Pret-A-Porter

Artist: Other
Format: UK Quad (30"x 40")
Condition: Excellent
Year: 1994

Description

The 1980’s had not been kind to Robert Altman. Hailed as a visionary director and one of the leading figures of the New-Hollywood period of the 1970’s, he had made era-defining classics such as “M*A*S*H”, “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” and “Nashville”. Thanks to a series of critically-acclaimed but commercial failures in the late 1970’s - early 1980’s alongside a slightly volatile reputation, major financing eluded him in the new blockbuster era.

Altman’s career experienced resurgence, however, with the release of 1992’s “The Player”, a Hollywood satire which featured a slew of A-List cameos and which brought him his first Academy Award nomination in nearly twenty years. After the release of “Short Cuts” the following year, the director  re-established himself as one of America’s most interesting, ambitious and evocative directors.

Like much of his previous work ,1994’s “Pret-A-Porter” (shot during the Paris Fashion Week), was a satirical comedy featuring a large ensemble cast with a plethora of cameos. Although not warmly received at the box office, the cast of legends such as Sophia Loren and Lauren Bacall alongside newer stars like Julia Roberts and Tim Robbins conveyed the respect that Altman commanded whilst also alluding to his status as an ‘actor’s-director’.

The UK Quad features simple though suitably glamorous and suggestive imagery complete with the playful taglines in keeping with the film’s satirical take: “The fashion world laid bare” and “Sex. Greed. Murder. Some things never go out of style”. The French poster shown below (courtesy of emovieposter.com) offers a markedly more explicit design and, like its Quad equivalent, is certainly eye-catching in its portrayal of sexuality though in this case without the comical undertones (interestingly the US website that exhibited the French poster felt the need to "censor" the anatomically correct detail).

Perhaps the most recognisable poster for an Altman film is that for the 1972 masterpiece “M*A*S*H” (The Quad shown courtesy of www.moviepostermem.com). The fusion of the long legs, hand giving the peace symbol & army helmet created a playful, suggestive yet satirical image that became a hallmark of Altman's work , "Pret-A-Porter" being another example.