POSTER OF THE MONTH - January 2012
Peau d'Ane (Donkey Skin) 1970
Jim Leon
62" x 45 1/2"
A-,P
Movie posters have always represented a peculiar challenge to us here at I Desire. Although there are instances of brilliant graphic design having been invested in film promotion, we have found most movie posters to be not our cup of tea.
But here we have an item not simply rising to Surrealist weirdness and beauty, in accordance with the Surreal nature of the film. A Princess skedaddles away from the Palace due to her widower father wanting to marry her. One of the subterfuges (to put him off) has been to have him present her with the pelt of a jewels and gold producing donkey, as her wedding dress, which she promptly uses as a disguise in a distant forest. I love how the designer, Jim Leon, suggests a second, loving and uncanny donkey, facing the first, and sharing the same mouth.
This film and its poster are thrillingly implicated in the goings-on of the 2011 film by Lars von Trier, Melancholia.
Click here to inquire about this poster.
POSTER OF THE MONTH - February 2012
Winter Bewitches c.1950
Rod Ruth
38 1/4" x 28"
A,L
What better way to promote the speed and grace of Greyhound Bus service, than to bring to the fore a lovely figure skater gliding amidst an inclement but picturesque winter snowfall. The deftness of the trail she etches on the ice serves as a reminder of the skill and sound human qualities that go into a trip on a Greyhound.
Over and above its promotional subtleties and strengths, this litho somehow captures its 1950s era of down-to-earth, modest pleasures. (There is nothing here of the x-rated figure skating motifs of our time.) And it conjures a time when winter was a bewitching wonderland to be appreciated in intimate, solitary ways.
Click here to inquire about this poster.
POSTER OF THE MONTH - March 2012
Moulin Rouge 1952
Anonymous
63"x47"
B+,L
Even though this poster gives us a spa-treatment gloss upon the perpetually-bad-hair-days of the film narrative, it is not only delightful but unwittingly instructive about the workings of a fascinatingly divided dramatic production. John Huston's take upon the life of artist (and posterist), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, coming to light, way back, when movies had to be careful about how much mystery they'd offer, made sure of box office success and personal survival by inviting the viewers to misconstrue its efforts as a heartwarming melodrama. But its songs included a couplet fully in line with the poster's sensual mystery and invitation to adventure---"Wine can make you true/ But a man can make you truer."
Click here to inquire about this poster.
POSTER OF THE MONTH - April 2012
Persil 1946
Donald Brun
50" x 35 1/4"
A-,L
Spring being a time for getting up to speed the things at home, we thought we'd go in that direction rather than display any ravishing Impressionistic tributes to the fabulous greenery of the season. Domestic activities need not, however, be dull, and what better way to prove that than Donald Brun's creation of this homebody with breathtaking attitude. From that little red tornado her Mom's made from her hair, and down to those leopard skin slippers, we're in for a moment not only golden but enlivened---in keeping with Springtime.
Click here to inquire about this poster.
