Iconic Film Posters

One of the forgotten arts in the film industry is that of creating the perfect poster. Movie posters are intended to make a statement, a commentary, and to perfectly capture the true essence of the film they depict. Do many of today’s film posters succeed in providing audiences with a sense of what the film it advertises is about? Doubtful – in fact, many of the movie posters we see today tend to follow a boring formula based on other flicks in their genre – think of the first Scream poster and count how many teen slasher/horror movie posters you’ve seen with exactly the same layout. But that doesn’t mean the odd gem doesn’t come out every now and then, though if you really want to think about iconic movie posters, it’s best to think back.



Some film posters have reached such a status that we can recall them without even a moment’s effort. Who could forget the film poster for Jaws, which perfectly captures the film’s focus on foreboding and tension? The image of the huge shark aiming with deadly direction for the clueless human swimming above is the perfect capture of the film’s main thrust. Or what about the noir scene depicted on the poster for Pulp Fiction? How could you not have an idea of what this classic Tarantino flick has to offer when presented with the ennui gaze of Uma Thurman staring at you from the front page of a comic book?

Whether you’re a fan or not, it’s hard to argue that the poster for Titanic wasn’t a great one. With the loving embrace of leads Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet suspended over a looming image of the ship Titanic, the poster expertly displays a love story doomed to tragedy with its simple yet effective imagery.



Other iconic posters include 2001: A Space Odyssey with its bold choice of subject matter, The Seven Year Itch – Marilyn Monroe’s most iconic movie, which has a poster that leaves no confusion over what to expect – The Shawshank Redemption, a powerful image of freedom and desperation, and Star Wars, a fantasy poster of epic proportions that perfectly fits the film that goes with it. As for one of the most iconic movie posters of all time, the imagery on the poster for ET was so powerful that it has become the well known logo for director Spielberg’s company Amblin Entertainment.



Hopefully the art of movie posters is one that will return, but for the moment there are many excellent posters from the past that are an ideal depiction of how the film industry is artistic in many ways – and which look fantastic in a snazzy frame on your wall!