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Gangster Number One

£60.00

Film

Gangster Number One

Additional information

Year

2000

Size/Type

British /UK Double Crown – Single Sided (20″ x 30″)

Country of Origin

British / UK

Condition

Near Mint minus / Originally Rolled (as issued)

Director

Paul McGuigan

Actor/Actress

Andrew Lincoln, David Thewlis, Eddie Marsan, Jamie Foreman, Kenneth Cranham, Malcolm McDowell, Paul Bettany, Saffron Burrows

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” Number one ! Number one ! Number one ! One One One One ! Number f*****g one ! I’m number one !”

An incredibly stylish and cool film poster for Paul McGuigan’s dark and brutal brit-gangster thriller “Gangster Number One”. Created by Empire Design this award winning original 2000 UK double crown film poster is a striking looking example; Gangster No. 1, Paul Bettany, robotically silhouetted in black offset against a bright blood red background. Extremely collectable example, this originally rolled (as issued) British double crown film poster displays beautifully and is presented in excellent condition with just very minor handling wear. Distinctive & eye-catching with some of best design seen on a modern poster it represents an extremely desirable piece of original movie memorabilia.

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Trivia: Loosely based on the life of real-life mobster Frankie Fraser.

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Vintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +

Film Description

Gangster Number One Movie Poster

“A middle-aged crime boss smugly reflects back from 1999, narrating the brutality which made him triumphant – and feared. As an unnamed young hood in Swinging 60’s London, he aped his mod boss Freddie Mays, and seemed to do anything for him. But his narration exposes all-consuming envy: of Freddie’s supremacy, and especially his tall bird. The baby shark develops his viciousness and backstabbing, scheming to be Gangster No. 1.”

Thirty years after entering the cultural conscience with the his groundbreaking performance as Alex deLarge in A Clockwork Orange, Malcolm McDowell returns to the screen in this unabashedly violent and emotionally detached film about envy amongst gangsters and the need to be the Gangster Number One. On learning that his old mentor, Freddie Mays (David Thewlis), has been released from jail, The Gangster (McDowell), now a kingpin among fellow gangsters, moves back to the late sixties when he was a young nameless man (Paul Bettany) just hanging around in the swinging sixties. He infiltrates himself into Mays’ circle of gangsters, wins his trust, becomes a ferocious gangster… but there is something wrong with him from the get-go, something Mays is unable to see. The younger gangster has a serious personality imbalance that renders him covetous of everything surrounding Mays. Like Iago, he wants not only to be like Mays, but appropriate himself with Mays’ life and this includes his then-girlfriend Karen (Saffron Burrows). Things reach a head when he hits on Karen who rejects him. The young gangster goes on a rampage, pitting Mays with a rival gang member, then brutally murdering Mays’ rival and framing him for the murder which sends Mays to jail. He then emerges as the main gangster and lets loose on his up to then pent-up violence… that is, until the story reaches full circle and all three main characters are reunited. The Gangster realizes that Karen and Mays still love each other and his incomprehensible envy towards them has not caused a dent in their affections, and when Mays emerges as the more human person, McDowell sinks in his own self-hatred. An interesting film that takes its time to reach its audience, Gangster Number One is a study not in violence but in self-loathing and what happens when the main character is a black hole. Both Bettany and McDowell, in remaining nameless, magnify this man’s emptiness — he, despite his position, is a nobody and has no future. Mays and Karen, on the other hand, having been swallowed alive by London’s underbelly, become survivors who are above and beyond The Gangster’s murderous rage. The director, Paul McGuigan, has a sharp eye for a stylized telling of such a violent story with flashy editing and some brutal points of view in depicting a murder sequence that resembles a rape and describes just how insane this gangster is. Not for the squeamish at times but a great film to view and enjoy.

Vintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria

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.

Most Popular Poster Types

US Posters

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 Posters

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 Posters

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 Posters

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.