European Goldfinger Posters

For the slightly obsessive poster collector (like me): European poster overview of original and reissue posters for James Bond 007 - "Goldfinger". Italy wins in terms of different posters and reprints - as usual.

US Goldfinger Posters

Overview of the US "Goldfinger" posters that I'm aware of including the variations of the 1 sheet posters, reissue versions and the rare 40x60 inch posters.

Searching for the Dr No Source Image

I'm searching for the the image that started it all: The photo of Sean Connery used first in the Dr No posters and was later reused in the campaign for Goldfinger. I came across the photo framed in red on the right and it looks like it could be one of them. 

Does anyone have the full or more pictures of this? Thanks!

German Poster Concept

German poster concept for "Liebesgruesse aus Moskau" (From Russia With Love), artist unknown. This image is from Siegfried Tesche's book "James Bond Top Secrets - Die Welt Des 007".

MWGG Poster Concept

Concept and final poster for "The Man With The Golden Gun" by Robert McGinnis. It appears that the concept is a reviewed version with notes and sketched alterations by the art director such as the notes for the looping car and the revised size of Nick Nack. If you look closely you can see the smaller version was covered by a larger photocopy. Thanks To Thomas and Robert for sharing!

Dr No Tribute Artwork

Artwork for an imaginary "Dr No" poster in the style of the early '60, gouache on artboard, 80x60 cm.

The project started with different sketches and colour compositions. Initally I wanted to paint Connery in a black tuxedo but a white one is suited better for the Jamaican theme.

Different stages of the painting. I've started with the faces as they are the most difficult parts to paint. Below how this might have been used.

MI6 Confidential

The latest issue of MI6 Confidential magazine is dedicated to "From Russia With Love" - check it out here.

Nice Surprise

I've got a nice surprise in the post this week: Limited edition "From Russia With Love" anniversary cards, artwork by Graham Kennedy for The 007 Collector. Thank you Michael.

Chinese Bond Comics

Box set of 7 James Bond 007 comic books released in Chinese language in 1988, artist unknown.

James Bond Audio Book Covers

Audiobook covers for the Ian Fleming James Bond 007 books by Chivers. Artist unknown.

Benton Window Cards

Window Cards for various James Bond 007 movies including "Dr No" and "Goldfinger", Benton Card Co., reprinted in the 80ies. Does anyone know more about these? Are there cards for FRWL, Thunderball and LALD?

International From Russia With Love Posters

And a few more "From Russia With Love" posters from around the world: Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Argentina and Brazil. I'm sure there must be more international posters out there. For example: I've never seen a Mexican poster, only lobby cards. Does anyone have an example or link for a Mexican Bond poster?

European From Russia With Love Posters

This is my (mostly virtual) collection of European "From Russia With Love" posters that I've collected over the years. I've put them into their size context because usually you see them printed in the same format. No guarantees for accuracy or completeness. Let me know if you spot any mistakes. 

Thanks to Anders from "From Sweden With Love" and Thomas from the "Nixdorf Collection" for sharing some of the images!

Promoting Thunderball in Germany

After the great success of Goldfinger in Europe, United Artists launched a larger than life advertising campaign for Thunderball. Here are some examples  from Germany where the film is called "Feuerball" (Fireball):
The equivalent of the pressbook is called "Werberatschlag" (Advertising Advice). It comes with newspaper advertisement suggestions, available 
advertising material like posters and a small teaser poster within the pressbook. 

One difference to the US pressbooks: The press information itself is provided in a separate brochure called "Presseinformation". Which makes sense as the first one is aimed at cinema owner while the second goes to the press.

Cinema owner were heavily incentivised to promote the film: The German equivalent of Variety magazine called "Film Echo / Film Woche" featured Thunderball in 3 differnt editions including a sweepstake to travel to the Bahamas. Especially appealing as Thunderball was released in Germany in December.

Some nice  examples from a cinema in Hamburg and outdoor advertising below. A special offer were Thunderball standees as shown below. Has anyone ever seen one of these in reality?

Thanks to Thomas from The Nixdorf Collection for the cinema and standee photos.

Poster Tribute

Art tributes for the whole set of James Bond 007 posters including "Skyfall" by Mike Mahle. Check out his site!

Who is the Artist?

Can anyone help me with identifying the artist for this "From Russia With Love" artwork? 

I've heard Mitchell Hooks but I'm not sure.

Australian From Russia With Love Posters

Australian "From Russia With Love" posters: Original 1 sheet, 3 sheet and the original daybill plus the 2 daybill reissues. The artwork in Australia was re-drawn to accomodate the printing technique used.

De Rusia Con Amour

Vintage newspaper ad for "De Rusia Con Amour" (From Russia With Love) from Argentina. Thanks to Nicolas from Bond En Argentina for sharing this.

Licence to Kill Concept Art by Tom Jung

Tom Jung biographer Jack O'Brien about the history of these sketches for Licence to Kill:

"As they often did at the time, Ad veteran Don Smolen and Tom met for lunch in Los Angeles during the filming of Licence to Kill.  

Don told Tom that they were filming another Bond film, Licence Revoked, in the Caribbean "somewhere" and that Al Broccoli had asked him to work with the on set unit photographer.  Don asked Tom if he could help with concepts for the shoot with the star, Timothy Dalton, for the ad campaign.

Tom agreed and created seventeen quick black and white sketches for Don with limited reference material and handed them over to him while he was still in LA.  Don and Tom never discussed the sketches after this and Tom is unsure how they were exactly used.  But given the delays that were encountered developing the ad campaign due to the title change, it is possible and maybe likely they went back to the photographs that Don and Tom had worked on to develop the final key art. 

Thanks to Tom Jung and Jack O'Brien for sharing the sketches and information!" More info about Tom's work here.

US From Russia With Love Posters

For whatever strange reason my German side teamed up with my inner nerd and felt compelled to accuratly categorise all  US "From Russia With Love" posters that I'm aware of. It was a rainy weekend... 

I'm sure there are several missing. Are there more out there?

Exclusive Interview with Rudy Obrero

I'm re-publishing an interview with Rudy Obrero, the artist responsible for the US poster artwork of "Never Say Never Again".

Q: How did the producers got in touch with you for the " Never Say Never Again " poster artwork?
A: I was commissioned to do some comps for "Never Say Never Again" By an Ad agency in Los Angeles called New York West.

Q: What kind of briefing or input did you receive? Photos, source material etc? A: I had some photo stills from the film to work from. Q: Were there any restrictions in regards to the movie not being an "official" Bond movie?
A: Yes, originally I included an underwater fight scene with divers and and a big shark attacking. But I was asked to remove all of the underwater scenes because it might conflict with previous Bond posters. I also had to remove a helicopter and a jumping motorcycle as well as a whole yacht. Here is a previous version of the art to compare to the final poster that was released.


Q: How much time did you have to create the artwork?
A: about 30 days total

Q: Can you describe the creative process in terms of composition, choice of colours etc?
A: Well, The layout is certainly symetrical with all elements leading the eye to Sean Connery. It was always about Bond and his beautiful women.

Q: What materials do you use? (Acrylics, Gouache, mixed media etc…)
A: At the time I used acrylics, applied with an airbrush and traditional brushes. Now all my work is done digitally.

Q: What was the most fun part of creating this artwork?
A: I thoroughly enjoyed painting the first version of the poster. All the elements of the montage were fun to render. I really like working on action adventure images, so this was a real treat for me to do. So, sad to say most of the fun parts of the painting had to be removed by the time it went to the printers.

Q: Any special anecdote associated with this artwork?
A: When I was asked to start removing the action elements because of legal conflicts, the poster did not have it's original impact. It became static and a little boring. This became a poster ultimately ruined by the lawyers involved.

Thank you for this interview! Check out Rudy's website here

Also thanks to Thomas from "The Nixdorf Collection" for the photos.

Bon Baiser De Russie - Swiss Lobby Cards

"Liebesgruesse Aus Moskau - Bon Baiser De Russie", lobby cards from Switzerland with dual language French / German titles. Courtesy of Michael from the 007 Collector.

Desde Rusia Con Amor - Spanish Lobby Cards

"Desde Rusia Con Amor" (From Russia With Love) Spanish lobby cards. They look like reissue to me but I'm not sure as I found these on the net but can't remember where. Does anyone know more about these lobby cards?