Sapphire (1959) Original UK Quad Movie Poster. Renato Fratini artwork

  
This original UK Quad Poster for. (1959) boasts a colourful, almost garish, design by renowned poster artist. The late 50s vibe is strikingly mid-century.

This is a very special poster. Around the edges there are various minor tears, tape marks and pin holes which I have tried to illustrate in the close-up photographs. The poster was originally supplied folded to the cinema and this is how it will be posted. Sars: Nigel Patrick, Yvonne Mitchell, Michael Craig, Paul Massie, Bernard Miles, Earl Cameron.

Sapphire is a 1959 British crime drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Nigel Patrick, Yvonne Mitchell, Michael Craig, and Paul Massie. A progressive film for its time, it focuses on racism in London toward immigrants from the Caribbean, and explores the "underlying insecurities and fears of ordinary people" about those of another race. At the 13th British Academy Film Awards, Sapphire won the award for Best British Film. Dearden and Michael Relph's films on social issues generally not tackled by British cinema in this era, the most famous of which would be Victim (1961) starring Dirk Bogarde. Renato Fratini (1932 - 1973) was an Italian commercial artist who specialised in cinema posters and book covers. His heyday was in 1960s London.

Fratini produced the artwork for From Russia With Love (1963) from a design by Eddie Paul. Other work included Whistle Down The Wind (1961), Phantom of the Opera (1962), This Sporting Life (1963), The Chalk Garden (1964), Hot Enough for June (1964), Maroc 7 (1966), Khartoum (1966). Often Eric Pulford produced the design and Fratini did the painting.

Fratini also illustrated most of the posters for the Carry On films of the period from designs by Pulford, starting with Don't Lose Your Head (1966) up to Carry on at Your Convenience (1971). Vic Fair commented on the apparently detailed design All that detail... Fratini could just knock it in.

Look closely, and there's actually nothing there!