Movie posters are in many ways a lost art. The wide variety of looks are largely a thing of the past…here are ten examples of classic 70’s movie art, from the jumbled messaging, the cheap come-ons, to the iconic looks and clean lines of some of the best movies of the 70’s…enjoy!

Check out this trailer of Woody Allen explaining his movie!

Bananas

Woody Allen’s classic 1971 comedy also has a classic early 70’s poster look – a cartoonish image designed to do nothing more than get your attention and make you want to see what the movie might be all about. This was Woody’s 2nd movie, and since his first “Take The Money & Run” wasn’t a huge hit, this poster was designed to capture his legion of fans from his standup comedy days. It worked, and for those who haven’t seen this, it is one of the top 5 funniest movies of all time. Also note the old “GP” rating, which was actually “M” before that. Soon after they flipped the letters to “PG” and there you go!

Shaft!

This blaxploitation classic was also released in 1971 – “Shaft’s his name. Shaft’s his game.” I BET. The era of blaxploitation really began with Melvin Van Peebles incendiary “Sweet Sweetback’s Badass Song”, which he was proud to say on his poster, was “rated X by an all-white jury!” The underlying message of blaxploitation was empowerment at a time of great civil unrest – while it seems a lifetime ago, it was only 40 years! Other classic include “The Mack” (which I have mentioned before) and of course “Cleopatra Jones.”

Across 110th Street.

This 1972 gritty crime thriller teamed up Anthony Quinn and Yaphet Kotto was cops trying to stop a mob war in Harlem. It spoke to a new era of cop movie – tough, gritty, bloody…as the poster says, “If you steal $300,000 from the mob, it’s not robbery. It’s suicide.”

Baron Blood.

This 1972 euro-trash horror film has a classic come on line in the poster: “He sought the ultimate in HUMAN AGONY…with instruments of TORTURE ghastly beyond belief!” And a now-forgotten added bonus: the special box that holds the “SPECIAL NOTICE!” You know, that management CANNOT be held responsible for cardiac seizures etc due to the nature of this film! Pure carnival sideshow, as the movie is only rated “PG”!

The Mechanic.

In 1972 Charles Bronson was one of the toughest guys around, and here he teams up with young heart throb Jan-Michael Vincent for a tough action thriller.

“They call him THE MECHANIC. He has 100 ways to kill…and they all work!”

Great looking poster with Chuck looking ready to kick your ass at any time…cuz he was.

Deep Throat.

“How far does a girl have to go to untangle her tingle?” While this is certainly the most notorious adult film of all time, I don’t think the poster gets much attention. Or respect. This is a XXX-rated movie, a cultural watershed – in 1972 NOBODY went to see dirty movies except lonely middle-aged perverts. But look at this poster, a celebration of life, Linda Lovelace spreading her arms upward with joy – NOTHING to suggest what the movie was about…because everyone knew. This was the era when adult films were listed in Variety’s top 50 box office charts, when lines formed around the block as people flocked to see what the fuss was all about, and because – even with the myriad of police raids and arrests in some cities – people wanted the right to see whatever they wanted, and from this moment on, they could.

Let me know what you think!

Categories: 70's Cinema, Action Films, Blaxploitation!, Comedy Movies, Film Noir, Grindhouse, Movies, Obscure Movies, Revenge Movies, Sexploitation Movies

Tags: Across 100th Street, Bananas, Baron Blood, Charles Bronson, classic 70's movies, Deep Throat, Deep Throat movie poster, Movie Posters, Shaft, Woody Allen