Barbarella UK quad movie poster
Quad movie posters are 30″×40″, versus one-sheet movie posters, which are 27″×40″ (or 27″×41″ for older ones). Quad is the standard size in the UK.
This UK quad (Style B) poster was issued for the release of Barbarella in 1968.
The main heading with the title of the film is typeset in one of the phototype versions of Edelgotisch by either PLINC or Lettergraphics.
Interestingly, it appears to be a heavier weight than Edelgotisch as shown in Schelter & Giesecke specimens, and it is not condensed like the bold version that was later added and eventually renamed Othello.
Without samples of PLINC or Lettergraphics versions of Edelgotisch to reference, it’s unclear which version we see here. There’s no record of either PLINC or Lettergraphics adding additional weights to their versions of Edelgotisch.
When the title is written again below the main heading, it’s in the normal style from the early specimens.
While the questions in the speech bubbles are lettering, the credits at the bottom are set in a range of sans serifs, including Alternate Gothic and possibly News Gothic Extra Condensed and Monotype Grotesque or similar.
4 Comments on “Barbarella UK quad movie poster”
Thank you, Hee!
This title treatment was also used for another UK Quad poster in full color, as well as for a pressbook. For the former, the art is credited to Renato Fratini and Robin Ray.
For the question of the specific version of Edelgotisch: in addition to the phototype adaptations by PLINC and Lettergraphics, there was also one by Face Photosetting. I have added this info to our typeface page now. Face’s version was shown in 1974, but probably was available already in 1968. As Face was based in London, it’s a more likely source for this Use than the American typesetting services.
Face carried the original style, plus the initials. I’m not aware of an extension that matches the bold letters of the film title – I would assume that this lettering, based on regular Edelgotisch.
To illustrate this, here’s the title typeset in Edelgotisch (top) compared to the bolder rendition (bottom), both taken from the full-color movie poster and brought to the same width. The middle line shows the top line but scaled to around 85% of the height. Draw over it to make the letterforms bolder, and you’re there.
Judging from the differences in repeated letters, the text in the speech balloons is lettered by hand. One typeface that comes close in look and that was around at the time is Filmotype Mars:
@Florian Hardwig: Thank you for this wealth of additional information! These other poster versions are stunning. I’m kicking myself now for not finding them because either one of them would have been a wonderful main image.
Love the comparison. Good point, you’re right—it must be hand lettering! Looking more closely, there seem to be significant variations between multiples of the same letter that I hadn’t noticed at first.