Director: Erik Sharkey
MPAA Rating: NR
Film Pulse Score: 7/10
It’s very easy to take a theatrical one sheet for granted; especially since current posters are dominated by simplistic, photo-shopped marketing. Usually it’s a very simple shot of the two stars in a pose or a collection of heads lined up in a row. Not to be dismissive of the current state of theatrical one-sheets since there have been many effective campaigns over the decades but they simply can’t compare to a hand-drawn theatrical one sheet. Not only are you drawn to the poster, pretty effective marketing, but you can appreciate the detail and the artistry of it all. If you were to look at the one sheets for 42 and Raiders of the Lost Ark, both very effective posters, you’ll very likely be drawn to Raiders so you can examine the finer details of its hand-drawn artistry. For an entire generation, this viewer’s in particular, two names represented the best of what hand-drawn movie art has to offer. Bob Peak and Drew Struzan. Eric Sharkey’s appreciative documentary takes a look at Drew Struzan, the man and the artist.
Through numerous interviews Sharkey attempts to show the impact that Struzan has had not only on the industry but to fellow artists, as well. The film looks at his early beginnings as an album artist, his family life and how he found himself becoming a movie poster artist. You truly come to appreciate him, his work ethic and his love for his family. But what really draws you in are the stories told by people such Harrison Ford, George Lucas, Michael J. Fox, Guillermo del Toro, Steven Spielberg and Thomas Jane; just to name a few. For these people the poster is a marketing tool and they really do appreciate how Struzan makes them look or sells their film. Harrison Ford thanks him for making him look so good. Thomas Jane goes off on how awesome Masters of the Universe looks but wonders where THAT movie is. Spielberg often hopes that his films live up to the work Struzan did for a particular film. Case in point, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was probably the last widely distributed one sheet created by Struzan. The poster was actually better than the final film.
One cannot help but to be amazed by his process when he describes how, in 24 hours, he put the idea together for the iconic one sheet for John Carpenter’s The Thing. Basically told by the studios that it was a remake but he can’t reveal much of anything in the design he came up with the piece and had it at the studio, wet paint and all, within 24 hours. In another look at his process he discusses how he was wrangled into creating the artwork for the Special Edition releases of the original Star Wars trilogy which then carried over into the Prequel trilogy.
The documentary is a lot of talking heads and pats on the back for its subject which could become tedious for anyone who has little interest in the art form. However for film fans and collectors this is a great appreciation for one of the finest artists in the business and will fuel the appreciation not only for Struzan but hand-drawn theatrical one sheets in general. Many years ago this viewer spent several hours in a Bob Peak retrospective just admiring his work. A few years ago at San Diego Comic-Con amongst all the celebrities my only geeky moment came from meeting Drew Struzan in the hallway. Not many artists grace my walls. He is one of them.
