Selling the Movie: The art of the film poster

Ian Haydn Smith

Hardcover | 24.13 x 3.18 x 29.21 cm | 287 pp

University of Texas | 2018 | 9781477317730

This book charts the history of the movie poster from both a creative and a commercial perspective. It includes sections focusing on poster artists, the development of styles, the influence of politics and ideology, and how commerce played a role in the film poster’s development. The book is richly illustrated with poster art from many countries and all eras of filmmaking.

From creating the brand of Charlie Chaplin’s tramp and marketing the elusive mystique of Greta Garbo, to the history of the blockbuster, the changing nature of graphic design by the decade, and the role of the poster in the digital age, Selling the Movie is an entertaining and enthralling journey through cinema, art, and the business of attracting audiences to the box office.