''Criss-Cross'', 1949 - art by Georges Allard
by Movie World Posters
Title
''Criss-Cross'', 1949 - art by Georges Allard
Artist
Movie World Posters
Medium
Mixed Media - Vintage Movie Poster
Description
A vintage movie poster of ''Criss-Cross'', a 1949 American film noir directed by Robert Siodmak. The movie is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Don Tracy and is notable for its dark and suspenseful storytelling, as well as its strong performances.
The film stars Burt Lancaster as Steve Thompson, a former armored car driver who becomes entangled in a dangerous web of love and crime. After divorcing his wife Anna (played by Yvonne De Carlo), Steve tries to lead a quiet and normal life. However, he still carries a torch for Anna and can't quite shake off his feelings for her.
Things take a sinister turn when Steve gets involved in a scheme to rob an armored car, orchestrated by the suave and dangerous gangster Slim Dundee (played by Dan Duryea). As the heist unfolds, tensions rise, and Steve finds himself navigating a treacherous path between his feelings for Anna and the criminal underworld.
"Criss Cross" is characterized by its moody and atmospheric cinematography, showcasing the gritty underbelly of post-World War II Los Angeles. The film employs a non-linear narrative structure, which adds to its suspense and tension as it reveals the events leading up to and following the heist.
Burt Lancaster delivers a strong performance as the conflicted and doomed protagonist, while Yvonne De Carlo and Dan Duryea excel in their respective roles. The film is renowned for its tight pacing, well-crafted suspense sequences, and its exploration of themes such as fate, betrayal, and the inescapability of one's past.
"Criss Cross" is considered a classic of the film noir genre, known for its compelling characters and its examination of the moral ambiguity and fatalism often associated with this style of filmmaking. It remains a highly regarded entry in the world of noir cinema and a testament to Robert Siodmak's directorial talent.
About the artist:
Gilbert ("Georges") Allard (Oct. 15, 1916, Rouvray-Saint-Croix, France—Dec. 7, 2002, Saint-Evertin, France) was a leading French postwar and contemporary poster artist, active from the end of the 1940s through the 1960s.
He painted and signed more than eighty posters for films distributed in France. The French advertising agency Jacques Fourastié produced the majority of his posters.
He often differed from other French poster artists who used graphic elements since he preferred traditional painting techniques. As a result, he used fine brushwork to paint intricate, unexaggerated facial details while adding more dynamic features to the background images, which blended expertly with the key image. In combination, his poster art produced images of the film's essential theme.
An example of those style qualities can be seen in his poster for "Contempt" (aka "Le Mepris," (1963) with Brigitte Bardot, along with other posters, as in "Red River" (1948), "Baby Doll" (1956), and "Doctor Zhivago" (1965).
Search for "Allard" to see some of his other art.
Uploaded
December 27th, 2021
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