Film
Ice Station Zebra
1968
UK Double Crown / Single Sided / 20" x 30")
UK / British
Very Fine plus – Near Mint minus / Originally rolled (as issued)
John Sturges
Ernest Borgnine, Jim Brown, Patrick McGoohan, Rock Hudson
A fantastic find…an original British Double Crown film poster for John Sturges’ action packed ‘Cold War’ thriller “Ice Station Zebra”. From first year of release 1968 the UK Double Crown (small portrait) style is an incredibly scarce format for this ‘boys own’ adventure based on the novel by Alistair MacLean. Superbly detailed action adventure artwork by Robert McCall featuring huge war planes, Russian para-troopers and a Nuclear Submarine with deep rich black background and vivid unfaded colours. This really is one of the nicest looking poster I have had the pleasure to offer for sale. handled. Of all the action adventure film posters I deal in there seems to be a huge resurgence of interest in those based on the books of Alistair Maclean with posters for “Where Eagles Dare”, “Ice Station Zebra” and “Guns of Navarone” proving extremely popular as well as the lesser known titles “Caravan to Vaccares”, “Puppet on a Chain”, “Bear Island” and “When Eight Bells Toll.” Originally rolled (as issued) this unrestored example presents and displays to excellent effect and represents a fantastic piece of very collectable and popular original movie memorabilia.
…more detailVintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +
Big-budget, all-star, action-packed adventure about an American submarine sent to the North Pole to retrieve a downed satellite which contains a roll of film. The Russians want it as badly as the Americans because the film contains high-orbit pictures of BOTH country’s missile sites.
Rock Hudson is the sub commander, Patrick McGoohan is the cynical secret agent with a dry wit (a roll he made famous in two famous British TV shows, `The Secret Agent’ and `The Prisoner’), Jim Brown is a hard-nosed Marine captain, and Earnest Borgnine is a Russian defector working with McGoohan and the Americans to retrieve the valuable film.
The special effects of the Russian jets could have been much better, even in 1968. But the fantastic exterior arctic sets create a stylised North Pole as appealing as the sets of Altair 4 in `Forbidden Planet’. Sure they don’t look `real’ — but that’s doesn’t mean they don’t look good. And brother, they sure look BIG. Furthermore, these sets don’t just sit there, they actually DO neat stuff: hugh blocks of ice converge and threaten to crush the sub’s conning tower, and the conning tower raises and lowers through cracks in the ice!
Dynamite score by Michel LeGrand. Sterling screenplay by Douglas Heyes, riddled with sharp dialogue that the fine cast delivers perfectly (I love it when McGoohan tells Hudson that the film invented by America’s German scientists was put into the camera invented by Britain’s German scientists and sent up in the satellite invented by the Russian’s German scientists. Funny.
Based on Alistair MacLean’s best-selling novel. A genuine techno-thriller that predated Tom Clancy’s work. Gotta love it.
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.
