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An Indisputable List of the 20 Greatest Movie Posters of All Time

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15. Jaws (1975)

That's some nightmare fuel right there. But look closer and you'll see some significant flaws: those proportions, not to contradict Matt Hooper, aren't nearly correct; the poster version of the shark is more megalodon than carcharias; the teeth are actually mako-like; and no matter how hard you squint, you can't see the girl's boobs.





14. Fargo (1996)

Is this cross-stitch? Needlepoint? Macrame? Is there a difference? I suppose we should be happy they didn't try to "knit purl" the wood chipper scene.






13. Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Billy Wilder's classic polemic on term limits (okay, I made that up) was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, losing most of them to All About Eve, Cyrano de Bergerac, and Judy Holliday, who probably won Best Actress because Bette Davis and Anne Baxter split the vote.

Gloria Swanson does look a little ... off here.





12. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

I can't in good conscience recommend this movie. Holly Golightly is a terrible person and for whatever reason struck all the wrong chords with me (though Hepburn's performance can't be faulted). And then there's, you know, that other thing.

But as iconic goes, it's hard to beat Hepburn in that dress with the cigarette holder.






11. The Endless Summer (1966)

John Van Hamersveld was responsible for several album covers (Magical Mystery Tour and Exile on Main Street among them), but it was his fluorescent poster for Bruce Brown's legendary surfing documentary that may be his most influential work, as it was had a huge impact on the poster scene in San Francisco, coincidentally enough, before the Summer of Love.

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Peter Vonder Haar writes movie reviews for the Houston Press and the occasional book. The first three novels in the "Clarke & Clarke Mysteries" - Lucky Town, Point Blank, and Empty Sky - are out now.
Contact: Pete Vonder Haar