



In the late 1950s, as French New Wave titans Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut arrived to break the rules of cinema, young illustrators in Eastern Europe were similarly revolutionising the art of the movie poster.

They didn’t show off the faces of the film’s stars. Their posters didn’t boast press quotes or star ratings. “They didn’t have to comply with the rules of doing a poster for Warner Brothers or Universal Studios,” says Tony Nourmand, a vintage movie poster expert and editor of the new book French New Wave: A Revolution in Design.

In it, Nourmand underlines the clear parallel between young cinephiles bursting with ideas and young art students with wild creativity. The book also highlights eastern Europe and Japan’s contribution to movie poster design. “The fact that the majority of the posters were designed by young, interesting illustrators, the same way the movies were made by young filmmakers – they were all breaking the rules and doing whatever they saw fit,” explains Nourmand.

To shed light on the artistry and originality of these posters – most of which were created in eastern Europe, with some from Japan – we talked to Nourmand about eight of our favourite New Wave posters.



Credit: © French New Wave Collection



Credit: © French New Wave Collection



Credit: © French New Wave Collection



Credit: © French New Wave Collection



Credit: © French New Wave Collection



Credit: © French New Wave Collection



Credit: © French New Wave Collection



Credit: © French New Wave Collection

French New Wave: A Revolution in Design by Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh and Christopher Frayling is published by Reel Art Press RRP £49.95 / $59. For further information and a full list of stockists visit www.reelartpress.com

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is currently back in selected cinemas nationwide