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Letter To Brezhnev

£95.00

Film

Letter To Brezhnev

Additional information

Year

1985

Size/Type

UK Quad / Single Sided / (30" x 40")

Country of Origin

British / UK

Condition

Near mint minus – Very fine plus / originally folded (as issued)

Director

Chris Bernard

Actor/Actress

Alexandra Pigg, Alfred Molina, Margi Clarke, Peter Firth

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“…you think that the president of the Soviet Union could possibly interested in your… dilemma ?”

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A rare original country of origin 1985 UK quad film poster for Chris Bernard’s “Letter To Brezhnev” designed and illustrated by the British punk illustrator and designer, Jamie Reid, the artist responsible for most of the Sex Pistols’ influential graphics. This poster is featured in Sim Branaghan’s excellent book British Film Posters. He says of the poster and Palace Pictures – “The British producer and distributor, Palace pictures, maintained a higher design standard than most with the poster for Letter to Brezhnev one of the very last genuinely distinctive artist-designed British film posters”. Originally folded (as issued) this excellent example presents exceptionally well and represents a fine piece of collectable memorabilia from one of Punk’s best known artists.

Trivia: The script was written in only two weeks and the film was shot in three weeks.

 …more detail

Vintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +

Film Description

Letter To Brezhnev Movie Poster

“Two Soviet sailors, Peter and Sergei, go ashore in Liverpool to spend one night on the town. Peter can speak a minimal amount of English but it’s enough to make contact with two Liverpudlian natives, Elaine and Theresa. Elaine and Peter immediately fall in love with each other, but the night is short and they must leave with the ship. Elaine can’t forget him and writes a letter to Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev, asking him to make it possible for them to reunite.”

Taking place during the ‘Cold War’ – Letter to Brezhnev describes two people falling in love during a time of massive unemployment and recession in the U.K. The main characters are Elaine (Alexandra Pigg) and Theresa (Margi Clarke), two friends who are very different from each other. Elaine is unemployed, bored of her own life and the people around her. Theresa works in a chicken factory and is the opposite of Elaine – she tries to enjoy life, in her own way which involves drinking, having casual sex and taking opportunities when they arise. Elaine and Theresa meet two Russian sailors in a nightclub, Peter (Peter Firth) and Sergei (Alfred Molina) and Elaine falls in love with Peter and after he gets back on his ship she decides to go to Communist Russia to be with him, but it doesn’t seem so easy to do. In the 1980’s there was a big difference between the countries on either side of the ‘Iron Curtain’. There was seen to be more freedom in the Capitalist West than the Communist East…The film shows the negative side of the lives of independent, ‘free’ women in the West; it tries to show that life in the West at that time was not what we are led to believe. Although we do not see life in Russia in the film, we are told there is work for all people there. For Elaine, Russia represents a happy life, a new start and hope for a job and a family. The film also shows the attitudes of the British to Russia, where they say there is no freedom and that Elaine may lose the opportunity to come back to her country. In my opinion, this film is propaganda for Russia as the director shows us the way that the British government constructed their own propaganda against Russia. Throughout the film the director shows us why life in the U.K. is no better, or may be worse, than life in Russia. We don’t know if Elaine will be happier in Russia but she will have followed her heart and dreams.

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.

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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.