Film
Karate Kid
1984
US One-Sheet / 27″ x 41″ (69 x 104 cm) / Single Sided
United States (USA)
Near mint minus; originally rolled (as issued)
John G. Avildsen
Chad McQueen, Elizabeth Shue, Martin Kove, Pat Morita, Ralph Macchio, Randee Heller, Ron Thomas, William Zabka
“Wax on, right hand. Wax off, left hand. Wax on, wax off. Breathe in through nose, out the mouth. Wax on, wax off. Don’t forget to breathe, very important”
“The Karate Kid” was a huge box-office hit for John G. Avildsen when released in 1984, going on to launch a number of sequels, remakes (including a change of gender) and an incredibly popular and long running TV series “Cobra Kai”, which picks up the story in present day using nearly all the original cast. Any paper from the series is hugely collectable with the first release, 1984 country of origin, US one-sheet (as offered here) the most sought after. Like many film posters from the period it’s an early example of photo-shopping, which in this case really works well, with a silhouetted Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) the main focus as he is about the perform the iconic ‘crane kick’. Presented in excellent rolled (as issued) condition, it truly is superb and a marvellous item of collectable cinematic memorabilia from an extremely popular franchise.
Trivia: The yellow classic automobile that Daniel polishes in the famous “wax-on/wax-off” training scene, then later offered by Mr. Miyagi as Daniel’s birthday gift, was actually given to Ralph Macchio by the producer, and he still owns it. The car is a 1948 Ford Super De Luxe.
…more detailVintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +
“California, 1984. Having left Newark’s cold winters behind him, shy Daniel LaRusso moves with his widowed mother to the Reseda neighbourhood in sunny Los Angeles. But Daniel must find his feet. Of course, fitting in is easier said than done. And as if new beginnings weren’t challenging enough, a vicious gang of local karate bullies have set their sights on making life miserable for the young newcomer, in and out of school. With no one to turn to for advice, Daniel has a pivotal encounter with Mr Miyagi, the building’s inscrutable caretaker and unexpected master martial arts mentor. As the grizzled Karate expert takes Daniel under his wing, the teacher and student embark on a life-changing journey of friendship and self-discovery. However, does the inexperienced LaRusso and Mr Miyagi’s compassionate Okinawan defence style stand a chance against Cobra Kai Dojo’s brutal Johnny Lawrence, the two-time winner of the All Valley Under-18 Golden Trophy?”
“The Karate Kid” is the tale of Daniel Laruso (Ralph Macchio), a young man who, on the heels of his mother’s finding a new job, is uprooted from Newark, New Jersey, to the sunny shores of California. Daniel’s mother (Randee Heller) has visions of a new start, a new life with the sky as the limit. Daniel, however, quickly finds that, for him, the West Coast holds nothing but hard times.
With the comforts of his rough, middle-class neighborhood thousands of miles away, Daniel tries to make friends and blend with the well-to-do, upper-class kids in his new home. At first, Daniel seems to do alright but, before long, he crosses paths with Johnny (William Zabka), the tough, rich leader of a group of karate students who attends Daniel’s new school. To make matters worse, Johnny is the ex-boyfriend of Ali (Elisabeth Shue), a girl Daniel is pursuing.
Enter Miyagi (Pat Morita), an aging handy-man who works at Daniel’s apartment building. Struggling for friends and failing to fit in, Daniel finds support in Miyagi. After enduring several beatings at the hands of Johnny and his gang, Daniel comes to learn that Miyagi, in fact, knows karate. Following a vain attempt to speak with Johnny’s karate teacher (Martin Kove) about being left alone, Daniel is suddenly entered into the All-Valley Karate Tournament, where he will attempt to win the respect that Johnny and his gang have taken.
As he trains for the karate tournament with Miyagi, Daniel learns invaluable lessons about life and love. And brought to the foreground of this karate story is Daniel’s pursuit of Ali, who truly is the single person who gave the new kid a chance.
On many levels, “The Karate Kid” is an uplifting movie. It illustrates how a lonely, out-of-place kid triumphs against the odds, and the movie doesn’t need computer-animation or special effects to get its story across. But, for me and anyone who loves ’80s movies, the “The Karate Kid” has to be appreciated for its nostalgia trip back to “better times.” For that reason alone, this movie is a classic.
I’ve enjoyed few movies, if any, more than “The Karate Kid” I highly recommend this flick to anyone who loves a touching, uplifting story, or to anyone who simply can’t get out of the ’80s.
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.
