I picked these posters up at the Winter Memorabilia Event in Birmingham. I had all but given up hope on locating an original quad poster for the documentary American: The Bill Hicks Story (Matt Harlock, Paul Thomas, 2009) but was fortunate to find that a regular poster dealer that I use had several for sale. Though I thought the documentary was well made and featured welcome commercially released footage, it still missed out many fascinating stories from Hicks' life. For me, Hicks was the greatest comedian of all time and I am so pleased to have this poster in my collection. Now I just need somewhere to hang it.

One of my sought after posters has been the British quad of John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). It uses different artwork to the one that was used for the US one-sheet that also features on the front cover of the DVD and Blu-Ray releases. The British quad commands high prices and, combined with my lack of wall space, is therefore a no go. Fortunately, the Belgian poster uses the same artwork and the small size of Belgian posters means they are easy to hang and cheaper to frame. They are also cheaper to purchase. I was pleased to find the poster for a reasonable price at the Event. I had it framed, using high quality glass to protect it from sunlight.

I apologise for the poor quality of the photographs but it is really hard to take pictures of framed posters without any reflections.

When I turned thirty last month, I decided to have my Locandina poster for my favourite film Profondo Rosso (Dario Argento, 1975) restored and framed.  When I purchased it off of eBay I was a bit disappointed to find that it had more damage than I had antipated; the seller's vague description and low resolution pictures being mostly to blame.  Intially I had decided to locate a Locandina that was in better quality but all that turned up on eBay were of a similar condition; unsurprising for a film that is now 35 years old.

So, I decided to use the services of London based poster restorer Alain Bourgouin.  Alain is regularly recommended on discussion fora and by those in the poster collecting community.  I asked Alain to linen-back the poster and restore it to the best quality possible.  This was done for a lower price than I had expected.  After a few weeks wait, I recieved the poster and was stunned by the quality of the restoration.  Gone were the tears and the creases were minimised to such an extent that they are pretty much unnoticeable.  The biggest difference, however, is that made by the deacidification process.  The colours are now much more vibrant and the poster looks brand new.  It is easy to see why Alain is regarded as one of the best poster restorers in the country.

I took the poster to the ever reliable Birmingham company The Framers who are based in the Custard Factory and they have perfectly framed the poster and used a high quality 'museum glass' to protect the poster from UV light and help to preserve the poster.  Their prices are unbeatable. 

The restored, framed Locandina now hangs proudly on my home office wall.  Before and after pictures can be found below.

Excellent service from www.kinoart.net, especially considering that I ordered this poster from them on Thursday. The poster is not in perfect condition but it is still a bargain.

 

While browsing the excellent poster site KinoArt I happened to notice that they were selling the US One-Sheet of Rolling Thunder.  This usually sells for anywhere between $60 and $100 dollars on eBay so I was pleased to buy for just £16.  If only an independent label would be willing to license this film from MGM/Sony for a DVD or Blu-Ray release.  It is by far one of the best revenge films ever made.  Looks like my fan DVD, built using a rip of an American HDTV broadcast, will have to suffice for now.

Peur Sur La Ville is one of my all time favourite films.  Think Dirty Harry (Don Siegel, 1970) meets giallo and you get some idea of what this film is about.  I am not one for hyperbole but the stunts that Jean Paul Belmondo performs in this film are jaw droppingly awesome.  He hangs off of the edge of high-rise buildings, walks along the top of a speeding train and dangles from a helicopter.  How this film has never received more exposure is completely beyond me.  I have been looking a poster for this film for some time but have been put of by the disappointing artwork on some of them.  I recently lost an auction for the original French poster but was very happy to find a US one-sheet poster in excellent condition on eBay this afternoon for a decent price. 

Here are some more of the posters I have in my collection.

I picked up the posters I had framed by The Framers who are based in the Custard Factory, Birmingham.  As I stated in an earlier post, their prices are the best I have come across for getting movie posters framed and the quality is excellent.  The Exorcist (1973) 1999 release British Quad looks great framed and now hangs proudly on my office wall.  The others are equally as impressive.  So, if you need to get your movie poster framed contact The Framers and tell them I recommended them to you.  If you do not live in the West Midlands they will send out framed posters via courier provided that you cover the costs.  Even with courier costs it would still work out cheaper than having it framed else where.  The Cinema Store charges £80 for a Quad poster frame, plus shipping.

Another new arrival.  I used to have a reprint of the original 1971 US one-sheet on my office wall but I had succumbed to age and wear.  This poster was for the BFI screening several years ago.  Apparently, some of these BFI reprints are quite hard to come by which is not surprising considering the quality of the posters.  Not bad for £10.