Iconic films are made more striking in recollection by the movie posters that embody them. Saul Bass was a graphic designer and artist who created some of the most iconic film posters from some of the most famousfilm titles in cinema history. Here are the top ten Saul Bass posters to know, in no particular order.
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
This 1960 American western is actually an old-west styled remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 Japanese film, Seven Samurai. The film is directed by John Sturges and portrays a group of seven gunfighters who’ve been hired to protect a small Mexican village from bandits.
LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON
This 1957 romantic comedy stars Audrey Hepburn and Gary Cooper, and is a based on the French novel Ariane, jeune fille russe, by Claude Anet. It is a crime mystery -- a funny and endearing one with the design to match.
THE FIXER
This historical drama was released in 1968 and tells the story of a Jewish man living in the Russian Empire who suffers imprisonment for being Jewish. The Beilis Trial of 1913 is a central focus of the film.
VERTIGO
There was bound to be one Hitchcock film on this list. Released in 1958, a San Francisco detective who is plagued by acrophobia begins to investigate an old friend’s wife and some of her odd behaviors… and ends up with a touch of obsession. The role of the detective is played by Jimmy Stewart, like no one else can.
THE SHINING
Does this Stephen King story need any introduction? Possession, seeing spirits, and a range of other horrors come to life in this iconic film, for which Saul Basscreated the iconic graphic design for the movieposter to match the film's legacy.
GRAND PRIX
This was one of the 10 highest grossing films in 1966, and, as the name suggests, it's a drama about a motorsports race. It boasts an international cast and some distinct racing cinematography that earned it some technical awards.
SCHINDLER’S LIST
One of the most influential and important films in movie history is most certainly Schindler’s List. This academy award-winningstory of Jews getting smuggled out of a concentration camp and the real-life legacy of that event are made effectively haunting in Bass’ movieposter.
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM
A dark tale for the silver screen in the 1950s, this film noir-style drama stars Frank Sinatra as a drug addict who goes clean while in prison, then struggles to stay that way once he gets out.
ANATOMY OF A MURDER
An oldie but a goodie, this 1959 film starring Jimmy Stewart and Kathryn Grant is a murder mystery with all the twists and turns. The emphatic, minimalist movieposter of the figure in black is a smart creation.
EXODUS
This film tells the epic story of the founding of the state of Israel. This 1960 release is based on a novel of the same name by Leon Uris, and the scale of it is suitable for the story it tells.
If you want to invest in an iconic poster from this graphic designer these are among the high-quality prints that you can choose from at Film/Art Gallery.
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