Oscars, Black History, Legrand The Great, LE MANS, LEBOWSKI, ZAZIE, National Lampoon's JAWS and MORE...
Dear Friends & Movie Lovers:
Hello from Hollywood. We've got some extraordinary new poster acquisitions this month, including this beautiful French poster (with artwork by Roger Soubie) for the Oscar-winning epic GONE WITH THE WIND. And of course this year's Academy Awards ceremony is just a a few weeks away. Take a look at our collection of past Best Picture winners, right here
It's also Black History Month, and it's nice to see BLACKKKLANSMAN & BLACK PANTHER both nominated for Best Picture. GWTW's depiction of African Americans has always been controversial, yet it did produce the first black Oscar-nominee, and Hattie McDaniel's win for Best Supporting Actress was a breakthrough. Dorothy Dandridge's Best Actress nod for CARMEN JONES in 1954 was another sign of progress, but it wasn't until Sidney Poitier's dramatic ascent in the 1960s that a black actor won the Academy's biggest prize and topped the box office polls. See our collection of posters for films with bllack casts here
Finally, before we get to the new posters, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate the life and career of Michel Legrand, the legendary French composer who wrote unforgettable film music: the hauntingly romantic SUMMER OF '42 & UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (this Czech poster for that film is a favorite new acquisition), the elegant, stylish THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, and the Oscar-winning score for YENTL, with so many beautifully expressive melodies and that soaring finale.
A long life and his music will live forever. R.I.P.
