Angel Memorabilia

The classic US one-sheet theatrical poster. 67 x 100 cm.

This is an effective poster with its simple and clean design; the foreground figures stand out from a background that sets location and mood without being intrusive. Compare with the Mexican poster’s more detailed background to see how more detail does not always make something more effective.

Mexican poster. Películas Abco, S.A. 45 x 62 cm.

Note the additions and changes that an artist has made to the background that are not on the original scenery as seen on the US one-sheet poster. I find this makes the background noisier, reducing the effectiveness of the poster. Regardless, such differences make comparisons possible and add to the fun of it all.

French poster. Coline. 40 x 54 cm.

The background images have been altered by artist Michel Landi (note the copyright tag on the right side of the poster), giving the poster a snazzier look. To me this poster image looks much more like a work of art in that there’s a more balanced use of colour and texture to the work compared to the US one-sheet; I find that the uneven yellowing of the paper adds something too. However, the same criticism of the Mexican poster applies: The addition of detail to the background takes attention away from the foreground figures. Overall it’s an attractive artsy image that I like (except the title graphics, yuck!).

UK video poster. Thorn EMI. 51 x 75 cm.

This poster’s yellow-orange border grabbed my attention the moment I saw it. It’s such a nice colour that goes well with the overall blue of the background. What also caught my eye is the logo and text acting as a framing element around the two figures, which helps balance the image so that it works well as a flat poster and as the cover art for the UK VHS release where the left quarter appears on the spine.

Advertising material from the German pressbook. Senator Film. 140 x 220 mm.

Like the Mexican poster, this image also has changes made to the background art but they’re not as interesting. The left side isn’t really affected by the removal of detail from the building but the new figure on the right has unbalanced the composition.

German Film Card, front and back. Senator Film. 100 x 140 mm.

Unlike the German ad mat, this card uses the original background art as on the US one sheet poster.

Angel chirashi, Japan, front and back, 18 x 25 cm.

Angel promo on card stock, front and back, 22 x 30 cm. If you haven’t seen the movie then don’t read too much of the text on the back because it’s a spoiler for the entire plot.

Front and back of a DVD released in Greece. 12 x 12 cm. If my translation of the Greek fine print is correct then this disc was probably distributed as a newspaper giveaway.

Note the strange distortion of the road at the bottom left of the front image, where the paint line suddenly veers off to the left, and the change to the building on the right to make it look like it’s on a corner with another road. This may have been an attempt at a tile effect when multiple discs are placed in a row but the trees and building don’t seem to be suitable for tiling.

A set of ten lobby cards from the Spanish release. A mark for Alas Films, S.A. is part of the text block.

There seems to have been some quality control problems with the printing; ink splotches and dirt on the film are visible.

Five of these cards had the photo negative flipped left-to-right before being printed. Can you figure out which ones? There are enough clues in the images to spot two of them, but for the other three one has to recognize the scene from the movie.

My favourite is the one with Angel pointing the gun at the killer (John Diehl). It’s too bad that the gun is invisible against the black background, making for a strange photo to anyone who hasn’t seen the movie. I wonder why Diehl doesn’t look at all concerned. Perhaps he wasn’t quite ready at the moment the photo was shot?

A set of ten French lobby cards. A mark for Coline is part of the text block.

Two of these cards have the image flipped horizontally.

The images in this set shows a higher contrast than any in the other sets. I wonder why?

A set of German lobby cards, with one card missing. There’re no distributor’s marks but the German distributor was Senator Film.

All but two of these cards are A4 size. The card with the car and driver who looks like it might be Joe Cala, and the card with Donna Wilkes standing on the apartment stairs are A3.

Seven US lobby cards. New World Pictures. Each measures 36 x 28 cm, with border.

There seems to have been some quality control problems with the printing of this set as well, as dirt on the film is visible.

Only one of the cards in this set had the negative flipped left-to-right before being printed. Can you spot it?