"1001 Movie Posters: Designs of the Times" is a big book, clocking in at 638 pages. It's a hardcover book and quite heavy. There are literally 1001 poster images between its covers, beginning from 1895, when the very first short films were shown, all the way to 2021. The book is an invaluable history lesson and pays homage to hundreds of poster designers who created images that are now seen as serious works of art.
As the book states, there is some debate as to when the first films were shown, with many historians pointing to an event on December 28, 1895 in the basement of the Grand Cafe in Paris. Less than fifty people were in attendance for a showing of ten 50-second shorts. The audience was stunned. Nothing like this had ever been seen before.
The co-authors, Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh, Christopher Frayling, and Alison Elangasinghe, certainly did their homework. Sprawled across two pages are the original two posters that were used to advertise that historic event. This is followed by several posters for short films which were directed by the legendary American inventor Thomas Alva Edison in 1896. "All moving pictures, true to life," states one poster.
The book follows the history of film through the silent era, with posters from the mid-1910s, such as D. W. Griffith's legendary if racist Civil War spectacle "The Birth of a Nation" from 1915.
The authors were well aware of the fact that 21st century readers might find some of the images offensive, such as "Birth of a Nation," which glorifies the KKK. The very beginning of the book offers a warning: "Readers may find upsetting some of the visual images contained in posters dating from past times. The posters have been presented in this book exactly as they were first printed, for historical and study purposes. This book in no sense endorses the images and sentiments expressed in some posters which were issued many years ago."
Cinematic art
Fortunately, the vast majority of the posters in the book will offend no one, such as a beautiful full-page image used to advertise the 1917 historical drama "Cleopatra," starring silent film siren Theda Bara. "Cleopatra" is now a lost film, but the poster remains.
Not all of the posters were from American films. The authors found two posters from the legendary science fiction film "Metropolis," one that was used in its native Germany, and another created for French distribution. The authors also name many of the artists who created the posters, and include short biographies for each artist. The research that went into the writing and production of this book is exhaustive.
The book continues into the 1930s, and includes a poster image for a 1932 film with the curious title "Cock of the Air."
Many genres of film are represented, such as gangster films, horror films, and musicals. Many stars are represented, like Bette Davis and Audrey Hepburn. Throughout the book there are not only more American films, but more European films, such as the French and German posters for "M," a 1931 psychological horror film from Germany. The artwork is stunning in both.
Animated films are not forgotten. There are colorful posters for Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck cartoons, as well as artwork for Disney features such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," (1938) and "Fantasia" (1940).
This fascinating history lesson continues through the 1940s, the '50s, and the '60s, (Japanese cinema is included in the '60s section) and the more permissive 1970s, where the authors presented both the X- and R-rated posters for Stanley Kubrick's dystopian masterpiece "A Clockwork Orange." Black filmmaker Spike Lee is included as the journey continues across the decades, as are blockbusters from more recent times like "Jurassic Park" and Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
Adult films are also included, with artwork from the legendary "Deep Throat" and other adult classics with amusing titles like "Angelique in Black Leather," "Is There Sex After Marriage," and "Sex Odyssey."
Literally hundreds of films across a time period of 120 years are remembered. It's an impressive volume. The book concludes with mini-bios of each of the authors, and an exhaustive index in which every single poster and the artists who created them are listed alphabetically by page number. "1001 Movie Posters" might make the perfect gift for the film buff on your list.
'1001 Movie Posters: Designs of the Times' by Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh, Christopher Frayling, Alison Elangasinghe, 638 pages, hardcover, $95, Reel Art Press. www.reelartpress.com
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