Film
Once Upon a Time in the West
1969
UK Quad (30" x 40") Single Sided
UK (Great Britain)
Near Mint / Originally rolled (as issued)
Sergio Leone
Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Gabriele Ferzetti, Henry Fonda, Jack Elam, Jason Robards, Keenan Wynn, Lionel Stander, Woody Strode
The Holy Grail of western movie posters…a 1969 UK quad film poster for Sergio Leone’s epic western masterpiece “Once Upon a Time in the West”. With career best artwork by Frank McCarthy this is an exceptional ROLLED example where the layout is perfectly suited by the landscape format of a UK quad. The use of perspective and ‘frozen’ motion is awesome and really needs to be seen in the flesh to be fully appreciated. Offered here is the highest quality “Once Upon a Time in the West″ film poster to come to market for a very long time. As you would expect colours are deep and unfaded and literally ‘pop’ from the paper. Totally original and unrestored in flawless rolled (as issued) condition…It is easily the best example of this poster I have ever offered for sale and represents a true investment grade piece of original highly collectable cinema movie memorabilia. A true cinematic masterpiece and one of the greatest western films ever made, by one of the greatest exponents of the genre.
…more detailVintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +
“Once upon a Time in the West“ isSergio Leone‘s masterpiece and certainly one of the best Westerns of all time… It is beautifully shot, perfectly cast, ambitious, erotic, humorous and wonderfully scored by Leone’s regular composerEnnio Morricone, whose haunting melodies are just as important as the widely separated dialog occurring on the action.
The film opens with an extreme close-ups ofJack Elam, Woody Strode and Lionel Stander waiting at a station for Charles Bronson…Henry Fonda has sent them to kill him.
The railroad wants a property for its water well belonging to the newly widowed Claudia Cardinale, a fancy lady from New Orleans who just arrived in Flagstone and learns about the tragedy… We would come to understand, much later, Claudia Cardinale’s role as the bearer of water, life, and continuity to the civilization of the New West.
Fonda, a despicable hired gun, kills her husband and orders, without a twinge of guilt, the slaughter of the entire family, innocents women and children.
Henry Fonda, in a chilling performance, plays the cold-blooded murderer, the most vicious villain in Westerns history to ever ride the big country… the blue ice-eyed child killer, gunning down a 9-year old boy.
Bronson as ‘The Man‘ is like Clint Eastwood ‘The Man With No Name,’ with only one thing in common: they are the most ruthless heroes in Westerns history sharing the same character in their quality ‘not’ to say much in their need of emotions, in their fast draw, in their disinterest in women, in their air of mystery and in their macabre sense of humour.
Their differences are also very clear: ‘The Man With No Name’ has no past whatsoever, and ‘The Man’ is motivated by revenge to settle an old personal score.
Claudia Cardinale plays Jill, the well-proportioned, husky-voiced beauty, the lady, the businesswoman, the maker of coffee involved with Fonda in an incredible perverse erotic sequence…
The blood, the violence, the humoor, the several gunfights and the final showdown have been constants in Leone’s Westerns since “A Fistful of Dollars“.
The highlights of his movie are so many: Leone’s overwhelming shot when he raises his camera over the Flagstone train station office revealing the sprawling town; when he replaces a shot of a smoking gun with a shot of a smoking train; when he uses close-ups instead of dialog to reveal what a character is thinking; and the striking use of his extreme close-up in the final shootout… Leone builds up tension by slowly circling his two characters, focusing with his camera on their eyes, hands and guns while the level of the music is raised to evoke the action.
Leone’s film is a brave epic Western, extremely violent, immensely powerful… It’s above all fable and fantasy, as the desire for revenge is childish and fruitless… It is the essence of a great filmmaker.
Trade Address:
Vintage Movie Posters (UK) Limited
The Malthouse
The Broadway
Old Amersham
HP7 0HL
© 2024 Vintage Movie Posters
Registered Office Address: Vintage Movie Posters (UK) Limited, Aston House, Cornwall Avenue, London N3 1LF GB
Registered Company No: 07664517
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.
