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Turtle Diary

£295.00

Film

Turtle Diary

Additional information

Year

1985

Size/Type

UK Quad (30" x 40") Single Sided

Country of Origin

UK / British

Condition

Very Fine plus; originally folded (as issued)

Director

John Irvin

Actor/Actress

Glenda Jackson, Richard Johnson, Ben Kingsley, Michael Gambon

SOLD - this item is sold. Please browse our currently available stock

“They share a strange and amusing obsession.”

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Although his name was regularly used in the title and associated with a number of movies “Turtle Diary” is one of only two film posters designed and painted by the legendary pop artist Andy Warhol (the other being “Querelle”). Opening in only a small number of art-house cinemas John Irvin’s film (with a Harold Pinter screenplay) met with critical success but sadly faired poorly commercially, making these Warhol designed posters (Andy Warhol’s distinctive signature is printed centrally above the right flipper of the turtle). incredibly scarce with likely less than 50 left in circulation. Originally folded (as issued) and presented in excellent condition; it really is stunning with incredible strong colours and perfectly suited to the landscape format of the UK quad film poster. A most collectable film poster by one of our greatest modern artist’s and a truly fine item of original British film movie memorabilia presented in high grade condition.

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Vintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +

Film Description

Turtle Diary Movie Poster

“Two separate people, a man and a woman, find something very stirring about the sea turtles in their tank at the London Zoo. They meet and form an odd, but sympathetic camaraderie as they plan to steal two of the turtles and free them into the ocean.”

Turtle Diary is the story of two withdrawn, pathologically shy Londoners, one a dedicated bachelor (Ben Kingsley) and the other an author of children’s books (Glenda Jackson), conspire to hijack a trio of sea turtles from a local zoo and liberate them into the English Channel, coming out of their own shells (so to speak) in the process.

It sounds trite, but what saves Turtle Diary from becoming a starry-eyed promotion for Greenpeace is its refusal to rely strictly on charm. The screenplay by Harold Pinter (a refreshingly straightforward adaptation of the novel by Russell Hoban) is built entirely on small gestures and quiet epiphanies, with none of the expected emotional overkill or cheap inspirational grandstanding (there is, for example, no awkward romantic subplot tacked on to the adventure). Glenda Jackson and Ben Kingsley both give typically immaculate performances, and the film itself is likewise quite exhilarating, in its own understated, unassuming sort of way.

 

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.