Polish movie poster gallery

February 12, 2006 4:23 PM

The always great (and frequently linked) RetroCrush currently has an exhibit on Polish movie posters for western films; seemingly devoid of the original branding & identity art, it's fun to try and guess what movie the images could even be trying to promote. Some are beautiful, some are amateurish, all are intriguing.
posted by jonson (20 comments total)

Retrocrush doesn't like direct links to images.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:26 PM on February 12, 2006

d'oh! NOW who looks retarded!?!. Oh wait... I guess I do.
posted by jonson at 4:34 PM on February 12, 2006

"it's fun to try and guess what movie the images could even be trying to promote"

If the image names are obscure.
posted by Gyan at 4:43 PM on February 12, 2006

I have a number of these. Andrzej Pagowski is the shizzle.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 4:57 PM on February 12, 2006

RetroCrush does oh-so-briefly cite the original source of the poster images, but that site deserves a bigger mention:

Polishposter.com
posted by jca at 5:06 PM on February 12, 2006 [1 favorite]

'Weekend at Bernies" poster is amazing. Completely blasted and irrelevant.
posted by Liquidwolf at 5:29 PM on February 12, 2006

This really illustrates how generic movie marketing has become in North Amercia. I've seen quite enough posters and DVD packages with the standard "3 faces" design.
posted by davebush at 5:56 PM on February 12, 2006

RetroCrush in "borrowing content" shocker!

While not up there with CollegeHumor or The Site That Shall Go Unnamed, they're pretty fond of acting like they're awesome archivists of the internet. Most grating is when they swiped from pals of mine in the past.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 5:57 PM on February 12, 2006

wow, I wish more american movie posters looked like these.

the seven samurai, weekend at bernies, ghandi, french lieutenant's woman, apocalypse now, and revenge of the pink panther are winners for me. hot damn. awesome post, jonson!
posted by shmegegge at 6:26 PM on February 12, 2006

See also.
posted by iamck at 6:27 PM on February 12, 2006

This really illustrates how generic movie marketing has become in North Amercia. I've seen quite enough posters and DVD packages with the standard "3 faces" design.

So, foreign posters using abstract artwork, in come cases, having no relation whatsoever to the product [movie] being marketed are superior to the "Big Heads Floating in the Sky" of U.S. domestic poster art -- is that what you're saying?

Because those Polish posters are examples of art, whereas the double-sided one-sheet in your local theater googleplex are examples of marketing -- there's no reason for faulting one for not being the other. Especially when they don't serve the same purpose.

For example, I really don't think your mother would be able to find the Mel Brooks movie she's looking for at the local Blockbuster if the DVD cover looked like this. ;)

She might want to hang it on her wall, however.
posted by jca at 6:28 PM on February 12, 2006

wow, beaucoupkevin, I had no idea. I won't link to them again, thanks for pointing it out.
posted by jonson at 6:38 PM on February 12, 2006

jca - I don't recall saying the Polish posters were "superior" but they certainly are more interesting. I understand why the "floating heads" are used, I'm just tired of it.
posted by davebush at 7:10 PM on February 12, 2006

Looking at these posters, I have now have this storng desire to see these movies again with Polish subtitles turned on.

Some very delightful posters. I mean, Weekend at Bernie's looks vaguely interesting.
posted by Dagobert at 10:03 PM on February 12, 2006

See also hand-painted Russian movie posters. I bookmarked that about a year ago, I think, because it was so damn cool I knew I was sure to want it again.
posted by booksandlibretti at 11:01 PM on February 12, 2006

Wow, Mandingo took me a second, but it's brilliant. And yeah, a link to "Polishposter.com [via Retrocrush]" would probably have been more fair.
posted by mediareport at 11:04 PM on February 12, 2006

This really illustrates how generic movie marketing has become in North Amercia.

...And in Poland. These artsy posters pretty much ceased to exist with the fall of communism 17 years ago.
posted by degnarra at 12:15 AM on February 13, 2006

These are fantastic. Thanks.
posted by slimepuppy at 3:17 AM on February 13, 2006

These artsy posters pretty much ceased to exist with the fall of communism 17 years ago.

That was my question. Presumably the abstract art was due to some sort of regulation about showing Western art?

The Kabaret poster is my favorite.
posted by dhartung at 3:56 PM on February 13, 2006