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The Graduate / The Thomas Crown Affair

£395.00

Film

The Graduate / The Thomas Crown Affair

Additional information

Year

1969

Size/Type

UK Quad / (30″ x 40″) / Single Sided / Printed in England by Lonsdale & Bartholomew Ltd

Country of Origin

UK / British

Condition

Near mint minus; originally rolled (as issued)

Director

Norman Jewison, Mike Nichols

Actor/Actress

Addison Powell, Anne Bancroft, Astrid Heeren, Biff McGuire, Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Gordon Pinsent, Jack Weston, Katharine Ross, Murray Hamilton, Paul Burke, Steve McQueen, Yaphet Kotto

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“The First Lesson in SEX…The last word in CRIME !”

A fantastic double-bill poster from the late 1960’s that features two of the 60’s most iconic and memorable film poster designs. Incredibly rare this original 1969 British UK quad movie poster for “The Graduate / The Thomas Crown Affair” is a beautiful moment of the time piece. The artwork for “The Graduate” is shamefully unattributed, which is amazing considering it has gone on to become one of the great and most recognisable film poster designs ever. The Italian artist Arnaldo Putzu was responsible for the standalone UK quad (1968) for “The Thomas Crown Affair” and it is his design that is adapted for the double bill. Incidentally Putzu design is unique to the UK and totally different to the US campaign. Both films have a huge following and with this pristine example you would be hard pressed to find a better one. Totally original and unrestored this rolled (as issued) poster presents and displays to exceptional effect and represents a superb example of genuinely scarce film memorabilia featuring one of Hollywood’s greatest romantic comedy’s and a heist movie that has become one of McQueen’s signature roles. Both classic and very COOL!

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Trivia: Both films feature award winning soundtracks with a Best Music Oscar win for The Windmills of the Mind (The Thomas Crown Affair) & a Grammy for The Graduate which featured Simon & Garfunkel’s Mrs. Robinson and The Sound of Silence.

 

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Film Description

The Graduate / The Thomas Crown Affair Movie Poster

“This is Benjamin. He’s a little worried about his future.” I’m not sure why evil, decadent Mrs. Robinson sets her sights on dazed and shy college grad Benjamin Braddock, son of the middle-aged couple she and her husband socialize with; it’s never really explained, and neither is Benjamin’s sexual past (it’s hinted that he’s a virgin when they end up in a hotel room together). It’s also not explained why Mrs. Robinson definitely does not want Benjamin to get to know her daughter (she’s angrily adamant about it, even willing to expose her own affair to prevent the two kids from going out for a drive!). Despite the gaps in the narrative and the lapses in logic (and taste, some might say), The Graduate is still a landmark film, crystallizing the helplessness of the ’60s. Surprisingly, the ultimate theme of the movie is love–an impulsive, rebellious kind of love, but still the rather old-fashioned notion of love conquering all. And yet this brings up another question: is Benjamin really in love with sweet college girl Elaine or is she just a conquest? Or maybe the best thorn he can stick in Mrs. Robinson’s side? Benjmain is told he cannot see her, he cannot have her, and that surely fuels his desire to marry her. The film presents love as the answer, but then (with an amusing, sobering final shot) second-guesses itself. The Graduate doesn’t dig too deeply, it’s lightweight (even with Dustin Hoffman‘s outburst in the church–the only time the movie gets some fury going), but it does take chances; it wasn’t ahead of its time, it just came along at the right time and is still a relevant, glossy modern comedy.

“He was young, handsome, a millionaire – and he’d just pulled off the perfect crime! She was young, beautiful, a super sleuth – sent to investigate it !” The Thomas Crown Affair is for fans of the 60’s era not just 60’s movies. It is a vehicle for displaying Steve McQueen‘s cool and Faye Dunaway‘s style. Made and set in an age when only the hippest were members of the jet set. Besides the two stars, look for solid performances from a very young Yaphet Kotto and the always disgusting Jack Weston…The film itself is well crafted, beautifully photographed and brilliantly directed, it also has a great score. Jewison makes use of the split screen effect, several places in the film. While not only visually interesting, it also captures something of the essence of the era. Few people today will realise the significance of the split screen effect, as they don’t remember Montreal’s Expo/67…While essentially a cool heist flic, and one of the first, this film is much more. It is a subtle study of human behaviour and the basic characteristics of man and woman. McQueen is the bored rich playboy and Dunaway is the cool, yet seductive private eye, who is not above using her feminine charms to solve a case. From time to time, the film hints at Crown’s inner crisis, he is constantly in need of distraction, to prevent himself from dwelling on the fact that his life is essentially empty and meaningless…Throughout the film, McQueen and Dunaway play a cat and mouse game, both on the professional level and also on the sexual level. The sexual tension during the chess game for example is so palpable, you can’t help but be drawn in, dwelling on every stroke of Dunaway’s fingers and every twitch on McQueen’s face…The ending of this film gives us some real insight into the true nature of the relationships between men and women…A modern masterpiece of a movie.

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.