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Time Bandits

£75.00

Film

Time Bandits

Additional information

Year

1981

Size/Type

UK Quad (30" x 40") Single Sided

Country of Origin

UK / British

Condition

Very fine plus – originally folded (as issued) – foldlines are very soft as poster has been stored flat for a considerable time.

Director

Terry Gilliam

Actor/Actress

Craig Warnock, David Rappaport, David Warner, Ian Holm, Jack Purvis, Jim Broadbent, John Cleese, Katherine Helmond, Kenny Baker, Malcolm Dixon, Michael Palin, Mike Edmonds, Peter Vaughan, Ralph Richardson, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Tiny Ross

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“They didn’t make history, they stole it!”

This British quad for Terry Gilliam‘s time-travelling fantasy features artwork by the director himself. His signature can be seen to the bottom right of the castle and a more scribbly ‘Gilliam’ is subtly hidden in the background hills. It’s a surreal highly detailed grid perspective poster design that has a great like quality. “Time Bandits” is one of the director’s best, in my opinion, and features typically brilliant imagery combined with a great cast, including a few surprising cameos. The original 1981 country of origin UK quad film poster offered here presents to excellent effect with amazing graphics and depth of colour. Originally folded (as issued) this fine example looks fantastic and represents a fine and rare example very collectable original movie memorabilia.

 …more detail

Vintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +

Film Description

Time Bandits Movie Poster

“All the dreams you’ve ever had and not just the good ones”

Finding Terry Gilliam‘s Time Bandits in the bargain bin at the local movie store was too good a deal for me to pass up, and I’m so glad I didn’t! This movie is probably one of the greatest modern-day fantasies I’ve seen, due primarily to the amazing vision of Gilliam. I was disappointed with it on my first viewing years ago, expecting a rehash of Monty Python material, but yesterday watching it I just couldn’t stop grinning. This movie knows its sources, and sends them up right.

For starters, I love how Gilliam handled the boy ‘hero’ (Craig Warnock)in “Bandits”. He’s not anyone spectacular, aside from an active imagination (over and above his banal parents), and he really doesn’t contribute much to the story-it simply passes him by. Most of the other characters don’t like him that much even. (the “stinking Kevin” line just makes me howl!) He’s also not that cute, which is a rarity with child actors and which sinks most films with them. Plus, the danger of the story doesn’t stop at him, as shown by the rather sobering finale. No ‘It’s all a dream’ type cop-out here. Having studied the form of the fantasy as explained by Tolkien myself, Gilliam obviously understands how it works.

Of course, because it works, “Time Bandits” is just plain fun. The plot’s out of nowhere-just kind of trips along through time and space and stranger things. Napoleon (Ian Holm)as a height-obsessed drunkard? Robin Hood (John Cleese)as the aloof, unlikely leader of a band of violent, too-merry men? Agamemnon (Sean Connery) as the ideal father figure? It’s all here, plus the technocratic, pyromaniac “Evil” (David Warner) vs. the Supreme Being (Ralph Richardson). Ah, you always knew He was an staid Englishman in a pinstripe suit, didn’t you? (“Dead? No excuse for laying off work.”)

Perhaps it’s not Gilliam’s masterpiece, as Brazil could be argued for that…though one could also argue “Time Bandits” gives a bleaker perspective through the contrast of the fun and whimsy. If our reality is depressing now, and Kevin’s was, is the fulfillment of our fantasies any better? Perhaps Randall said it best himself – “Heroes, bah! What do they know about an honest day’s work?”

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.