The NFSA has been collecting local and international posters of Australian feature films for many years. When making posters to appeal to specific markets, film producers and distributors vary their selection of key images, colour, text and graphics. You can see from the examples below how countries may choose to focus on different themes and ideas to uniquely represent a film to their audience.

International film posters
Sons of Matthew
Director: Charles Chauvel (1949)
Re-titled as The Rugged O’Riordans in the United States, it is clear that US marketers were keen to play up the adventurous elements of the film, even stating that it was 'actually filmed in Australia’s jungle wilderness!’. Sons of Matthew was shot near Beaudesert, Queensland, during the wettest season for 80 years. The Australian and Italian posters instead highlight the film’s romantic sub-plot.

Australian one-sheet poster for Sons of Matthew, 1949. NFSA title: 399131. Click image to open

US poster for Sons of Matthew (AKA The Rugged O'Riordans), 1950. NFSA title: 801206

Italian daybill poster for Sons of Matthew (AKA 'Terra di Giganti'), 1949. NFSA title: 354461

Australian daybill poster for Sons of Matthew, 1949. NFSA title: 458970

Australian daybill poster (second version) for Sons of Matthew 1949. NFSA title: 413593
On The Beach
Director: Stanley Kramer (1959)
The common theme in On The Beach’s promotion is the stark depiction of nuclear war and its aftermath. The US Department of Defense did not cooperate in the making of the film, refusing to give the production access to nuclear-powered submarines. They argued that there were not then enough weapons in existence to make extinction from nuclear war a realistic scenario.

This poster intentionally mimics a newspaper hoarding, as if the movie is a dramatic breaking news story. American one-sheet teaser poster for On the Beach, 1959. NFSA title: 743277. Click image to open

The impassive profiles of Peck and Gardner stare blankly at the inevitability of their fate in this poster from Argentina, The Final Hour, 1959. NFSA title:1463447

The menacing, red toxic cloud dwarfs all other design elements and is successful in visually representing the central plot of the film. American one-sheet poster for On the Beach, 1959. NFSA title: 750957

The actors' names are privileged over other information in this poster for promotional reasons but the bold red font also emphasises the drama of the film. American half-sheet poster for On the Beach, 1959. NFSA title: 806404

A very sparse poster that nevertheless draws our attention with the words, 'The biggest story of our time!'. UK quad poster for On the Beach, 1959. NFSA title: 795814

The central motif may be an atomic mushroom cloud but the incorporation of text gives the design an almost strangely playful psychedelic feel, pre-dating designs from the late 1960s. Polish one-sheet poster for On the Beach, 1959. NFSA title: 801340

The Last Shore, the French poster for the film, highlights the dramatic conflict between the main protagonists. French daybill poster for On the Beach, 1959. NFSA title:1171976

Human relationships are emphasised in the almost wistful expressions on this poster, as if the film is a romance. Belgian one-sheet poster for On the Beach, 1959. NFSA title: 799876

A very stark, two-colour poster adds drama. The line, 'Not suitable for children' adds a sense of danger and threat. Australian daybill poster for On the Beach, 1959. NFSA title: 379613

Interesting use of American West typeface, black cactus-like motif and a submarine mimicking the hills in the Arizona landscape all suggest post-apocalyptic desolation. Swedish one-sheet poster for On the Beach, 1959. NFSA title:1124006

In this German poster, The Last Bank, all of the faces look away from the viewer as if each person has to come to terms with their individual fate. German poster for On the Beach, 1959. NFSA title: 1172028
Wake in Fright
Director: Ted Kotcheff (1971)
The European posters for Wake In Fright play up the horror elements of the film. In Belgium it was titled The Terrible Awakening and Czechoslovakia translated Outback (the US title) to Backwater. The Polish poster is particularly striking: 'Polish movie posters are distinguished by their artistry and unique design elements … they are usually impressionistic and painterly’ (Michael Organ, Australian Film Posters: Polish Posters). You can see other examples of Polish film art elsewhere on this page.

Polish one-sheet poster for Wake in Fright, 1971. NFSA title: 752327. Click image to open

Australian one-sheet poster for Wake in Fright, 2009 (re-release). NFSA title: 791215

Belgian poster for Wake in Fright, 1971. NFSA title:1289343

Czech one-sheet poster for Wake in Fright, 1971. NFSA title: 1098479

Australian one-sheet poster for Wake in Fright, 1971. The film also screened as Outback in the US and UK. NFSA title: 399519
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Director: Stephan Elliott (1994)
Posters for The Adventures of Priscilla all depict the flamboyant quirkiness of the film with Poland again being the least traditional. Tom O’Regan quotes director Stephan Elliott on the film carrying different meanings for different nationalities and subcultural groups: gay, lesbian and transgender Americans saw Priscilla as 'the big one that will bring gay lifestyles into the mainstream’, while Australians tended to 'embrace it as just another successful Australian film’.

Australian one-sheet poster for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert autographed by Stephan Elliott, Rebel Penfold-Russell and Tim Chappel. NFSA title: 356007. Click image to open

Australian daybill poster for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, 1994. Note: credit block in bottom-right corner is for 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues' instead of 'Priscilla'. NFSA title: 608711

Australian daybill poster for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, 1994. NFSA title: 362393

Polish one-sheet poster for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, 1994. NFSA title: 1012717

Daybill teaser poster for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, 1994. NFSA title: 608717

Alternative daybill poster for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, 1994. Note: credit block along bottom is for Even Cowgirls Get the Blues instead of 'Priscilla'. NFSA title: 608715

Alternative daybill poster for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, 1994. Note: credit block along bottom is for Even Cowgirls Get the Blues instead of 'Priscilla'. NFSA title: 608713