The Archive contains movie poster images from over 25,000 unique films from throughout the 20th century and spanning all genres. See below for a sampling of genres and aesthetic themes and their associated images.
Hundreds of examples of creative and artistic use of typeface are preserved in the archive.
The structure of government and politics – real or fictional – comes alive in movies with political themes and the posters that promote them. Many fine examples are in the archive.
Every major director is represented in the archive, among them Alfred Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman, John Ford, Francois Truffaut, and Josef von Stenberg. Experience their storytelling through the poster image.
The archive contains myriad examples of the creative and stunning use of color to convey mood, add texture, and enhance a poster’s impact.
Imagery is the predominant element in movie poster design. Artists and designers utilize a variety of styles and techniques to create posters with memorable impact. The images contained in the archive illustrate these techniques.
The archive has a vast number of fantastic poster images for non-U.S. films. These designs are superb examples of the best in poster art. Each is a “country of origin” poster.
Just as the discipline of Sociology – the study of human social behavior – is broad and diverse involving both individual and group relationships, so are the movies and their posters, many of which are classics in their own right.
Many movies are based on plays, adapted from books, and derived from the annals of great literature, producing posters which are thought-provoking and appealing and evocative of their source material.