The Saul Bass Movie Poster Archive

The movie posters of American graphic designer and Oscar-winning film-maker Saul Bass (1920-1996; won an Oscar for Why Man Creates in 1968) are gorgeous. Bass, who created the hypnotic title sequences for, among other titles, Otto Preminger’s The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and Psycho, and Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas was revered for his mastery of visual design. His stylish movie posters are not only captivating but engage with the viewer, becoming part of the film’s story.

On another note, Bass was an avid collector of art and artefacts,  (pre-Colombian figures, Colina rolled-clay figures, Ashanti dolls, Indian fetishes). Just as we no see a collection of his work, he recognised the importance of curating, saying: “These tiny remains of ancient human civilizations, in addition to their intrinsic beauty, bring with them a special kind of mystery—a quality of the distant past, the unknown and unreality of it all. Like the best kind of design or film work, they communicate on two levels: the visceral or emotional level and the more complex intellectual level. The goal, and the ultimate achievement, is to make people feel as well as think.”

 

Saint Joan, 1957, posters, Saul Bass

Saint Joan, 1957

 

“My initial thoughts about what a title can do was to set mood and the prime underlying core of the film’s story, to express the story in some metaphorical way. I saw the title as a way of conditioning  the audience, so that when the film actually began, viewers would  already have an emotional resonance with it” – Saul Bass

 

Anatomy of a Murder, 1959

Anatomy of a Murder, 1959

The Cardinal, 1963

The Cardinal, 1963

Schindler’s List, 1993

Vertigo, 1958 Saul; Bass posters

Vertigo, 1958

Saul Bass The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955

The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955

 

bonjour tristesse bass saul Exodus saul bass in harms way poster saul bass saul bass posters

  spartacus saul bass the shining bass saul poster
American Psycho saul bass

Saul Bass The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955

The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955

 

Hurry Sundown, 1967

Hurry Sundown, 1967

Such Good Friends, 1971

Such Good Friends, 1971

Rosebud, 1975 saul bass poster

Rosebud, 1975 saul bass poster

Brothers, 1977

Brothers, 1977

The Human Factor, 1979

The Human Factor, 1979

The Double McGuffin, 1979

The Double McGuffin, 1979

In Harm’s Way, 1964

In Harm’s Way, 1964

Bunny Lake is Missing, 1965

Bunny Lake is Missing, 1965

Grand Prix, 1966

Grand Prix, 1966

Seconds, 1966

Seconds, 1966

Hurry Sundown, 1967

Hurry Sundown, 1967

Advise & Consent, 1962

Advise & Consent, 1962

Storm Center, 1956

Storm Center, 1956

Love in the Afternoon, 1957

Love in the Afternoon, 1957

North by Northwest, 1959

North by Northwest, 1959

alfred-hitchcock-psycho-1960

Carmen Jones, 1954

Carmen Jones, 1954

Edge of the City, 1956

Edge of the City, 1956

The Human Factor, 1979.

The Human Factor, 1979.

Anatomy of a Murder, 1959.

Anatomy of a Murder, 1959.

Spartacus, 1960.

Spartacus, 1960.

The Firemen's Ball, 1967.

The Firemen’s Ball, 1967.

 

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