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International posters for four Australian films

How Priscilla, Wake in Fright and more were promoted overseas
BY
 Belinda Hunt

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.

1. 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.

Full colour poster for the film 'Sons of Matthew' showing Michael Pate lying injured on the ground with Thelma Scott bent over him. A male stands looking over both.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/sons_of_matthew_poster_one_sheeter_399131.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/sons_of_matthew_poster_one_sheeter_399131.jpg
Top left quarter illustration of a man in ripped blue shirt after punching a man on the ground, woman in pink dress clutching a tree. Bottom right corner illustration of a man and woman embracing. Bottom shows stampeding horses
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/sons_of_matthew_poster_for_usa_release_801206_0004.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/sons_of_matthew_poster_for_usa_release_801206_0004.jpg
In the foreground is of a woman in a red shirt tending an injured man with another man in a green shirt looking on. In the background are horses stampeding from a fire.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/sons_of_matthew_poster_daybill_for_italian_release_354461.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/sons_of_matthew_poster_daybill_for_italian_release_354461.jpg
Blue and white text only. Header reads: 'Your passport to a great adventure'. Includes list of main cast.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/sons_of_matthew_poster_daybill_458970.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/sons_of_matthew_poster_daybill_458970.jpg
Four boxed images of the characters are represented on the far left, title in the centre. Image of galloping horses and man on horseback at the top and a woman and man embracing below.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/sons_of_matthew_poster_daybill_413593_0012.jpg

Australian daybill poster (second version) for Sons of Matthew 1949. NFSA title: 413593

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/sons_of_matthew_poster_daybill_413593_0012.jpg

2. 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.

Comprises white background with black text reading 'If you never see another motion picture in your life you must see' orange text reads 'On the beach'
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_one_sheeter_teaser_for_usa_release_743277_0004.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_one_sheeter_teaser_for_usa_release_743277_0004.jpg
Profile of Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner.and a stylised image of a wave, people and land in the distance in different shades of blue. The film's title is in Spanish, La Hora Final in red font on the bottom of the poster.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_argentina_poster_1463447.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_argentina_poster_1463447.jpg
Orange/red background. Images of four people in white with their shadows in blue. Names of cast in centre.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_one_sheeter_for_usa_release_750957_0004.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_one_sheeter_for_usa_release_750957_0004.jpg
Yellow background with actor's credits in red. Four black and white boxed images of main actors' faces. Title diagonal in bottom half together with stylised red coloured shoreline, with text 'The biggest story of our time...!' on left.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_half_sheeter_for_us_release_806404_0004.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_half_sheeter_for_us_release_806404_0004.jpg
Left side reads in red 'the biggest story of our time!' Centre and right side contain four portrait illustrations of actors. Underneath reads 'Stanley Kramer's production of On the Beach,' with blue wave pattern cutting across grey border divisions.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_for_uk_release_795814_0004.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_for_uk_release_795814_0004.jpg
Main image is a purple mushroom cloud with black outline and blue background. Within the mushroom cloud are the cast credits in black outline followed by the film title in white outline, followed by Stanley Kramer credits in black outline.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_for_polish_release_801340_0004.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_for_polish_release_801340_0004.jpg
The faces of Ava Gardner and Gregrory Peck flank the film's French title. Cast names appear at the top.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_for_french_release_1171976_0004.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_for_french_release_1171976_0004.jpg
Landscape illustration of a lake with submarine. 3 figures and a green and purple sky. A woman's and man's face flank the poster. Film title in yellow at the bottom.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_for_belgian_release_799876_0003.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_for_belgian_release_799876_0003.jpg
At the top is a large red square with text in white. The centre contains black and white portraits of the four main cast members, and diagonally across the bottom the title appears in black. The background is bright yellow.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_daybill_379613.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_daybill_379613.jpg
Sunset-coloured poster 'Pa Stranden'. Image depicts a submarine and black vertical shape near bottom left with black and white images of the film cast in a column at right. Printed signature 'ABERG' at bottom left.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_pa_stranden_poster_one_sheeter_for_swedish_release_1124006_0004.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_pa_stranden_poster_one_sheeter_for_swedish_release_1124006_0004.jpg
4 colour images of the leading actors in boxes with their names above. The film's title in red below.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_for_german_release_1172028_0004.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/on_the_beach_poster_for_german_release_1172028_0004.jpg

3. 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 for At the End of the World 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.

Expressive illustration of three men, one holding a beer glass, one holding a knife and one holding a gun in brown shades with film title above.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/wake_in_fright_poster_one_sheeter_polish_release_752327.jpg

Na Krańcu świata (At the End of the World). Polish poster for Wake in Fright (Ted Kotcheff, 1971). Artist: Wiktor Górka. Year of print: 1971. NFSA title: 752327. Click image to open

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/wake_in_fright_poster_one_sheeter_polish_release_752327.jpg
Film still in yellow tones with a man walking in a barren landscape carrying a suitcase and a rifle. Title in large black letters.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/wake_in_fright_poster_for_restored_version_of_film_2008_791215.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/wake_in_fright_poster_for_restored_version_of_film_2008_791215.jpg
Black, white and yellow poster with French title 'Le Reveil Dans La Terreur' and Flemish title 'Het Vreselijk Ontwaken'. Image of Gary Bond with a gun next to a spotlight and Donald Pleasence with two-up coins over his eyes.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/wake_in_fright_poster_for_belgian_release_1289343_0002.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/wake_in_fright_poster_for_belgian_release_1289343_0002.jpg
Czech title 'Zapadakov' below an image of a rock outcrop against a yellow and brown background. Overlaying centre of image is an Australian 'stamp' featuring two kangaroos (one alive, one dead) 'postmarked' Australia and dated 6.8.1975.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/wake_in_fright_poster_for_czech_release_1098479_0004.jpg

Zapadákov (One-horse Town). Czech poster for Wake in Fright (Ted Kotcheff, 1971). Artist: Zdeněk Vlach. Year of print: 1976. NFSA title: 1098479

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/wake_in_fright_poster_for_czech_release_1098479_0004.jpg
Orange tones, 4 males and a female waiting at a station, holding beer cans and guns. A male carrying a suitcase and gun behind. Header: 'Outback. Have a drink, mate? Have a fight, mate? Have a taste of dust and sweat, mate? There's nothing else out here.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/wake_in_fright_outback_poster_one_sheeter_399599.jpg

Australian one-sheet poster for Wake in Fright, 1971. The film also screened as Outback in the US and UK. NFSA title: 399519

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/wake_in_fright_outback_poster_one_sheeter_399599.jpg

4. 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’.

Hugo Weaving with arms in the air, wearing green and blue sequined outfit, holding green scarf. Silver bus with a silver draped figure on the roof is in the background to the right. Header text list of main cast members in white block print.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/356007_1028.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/356007_1028.jpg
Image of bus travelling across desert with drag queen on top in large, flowing silver costume. Three drag queens in bottom left hand corner.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/priscilla_poster_00082362_1000px.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/priscilla_poster_00082362_1000px.jpg
Main image has orange background colour and depicts Male in female drag. Text reads: 'Finally, a comedy that will change the way you think, the way you feel and, most importantly, the way you dress'.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/00147638.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/00147638.jpg
stylised image of the upper body silhouette of a naked man wearing a multi-coloured, ornate headdress. Title of the film at top in Polish.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/priscilla_poster_1012717_0002_900px.jpg

Priscilla, królowa pustyni (Queen of the Desert). Polish poster for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Stephan Elliott, 1994). Artist: Justyna Niedzińska. Year of print: 2010. NFSA title: 1012717

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/priscilla_poster_1012717_0002_900px.jpg
Title at top in black text. Underneath silhouette of a stiletto on a yellow background similar to a roadsign. Text reads 'The outback. Where men are men. And drag queens are in a lot of trouble'. Release date in yellow box at bottom.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/priscilla_poster_00082372_900px.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/priscilla_poster_00082372_900px.jpg
Image of bus travelling in desert setting with a drag queen riding on top dressed in a silver, flowing costume. Image is bordered by two drag queens dressed in silver sequined costumes and headresses.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/priscilla_poster_00082369_1000px.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/priscilla_poster_00082369_1000px.jpg
Image of bus travelling in desert setting with a drag queen riding on top dressed in a silver, flowing costume. Image is bordered by two drag queens dressed in silver sequined costumes and headresses.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/priscilla_poster_00082366_1000px.jpg

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

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/07-2017/priscilla_poster_00082366_1000px.jpg

Main image: detail from Priscilla, królowa pustyni (Queen of the Desert). Polish poster for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Stephan Elliott, 1994). Artist: Justyna Niedzińska. NFSA title: 1012717

On The Beach
The Adventures of Priscilla
Queen of the Desert
Sons of Matthew
Wake in Fright
film posters

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