Poised to break all records as the most expensive movie poster in history to be sold at auction is a super-rare three-sheet poster from Universal's FRANKENSTEIN (1931). MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD previously reported a poster from MGM's LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT selling for almost a half a million dollars. Could the FRANKENSTEIN poster beat it? We'll know when the gavel drops.
Here is the story from Heritage Auctions newsletter:
Hot on the heels of November's auction of the most valuable
movie poster ever sold at a public auction, Heritage Auctions' Movie Poster
Signature Auction returns March 28-29 with a selection of large-size rarities
never before offered to collectors. A monstrously-sized Style C three-sheet
movie poster for Frankenstein (Universal, 1931) — the only copy known to exist
— lurches ahead of the group with a $100,000+ pre-auction estimate.
"Only a small handful of one sheets including one
teaser, one six sheet, one insert, and a restored half sheet are all that have
appeared of the Frankenstein posters," said Grey Smith, Director of Movie
Posters at Heritage, "and this poster is the only known copy of either of
the two style three sheets created for the debut of the film."
The three-sheet poster was found in the early 1970s in a
long closed and boarded over projection booth in a remodeled theater. It had
apparently been used as a display for a number of reissues of the film with its
counterpart for Dracula, as was so often the case throughout the 1930s and
1940s. After expert restoration, the poster is electric in its depiction of the
monster and a vulnerable Mae Clarke as Elizabeth, Dr. Frankenstein's fiancée.
Argentinean poster for The Bride of Frankenstein The three
sheet is one of 27 lots associated with the Frankenstein movie and its sequels,
including a scarce Argentinean poster for The Bride of Frankenstein (Universal,
1935), an incredible stone litho poster featuring a close-up of actor Boris
Karloff (est. $20,000+).
Here is the description of the lot up for bid:
Frankenstein (Universal, 1931). Three Sheet (41" X
78.5") Style C.
To say that the 1931 horror classic Frankenstein
was monumental is an understatement in the impact it made on the audiences of
the day and remains as THE link that gets us where we are today in the
evolution of the essentials of the horror film. Every cliché of cinema horror
was created with this film: the mad scientist, the misunderstood monster, the
angry villagers carrying torches, the dark laboratory filled with science
fictional devices, and the creepy assistant. And doesn't every dark, silent
cinema monster owe its existence to this giant creature with the electrodes
protruding from his neck? From the Creature of the Black Lagoon, to Leatherface
in Texas Chainsaw, to Jason of Friday the 13th, and to all of the undead
Zombies that followed, the hulking horror created by Boris Karloff, James
Whale, and Jack Pierce influenced them all. They can all be traced back to the
appearance of Karloff in the role of the monster in Mary Shelley's
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Posters for this film have always been
infamously difficult to find! Only a small handful of one sheets including one
teaser, one six sheet, one insert, and a restored half sheet are all that have
appeared of the posters, not including lobby cards. Offered in this lot is the
only known copy of either of the two style three sheets created for the debut
of the film. This is the Style C and is arguably the best graphic of the two
styles. The poster was found in the early 1970s in a long closed and boarded
over projection booth in a remodeled theater. It had apparently been used as a
display for a number of reissues of the film with its counterpart Dracula, as
was so often the case throughout the 1930s and 1940s. It had been trimmed of
its borders and there was paper trimmed around the monster's head, on the right
side of the poster above his shoulder and upper portion of the small space to
the left side of the monster's head. There were quarter size holes taken from
the monster's eyes as well as a chip from his upper forehead on the left of image
and one next to his left eye, poster right, just before his left ear. There was
approximately six inches of paper trimmed from the bottom of the image which
extended into the woman's hand and a spot extended up to just into her hair and
into the far left side of her face. There was approximately ¾ to 2 inches
trimmed from the left side of the image and approximately 1 inch to the right.
The top of the monster's head was intact. There was some paper chipping in the
upper folds of the poster as well as some chips from the monster's chin and
just to the right of his mouth. There was a much larger piece missing in the
image area just above the woman's body and into the credits above. There was a
chip in the last "N" of "Frankenstein" and a smaller chip
in the "F." The title and credits have been airbrushed. There were
other minor spots of paper loss within the image that have been touched up.
Professional restoration has addressed all of these condition issues and the
poster now displays beautifully. Fair/Good on Linen. Estimate: $100,000 -
$200,000.
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