A Century of Movie Posters: From Silent to Art House
The film noir revival is still booming, so Eddie Muller's glossyArt of Noir[BKL D 15 02] won't immediately yield to this far more comprehensive poster survey in movie buffs' hearts. Graphic design specialist King's album isn't to be sniffed at, though. She presents hundreds of posters essentially chronologically in four chapters: "The Birth of Cinema," "The Rise and Fall of the Studios," "New Wave and Blockbusters," and "The Dawn of the Multiplex." If those titles seem to emphasize commercialism, well, this is advertising art, Bunkie! Each chapter contains, after a brief sketch of relevant film-industry history, two- to four-page subchapters grouping posters by style, director, studio, actor, nationality, or, rarely, poster artist. The color throughout seems true to the source posters, a few of which are faded. King's commentary is always intelligent (if, a few times, factually awry), though movie buffs may differ with her about how well certain posters express their movies' themes.Ray OlsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved