Film
Battle of Britain
1969
UK Quad / (30″ x 40″) / Single Sided / Printed in England by Lonsdale & Bartholomew Ltd
UK / British
Near mint minus – Very fine plus / originally folded (as issued)
Guy Hamilton
Christopher Plummer, Curt Jurgens, Harry Andrews, Ian McShane, Kenneth more, Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Michael Redgrave, Nigel Patrick, Patrick Wymark, Ralph Richardson, Robert Shaw, Susannah York, Trevor Howard
“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
One of the most striking British posters you will see ! A stunning original UK quad film poster for Guy Hamilton’s 1969 World War 2 epic “Battle of Britain”. The white background is a lovely bright white making the red, white & blue Union Jack imagery seem to leap from the paper almost 3D style; lovely detailing featuring the iconic Spitfire and Messerschmitt aeroplanes. Originally folded (as issued) this displays to excellent effect…Photographs don’t do justice to what is a really impressive poster. A rare British country of origin poster presented in true investment grade condition that represents a fantastic opportunity to acquire a hugely collectible item of British film movie memorabilia.
Trivia: “Battle of Britain” became regarded as a patriotic tribute to “The Few”, that many of those involved in the production, actors and technicians, reduced their normal fees to work on this film. Much of the large budget went toward the acquisition, restoration, modification, maintenance, and operation of the vintage aircraft.
…more detailVintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +
“Stiff upper lip stuff…In 1940, the British Royal Air Force fights a desperate battle to prevent the Nazi Luftwaffe from gaining air superiority over the English Channel as a prelude to a possible German invasion of Great Britain.”
There’s something about watching Spitfires tipping-over and savaging Heinkel formations that just makes your stomach roll a little…This movie was made before filmstars demanded millions of dollars for cameo-appearances, and we are lucky that so many of the era’s greatest actors were brought together for this last-hurrah for the British movie industry…The cast for “Battle of Britain“ reads like an Academy Awards Ceremony, and mixes the then younger-generation of actors with the likes of Michael Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier, and Trevor Howard to name just a few…Modern television has innured us to war, making us forget that once upon a time, fighter-pilots had to get close enough to see the men they were shooting at, and while no movie could really capture that intensity, this movie comes closest of all in my opinion…The real treat, however, is to see the “younger” stars of this movie early in their careers. Michael Caine, Ian McShane, James Cosmo, and Edward Fox look so young it’s almost scary. Now they are the “elder-statesmen” of movies, being to young talented actors in modern films as Olivier, Kenneth More, Robert Shaw, and Patrick Wymark were at the start of their own careers…Maybe it’s a good thing that movies like this are no longer made, allowing us to hearken to the days when a movie had to rely more on the talents of the actors than on the talents of the SFX Department.
Trade Address:
Vintage Movie Posters (UK) Limited
The Malthouse
The Broadway
Old Amersham
HP7 0HL
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Mint
A poster that has never been used or displayed and may show the most minor signs of age and wear. The poster should have no holes or tears.
Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.
Very Fine
A poster with bright colour and crisp overall appearance. It may have very general signs of use including slight fold separation and fold wear. It may have pin holes or very minor tears. This is the highest grade allowed for a poster that has been restored either on linen or on paper.
Fine
A poster with good colors and overall clean appearance. It may have minor tears small paper loss and minor stains. It may have some fold seperation.
Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.
Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.
Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.
All photographs and images used on our site are photographs of the actual poster/item you are buying, we do not use stock photographs.
LOBBY CARD
11 x 14″ printed on heavy stock paper. Used as display in theatre lobbies. Originally made in sets of eight. Some sets have a title card, which contains credits and artwork, essentially a mini-poster. The remaining seven cards are coloured photographic credits and poster artwork showing different scenes from the movie.
WINDOW CARD
14 x 22″ printed on heavy stock paper with the top 4-6 inches usually left blank for the local cinema owner to fill in the cinema and the date it was due to play. Largely discontinued during the 1970’s.
HALF SHEET
22 x 28″ printed on heavy stock paper. The image displayed is normally a smaller version of the main poster, although some do have different artworks and sometimes come in two versions.
INSERT
14 x 36″ printed on heavy stock paper. Inserts usually have the same artwork as a one sheet. Popular with collectors since they are smaller and easier to frame. Normally come tri folded or rolled.
STYLE Y/FORTY BY SIXTY
40 x 60″ printed on heavy stock paper. Rare since they were primarily used for major motion pictures only. Designed to be used outside the theatre, on an easel, normally at a drive-in movie theatre.
ONE-SHEET
27 x 41″ printed on paper. This is the most common size of poster, intended to be displayed in a glass “marquee” case. It is the most sought after size by collectors. Since the 1980’s most posters are sent to the theatre rolled and maybe slightly smaller measuring 27″ by 40″ and with the advent of backlit light boxes a growing number of modern movie posters are available double-sided and the more traditional single-sided.
THREE-SHEET
41 x 81″ printed on paper. These were printed on two or three separate sheets designed to overlap, few survive. Used for larger advertising spaces, normally posted on walls, perfect for huge movie theatres the drive-in, where people could see them from a distance. From the 1970’s on, three-sheets were sometimes printed in one piece and issued as “international” versions to be used abroad.
BRITISH QUAD
30 x 40″ Most common poster size used in the UK. British Quads are horizontal and may have different artwork to the US one sheet. Like a US one sheet they normally come in two versions. Like a US one sheet they are usually supplied single-sided or more commonly now as a double sided poster.
BRITISH ONE-SHEET
27 X 40″, printed on paper. Very rarely used size.
ITALIAN LOCANDINA
13 x 28″ six inches shorter than the US insert, very nice size to frame. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
ITALIAN PHOTOBUSTA
18 x 26″ Glossy, high quality, used as lobby cards in Italy. Size may vary, either vertical or horizontal format. There are also double Photobusta or mini Photobusta.
2-FOGLIO (DUE)
(DUE): 39 x 55″ This is the standard poster size used in Italy. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
4-FOGLIO
(QUATTRO) 55 x 79″ Very large Italian poster printed in two pieces, often contains very beautiful artwork.
FRENCH
47 x 63″ (GRANDE) or 24 x 33″ (PETITE) French movie posters normally come with different artwork to either the US or the UK. Like the Italian’s some of the artwork is extrememly beautiful.
