''Counterpoint'', 1957 - art by Jean Mascii
by Movie World Posters
Title
''Counterpoint'', 1957 - art by Jean Mascii
Artist
Movie World Posters
Medium
Mixed Media - Vintage Movie Poster
Description
A vintage French movie poster of ''Counterpoint'', a 1967 war film starring Charlton Heston, not 1957. The film was directed by Ralph Nelson and is set during World War II. Charlton Heston plays the lead role of Lionel Evans, a renowned American symphony conductor who is stationed in Europe during the war. The film also features Maximilian Schell and Kathryn Hays in prominent roles.
The story revolves around Lionel Evans, who is in the midst of a European concert tour with his orchestra when he and his musicians are captured by German soldiers. They are taken as prisoners of war and placed in a detention camp. In the camp, Evans finds himself at odds with the strict and ruthless camp commandant, Major Otto Wolters (played by Maximilian Schell), who is an accomplished musician himself.
Despite their differences and the tense environment of the camp, Evans and Wolters share a common love for music. This shared passion for music becomes the basis for a unique and tense relationship between the two men. Wolters, who admires Evans' musical talent, proposes a plan to organize a concert featuring the American prisoners as a propaganda tool for the Germans. Evans reluctantly agrees, seeing it as an opportunity to boost the morale of his fellow prisoners.
As the film progresses, tensions rise as the prisoners and their German captors prepare for the concert. The film explores themes of survival, resilience, and the power of music to transcend boundaries and bring people together, even in the midst of war.
"Counterpoint" is a war drama that uses music as a central element to tell its story. It highlights the emotional impact of music and the common humanity that can be found even in the most unlikely of circumstances. Charlton Heston delivers a compelling performance as the conflicted conductor, and Maximilian Schell adds depth to his character as the complex and somewhat sympathetic German officer. The film provides a unique perspective on the role of music during wartime and the ways in which it can bridge divides between individuals.
About the poster artist:
Jean Mascii was a French painter, poster artist, and illustrator. He was born on July 5, 1926, in Mirandola, Italy, and died in Paris on November 16, 2003. His poster design career spanned over three decades into the 1980s, during which he created over 1,500 posters.
The son of Italian immigrants, Mascii scored his first design job in 1943 when he was 17, making panels for cinema facades at Déco Star. After designing his first poster in 1947, he worked at Pathé Cinéma before setting up his own art studio in 1955. He then designed posters primarily for Warner Bros.
His primary medium was gouache, which lent itself well to reproduction by lithography. On his creative process, he said, "I was given a synopsis or photo sets, and I would get to it." Starting in the 1960s, however, posters were printed with offset. He then began using a technique of accentuating the facial realism of his models against an enriched background. He was one of the first poster artists to depict the hero's face standing out against a series of background sketches, mirroring the twists and turns of the film’s plot.
Once the newer designs of photomontage and computer graphics took hold after the 1980s, Mascii stopped painting poster art. From 1990 on, he primarily designed book covers and devoted himself to painting. He was one of the last portraitists to use the classical style of original paintings.
He also created over 250 book covers, in addition to designing nearly 1,500 cinema posters along with visuals for advertising and press.
Search by the artist's last name to see more of their art.
Uploaded
February 8th, 2022
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