ART DAY! Hammer Films 1966 Movie Poster painting

[Terry Doyle]

From the famous British movie production company, Hammer Films, notable for its revival of the Horror genre towards the end of the 1950s, comes this super-rare example of a peak-period 1966 Movie Poster original painting by the company's favoured artist, Tom Chantrell.

 

"The life story of the legendary Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin gets the highly fictionalized Hammer Films treatment with this liberal mix of horror and history that presents the mysterious sage as a demonic, otherworldly creature. Christopher Lee stars as the titular monk, who gains entrée to the world of the tsar by casting a hypnotic spell on two courtiers, Dr. Zargo (Richard Pasco) and the beautiful Sonia (Barbara Shelley). Becoming a trusted aide and confidant of the tsarina (Renee Ashershon), Rasputin threatens the national power structure. After Sonia kills herself, Zargo resolves to kill the interloper, but stabbing, poisoning, and even bullets don't seem to be able to kill the diabolical Rasputin."

 

With an image size measuring approximately 16" x 23.5", this is the uncensored painting that was presented to Hammer Films to spearhead its cinema front-of-house advertising campaign . Revisions on Chantrell's artwork were requested. The small vignettes, running along the bottom of the painting, were deemed too risqué (as one features a rape scene) and the figures of Rasputin and Sonia were reduced in size (and colour changed to green to complement the Monk's face at right) with new title lettering re-positioned to the upper left.

 

The changes for the censored poster release were executed by Chantrell utilizing stats taken directly from his original painting (see underneath for printed version).

 

 

Some years later, when the movie was re-released as a double-bill with 'The Reptile', the Rasputin and Sonia figures at left were re-instated in colour at a smaller scale (see underneath) to form half of the new poster.

 

[comix4fun]

Love all the Hammer films.....this is FANTASTIC, Terry!

[IngelsFan]

Very nice pick up Terry-Congrats!

[suspense39]

Nice Terry!

[delekkerste]

Killer piece! Is the actual film any good? I think it's in the Hammer horror DVD box set we have, but I don't remember seeing it.

 

[Solar]

These poster originals are more interesting to me than most comic art. I might have to start reading up on them. Very nice piece, Terry!

[Terry Doyle]

Thanks, all.

 

Haven't seen the movie for a while, but from what I remember it's watchable and Christopher Lee excels in these type of roles.

 

A drinking, fornicating monk (sounds good to me) . . . what more can you ask for?

[tth2]

Killer piece! Is the actual film any good? I think it's in the Hammer horror DVD box set we have, but I don't remember seeing it.

 

Why?! Why would you post a Boney M video?!

[t3quila]

Killer piece! Is the actual film any good? I think it's in the Hammer horror DVD box set we have, but I don't remember seeing it.

 

Why?! Why would you post a Boney M video?!

 

Why would any not post a Boney M Video?

 

[Eric Seffinga]

Great poster art, Terry!

[Terry Doyle]

Thanks, Eric.

 

As much as I enjoyed collecting comics as a kid, I always loved the colourful quad posters that fronted UK cinemas during my era of nostalgia, the 1960s. Movies have always been a big part of my life (more so than the funny books).

 

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to be given a lead on a selection of original movie poster paintings over here in the UK. Acquiring a vintage Hammer Horror example is a real turn up for the books as these things rarely surface!

 

 

 

[Terry Doyle]

Here's a photo of Tom Chantrell (the guy who painted my Rasputin movie poster art) holding his part-finished painting for his most famous creation:

 

[Terry Doyle]

Here's a photo of Tom posing for a reference photo to be used for a (then) assignment.

 

Behind him are framed posters of two of his most famous designs . . .

 

 

The Star Wars original art reportedly stayed with Lucasfilm after being sent to America from the UK, while it is believed that the main figure of Raquel Welch from the painting for One Million Years B.C. was later cannibalised by Tom whilst creating a new artwork for a double-bill release (he would sometimes cut-apart and re-use artwork to help expedite an assignment)

 

 

[Terry Doyle]

Here's the one that got away . . .

 

Tom poses in front of several original movie poster paintings. Directly behind him is the original (unaltered) painting for the advance quad poster design of SHALAKO (a Western starring Sean Connery and Bridgette Bardot). Although I'm not a huge fan of Westerns, I do consider this to be an exceptional piece. Earlier this year I was in exploratory talks looking into the possibility of purchasing the artwork. Ultimately the Chantrell family decided they had too much sentimental value attached to the art and decided not to release it (understandable, I don't have a problem with that).

 

 

Here's how the artwork appeared in print for the advance poster design:

 

 

. . . and here's the revised design that would eventually be used (thankfully, Tom didn't cannibalise his original painting for the re-working!):

 

 

Personally, I much prefer the original design.

[delekkerste]

As much as I enjoyed collecting comics as a kid, I always loved the colourful quad posters that fronted UK cinemas during my era of nostalgia, the 1960s. Movies have always been a big part of my life (more so than the funny books).

 

This makes more sense to me than your foray into MTG paintings. I mean, I can understand how one can appreciate the latter, but, if you're a big movie guy who grew up in the era of hand-drawn/painted film posters, I would think that would make so much more sense as something to pursue if you stepped away from comic art.

 

I'm actually surprised that film poster original art isn't more popular than it is. I mean, many films are as or more nostalgic/influential to me as the most memorable comic books I've read. I recently ran into an off-the-grid collector who recently acquired the original art to one of the best-known sci-fi film posters ever (not going to reveal who or what, as, who knows, I may make a play for it someday). He didn't tell me exactly how much he paid for it, other than it was a reasonably large sum, but it sounded like it was less than, say, the ASM #151 cover. And I was like, are you kidding me? How can that possibly be?

[JesterSB]

Wow Terry, that's amazing! Congrats!

[DeadpoolJr.]

As much as I enjoyed collecting comics as a kid, I always loved the colourful quad posters that fronted UK cinemas during my era of nostalgia, the 1960s. Movies have always been a big part of my life (more so than the funny books).

 

This makes more sense to me than your foray into MTG paintings. I mean, I can understand how one can appreciate the latter, but, if you're a big movie guy who grew up in the era of hand-drawn/painted film posters, I would think that would make so much more sense as something to pursue if you stepped away from comic art.

 

I'm actually surprised that film poster original art isn't more popular than it is. I mean, many films are as or more nostalgic/influential to me as the most memorable comic books I've read. I recently ran into an off-the-grid collector who recently acquired the original art to one of the best-known sci-fi film posters ever (not going to reveal who or what, as, who knows, I may make a play for it someday). He didn't tell me exactly how much he paid for it, other than it was a reasonably large sum, but it sounded like it was less than, say, the ASM #151 cover. And I was like, are you kidding me? How can that possibly be?

 

It kind of makes sense, since OA to well known, and iconic movies have gone unsold at prices that many here would pay in a second. Didn't someone talk about how the art for Indiana Jones went unsold at an auction around a decade or so ago? Unless that market has had the boom that comic art has in that time I can see the possibility that prices have risen at a more reasonable rate.

[artdealer]

The market for original movie art is growing, just not nearly as fast as comic art.

 

I've sold several published, and unpublished poster paintings for good money the last couple years.

 

Some buyers are particular to the genre they want to collect, but for most, it's the image, and the movie.

 

I have quite a bit of movie art from the 1960s - 80s for sale. Much of it is not on the site, but I do have a printed catalog from last year for anyone who PM's me with their address. I can also send a PDF catalog.

 

I'll have an updated version later this year.

 

MI

[Terry Doyle]

As much as I enjoyed collecting comics as a kid, I always loved the colourful quad posters that fronted UK cinemas during my era of nostalgia, the 1960s. Movies have always been a big part of my life (more so than the funny books).

 

This makes more sense to me than your foray into MTG paintings. I mean, I can understand how one can appreciate the latter, but, if you're a big movie guy who grew up in the era of hand-drawn/painted film posters, I would think that would make so much more sense as something to pursue if you stepped away from comic art.

 

I'm actually surprised that film poster original art isn't more popular than it is. I mean, many films are as or more nostalgic/influential to me as the most memorable comic books I've read. I recently ran into an off-the-grid collector who recently acquired the original art to one of the best-known sci-fi film posters ever (not going to reveal who or what, as, who knows, I may make a play for it someday). He didn't tell me exactly how much he paid for it, other than it was a reasonably large sum, but it sounded like it was less than, say, the ASM #151 cover. And I was like, are you kidding me? How can that possibly be?

 

With the MTG stuff, I have no nostalgic attachment to the game seeing that I've never played it (nor want to). My interests are purely image-driven. I'm big on Horror, Science-Fiction and Fantasy, so a lot of the MTG imagery does appeal along the lines of my appreciation for fantastic subject matter (I tend to view each particular painting as a self-contained snapshot of a nightmare world). Lots of repetition in subject matter, for sure (and also lots of junk), but the best examples speak to me (if that makes sense?). In a similar sort of vein, you can be enamoured of Frazetta's Warren magazine cover paintings without feeling the need to be tied-into the comic-book stories they're supposed to represent.

 

I haven't exactly moved away from comic art, it's just that I also like lots of other types of original art and some MTG examples fit in with those eclectic interests. In any case, I've now scratched that particular itch and have found myself a new baby (for the time being, at least).

 

Movie poster paintings have always been an interest at the back of my mind, it's just that such things are not as widely available as comic-book art (and to be honest, I was always so wrapped-up with other purchases that I never really took the time and effort to actively search for examples of the art form).

 

That changed earlier this year whilst on a visit to a local friend who, amongst many other things, collects printed movie posters. I mentioned that I'd always fancied the idea of owning a few examples of the original paintings and, as a result, he pointed me in the direction of a source for original Tom Chantrell movie artwork. My initial reaction was that I'd expect such things to be on the pricey side, but my friend assured me that prices could actually be quite reasonable. As I'd sold off a lot of my high-end comic-book artworks to fund an early retirement last year, future artwork purchases (I'm still collecting) would have to be paid for out of the monthly budget I've allocated myself.

 

After looking into the availability and pricing range of the Tom Chantrell movie poster paintings, I was quite taken aback by their affordability. Some of the available paintings fronted movies I've always held in high-regard (the Patton poster art, for example), while others are merely better than the rubbish movies they represented. I don't see myself being into movie poster art for the long haul, but like other artwork collecting interests I just want to put-together a selection of the different genres within this art form.

 

The latest purchase of the Hammer RASPUTIN movie poster art is a nice representative example of Chantrell's Horror output for the production company (he pretty much became the in-house artist for Hammer during the 1965-70 period). Unfortunately, it would seem, quite a few of Chantrell's Hammer artworks got cannibalised to format re-released double-bill poster campaigns - as per my ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. mention earlier on in this thread. RASPUTIN was an example of a surviving (intact) poster original (as re-sized elements of the artwork were needed to format altered versions, the artist opted for touched-up photographic copies of the original work to create the updated images). I'm pretty much on a learning curve with this stuff at the moment, so a lot of this is both new to me - and also very fascinating!

 

I'm intrigued about your friend's poster art acquisition but totally respect the need for discretion in such matters. You can always PM me the details . . .

[Terry Doyle]

Wow Terry, that's amazing! Congrats!

 

Thanks!