Monday, October 22, 2007

Polish Film Poster of the Week (10/22-10/28)


This week: Raider of the Lost Ark (1983); artist: Jakub Erol.

Ed's Thoughts: An H.R. Geiger vision of Indiana Jones. No less disturbing is the alternate poster displayed below, also created in 1983, by Grzegorz Marszalek.

What interests me about these images is that the Polish, so much closer to the issue than the Americans who created the film, see the use of Nazis as the villains in Raiders of the Lost Ark as establishing a dark, horrific tone. Whereas U.S. distribution sold it as an adventurous romp fit for the whole family. And yet, though the general level of sensitivity is obviously much lower, it is in America that the use of the swastika on a poster would be taboo.

5 comments:

Greg said...

Ed,

May I humbly recommend for a future posting the poster for The Omen designed by Andrzej Klimowski. If you have not seen it prepare to have your jaw drop to the ground. It's quite... well it's... it's something else.

And on a congratulatory note may I say I never thought anyone would carve a niche for himself as the blogger with the Polish Film Posters. You're one of a kind Ed.

Eddie Hardy said...

Thanks for the kind words, Jonathan. OMEN is a seriously creepy poster but my favorite Klimowski is probably for NASHVILLE. (Notwithstanding last week's two-shot of Klimowksi doing Jarmusch.)

Anonymous said...

Ed- the poster of the week is killer! Klimowski is just too good.

In other news, the Double Bill-a-thon is already under way and is on for two more days. I've been wondering why you haven't posted something yet. It'd be great to have your take on this. Come join the party!

Eddie Hardy said...

Gautam: Yep, there's a reason why Klimowski is the rockstar of Polish poster artists.

As far as the double-bill-a-thon goes, I'm preparing a Double Dose of Seijun Suzuki... I just have to get off my ass and finish it!

Anonymous said...

Seijun Suzuki? Excellent! I'll be eagerly awaiting your post.