Liverpool FC v Real Madrid, The European Cup 1981 and Paris flee markets.
Liverpool FC v Real Madrid, The European Cup 1981 and Paris flee markets.
When you are surrounded by ‘scousers’ and Liverpool are playing in Paris, where do you think I have to go. We had the luxury of a hotel this time, as opposed to the back of a VW Beatle in Rome in 1977 but I had no bribe shirt influence this time so I , along with my good friend Derek drew the short straws and had to watch on TV and look after the kids.
Late May saw Liverpool win one nil from an Alan Kennedy goal in the second half. Bob Paisley was pleased to make it number three on the way to the five before Europe changed the rules. Still at it.Derek ordered Burgers à cheval so when the lucky ones returned, they told us we had eaten ‘horse meat , the consequence of half an education. It tasted great.
The following day, the Paris Flea market in Saint-Ouen was the place to frequent. The marche d’antiquites was joined to the bric a brac and food market so it catered for all.
I browsed for some time until I came across a book stall with some interesting graphic examples of French shop fronts, traditionally sign-written in what now would pass as Farrow and Ball colours but then, just bad faded French paint. The books were too expensive but the owner referred me to a pile of old movie posters that had been gathering dust in his shop since the late 1940’s. I bought them, filed them away under ‘interesting’ as they reflected the style of the time and there they stayed until I came across them again in a similar pile of discarded artwork.
The problem with them was that they were full colour and the process of artwork separation and screen making would have been prohibitively expensive for a limited market. Shift forward 40 years and …..hey ho! Direct To Garment printers occupy the landscape and the Kornit Atlas is probably the best of the best. Now it was possible to capture the ‘wall poster’ in all its glory and in full colour on the front of a limited number of garments to satisfy a niche market.
I like them all but my particular favourite is advertising Le Printemps, l'Automne et l'Amour (Spring, Autumn and Love ) It is a French/ Italian film made in 1955 and directed by Gilles Grangier and staring Fernandel. It has the look of an original blocky screen prinf and minimalist graphic representation, very French.
The first in the series is a poster advertising Les Contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann )is a 1951 British Technicolor comic opera film written, produced and directed by the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger working under the umbrella of their production company, The Archers. It is an adaptation of Jacques Offenbach's 1881 opera The Tales of Hoffmann, itself based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann.
Number 2 advertises Ronald Reagan in Qinq Jours de Terreur (Law and Order), a good title for an aspiring US President.
This was the fourth time W.R. Burnett's story was adapted for a film by Universal, following the 1932, 1937, and 1940 versions.
Susan Cabot was originally meant to play Maria Durling, but backed out of the film due to dental surgery. Ruth Hampton was an entrant in a Miss Universe contest sponsored by Universal and was selected to fill that role; she would later appear in five other Universal-International films. Russell Johnson remarks that Ronald Reagan was "very political," and that "he couldn't spend a minute without being very political." He and Reagan were on the different ends of the political spectrum but nonetheless, Johnson found Reagan to be an easy man to work with during filming.
Number three is advertising Cecil B DeMilles Samson et en Delila, a 1949 American romantic biblical drama film released by Paramount Pictures. It depicts the biblical story of Samson, a strongman whose secret lies in his uncut hair, and his love for Delilah, the woman who seduces him, discovers his secret, and then betrays him to the Philistines. It stars Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature in the title roles, George Sanders as the Saran, Angela Lansbury as Semadar, and Henry Wilcoxon as Ahtur.
Pre-production on the film began as early as 1935, but principal photography officially commenced in 1948. The screenplay, written by Jesse L. Lasky Jr. and Fredric M. Frank, is based on the biblical Book of Judges and adapted from original film treatments by Harold Lamb and Vladimir Jabotinsky.
The fifth advertises Le Princesse des Iles .Aloma, Princess of the Islands ( Aloma of the South Seas ) is an American film directed by Alfred Santell , released in 1941 .
On an island in the Pacific. As is customary, the son of the chief, Tanoa, is engaged from childhood to the one he will have to marry: Aloma. The young Tanoa then left for the United States to study there. He does not return to his island until his father dies, to become the new chief and marry Aloma. But, in the meantime, Revo, an ambitious cousin of Tanoa, wooed the beautiful Aloma and almost won her heart. Then, the sacred volcano erupts and a violent earthquake ravages the island. It is therefore up to the Gods to choose who, Tanoa or Revo, will marry Aloma…
This design was initially rejected by Facebook on the grounds of nudity……..until I requested a review on the basis that the ‘flesh’ was all male.
No six in the series is another of my favorits, Castel Noir. This film, The Black Castle is a 1952 American horror film directed by Nathan H. Juran and starring Richard Greene, Boris Karloff, Stephen McNally, Rita Corday and Lon Chaney Jr. It was produced by William Alland. The film was made in the United States but premiered in Sweden.
Sir Ronald Burton (Greene), a British gentleman, investigates the disappearance of two of his friends at the Austrian estate of the sinister Count von Bruno (McNally). Bruno secretly seeks revenge against the leaders of a British force that set the natives against him in colonial Africa: Burton's missing friends are among Bruno's victims, and Burton is now also in the trap. Burton plans to escape with Bruno's abused Countess, but the Count's henchmen bar the way.
Finally, the last in this series of seven is La Dame en Blanc (Woman in White), a 1948 drama film directed by Peter Godfrey and starring Alexis Smith , Eleanor Parker , Sydney Greenstreet , and Gig Young . The screenplay is based on Wilkie Collins' novel The Woman in White .
You see what I mean about this eclectic collection with lots of history and great graphics but very much to the tastes of aficionados……...until GAS came along, basking in the delight of a Liverpool FC victory.