Unique, creative and, at times, plain crazy. Polish movie posters have recently hit new heights in their popularity. What usually makes a Polish movie poster recognizable? Well they normally avoid any iconic imagery you would expect or associate with the film itself.
During Communist rule, the Polish state-run film industry rejected Western ideas and their promotion and marketing ideals too, resulting in the training and specialization of the Polish movie poster artist. These young artisans were commissioned to create striking, unaffected posters for all our memorable western films. Expressive, surreal and unrestrained.
The Polish artists often had no legal reason to use photography or the actors in the design, often the leading stars didn’t even get credited. Sometimes the artist had never even seen the film or any imagery contained within it. The results were designs which conveyed the essence of the film with complete artistic freedom.
(via BuzzFeed)
During Communist rule, the Polish state-run film industry rejected Western ideas and their promotion and marketing ideals too, resulting in the training and specialization of the Polish movie poster artist. These young artisans were commissioned to create striking, unaffected posters for all our memorable western films. Expressive, surreal and unrestrained.
The Polish artists often had no legal reason to use photography or the actors in the design, often the leading stars didn’t even get credited. Sometimes the artist had never even seen the film or any imagery contained within it. The results were designs which conveyed the essence of the film with complete artistic freedom.
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| Weekend at Bernie’s. Artist: Jakub Erol. Year: 1990 |
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| 25. War Games. Artist: Mieczyslaw Wasilewski. Year: 1985 |
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| Willow. Artist: Wieslaw Walkuski. Year: 1989 |
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| Rosemary’s Baby. Artist: Andrzej Pagowski. Year: 1984 |
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| Working Girl. Artist: Andrzej Pagowski. Year: 1990 |
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| Dumbo. Artist: Anna Huskowska. Year: 1961 |
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| The Muppet Movie. Artist: Waldemar Swierzy. Year: 1982 |
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| Paper Moon. Artist: Jerzy Flisak. Year: 1975 |
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| Taxi Driver. Artist: Andrzej Klimowski. Year: 1978 |
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| The Birds. Artist: Bronislaw Zelek. Year: 1965 |
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| Young Frankenstein. Artist: Jerzy Flisak. Year: 1979 |
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| Gremlins. Artist: Jan Mlodozeniec. Year: 1985 |
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| 2001 : A Space Odyssey. Artist: Wiktor Gorka. Year: 1973 |
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| Sleeping Beauty. Artist: Hanna Bodnar. Year: 1962 |
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| The Untouchables. Artist: Mieczyslaw Wasilewski. Year: 1987 |
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| Empire of the Sun. Artist: Andrzej Pagowski. Year: 1989 |
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| The Terminator. Artist: Jakub Erol. Year: 1987 |
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| Ordinary People. Artist: Jan Mlodozeniec. Year: 1983 |
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| Sabrina. Artist: Maciej Zbikowski. Year: 1967 |
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| Fatal Attraction. Artist: Maciej Kalkus. Year: 1988 |
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| Vertigo. Artist: Roman Cieslewicz. Year: 1963 |
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| The Empire Strikes Back. Artist: Miroslaw Lakomski. Year: 1983 |
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| Planet of the Apes. Artist: Eryk Lipinski. Year: 1969 |
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| Roman Holiday. Artist: Jerzy. Flisak Year: 1959 |
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| Dances with Wolves. Artist: Andrzej Pagowski. Year: 1991 |
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| Dirty Dancing. Artist: Mieczyslaw Wasilewski. Year: 1989 |
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| Sunset Boulevard. Artist: Waldemar Swierzy. Year: 1957 |
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| Poltergeist. Artist: Jakub Erol. Year: 1984 |
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| Alien. Artist: Jakub Erol. Year: 1980 |
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| Cabaret. Artist: Wiktor Gorka. Year: 1973 |
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| Tootsie. Artist: Wieslaw Walkuski. Year: 1984 |
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| The Graduate. Artist: Maciej Zbikowski. Year: 1973 |
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| Labyrinth. Artist: Wieslaw Walkuski. Year: 1987 |
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| The Godfather: Part II. Artist: Andrzej Klimowski. Year: 1976 |
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| Back to the Future. Artist: Mieczyslaw Wasilewski. Year: 1986 |
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| The Godfather. Artist: Tomasz Ruminski. Year: 1973 |
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| Terms of Endearment. Artist: Andrzej Pagowski. Year: 1985 |
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| Return of the Jedi. Artist: Witold Dybowski. Year: 1984 |
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| Star Wars. Artist: Jakub Erol. Year: 1978 |
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| Cleopatra. Artist: Eryk Lipinski. Year: 1968 |
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| 101 Dalmatians. Artist: Liliana Baczewska. Year: 1967 |
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| Raiders of the Lost Ark. Artist: Grzegorz Marszalek. Year: 1983 |
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| The Return of the Pink Panther. Artist: Edward Lutczyn. Year: 1977 |
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| Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown. Artist: Hanna Bodnar. Year: 1978 |
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| Wall Street. Artist: Andrzej Pagowski. Year: 1988 |
(via BuzzFeed)
How can I get my hands on these?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how many of these are available here, but maybe you can find something interesting for you - http://www.cracowpostergallery.com/shop/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&category_id=1&page=shop.browse&limit=20&limitstart=0&lang=en
DeleteAmazing posters! When I watching them I feel pride to be Polish
ReplyDeleteMy favorite : War Games, The Birds, Return of the Jedi and The Godfather: Part II
These are too good..make the Hollywood version look boring and mediocre by comparison..wish they were available in Canada...
ReplyDelete