I was trolling through the recently uploaded posters on gigposters, waiting for something to jump out at me for this week’s Print Tease, and surprisingly nothing did. Sure, there were some fine posters buried in there, but nothing grabbed me. So I decided to take this week to highlight an unbelievably cool ongoing series of movie posters put out by the Alamo Drafthouse.
Normally we are looking at gig posters, but these prints are gig posters. Beginning in 2005, the Alamo took their reels on the road with the first Rolling Roadshow, a summer tour of outdoor screenings. Not only are they showing films outside, they’re showing “famous films in famous places.” This means they showed The Warriors in Coney Island, and Escape From Alcatraz actually on Alcatraz Island. Thankfully for us poster and movie fans, they’ve been hooking up with some great talent for each stop along the way.
In 2008 the Austin outfit is moving their show overseas, showing three Sergio Leone films in Spain, and they’ve expanded poster production to events outside of the official Rolling Roadshow including screenings of Big Trouble in Little China and Iron Man. Keep reading for some of my personal highlights and some of the most recent addition to the series.
Diana Sudyka – Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Jay Ryan – Pretty in Pink
Two of the most recent additions come from the formidable duo of Jay Ryan and Diana Sudyka. I believe this is Sudyka’s first print for the Alamo, and it was actually for a special Mother’s Day screening of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I love the portrait and I’m sure the split fade into the patterned background looks great on paper.
Jay has been contributing prints to the Roadshow since its inception. He’s lent designs to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, A Christmas Story, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and 2001 before this most recent print for Pretty in Pink. The text rendered as chalk lines is a very cool concept, and the extreme perspective really pulls you down into the print.
Todd Slater – Goldfinger
Todd Slater’s print for a 2007 screening of Goldfinger at Fort Knox is an absolute standout in my opinion. Sean Connery rendered in gold bricks looks perfect, and the screen shots from the move are printed in a black varnish that only appears in the background at certain angles.
Jeff Kleinsmith – North By Northwest
Although considerably less flashy than Slater’s Goldfiner, Kleinsmith’s poster for the North By Northwest screening at Mt. Rushmore works so well. Its size, the print measures in at 23″x33″, makes it feel like a real throwback movie poster. It’s easy to read from far away, but Kleinsmith still rewards a close up view. In the central man’s right eye you can make out the plain coming after him. Subtle details like that make this poster a great addition to the Rolling Roadshow canon.
A number of Alamo posters are still available, including the Sergio Leone series, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the Pretty in Pink poster. If you’re a movie buff, I’d highly recommend heading over to their website and checking to see what they’ve got. New posters are being made with increased frequency, so don’t be surprised to see an amazing print for your favorite film pop up shortly.
