Polish Movie Posters

For reasons that aren’t immediately apparent, over the past fifty years, Poles have been using different movie posters for US movies. They’re like the movie posters of an alternate reality, and some are real improvements on the original. Check out Apocalypse Now or Midnight Cowboy or the amazing Raiders of the Lost Ark. Does the fact that C3PO features on the Star Wars poster say something about Polish culture or Communism?

3 comments

  1. First rule of advertising is to know your audience. As strange as these things are to us, perhaps these designs really bring in the crowds elsewhere.

    Personally, I find that they creep me out.

    I think your corner self-portrait would be interesting if remade in light of this post. Use the Indy Jones poster as inspiration.

  2. My theory is that the Poles wanted to avoid paying licensing fees for using the likenesses of American stars. I only found 2 or 3 posters that showed the actors.
    And, of course, perhaps these posters better resonate with the Polish market. Even US posters go through phases.

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