''Planet of the Apes'' 1968 - art by Jean Mascii
by Movie World Posters
Title
''Planet of the Apes'' 1968 - art by Jean Mascii
Artist
Movie World Posters
Medium
Mixed Media - Vintage Movie Posters
Description
A vintage French poster for ''Planet of the Apes'', a classic science fiction film released in 1968, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and based on the 1963 novel "La Planète des Singes" by Pierre Boulle. The movie is known for its thought-provoking themes, iconic twist ending, and groundbreaking makeup effects.
The story follows the adventures of an American astronaut named George Taylor, played by Charlton Heston, who, along with his crew, crash-lands on an unknown planet in the distant future. To their shock, they discover that this strange world is inhabited by highly intelligent and evolved apes, while humans are mute and relegated to a primitive state.
As the plot unfolds, Taylor and his fellow astronaut, played by Linda Harrison, find themselves captured and subjected to the dominance of the ape society. The film explores themes of prejudice, social hierarchy, and the consequences of human actions on the environment and civilization.
The makeup and costume design, led by John Chambers, were groundbreaking at the time and played a significant role in creating the lifelike ape characters. The performances of the actors under layers of prosthetic makeup were also notable, particularly Roddy McDowall as Cornelius and Kim Hunter as Zira, two sympathetic ape characters who help Taylor navigate this bizarre world.
"Planet of the Apes" is famous for its jaw-dropping twist ending, which has become one of the most iconic and memorable in film history. The ending leaves audiences with a profound and thought-provoking message about the nature of humanity and the consequences of our actions.
The success of the 1968 film led to several sequels, a television series, and a rebooted film franchise in the 21st century, solidifying its status as a beloved and influential piece of science fiction cinema.
About the 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
April 5th, 2021
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