Film poster design

Studio Brief 3

We were all given a Jack Nicolson film that we then had to design a poster for, the film i was given was The Last Tycoon. 

The Last Tycoon

F.Scott Fitzgerald's novel is brought to life in this story of a movie producer slowly working himself to death.

Robert De Niro arguably gave the most critically acclaimed performances during the 1970's in movies like "Mean Streets", "Bang the Drum Slowly", "The Godfather, Part II", "Taxi Driver, "The Deer Hunter", etc.,. Little has been said, however, about his turn as Monroe Stahr in "The Last Tycoon"

• quite possibly De Niro's most underrated and most uncharacteristic

performance on screen. "The Last Tycoon", itself, was a mixed bag among the critics. Some liked it. Some didn't. In my view, "The Last Tycoon" was a movie that deserves a place in film history for exploring Hollywood in the inside. This movie, however, provides only a small glimpse into this which was why the critics were divided. Shortly put, "The Last Tycoon" deals with a top producer's (De Niro) everyday life and the conflict that arises when he sees a lost loved one - albeit in a different way.
The movie boasts of several big names of the past as well as the present. Robert Mitchum, Jeanne Moreau, Anjelica Huston (in a cameo), Tony Curtis, John Carradine, etc., were few of the key players. Jack Nicholson makes a late appearance in the film providing for some brilliant, electric scenes with De Niro. In fact their scenes together (undoubtedly the highlight of the movie) make the one scene that De Niro and Al Pacino shared in Michael Mann's "Heat" seem pedestrian. De Niro and Nicholson, two of the greatest actors American film has even seen, will most likely never work together again considering their stature today which makes their scenes together in "The Last Tycoon" that much more priceless. Ingrid Boutling, a British model, is cast opposite De Niro and gives a wooden performance. She is the only weak link of the picture. A young Theresa Russell also gives an able supporting performance. Ultimately, however, "The Last Tycoon" lies solely on De Niro's shoulders and he makes full use of the opportunity and then some. De Niro's interpretation of a movie mogul (reportedly based on Irving G. Thalberg) is absolutely genuine and original. Looking trim and handsome, De Niro gives a towering, commanding performance as Monroe Stahr and it is his work here that holds the picture together. Though the critics were split down the middle in their opinion regarding this film, there was one thing they agreed upon. Robert De Niro gives an authentic, striking performance in the central role. In my opinion, a performance which deserved an Oscar nomination.

Plot 

 Monroe Stahr is the young production chief and the most creative executive of one of the biggest studios of the Golden Age of Hollywood. He is a tireless worker in a time of turmoil in the industry due to the creation of the Writers Guild of America, Monroe being accustomed to make his underlings, including screenwriters, do whatever he says.

Monroe's life flows between film shootings, industry bosses' machinations, discussions with writers and actors and a battle with an union organizer named Brimmer, whose intrusion he resents. In the meantime, Monroe becomes obsessed with a young woman with a troubled past, Kathleen Moore, who is engaged to be married with another man, while Cecilia Brady, the young daughter of a studio board member, tries in vain to make Monroe see how she truly feels.

Pat Brady and other studio executives resent Monroe's disrespect for their wishes and neglect. Seeing his treatment of the union organizer as the last straw, they insist that Monroe go away for a long rest. As his difficulties grow bigger and his health declines, Monroe's life runs to an uncertain but inevitable twilight that echoes a long gone era.

After reading and watching the film i realised that the plot to this film was basically a man who worked hard as a director but is then distracted by a beautiful woman who he cant get with because she is getting married, and so eventually he is told to go for a rest for a few weeks from work and he doesn't get the girl. All in all a very boring film that has a small plot that goes absolutely no where, and to top it off Jack Nicholson is in the film for less than 10minutes if that, so really its not a 'Jack Nicholson film' its a film in which he is featured and can barley register a credit!!

Research into posters. 

Old school posters 

Richard Amsel

This is Richard Amsels poster of The Last Tycoon

This is his final poster. 

Other Richard Amsel posters 

More modern posters 

All City Media

Modern Posters 

Below are posters by Olly Moss and Saul Bass, i really like the way they have taken simple shapes that relate to the film and used this to give off a strong resemblance of that particular film. I also like how they have used negative space to create these shapes in some cases. All there work also uses a small amount of colours so it is very relevant to the brief we have been set.   

Olly Moss

Saul Bass