Above: Polish poster for Escape from New York (John Carpenter, USA, 1981). Designer: Wieslaw Walkuski.For three weeks in July, New York’s Film Forum is running a stellar series of more than 40 1970s New York-set films. As soon as I heard about the program I wanted to do a poster article on it, given that the 1970s was a heyday for American poster design. However, when I started to look at the posters I realized that many of them were so well known that rehashing their posters wasn’t that interesting. But in my search I started to notice how many of the films had Polish counterparts. It is interesting that so many of these American productions were released in Poland and it may have had a lot to do with the counter-cultural, anti-establishment bent of most of the films.While poster design in the U.S. had moved quite decisively from illustration to photography-based in the late 60s, Polish poster art was still mostly drawn and painted in the 1970s. There are a couple of exceptions here but the photos are collaged or posterized in a way that is quite different from the way they would be used in the U.S. Another interesting note is that very few of the posters make use of New York signifiers, with the obvious exception of the Statue of Liberty for Escape from New York, and a silhouetted skyline for Manhattan (notably the two films with the most New York-specific titles). Otherwise the posters seen here are typically idiosyncratic, eccentric, beautiful, alluring, occasionally baffling and, with the possible exception of Serpico, always strikingly unlike their American counterparts. This selection also feels like a tour of great Polish poster art in the 70s, with most of the major artists represented: Jakub Erol, Wiktor Gorka, Eryk Lipinski, Andrzej Klimowski, Jan Mlodozeniec, Andrzej Pagowski, Waldemar Swierzy, Wieslaw Walkuski and more. It seems as if every major designer got a crack at at least one of these challenging, thrilling films.Above: Polish poster for Manhattan (Woody Allen, USA, 1979). Designer: Andrzej Pagowski.Above: Polish poster for Marathon Man (John Schlesinger, USA, 1976). Designer: Wiktor Gorka.Above: Polish poster for All That Jazz (Bob Fosse, USA, 1979). Designer: Leszek Drzewinski.Above: Polish poster for Three Days of the Condor (Sydney Pollack, USA, 1975). Designer: J. Czerniawski.Above: Polish poster for The Hospital (Arthur Hiller, USA, 1971). Designer: Marcin Mroszczak.Above: Polish poster for Diary of a Mad Housewife (Frank Perry, USA, 1970). Designer: Eryk Lipinski.Above: Polish poster for Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, USA, 1976). Designer: Andrzej Klimowski.Above: Polish poster for Klute (Alan J. Pakula, USA, 1971). Designer: Jan Mlodozeniec.Above: Polish poster for Saturday Night Fever (John Badham, USA, 1977). Designer: Andrzej Pagowski.Above: Polish poster for The French Connection (William Friedkin, USA, 1971). Designer: Andrzej Krajewski.Above: Polish poster for Serpico (Sidney Lumet, USA, 1973). Designer: Jakub Erol.Above: Polish poster for The Panic in Needle Park (Jerry Schatzberg, USA, 1971). Designer: Tomas Ruminski.Above: Polish poster for Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, USA, 1969). Designer: Waldemar Swierzy.Above: Polish poster for The Anderson Tapes (Sidney Lumet, USA, 1971). Designer: Jan Mlodozeniec.See New York in the 70s at Film Forum from July 5 to 27.Posters courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
- 6/23/2017
- MUBI
Similar News
John Logan Tapped to Write Film Adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s ‘Blood Meridian’
- 4/24/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
4K Uhd Review: Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-Winning The Departed on Warner Home Video
- 4/24/2024
- by Nick Schager
- Slant Magazine
Is Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ Close To Sealing Its First Distribution Deal?
- 4/23/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
7 Best Movies Like ‘The Greatest Hits’ To Watch If You Love The Film
- 4/25/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
‘Dune,’ ‘Rebel Moon,’ and Sydney Sweeney Made Home Viewing Success a Package Deal
- 4/22/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Woody Allen’s Most Underrated Comedy Tarantino Called His Favorite Is Available on Prime Video
- 4/21/2024
- by info@startefacts.com (Rachel Bailey)
- STartefacts.com
Longlegs: Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe horror film gets yet another teaser and poster
- 4/24/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
John Carpenter’s ‘Prince of Darkness’ Is Flawed But Undeniably Original [Halloweenies Podcast]
- 4/24/2024
- by Michael Roffman
- bloody-disgusting.com
The Correct Order To Watch The Leprechaun Franchise
- 4/22/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.
More to explore
’28 Years Later’ Adds Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes
- 4/24/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
American Black Film Festival 2024 Lineup Includes Vivica A. Fox and Jussie Smollett-Starring Drama (Exclusive)
- 4/24/2024
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety - Film News
‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Casts Thandiwe Newton (Exclusive)
- 4/23/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Terry Carter, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ and ‘McCloud’ Actor, Dies at 95
- 4/23/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety - Film News
‘Dead Boy Detectives’ Review: Netflix’s ‘Sandman’ Spinoff Is a Fast, Fun Binge
- 4/25/2024
- by Angie Han
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
’28 Years Later’ Adds Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes
- 4/24/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
Julio Torres's "Problemista" Shows the US Immigration System Is a Relentless Maze
- 4/24/2024
- by Johanna Ferreira
- Popsugar.com
Chuwi Is the Voice of a New Puerto Rican Generation
- 4/23/2024
- by Juan Arroyo
- Popsugar.com
Camila Mendes on Why We Need More Latine Representation in Rom-Coms
- 4/22/2024
- by Brenda Barrientos
- Popsugar.com
Saraciea Fennell: "The Black Girl Survives in This One" Is the Representation I Didn't See in Horror Books
- 4/22/2024
- by Saraciea Fennell
- Popsugar.com
Every Zendaya Role Ranked: ‘Challengers,’ ‘Dune,’ ‘Euphoria,’ and More
- 4/25/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Rushes | Participant Shutters, Hollywood Rebounds, Scorsese’s Sinatra
- 4/24/2024
- MUBI
Mark Ruffalo Says He Is Recognized ‘Way More’ for ’13 Going on 30′ Than for MCU’s Hulk
- 4/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Accident Video on ‘The Pickup’ Set Shows Vehicles Flipping Over
- 4/24/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
The 12 Best Tennis Movies, from ‘Strangers on a Train’ to ‘Challengers’
- 4/24/2024
- by Wilson Chapman and Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
’28 Years Later’ Adds Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes
- 4/24/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
American Black Film Festival 2024 Lineup Includes Vivica A. Fox and Jussie Smollett-Starring Drama (Exclusive)
- 4/24/2024
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety - Film News
Tomorrow’s Freedom review – does this man know the way to peace in Israel and Palestine?
- 4/25/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The Story Collective producers launch film and TV studio complex in southwest London (exclusive)
- 4/25/2024
- ScreenDaily
Former Lookout Point producers launch film and TV studio complex in southwest London (exclusive)
- 4/25/2024
- ScreenDaily
‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Casts Thandiwe Newton (Exclusive)
- 4/23/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Terry Carter, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ and ‘McCloud’ Actor, Dies at 95
- 4/23/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety - Film News
Mr. Jost Goes to Washington, Like So Many Late Nighters Before Him
- 4/25/2024
- by Bill Carter
- LateNighter
Weds Night Monologues: Ukraine Aid and Kanye Porn
- 4/25/2024
- by Dennis Perkins
- LateNighter
‘Not Dead Yet’: Gina Rodriguez Shares Hopes for Season 3
- 4/25/2024
- TV Insider