The Best Graphic Movie Posters of All Time
SUNSET BOULEVARD, by Waldemar Swierzy, 1950
We couldn’t resist also including this poster for Sunset Boulevard, another great work by Swierzy.
ANATOMY OF A MURDER, by Saul Bass, 1959
Another Saul Bass poster (and another movie starring Jimmy Stewart) with a one-note punch line—the cutout body. It’s simple, eye-catching, symbolic, and one of the most reproduced posters out there.
We also had to include this French version, designed by Boris Bilinsky, which sets a different, lighter tone on the class-conscious, dystopian silent film.
VERTIGO, by Saul Bass, 1958
Master of the title sequence and much-imitated graphic designer Saul Bass is almost a household name when it comes to his movie posters, which capture that sexy and mysterious Mad Men era with lots of color-blocked orange, yellow, and red. The hypnotizing spiral of *Vertigo’*s poster is nothing short of iconic.
MIDNIGHT COWBOY, by Waldemar Swierzy, 1973
The American poster for *Midnight Cowboy *is almost misleading, with Jon Voight’s fringe jacket and rimmed hat hinting at a Western. In Poland, however, the movie’s (at the time) taboo gay themes are less hidden.
METROPOLIS, by Heinz Schulz-Neudamm, 1927
There are many versions of Metropolis posters, but this one, by Heinz Schulz-Neudamm, broke records when it sold for more than $600,000 in 2005. There are only four known copies, one of which resides in the Museum of Modern Art.
DESPAIR, by Petrus Wandrey, 1978
For a film based on Vladimir Nabokov’s novel about a man slowing losing his mind (aren’t they all?), this poster, by German artist Petrus Wandrey, depicts the self seeing himself from above, in a surreal, 1970s acid-trip way.
SIX GIRLS SEEKING SHELTER and THE LAST FLIGHT, by the Stenberg Brothers, 1927 and 1929
Vladimir and Georgii Stenberg designed hundreds of movie posters in Soviet Russia between 1923 and ’33. Their work was revolutionary at the time for its use of bold colors and typography. You can see more of their posters here.
KING KONG, by unknown RKO artist, 1933
Like Metropolis, there are many versions of King Kong posters. This one, whose designer is unknown, sold for almost a quarter of a million dollars in 1999.
ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN, by Reynold Brown, 1958
American artist Reynold Brown designed *Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Tarantula, Ben-Hur, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, *and many others.
MY FAIR LADY, by Bob Peak, 1964
Bob Peak’s movie posters, including My Fair Lady, are in the newer school of film-poster art; they’re more detailed and realistic than the Saul Bass school of symbology, simplicity, and block colors. His style was perfect for the slew of science fiction and fantasy films of the 70s and 80s, like *Apocalypse Now, *the first six Star Trek movies, *Superman, Excalibur, *and The Wiz.
EYES WITHOUT A FACE, by Jean Mascii, 1960
*Eyes Without a Face, *a French-Italian horror film that stands the test of time (ask Pedro Almodóvar), was carefully produced with European censors in mind—and as the poster so beautifully shows, it’s a haunting, but not repulsive, tale.
JULES AND JIM, by Christian Broutin, 1962
French artist Christian Broutin also illustrated children’s books, and that same sense of whimsy comes through in his movie posters. The poster for Jules and Jim is playful yet artistically complex—a wonderful match for Truffaut.
STOKER, by John Keaveney for Empire Design, 2013
This intricate, hand-drawn poster by the graphic-design firm Empire goes back to those stop-you-in-your-tracks posters from 50 years ago. Empire, which also produced posters for *Skyfall, Les Misérables, Drive, and 12 Years a Slave, *seems to be the new school of movie-poster art right now.
AFFAIR IN TRINIDAD and SALOME, by Anselmo Ballester, 1952 and 1953
Italian designer Anselmo Ballester’s movie posters from the 40s and 50s (and there are thousands) are some of the most coveted—and from his drawings of Rita Hayworth, which capture her sensuality and vivaciousness (despite Glenn Ford’s raised hand!), it’s easy to see why.
THE ASTOUNDING SHE-MONSTER and THE BRAIN EATERS, by Albert Kallis, 1957 and 1958
For various reasons, it’s usually the horror-movie posters of the 1950s that sell for the highest bids at auctions—perhaps because the wealthy collectors are all of a certain age and grew up watching them. While the movies may be critically, well, one-star material, the posters, often by American artists Albert Kallis or Reynold Brown, are vivid, fun, and grotesque (in the best way possible).
STORM OVER ASIA, by Hans Hillmann, 1961
German artist Hans Hillmann is celebrated for his inventive graphic movie posters. This version, for the 1928 Russian silent film, reminds us of the Saul Bass cutouts, and is our favorite of his large portfolio. See more here.
The ENDLESS SUMMER, by John Van Hamersveld, 1964
Based off the photograph (you can read the whole story of the making in the March issue), John Van Hamersveld’s The Endless Summer poster is another dorm-room staple that’s even made its way to Justin Bieber’s chest (via T-shirt). Van Hamersveld also designed some of the most psychedelic album covers of the decade, including the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour.
COOL HAND LUKE, by Bill Gold, 1967
Bill Gold designed the posters for some of the biggest American films from the 40s through today (his last was J. Edgar), including Yankee Doodle Dandy, Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire, Barry Lynden, Alien, and so many more.
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES, by Chris Ware, 2010
Chris Ware, a cartoonist and graphic-novel artist, designed the poster for this critically beloved but underappreciated Thai film. His understanding of the story as modern myth comes across in his Tarot-card-reminiscent design.
KISS OF THE DAMNED, by Akiko Stehrenberger, 2012
Another beautiful poster by Stehrenberger, whose art harks back to the saturated colors of the horror-movie posters from the 60s, but without the screaming sensational titles.
THE GODFATHER, by unknown, 1972
*The Godfather’*s movie poster might not be the most graphically complex or beautiful, but the simple black and white design, based on the book cover, is another one of the most plastered-on-dorm-room-walls—and often parodied.
THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE, by Rene Ferracci, 1972
French artist René Ferracci designed many posters for Luis Buñuel films, including this Dadaist one for* The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, *as well as the illustrated Catherine Deneuve poster for Belle de Jour.
FUNNY GAMES, by Akiko Stehrenberger, 2007
The poster for Funny Games, which at first looks like a photo, is in fact a masterful digital illustration, based on a screenshot from the film. Though, it’s the choice of the moment—Naomi Watts’s disheveled hair, the wet, unwiped tear, her expression of numb pain—that makes the poster so powerful.
WEST SIDE STORY, by Joe Caroff, 1961
You can see Bass’s influence on Joe Caroff, another title-sequence and movie-poster designer (Caroff also designed the 007 logo): the bold red, the cutout figures, the symbolism of the fire-escape steps, and even the font.
DIARY OF A SHINJUKU THIEF, by Tadanori Yokoo, 1969
Tadanori Yokoo was Japan’s preeminent illustrator of the psychedelic 60s and 70s. His design for Diary of a Shinjuku Thief (in which he also appeared), with bright splashes of color blending into one another, is best seen through a black light. See more of his posters here.
FREAKS, by unknown, 1932
We’re not sure if it’s the slogan or the image that makes this poster for the cult favorite Freaks so wonderfully un-P.C. The movie’s history of controversy also makes it one of the most rare posters out there, and one of the most valuable.
