, thanks to the draw of Harrison Ford, but was largely critically mauled. It has garnered something of a following in the years since thanks to the well-staged flying sequences that used actual World War II bombers (B-25 Mitchells).

The late American designer and artist John Alvin was responsible for over 135 film poster designs over a thirty year period. Alvin painted many unforgettable pieces of artwork, including Blade Runner and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. The gallery of his posters on IMPAwards gives you an idea of the range of his work. Alvin sadly passed away too early, just shy of his 6oth birthday (in 2008), but his fantastic designs will live on for generations to come.

To see the posters I’ve collected by Alvin click here.

Death Ship / quad / UK

18.05.11

Poster Poster
Title
Death Ship
AKA
Cauchemar nazi [Nazi nightmare] (France)
Year of Film
1980
Director
Alvin Rakoff
Starring
George Kennedy, Richard Crenna, Nick Mancuso, Sally Ann Howes
Origin of Film
UK | Canada
Genre(s) of Film
George Kennedy, Richard Crenna, Nick Mancuso, Sally Ann Howes,
Type of Poster
Quad
Style of Poster
--
Origin of Poster
UK
Year of Poster
1980
Designer
Unknown
Artist
Unknown
Size (inches)
29 7/8" x 39 7/8"
SS or DS
SS
Tagline
Those who survive the ghost ship are better off dead!

The Changeling / one sheet / USA

17.05.11

Poster Poster
Title
The Changeling
AKA
L'enfant du diable [The child of the devil] (Canada - French title / France)
Year of Film
1980
Director
Peter Medak
Starring
George C. Scott, Trish VanDevere, Melvyn Douglas, John Colicos, Jean Marsh, Madeleine Sherwood
Origin of Film
Canada
Genre(s) of Film
George C. Scott, Trish VanDevere, Melvyn Douglas, John Colicos, Jean Marsh, Madeleine Sherwood,
Type of Poster
One sheet
Style of Poster
--
Origin of Poster
USA
Year of Poster
1980
Designer
Unknown
Artist
Unknown
Size (inches)
27" x 41 1/16"
SS or DS
SS
NSS #
800028
Tagline
"How did you die, Joseph...? Did you die in this house...? Why do you remain...?"

The Changeling / B2 / photo style / Japan

17.08.12

Poster Poster
Title
The Changeling
AKA
L'enfant du diable [The child of the devil] (Canada - French title / France)
Year of Film
1980
Director
Peter Medak
Starring
George C. Scott, Trish VanDevere, Melvyn Douglas, John Colicos, Jean Marsh, Madeleine Sherwood
Origin of Film
Canada
Genre(s) of Film
George C. Scott, Trish VanDevere, Melvyn Douglas, John Colicos, Jean Marsh, Madeleine Sherwood,
Type of Poster
B2
Style of Poster
Photo
Origin of Poster
Japan
Year of Poster
1980
Designer
Unknown
Artist
--
Size (inches)
20 6/16" x 28 13/16"
SS or DS
SS
Tagline
--

An eerily effective Canadian horror directed by Peter Medak, The Changeling features the brilliant George C. Scott (Dr Strangelove, Patton) in a memorable turn as John Russell, a composer and widower struggling to cope with the death of his wife and child. Russell moves into an old mansion in an attempt to piece his life back together and concentrate on writing his next composition, but before long it’s clear that he’s not the only occupant of the house. Mysterious happenings and apparitions of a ghostly child prompt Russell to investigate the history of the previous occupants, and together with realtor Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere – Scott’s wife) he uncovers the truth behind the haunting.

The story is based on the real-life experiences of the film’s screenwriter Russell Hunter who moved into a large house in Denver, Colorado in 1968 and suffered a series of strange happenings. After holding a seance Hunter discovered that the spirit of a child haunted the house and was unable to rest after being wronged by his family. This ‘Denver Haunts’ website features an article (scroll down to ‘The Henry Treat Rogers Mansion’) that was printed in the newspaper Rocky Mountain News in 1986 and further details Hunter’s experiences.

Medak fled Hungary in 1956 to escape the Hungarian Revolution and settled in England where he started his career in the film business. His directorial debut came in 1968 with Negatives, a drama about a couple whose bizarre romantic relationship is interrupted by the arrival of a photographer who has taken an interest in the couple’s actions. He then went on to direct episodes of several TV series, including Space: 1999Hart to Hart and The Twilight Zone whilst continuing to work on many films throughout the 1970s and 80s. His last feature film was the much maligned Species II (1998) but he has since returned to working as a TV director on shows such as Homicide: Life on the StreetThe Wire and Breaking Bad.

The original trailer for the film is on YouTube.

Taffin / one sheet / USA

20.06.12

Poster Poster
Title
Taffin
AKA
--
Year of Film
1988
Director
Francis Megahy
Starring
Pierce Brosnan, Ray McAnally, Alison Doody, Jeremy Child, Dearbhla Molloy, Jim Bartley, Alan Stanford, Gerard McSorley, Patrick Bergin, Britta Smith, Jonathan Ryan
Origin of Film
UK | Ireland | USA
Genre(s) of Film
Pierce Brosnan, Ray McAnally, Alison Doody, Jeremy Child, Dearbhla Molloy, Jim Bartley, Alan Stanford, Gerard McSorley, Patrick Bergin, Britta Smith, Jonathan Ryan,
Type of Poster
One sheet
Style of Poster
--
Origin of Poster
USA
Year of Poster
1988
Designer
Unknown
Artist
--
Size (inches)
27 1/16" x 41"
SS or DS
SS
NSS #
--
Tagline
He didn't get mad... He got even. | Only he could stop them.

An unremarkable poster for what would have been an unremarkable entry in Pierce Brosnan‘s filmography were it not for one of the strangest, left-field line readings in the history of cinema. The infamous moment takes place during an exchange that Taffin (Brosnan) is having with the character of Charlotte (played by Alison Doody). For no apparent reason Brosnan’s tone explodes into an insane shout of ‘THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULDN’T BE LIVING HEEEEEEEERE!’ The moment is available to watch on YouTube here.

If you’re a fan of UK comedians Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish and listen to their (currently off-air) radio show on 6 music you will have heard their discussion of this infamous moment last year.  The reaction to the show saw the clip becoming its own meme for a while and it spawned several remixes.

The original trailer is on YouTube.

Picnic at Hanging Rock / quad / UK

29.11.13

Poster Poster
Title
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Year of Film
1975
Director
Peter Weir
Starring
Rachel Roberts, Vivean Gray, Helen Morse, Kirsty Child, Tony Llewellyn-Jones, Jacki Weaver, Frank Gunnell, Anne-Louise Lambert, Karen Robson, Jane Vallis, Christine Schuler
Origin of Film
Australia
Genre(s) of Film
Rachel Roberts, Vivean Gray, Helen Morse, Kirsty Child, Tony Llewellyn-Jones, Jacki Weaver, Frank Gunnell, Anne-Louise Lambert, Karen Robson, Jane Vallis, Christine Schuler,
Type of Poster
Quad
Style of Poster
--
Origin of Poster
UK
Year of Poster
1976
Designer
Brian Bysouth
Artist
Brian Bysouth
Size (inches)
30" x 39 15/16"
SS or DS
SS
NSS #
--
Tagline
On St. Valentine's day in 1900 a party of schoolgirls set out to picnic at Hanging Rock ... Some were never to return. | ... A recollection of evil.

One of the best Australian films ever made, Peter Weir‘s enigmatic mystery Picnic at Hanging Rock was released in 1975 and is based on the novel of the same name by the Australian author Joan Lindsay. The story focuses on the mysterious disappearance of a group of girls who travel to the titular rock with a school party and vanish without trace, much to the horror of their fellow pupils and the head teacher of the school. Infamously Lindsay elected to remove the ‘final’ chapter that fully explained their disappearance from the novel and it was not published until after her death in 1987 as ‘The Secret of Hanging Rock’. Weir and screenwriter Cliff Green thus filmed the story without the standard Hollywood explanation, which apparently frustrated American distributors looking to buy the rights and who were unused to ambiguous endings.

The film has an unforgettable atmosphere, helped by the ethereal cinematography of Russell Boyd who utilised the same material used for bridal veils to cover the lens and give many of the outdoor scenes a soft glow – this look was much imitated in the years following. The cast is uniformly excellent, particularly the key group of school girls that includes the beautiful Anne-Louise Lambert as Miranda (as featured on this poster) who is the focus of more than one characters’ infatuation. Filming took place at the real Hanging Rock in Victoria as well as a mansion called Martindale Hall that doubled as Appleyard College. The film was a global critical and box office  success, despite some audience frustration at the ending, and it retains its legacy as one of Australia’s most beloved films.

This British quad was illustrated by one of my favourite British artists, Brian Bysouth, who worked on a number of classic British posters during the 1970s and 1980s. It is unique to this particular poster but has some elements that also appeared on the original Australian poster that can be seen here (image taken from emovieposter.com).

You can read my extensive interview with Brian by clicking here. The other posters I’ve collected by him can be seen by clicking here.

Brazil / quad / UK

01.05.13

Poster Poster
Title
Brazil
AKA
--
Year of Film
1985
Director
Terry Gilliam
Starring
Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Kim Greist, Jim Broadbent
Origin of Film
UK
Genre(s) of Film
Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Kim Greist, Jim Broadbent,
Type of Poster
Quad
Style of Poster
Withdrawn 'dream cabinets' version
Origin of Poster
UK
Year of Poster
1985
Designer
Unknown
Artist
Unknown
Size (inches)
30 1/16" x 39 15/16"
SS or DS
SS
Tagline
--

One of my favourite British posters of all time, this is the supposedly withdrawn quad for Terry Gilliam‘s 1985 masterpiece Brazil. A film that is near impossible to categorise, the story  is a heady mix of dystopian sci-fi, surreal dark fantasy and anarchic satirical comedy set in an alternative universe in which an overbearing government has practically strangled society with its mixture of paranoia, crippling bureaucracy and unreliable technology. That one of the film’s working titles was ‘1984 and 1/2’ gives you some idea of the Orwellian overtones that Gilliam and his fellow screenwriters Tom Stoppard and Charles McKeown intended to evoke.

Jonathan Pryce stars as Sam Lowry, a low-level employee at the ‘Ministry of Information’ who is seemingly content with his role as a cog in the giant machine, but at night he escapes in dreams where he is a knight is shining armour with giant wings strapped to his back, often rescuing the same damsel in distress from malicious forces. When a clerical error caused by a dead beetle falling into a printer causes the wrong man to be rounded up, tortured and killed by government forces (“we didn’t know he had a weak heart!”), Sam is given the task of correcting the error. Whilst visiting the wife of the deceased man, Sam meets Jill Layton (Kim Greist) a neighbour who bears a striking resemblance to the girl in his dreams.

Naturally he is instantly smitten and sets in motion a series of events that ends up with Sam and Jill pitched against his employer and on the run. The film features several memorable appearances from the likes of Ian Holm as Sam’s bumbling, inefficient boss, Michael Palin as an ambitious and ultimately ruthless friend within the Ministry, and Robert De Niro in a cameo role as Harry Tuttle, a rogue heating engineer who was meant to be the original target for the government round-up.

The film is visually stunning with some of the most incredible production design ever committed to celluloid. Gilliam and his skilled crew of technicians stretched every penny of the modest budget and created countless memorable sets, brilliantly realised props and entirely believable environmental details that all add up to something unforgettable. The special effects are also top notch, with the dream sequences deserving special mention, particularly Sam’s battle with a giant Samurai warrior and the literal flights of fantasy in his winged suit.

Infamously, Gilliam would end up in a bitter wrangle with the American distributors Universal after they decided his final cut was overlong, confusing and the ending was too depressing. The then Universal president Sid Sheinberg ordered a small team of editors to cut the film down from its original length of 2 hours and 20 minutes to just over 90 minutes for a version unofficially dubbed ‘The Love Conquers All’ cut. Most of the dream sequences were excised, the opening scenes completely chopped around and many scenes were horribly truncated. Worst of all, the original darker ending was replaced with a bizarre ‘happy’ denouement that completely ruined the tone of Gilliam’s film.

Understandably furious, the director refused to have anything to do with the new cut and actually began a campaign to get his original version seen by as many American film fans and critics as possible, much to the chagrin of Universal’s management. Eventually this culminated in the Los Angeles Film Critics Association awarding the original cut their prize for Best Film and this led to Universal relenting and agreeing to release a near complete version to cinemas (minus around 10 minutes from the European cut). The bastardised ‘Love Conquers All’ version never saw the inside of a cinema.

The image on this poster is actually a combination of imagery from the flying sequences and a deleted scene that was only ever storyboarded by Gilliam in which a dreaming Sam finds himself at a vast wall of filing cabinets. The title treatment is taken directly from the opening title of the film itself, which is an actual neon signage that falls away from the camera to the accompaniment of Michael Kamen’s excellent score.

I have heard from at least three independent sources that this particular quad was withdrawn from cinemas by the distributor 20th Century Fox because it was felt the image wasn’t the right one to sell the film to UK audiences and was replaced by this bizarre ‘flying bed’ quad that is a world away from this striking design. If anyone knows for sure that this quad was withdrawn or any more details about it, please get in touch.

Batteries Not Included / one sheet / USA

18.05.11

Poster Poster
Title
Batteries Not Included
AKA
*batteries not included (poster title) | Miracle sur la 8ème rue [Miracle on 8th Street] (France)
Year of Film
1987
Director
Matthew Robbins
Starring
Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Frank McRae, Elizabeth Peña, Michael Carmine, Dennis Boutsikaris, Tom Aldredge
Origin of Film
USA
Genre(s) of Film
Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Frank McRae, Elizabeth Peña, Michael Carmine, Dennis Boutsikaris, Tom Aldredge,
Type of Poster
One sheet
Style of Poster
Final
Origin of Poster
USA
Year of Poster
1987
Designer
Unknown
Artist
Drew Struzan
Size (inches)
26 6/8" x 40 6/8"
SS or DS
SS
NSS #
870141
Tagline
Five ordinary people needed a miracle. Then one night, Faye Riley left the window open.

Hard Times / one sheet / USA

08.08.11

Poster Poster
Title
Hard Times
AKA
The Streetfighter (USA re-title / UK) | L'eroe della strada [The hero of the street] (Italy)
Year of Film
1975
Director
Walter Hill
Starring
Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jill Ireland, Strother Martin, Margaret Blye, Michael McGuire, Felice Orlandi, Edward Walsh, Bruce Glover, Robert Tessier, Nick Dimitri
Origin of Film
USA
Genre(s) of Film
Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jill Ireland, Strother Martin, Margaret Blye, Michael McGuire, Felice Orlandi, Edward Walsh, Bruce Glover, Robert Tessier, Nick Dimitri,
Type of Poster
One sheet
Style of Poster
--
Origin of Poster
USA
Year of Poster
1975
Designer
Unknown
Artist
Len Goldberg
Size (inches)
27 1/16" x 41"
SS or DS
SS
NSS #
--
Tagline
New Orleans, 1933. In those days words didn't buy much.

Known as ‘The Streetfighter’ in the UK and elsewhere, Hard Times was director Walter Hill’s debut and was to be the only time he and Charles Bronson would work together.

The trailer can be watched on YouTube.

Writer Josh Olson adds a commentary on the great Trailers From Hell site.

The Streetfighter / B2 / Japan

04.10.12

Poster Poster
Title
The Streetfighter
AKA
Hard Times (USA) | L'eroe della strada [The hero of the street] (Italy)
Year of Film
1975
Director
Walter Hill
Starring
Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jill Ireland, Strother Martin, Margaret Blye, Michael McGuire, Felice Orlandi, Edward Walsh, Bruce Glover, Robert Tessier, Nick Dimitri
Origin of Film
USA
Genre(s) of Film
Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jill Ireland, Strother Martin, Margaret Blye, Michael McGuire, Felice Orlandi, Edward Walsh, Bruce Glover, Robert Tessier, Nick Dimitri,
Type of Poster
B2
Style of Poster
--
Origin of Poster
Japan
Year of Poster
1975
Designer
Unknown
Artist
--
Size (inches)
20 6/16" x 28 12/16"
SS or DS
SS
Tagline
--

This was cult director Walter Hill’s debut feature film and starred action legend Charles Bronson in one of his more memorable roles. A mysterious drifter named Chaney (Bronson) arrives in New Orleans and has a chance meeting with Speed (James Coburn) an organiser of illegal bare-knuckled boxing matches. Chaney asks Speed to set him up with a fight and he quickly proves himself as a fearsome boxer. He also meets and begins a relationship with Lucy Simpson (Jill Ireland – Bronson’s wife at the time) but it’s not long before Speed’s chaotic nature and addiction to gambling begins to threaten more than just their partnership.

This was to be the only time Hill and Bronson would team up together with the director later recalling “We had kind of a falling out over the film. He thought I’d been a little too… how do I put this? Too draconian in my editing of his wife’s scenes.”

The film was originally released as Hard Times in the US.

The trailer can be watched on YouTube. Writer Josh Olson adds a commentary on the great Trailers From Hell site.