Wednesday 27 October 2010

Look At This Other Beautiful Thing

Following the insanely overpriced Tim Burton / Danny Elfman box set I told you about the other week, here's the latest in a series of increasingly depressing posts describing amazing items of movie memorabilia you could never hope to own.
Bill Gold, like Drew Struzan, has had more of an impact on your life than you're probably aware. He designed thousands of film posters between 1941 and 2004, and they're all infinitely better than the shit that gets squirted out these days by Photoshopping hipsters who wear sunglasses indoors and have hairstyles you cut yourself on when you punch them in the face.

Recently-formed publishers Reel Art Press have made 1500 copies of this 450-page book of some of Gold's work, and it's the kind of thing I struggle to get through life knowing I'll never own. Here are a few sample pages to embiggen and pleasure yourself over:
To give you some idea of how goggle-bogglingly fantastic this book is likely to be, here's what Reel Art Press casually describe as a "Press Sample" - a 35x40cm, 47-page, limited edition, individually numbered hardback book that I had to spread out on the floor because the table wasn't big enough:
When you order your copy you've got two choices: the standard "Master Edition" is hand-bound, comes in a bespoke slipcase and is printed on the kind of paper they probably use for royal wedding invitations. As such it retails at an eye-watering £400. If that doesn't sound deluxe enough for you, fear not because there's also a "Deluxe Edition" which comes in a hand-made ash-finished wooden case (I'm not making this up) and costs ONE THOUSAND POUNDS.

I've asked for a review copy but it doesn't appear to have arrived yet.

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7 comments :

  1. Oh god it's beautiful. I should clean myself up.

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  2. "hairstyles you cut yourself on when you punch them in the face"

    You can stop now, suit. You'll never write anything as funny as that, surely?
    (And you CAN afford it, if you really, really want it, you tight old sod!

    :)

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  3. Wonderful endorsement of an agreeably great book (well reproduced images). Although it's priced beyond we average mortals, your high regard for quality is saluted. No doubt, there will be resource copies in libraries and film departments. And also, I believe the publishers will in time sell the rights to mass publication, so the book will be sold at an affordable price.
    Bill Gold is the Maestro!

    Film Archivist/NYC

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  4. So BFI LFF ends on 28th The Incredible Suit will be Surviving Life with Guilty Pleasures as The First Grader in The Right Place, Wrong Time for 127 hours with An Illegal Somewhat Gentle Man who wants to Let Each One Go Where He May until The Wild River goes Kaboom Somewhere Biutiful and the Cold Fish land Sunny Side Up in Patagonia. The Suit will miss all that and utter a Howl for the Tabloid Doctor.

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  5. Woweeee, this sure looks amazing. I've read that Bill is a good friend of Clint Eastwood and Clint wrote the foreword to the book. I think I know what I'll be buying myself for Christmas.

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  6. I have been lucky enough to have seen this book complete with wooden case and it looks super sweet

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  7. My sister was at the London launch and said it was unbelievable. Bill Gold was there and signing books and posters. She thinks they sold over 100 books. She saw the master edition and said it's the nicest book, like this, she's ever seen. It's really big and unbelievably heavy. The paper is a high gloss and everything is needle sharp. I told her I want one for Christmas. I'll let you know if I get lucky and have the best sister in the world.
    Jim

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