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Search Results for “"press kit"”

BELL JAR, THE (1979) Press kit

Sylvia Plath (source) Vintage original press kit, USA. Los Angeles: AVCO Embassy Pictures, 1979. Ca. 100+ leaves. Quarto. Nineteen separate mechanically reproduced typescripts, ranging from 1 to 11 leaves each, most stapled, printed on rectos only. Accompanied by twenty-two (22) 8 x 10″ borderless black-and-white stills, with captions. Enclosed in over-size printed studio folder (a bit rubbed and with fraying along the extended top edges). FINE in VERY GOOD- folder.

An extensive studio press kit promoting the 1979 film adaptation of Plath’s semi-autobiographical novel, based on a screenplay by Marjorie Kellogg, directed by Larry Peerce, and starring Marilyn Hassett, Julie Harris, Robert Klein, et al. The releases include extensive productions notes, a synopsis, biographical material, notes on Plath and the book, etc. This is a very scarce book, the only one which I have ever encountered.

TAXI DRIVER (1976) Press kit – 2

Vintage original press kit, 12 x 9″ (31 x 23 cm.), USA. Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, dir: Martin Scorsese; Columbia. Quarto, printed folder, 17, 2 pp. with thirteen (13) 8 x 10″ (20 x 25 cm.) black-and-white photos. NEAR FINE.

Taxi Driver is one of the acknowledged classics of modern American film. This press kit is exceedingly scarce.

BOY AND HIS DOG, A (1976) Press kit

Vintage original presskit, USA. Don Johnson, Jason Robards, Jr., dir: L.Q. Jones; L. Q. Jaf. Quarto, 12 x 9” (31 x 23 cm.), pictorial folder,17 leaves of text, plus 7 8 x 10” (20 x 25 cm.) photos, of which 5 have long quibs attached (of which some are single page, and others multi-page). Folder shows moderate rubbing and edgewear, NEAR FINE.

Writer-director chose to release this film himself, rather than go through a normal distribution route. The result was that, although it had received acclaim at various film festivals, it got very minimal theatrical release, and, hence, original ephemera from it are seldom seen.

Harlan Ellison (of whom there is a portrait included in the folder) stated that this post-apocalyptic movie was one of the few adaptations of his work which was true to it. It was adapted from his 1969 novella, first published in NEW WORLDS. 

BLADE RUNNER (1982) Press kit

Printed folder, 12 x 9” (30 x 23 cm.),18 supplements, 9, 20, 4, 2, 4, 2, 3, ,3, 2, 3, 5, 2, 6, 2, 3, 3, 2 pp. (78 pp. in all, stapled together), with 21 photos, which vary from 6 ¼ x 10” (16 x 26 cm.) to 7 ¾ x 10” (20 x 26 cm.), includes the original printed studio envelope in which the presskit was mailed (folded once). Just about fine.

Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, dir: Ridley Scott; Warner Brothers.

The most complete example (and in the nicest condition!) of this scarce ephemeral portfolio which I have ever seen, both as to the total number of photos included (I have previously, but only once, had one with 18 photos, and not 21), and the completeness of the printed supplements included.

BIRD (1988) Press kit

Vintage original press kit, USA. Forest Whitaker, Samuel E. Wright, dir: Clint Eastwood; Warner Brothers. Quarto, 12 x 9″ (30 x 23 cm.), pictorial wrappers, 20 pp., with twenty-seven (27) 8 x 10″ (20 x 25 cm.) photos laid in, minor creasing to booklet, overall just about fine.

Eastwood’s searing biography of bebop jazz legend Charlie Parker, graced by Whitaker’s intense performance, remains one of the few classic movies about jazz.

SHAFT (1971) Press kit

Vintage original 11 ½ x 9″(29 x 23 cm.) press kit, USA. Richard Roundtree, dir: Gordon Parks; MGM. Quarto, printed folder with die-cut window, twenty-three (23) 8 x 10″ (20 x 25 cm.) black-and-white print still photos, 11, 4, 2, 2, 2, 3, 2, 1, 3 pp., slight bumping to outer edges of folder, overall fine in near fine covers.

SHAFT remains one of the defining films of the Blaxploitation movement. The printed text appropriately talks about “NEW MARKET FOR FILMS”, as this film emerges precisely at the moment when African American cinema is beginning to emerge.

The set of photos is a very extensive archive of images from this classic film, and it contains a portrait of director Gordon Parks. This press kit is exceedingly scarce.

GODFATHER: PART II, THE (1974) Press kit

Vintage original press kit, USA. Printed folder, with twenty-five (25) 8 x 10″ (20 x 25 cm.) photos, with affixed printed captions, and with 141 pp. of promotional text. Al Pacino, Talia Shire, Robert De Niro, dir: Francis Ford Coppola; Paramount. This press kit is an unusually scarce one; most of them were long ago broken up and sold for their individual photos.
There is some wear to the printed folder, overall NEAR FINE in VERY GOOD folder.

(African American film) GLORY (1989) Promotional archive

[Los Angeles]: Tri-Star Pictures, 1989. Set of two pieces of vintage original studio promotional material:

  • One 10 1/2 x 14″ (27 x 36 cm) promotional book. Pictorial wrappers, oblong folio, 34 pp. in original printed mailing envelope, fine. A sumptuously illustrated promotional book, replete with excellent color plates.
  • One 12 x 9″ (31 x 23 cm) press kit (labeled as “PRESS INFORMATION” on inner flap). Portfolio, pictorial wrappers, contains six 2 pp. promotional inserts, 33 pp. booklet, thirteen 8 x 10″ (20 x 25 cm) black-and-white photos. Small tear on front wrapper, just about fine.

Glory is an epic drama about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the Union Army’s first African American regiments in the American Civil War. Denzel Washington won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role. He co-starred with Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher and Matthew Broderick.

TALKING HEADS | STOP MAKING SENSE [1984] Photo archive

[New York]: Island Alive, [1984]. Set of six vintage original 8 x 10″ (20 x 25 cm) black-and-white photos, fine.

A genuinely scarce full set of six photos, most likely from this concert film‘s original press kit. It is exceedingly difficult to find all six photos together for this Jonathan Demme-directed film featuring David Byrne and Talking Heads.