Estimulacion - Oliva 1968

Raul Oliva's poster for the 1967 Swedish movie Stimulantia uses religious iconography but the film itself is a montage of eight Swedish directors' work (including Ingmar Bergman) of questionable quality. The film confused the critics and hasn't made a mark on the historical cultural landscape. This poster is less phychedelic and more restrained than Oliva's typical output.

Podrido Hasta La Medula - Reboiro 1968

Rotten to the Core is a 1965 British film about a crimimal gang's search for the Duke, a mystery figure who may be dead, and who may have stolen all their money. This poster by Reboiro has a spelling mistake in the title and I can't make out the picture at the centre of the poster, is it the mysterious Duke?

Alondra - Raymundo 1968

This poster by Raymundo García Parra for the Hungarian drama Skylark features the protagonist from the 1963 film, a young woman isolated at home, and imagines her hair as a gilded birdcage, trapping her like a caged bird. The poster has suffered from wear and tear over the years but the design is fresh.

El Boxeador - Avila 1968

The simplest of designs for the Polish film of 1967 Boxer by Gladys Acosta Avila features a boxing glove and an interesting font. the graphic treatment is basic but effective. 

La Ciudad Marcada - Oliva 1966

This restrained design by Oliva for the 1962 Japanese movie Hiroshima Heartache (a film with many titles - the Spanish translation is Scarred City) is simple and neat showing the target closely aligned to the sun, a reference to the atomic bomb trained on the Japanese city. The difference between the Cuban designs of the mid and late 60s is huge - this poster is typical of the style, before the poster artists really let loose with flair and wild colours.

Destello de la Espada de Ichi - Bachs 1969

The late 60s is the era when Cuban posters were at their most colourful, wild and inventive. This Bachs poster for the 1964 Japanese film Zatoichi's Flashing Sword pushes the boundaries with great text design, mad colours (the protagonist in the film wears white, not green, purple and pink) and shapes, and a freedom and confidence that speak of Cuba's positivity. 

Accidente - Oliva 1969

Oliva's fantastic psychedelic design for the British film Accident puts the protagonist, played by Dirk Bogarde, at the centre of the poster. The film has a car crash as a key element of the plot but unlike the British poster this doesn't feature in the design. This may have been a time when the poster artist hadn't seen the film.

Like the best of Cuban art this poster borrows heavily from Western pop art and mimics the style of the San Francisco poster tradition. 

Invirno en Llamas - Raymundo 1968

A touch of San Fran psychedelic art lightens up this poster the way that flames light up churches in Răscoala, a Romanian film that highlights the struggle between rich and poor, religious and sectarian. A simple poster from Raymundo with a major contrast between the understated graphics of the church and the dramatic and in your face flames.

Los Hermanastros - Bachs 1969

Bachs' poster for this 1957 Japanese production features his trademark style to illustrate the tyrannical military officer at the centre of the film. Los Hermanastros (Stepbrothers) is a critique of male dominated Japanese society. The poster artwork is restrained yet creative, using limited colours and shapes to illustrate the aggressive face of the protagonist and the bright colours of his outfit.

Tres Invencibles Samurais - Nico 1969

Here's a great poster for the 1964 Japanese film Three Outlaw Samurai (Sanbiki No Samurai) featuring wandering warrior Shiba defending the poor from the evils of the taxman. The playful artwork by Nico is typical of good silkscreen printing - using a few bold colours and simple shapes to create a bold and colourful design. The typography is typical of the late 60s and as usual with Cuban posters when the words don't fit on a single line they carry on to the next.

Londres a Go-Go - Reboiro 1968

Londres a Go-Go is The Sandwich Man, an odd British film from 1966 featuring a man who carries an advertising board round London witnessing a series of strange goings on. Reboiro's artwork is pretty and vibrant featuring a slightly psychedelic package, but doesn't relate to the plot of the film which centres around a model reunited with her boyfriend. This is still a nice poster and may well be an example of a Cuban poster design that was done without the artist actually seeing the film.

Senales Sobre la Ciudad - Nico 1969

Senales Sobre la Ciudad (Signali Nad Gradom or Signal over the City) is a 1960 Yugoslavian film about a rescue mission to save a member of the resistance during the second world war. Nico's playful imagery features the traditional helmet of the officers and colourful pop art graphics to illustrate the drama of the military operation.

7 Hombres y una Muchacha - Azcuy - 1968

This Azcuy designed poster is wild, combining crazy colours and graphics to encapsulate the frenetic action of the film. 7 Hommes et une Garce (Seven men and a girl) is a swashbuckling French adventure set among the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte. Azcuy has managed to squeeze all seven men into the poster among the canons, explosions, costumes and flags. This poster is a classic.
 

Gigi - Nico 1969

Gigi is a sumptuous American musical set at the turn of the century. Its commentary on the lives of the wealthy and priveledged must have appealed to the Cuban authorities. This 1969 poster by Nico takes the best of San Francisco poster design and adds an art nouveau twist to present a simple but effective image.

Fantomas Contra Scotland Yard - Bachs 1968

A great mix of photo montage and cartoon-style imagery collide in this 1968 poster by Bachs for a French crime caper film. The plot of the film revolves around multiple disguises adopted by Fantomas, the anti-hero of a series of James Bond knock-off comedies. The poster is a classic, and simple by Bachs usual standards. This poster has been torn in half at some time in its life and put back together with tape.

LBJ - Reboiro 1968

LBJ is a surreal documentary by Santiago Alvarez which mixes photo montage with footage of Lyndon B Johnson's background and political life. With moments of Monty Python style animation and crude juxtaposition the film attempts satire and humor while portraying LBJ as a merchant of death. The poster is a classic using the same style of photomontage, objectifying and ridiculing. Reboiro also worked on the film's imagery and is credited in the titles.

Here's the film:

Alvarez - LBJ (1968) by simpleappareil

Hasta la Victoria Siempre - Rostgaard 1968

One of the more famous Cuban posters, this 1968 poster by Rostgaard for a Santiago Alvarez documentary makes use of Korda's iconic image of Che Guevara. Hasta la Victoria Siempre (Onwards Forever to Victory) is Che's declaration of commitment to the revolutionary struggle. It's a simple pop-art style poster that places Che's iconic image in a heavy-bordered black box - a common method of displaying images of the dead in some cultures.

The film was made after Che's death to tell the story of his efforts in Bolivia to highlight the struggle of the opressed indigenous peoples and to foment revolution there. The 19 minute documentary was made quickly and makes use of photographs of Che's experiences in Bolivia cut with speeches and footage of him working among the people.

Notice the tape damage top and bottom of this poster which was given to an American visitor by Santiago Alvarez in 1968.

Here's the film:

Bela - Oliva 1969

Another psychedelic design from Oliva that references the best of San Francisco's poster art, Bela is a now obscure 1966 Russian film set in the 19th century and featuring an army officer posted to the Caucasus who falls in love with a local prince. The poster's mysterious prince looks like a sinister magician while the dashing officer on horseback dominates the colourful design. As with the most famous Cuban poster designs the style is about as far as it is possible to get from socialist realism.

Tengo 19 Anos - Reboiro 1968

Tengo 19 Anos or Ich War Neunzehn (I was 19) is an East German pro-Soviet military drama in which the protagonist recalls his time as a commander in the Red Army. As with other Reboiro posters the colourful psychedelic design, which recalls Western concert posters, belies the serious nature of the East German production. The use of the portrait in positive and negative illustrates the divided alliances of the film's hero.

El Nino del Ingenio - Reboiro 1968

Reboiro borrows heavily from San Francisco psychedelic art for this rarity of a poster for a Brasilian film about a boy sent to live on a sugar cane plantation in colonial Brazil. Menino de Engenho (Plantation Boy) is long forgotten black and white film with a serious message about the exploitative economics of an imperialist regime. Reboiro's decision to copy the poster art of San Francisco (which was almost certainly unavailable via any official channels in Cuba) is a statement of non-conformity by an artist who had seen his family's livelihood suffer under the revolution. The freedom that the Cuban film poster artists enjoyed under their guardian and protector Saul Yellin allowed them to draw on artistic styles that were anathema to the Cuban government. Once again this is a poster promoting a serious black and white socialist film using a flamboyant, decadent, western design.