Film posters are my passion and I’ve been collecting film posters and movie memorabilia probably since I was about 13 years old – I became friends with my local cinema managers and video shop owners in the 1980s. They used to give me film and video posters once the run was over – anything film-related that was destined for the bin would inevitably land up in my bedroom as a teenager.
By the time I was in my mid-teens, I had no wall space or even ceiling space left. Most of my friends had pictures of movie stars or favourite bands up on their walls I had Kubrick posters, Coppola posters, Spielberg posters, DePalma posters and so much more on my walls (OK – and 1 poster of my favourite group back then Queen!). Arriving in London in my late teens, I discovered Film Fairs – 4 shows a year or so, which reignited my passion for collecting film posters.
My interest started growing again – initially I was only collecting Stanley Kubrick material, however over time it has widened to encompass a huge range of titles.
There are 3 main reasons why I collect film posters – firstly I love the artwork that encapsulates the film – as soon as you look at a specific poster, the film comes flooding back to you.
We all have our favourite movies – some of mine include Zulu, Lawrence of Arabia, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Jaws, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark and many more of course, and I am lucky enough to have all these original cinema release posters in my collection – some in multiple formats from around the world.
Secondly the original poster artists created such iconic images that are recognisable around the world. Secondly, a lot of classic titles are valuable or are becoming more valuable over time. So they are investment pieces as well as works of art. And thirdly,
I just love looking at them framed up on my walls. It gives me a sense of joy to see a favourite original film poster displayed as they were designed to do.
I suppose I would really love my own independent cinema – all the décor and posters would be treated with utmost love and respect – one day I will build my own home cinema! So today, my original film poster collection stretches to over 600 titles from around the world
I love the UK quad format, but I also have many US 1 sheets, French grandes and petites, Italian photobustas and locandinas, Australian Daybills and Japanese B2 format posters, ranging in date from the 1930s to the modern-day.
Contact Henry Coleman the author admin@theartoffilm.co.uk
