Film
Die Hard
1927 (RR 2010), 1988
UK Quad (30" x 40") Single Sided
UK / British
Near Mint minus -Very Fine plus; originally rolled (as issued)
John McTiernan
Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, Bonnie Bedelia, Bruce Willis, De'voreaux White, Dennis Hayden, Grand L Bush, Hans Buhringer, Hart Bochner, James Shigeta, Paul Gleason, Reginald VelJohnson, Robert Davi, William Atherton
“It’s Christmas Eve In L.A. And The Party Action’s About To Explode… On The Fortieth Floor!”
One of the defining action films of the 1980s, “Die Hard” is represented here by its eye-catching UK Quad cinema poster from first year of release, 1988. John McTiernan’s celebrated thriller stars Bruce Willis as New York police officer John McClane, with Alan Rickman delivering an unforgettable performance as Hans Gruber.
Created specifically for the British release, the dramatic landscape design combines McClane’s watchful expression with an exploding Nakatomi Plaza and a helicopter above the Los Angeles skyline. The bold red title and memorable “40 Storeys High” tagline capture the film’s relentless suspense, excitement and towering scale.
Measuring 30 × 40 inches, this highly collectable poster is presented rolled (as issued) and remains in high-grade condition. A superb example with outstanding display appeal for collectors of 1980s cinema and classic action films. “Yippee-ki-yay!”
…more detailVintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +
“On Christmas Eve, tough New York detective John McClane arrives in Los Angeles with the aim of reconciling with his estranged wife, Holly at the Christmas party of her employer, the Nakatomi Corporation. When the party is disrupted by a group of heavily armed criminals led by the charismatic Hans Gruber, McClane evades capture and begins a one-man war against the hostage takers who are attempting to rob the corporation whilst occupying the LAPD and the FBI by posing as terrorists. Outmanned, outgunned and ill-equipped for the task at hand, McClane calls in the help of a local beat cop in his crusade against Gruber.”
In stepped John McTiernan and Bruce Willis with “Die Hard”. Willis, most famous at the time for the comic TV Series ‘Moonlighting’, made a perfect ordinary-man-in-an-extraordinary-situation action hero. He was believable as John McClane and not immune to being hurt. He bled and felt pain, a first for the genre. And yet his cool confident delivery of a great wisecracking, intelligent script made him all the cooler. But most credit should go to Director John McTiernan, king of the sophisticated action flick. He made action movies slick, smart and full of pace and wit while never letting up on the bullets, cars and bombs front.
Special praise must go out to Alan Rickman too whose performance as chief baddie Hans Gruber is to this day one of cinemas finest, moving convincingly from cool, calm and collected to desperate and nervous, never once seeming anything less than utterly ruthless and calculating. Even after we discover that Hans isn’t there as a political terrorist but simply as a thief, he loses absolutely no villain credibility when he responds to Holly McClane’s (Bonnie Bedelia) criticism by saying “I am an exceptional thief, Mrs. McClane and since I’m moving to kidnapping you should be more polite.” Although we know Hans is capable of vile acts, he actually sees those as merely means to a greater and somehow justifiable end. His disposition is almost humanitarian and you would imagine him as quite a gentleman outside of the context of the crimes he commits in “Die Hard’s” arc. In the end though, Hans is a pure sociopath that even the audience is conned into sympathizing with. I would actually argue that “Die Hard” is the greatest pure action film ever made.
Trade Address:
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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.
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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.
