# What's the greatest movie poster of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 26, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445 "2003-11-26T20:00:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kepi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kepi/32/7251_2.png) [@Kepi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepi)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/41 "2003-11-28T05:53:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by confessorknight \* > \*\*My personal favourite (which I can’t get for love nor money) is a [_Rocketeer_ art deco poster]([http://www.deco-dence.com/](http://www.deco-dence.com/) generic.html?pid=55) (about halfway down the page). \*\* OMG, I can’t believe that I have a movie poster that sells for almost $500! And that’s just one of about 75 different posters I have packed away in a box in my garage. One of the fringe benefits of working in a movie theater for about 10 years! For me, the teaser posters for _[Batman](http://www.ricksmovie.com/batm89-901_a01a0-page.html)_ and _[Dick Tracy](http://www.impawards.com/1990/dick_tracy_ver2.html)_ were kind of cool from a graphics standpoint. Of course, I would think that the most appropriate poster to get your brother would be one for a movie that has some significance to him. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/42 "2003-11-28T06:23:04Z")
An obscure movie, but one with a fan-base, whose poster I have framed both because I loved the movie and I love the poster, is the French Canadian film JESUS OF MONTREAL. [http://www.madphat.com/mpmania/product324.html](http://www.madphat.com/mpmania/product324.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/43 "2003-11-28T08:22:30Z")
The poster to the [finest sequel ever made.](http://www.poster.net/terminator/terminator-2-bike-and-gun-4001613.jpg) (After _Aliens_, that is.) ---
**Author:** ![Short\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Short\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Short_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/44 "2003-11-28T11:47:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by karomon \* > \*\*Polish film and theatrical posters are great, but may frighten young children. Check out the works of [Wieslaw Walkuski](http://www.polishposter.com/html/walkuski.html). > \*\* I see what you mean. [This one](http://www.polishposter.com/html/poster0351.html) is just wonderfully creepy. ---
**Author:** ![yawndave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/43a26b/32.png) [@yawndave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawndave)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/45 "2003-11-28T20:50:50Z")
I think **Young Frankenstein** is worth a mention. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/46 "2003-11-28T21:48:30Z")
Clearly, these are the best posters 🆒 \*\*Eraserhead: > **[Best Business Signs Fort Worth, TX | Custom Commercial Signage Near Me](https://www.ftworthsigncompany.com/business-signs/)** Metropolis: [http://www.poster-pictures.com/Poster-Pictures-Metropolis.html](http://www.poster-pictures.com/Poster-Pictures-Metropolis.html) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: [http://www.dhm.de/lemo/objekte/pict/pli04675/index.html](http://www.dhm.de/lemo/objekte/pict/pli04675/index.html) \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Montresor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@Montresor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montresor)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/47 "2003-11-28T21:48:35Z")
Quick question, off the bat: **Stoid** , is your _Sin of Nora Moran_ poster an original one-sheet? If so, WOW. Never seen the film, myself, but it is a classic, and although Zita Johann was apparently a total wacko, she looks pretty good there… One of my faves is [Love Before Breakfast](http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_product.asp?sku=143462&dept%5Fid=13893&master%5Fmovie%5Fid=13893). I’m not even a huge Lombard fan, but that artwork… hummina hummina. The original poster for Fritz Lang’s “M” is pretty amazing, too. As far as the OP goes, I’d recommend going on eBay or hitting up a store or convention that specializes in this kind of stuff, and looking for original posters rather than reprints. Personally, I know that I can’t afford original posters of the big-name movies, so rather than buy cheesy reprints, I’ve bought a number of posters (lobby cards, actually, which are like mini-posters illustrated with photos) for more obscure movies, most of which I haven’t seen. For example, I’m a huge Vincent Price fan, and while I can’t afford an original one-sheet for, say, _The Fly_ or _The Fall of the House of Usher_, I could easily shell out for a bunch of lobby cards from _The Conqueror Worm_, one of Vincent’s less-famous flicks (but still a great one). Lobby cards were released in sets, so a nice gift might be a few cards for a cool-sounding movie (or one which starred one of the giftees favorite actors), in nice frames. Speaking as a graphic artist who is a huge cinema buff, I would much rather get a weird, off-beat piece of art than the same cheap _Scarface_ poster that half of my freshman dorm taped to the cinderblocks over their cots. Clearly, that’s just MHO, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/48 "2003-11-28T22:44:35Z")
The one-sheets for the following films always caught my fancy: **Yessongs** **Paper Moon** **M_A_S\*H** **2001: A Space Odyssey** ( the A Sheet ) ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/49 "2003-11-29T01:49:52Z")
You guys all know that if you leave your name with a theater manager requesting a poster currently on display, you’ll usually get it for free when it comes down, right? The obvious exceptions would be anything Disney or Star Wars related. (Star Wars stuff is returned to Lucasfilms and theaters are fined if they can’t come up with the stuff later.) ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/50 "2003-11-29T03:53:38Z")
The greatest movie poster of all time is, without a doubt, the movie poster for [Shallow Hal](http://www.netcom.com/~rogermw/ShallowHal.html). And I’m not saying that **just** because it’s the only movie poster I’ve ever made the effort to acquire. I’m saying that because _Shallow Hal_ is the greatest movie of this millennium. ---
**Author:** ![Nanook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nanook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanook)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/51 "2003-11-29T04:05:20Z")
A bit campy, I admit, but I think the cracked doll face of WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? poster is a keeper. ---
**Author:** ![Kepi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kepi/32/7251_2.png) [@Kepi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepi)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/52 "2003-11-29T16:45:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > \*\*You guys all know that if you leave your name with a theater manager requesting a poster currently on display, you’ll usually get it for free when it comes down, right? The obvious exceptions would be anything Disney or Star Wars related. (Star Wars stuff is returned to Lucasfilms and theaters are fined if they can’t come up with the stuff later.) \*\* Speaking as a former theater assistant manager, it is unlikely that you’ll get a poster this way. Of course, that depends on the poster. You’ll probably get it only if: a.) a manager doesn’t want it; b.) an assistant manager doesn’t want it; or c.) a staff member doesn’t want it. But if you have your heart set on that poster for _ **Gigli** _, go ahead and leave your name at the box office. And the Lucasfilms thing must be a more recent issue. There was never any problem that I know of when I got my _ **Return of the Jedi** _ poster in 1983. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/53 "2003-11-29T20:13:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Montresor \* > \*\*Quick question, off the bat: **Stoid** , is your _Sin of Nora Moran_ poster an original one-sheet? If so, WOW. Never seen the film, myself, but it is a classic, and although Zita Johann was apparently a total wacko, she looks pretty good there… \*\* Heavens no! Originals of that poster run $10,000 or more. It’s a reproduction, but I love it for its beauty alone. I found it when I was searching through a movie poster site for art for my new house. I had marked about a hundred posters to re-review and re-sort to decide which were the best, then I saw that one and the others just fell away. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/54 "2003-11-30T03:06:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kepi \* > \*\*And the Lucasfilms thing must be a more recent issue. There was never any problem that I know of when I got my _ **Return of the Jedi** _ poster in 1983. \*\* Wasn’t a problem either when I was given a **Revenge Of The Jedi** poster by a 20th Century Fox publicity person…in 1983. Heh. Heh. The full shipment of one-sheets was recalled and destroyed because of the title change. Almost the full shipment. I haven’t actually seen the darned thing in years, it’s in a controlled storage facility deep underneath Cheyenne Mountain. 😃😃😃😃 Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/55 "2003-11-30T03:20:42Z")
I love the poster for [High Fidelity](http://us.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0146882/Ss/0146882/1?path=gallery&path_key=0146882), and not just because I love the movie and John Cusack. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/56 "2003-11-30T15:52:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kepi \* > \*\*Speaking as a former theater assistant manager, it is unlikely that you’ll get a poster this way. Of course, that depends on the poster. You’ll probably get it only if: a.) a manager doesn’t want it; b.) an assistant manager doesn’t want it; or c.) a staff member doesn’t want it. But if you have your heart set on that poster for _ **Gigli** _, go ahead and leave your name at the box office. > > And the Lucasfilms thing must be a more recent issue. There was never any problem that I know of when I got my _ **Return of the Jedi** _ poster in 1983. \*\* Yeah, the Lucasfilms thing is recent as of the Phantom Menace. Apparently people were taking all the stuff home without even displaying it, which misses the point of advertising entirely, heh. In my experience as a manager, most everyone who works at a theater is sick of movies after six months or so and doesn’t give a rat’s ass about having a poster of anything, or already has an entire garage-full and can’t take anymore. Worth a shot is all I’m saying; it depends on the poster _and_ the theater, really. Someplace to start for people who are intimidated by prices on eBay, etc. ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/57 "2003-11-30T16:17:54Z")
Im going to have to second **Metropolis** , any true fan of science fiction film has to pay homage to it’s great grandfather. ---
**Author:** ![codeloss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d07c76/32.png) [@codeloss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codeloss)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445/58 "2003-11-30T19:55:18Z")
While we’re on Fritz Lang, I second whoever mentioned the poster for M: [http://www.madphat.com/mpmania/product401.html](http://www.madphat.com/mpmania/product401.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-movie-poster-of-all-time/215445.md?page=2)