Performance

Artist: Other
Format: UK Quad (30"x 40")
Condition: Excellent
Year: 1970

Description

Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg’s 1970 crime drama “Performance” is now regarded as a classic of British cinema. Starring Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones and filmed in 1968 but with its release delayed until ’70, Cammell originally conceived a more light-hearted swinging 60’s romp with Marlon Brando in the lead role. Gradually he redrafted the script into the more intense, surreal and controversial picture that we see today. Roeg, in his first role as (co-)director, was responsible for the film’s look and infused the typical 60’s settings, styles and music with a more disturbing and alerting tone and atmosphere.

Warner Bros. surprisingly and unwittingly did not interfere during the production, believing the project to be a Rolling Stones equivalent of “A Hard Day’s Night”. Upon viewing the completed film the studio executives were outraged and demanded cuts, one even requested the destruction of the film’s negative. This resulted in the film’s prolonged release schedule. Further tension also arose between the ‘Stones members themselves regarding rumours that Jagger had entered into a relationship of sorts with co-star Anita Pallenberg, Keith Richard’s then-girlfriend. Upon hearing the rumours, Richards apparently took to waiting in his car outside the house of the film’s shoot.

An iconic piece of British cinema and Rolling Stones memorabilia, the UK Quad is simple though carries undeniable cult appeal. The design and taglines evoke the film’s more psychedelic qualities whilst also alluding to its exploration of themes of identity, and reality and fantasy. The Mick Jagger imagery, arguably the best seen on a Quad poster, is striking and strange, much like the film itself.

With a more stylised design, the scarce Quad for the film’s 1979 re-release (see below courtesy roger jones auctions) offers interesting comparison. The clever tagline makes a point of the mixed initial reception to "Performance" but by the late 70's the film was ripe for a critical reappraisal & developed a real cult following. Though the artwork has been accredited to Vic Fair, this is incorrect though as of yet, the artist responsible for this pop-art inspired design, remains unidentified. The film’s US 1 Sheet (see below courtesy of emovieposter.com) contains virtually the same design and taglines as the first release Quad, aside from the addition of two images of James Fox in the same style as Jagger.