Considering that the world was at war during the first half of the decade and much of it still in ruins during the second half, the 1940s were an extraordinary fertile period for the cinema. This was the heyday of directors such as Orson Wells (Citizen Kane, The Lady from Shanghai and The Third Man), Alfred Hitchcock (Notorious, Rope, Spellbound and Suspicion), Powell and Pressberger (Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes) and Jean Cocteau (La Belle et la Bete, Orphee); and of stars like Rita Hayworth, Ingrid Bergman, Betty Grable, Laurence Olivier, Clark Gable, Robert Mitchum and, of course, the incomparable Bogart and Bacall. Most lists of all-time favourites will include a host of 40s movies such as Casablanca and Brief Encounter. Surprisingly, perhaps, the decade produced relatively few memorable war films, though Twelve O'Clock High and the March of Time documentary series are notable exceptions. Indeed the setting that most characteristic of the cinema of the 1940s is not the battlefield, but the dark alleys and mean streets of the noir genre, represented here by titles such as The Blue Dahlia, The Big Sleep, Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon, The Postman Always Rings Twice and Gilda. Not only are these movies enduring classics, they also inspired some of the greatest poster art in the cinema's history and, as always in this series of books, it is fascinating to see how the subjects were treated by European and other poster artists as well as the American originals. In Europe, the age of postwar austerity saw the beginnings of Ealing's classic comedies with Kind Hearts and Coronets, two of Olivier's interpretations of Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet and Macbeth, and the revival of the French and Italian film industries with movies like Les Enfants du Paradis and Rome Open City. Add to this list a pot pourri of miscellaneous titles ranging from Abbott and Costello in Hollywood to Ziegfield Follies, and you have ten years' worth of movie posters quite as memorable and evocative as anything from previous volumes in this bestselling series.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Tony Nourmand is the co-owner of the Reel Poster Gallery in London. He regularly travels the world in search of rare and desirable posters and advises a major London auction house on its film poster sales. Graham Marsh is a designer and art director whose previous work includes highly successful books on the Blue Note album covers. Together they have edited earlier volumes on Film Poster of the 50s, 60s 70s and 80s as well as Hitchcock Poster Art, all published by Aurum Press.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Tony Nourmand is co-founder of Reel Art Press and editor of all R|A|P publications.
Tony launched Reel Art Press in the spring of 2010, with inaugural publications, The Rat Pack and Bill Gold: PosterWorks, released in the autumn of that year to worldwide press acclaim. The company continues to go from strength to strength and 2011 has already seen the release of the celebrated Weddings and Movie Stars. Hollywood And The Ivy Look is the fourth book released by R|A|P.
Tony is also the author of a further sixteen books on entertainment-related imagery. They have sold over a million copies worldwide and are recognized as authoritative texts. Titles include James Bond Movie Posters, Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years, The Godfather in Pictures and Stars and Cars. He also co-authored Hitchcock Poster Art and co-edited a series of books with Graham Marsh on movie poster art by the decade and by genre.
Before launching Reel Art Press, Tony was renowned as a world expert on original vintage film posters. He co-owned The Reel Poster Gallery in London for twenty years and was also the Christie's London consultant for Vintage Film Posters.
Tony launched Reel Art Press in the spring of 2010, with inaugural publications, The Rat Pack and Bill Gold: PosterWorks, released in the autumn of that year to worldwide press acclaim. The company continues to go from strength to strength and 2011 has already seen the release of the celebrated Weddings and Movie Stars. Hollywood And The Ivy Look is the fourth book released by R|A|P.
Tony is also the author of a further sixteen books on entertainment-related imagery. They have sold over a million copies worldwide and are recognized as authoritative texts. Titles include James Bond Movie Posters, Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years, The Godfather in Pictures and Stars and Cars. He also co-authored Hitchcock Poster Art and co-edited a series of books with Graham Marsh on movie poster art by the decade and by genre.
Before launching Reel Art Press, Tony was renowned as a world expert on original vintage film posters. He co-owned The Reel Poster Gallery in London for twenty years and was also the Christie's London consultant for Vintage Film Posters.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a must-have for film buffs,
This review is from: Film Posters of the 40s (Film Posters of the Decade) (Paperback)
Just think about it - what are the movies you enjoy watching over and over again? "Casablanca" will probably top most lists. Which movie does your family gather to watch each holiday season? The feel-good "It's A Wonderful Life," of course. "Citizen Kane" is probably in the running for one of your all-time favorites, as is "Gilda" with an unforgettable performance by Rita Hayworth.As you may know, all of these films are from the 40s, often called the golden age of Hollywood. And now, in this collectible volume are found the stunning movie posters that served as advertisements in those days. There's "Key Largo" with Bogart and Bacall about to lock lips; "The Maltese Falcon" boasting the sinister stare of Peter Lorre, and what was steamier than "The Postman always Rings Twice" with Lana Turner and John Garfield? "Film Posters of the 40s" holds 118 full color illustrations of these posters highlighting your favorite stars in their most memorable roles. It's a must-have for film and entertainment buffs. - Gail Cooke
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Memories,
By
This review is from: Film Posters of the 40s: The Essential Movies of the Decade (Paperback)
This marvelous collection of movie posters from the '40s sure brought back a flood of memories to this older viewer (71). As with all collections of this type, there will be many movies, that are favorites of other readers, that have been left out, but likewise, there are several that I was not familiar with myself. Some of these, especially in "Film Noir", I will be looking for to view in the near future. The printing and binding of this volume are very well done, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject of movies. I also have several other books in this series that are equally good. All recommended.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
