alternate takes

in an effort to combat all the bad mojo that's been flying around the web for the last couple of days i thought i would post something here to celebrate creativity, imagination and the positive potential for interpretation. our favorite films affect us in all sorts of unique ways. sometimes we take a lesson from it that we carry with us for the rest of our days. sometimes it vividly brings to mind a person, place or time in our lives that is of fundamental importance to us. we never know what might be the trigger either. it may be some little detail in the margin. it may be the way a piece of music accentuates a scene. it could be anything. and for every film, there are as many interpretations as there are viewers. for some, it inspires a creative act in response, and that is what we are going to take a look at today. i love alternate movie posters. i really enjoy seeing what it is someone else is responding to in a film and how much they can communicate in a single clever and well-crafted image. here are a few of my favorites.

this spartacus (1960) poster is from a series that viktor hertz did featuring the films of stanley kubrick represented in pictograms. you can see more of his work and contact him via his website.

this alternate take on lolita (1962) is by adam juresko. you can find his portfolio and contact him via his website.

this a clockwork orange (1971) poster is designed by illustrator matt sewell. his work can be found here.

this diabolical number for rosemary's baby (1968) comes from phantom city creative. they do all sorts of cool horror/genre stuff.

this comic-influenced version of the wrong man (1956) comes from dan panosian at urban barbarian.

this poster for m (1931) comes from brandon schaefer. contact information and links to galleries are here.

tom whelan contributes this version of the fly (1986). there is a ton of cool stuff at his website, strong stuff.

some even go as far as to design alternate universe movie posters.

if you'd like to see more of these bizarro creations, check out sean hartter.

i could look at these all day, and the internet is practically overflowing with them. just to get you started, alternative movie posters is a great site that functions as a gallery for both poster enthusiasts and designers. you can view submissions there from all over the world and, if you are a designer, you can link to your portfolio/online marketplace through their site. there is also a
flickr group devoted to the alternative poster. those are just a couple of examples. if you're interested, google will turn up thousands more. some of them can be hit and miss but there are some jewels out there. go look at some art and enjoy yourselves.