That enigmatic Panel C

With the Arrow Video Blu-Ray release of Dario Argento’s second feature film Cat O’Nine Tails out now (click here for all the info), the Cult Labs forum was teeming with discussion and interest at a particular aspect of this Blu-Ray. Was it the crystal clear High-Definition quality? Was it the sheer amount of awesome extra features? Perhaps it was about the film itself? Well, all of those are correct, of course. But one element proved to be particularly interesting; the Panel C artwork. What was it? Where was it from? Well ladies and gentlemen, this artwork was Poland’s answer to The Cat O’Nine Tails poster – the only Argento film to be released in Poland.

Pre-World War II poster artwork from Poland is especially intriguing and fascinating. From the late 1950s through to the 1980s, Polish film, circus and theatre posters developed a unique and instantly recognisable and influential astetic. In direct response to the dull, turgid and heavy connotations of the Social Realist movement  in the Soviet Union at the time, the Polish School of Posters used colour, surrealism, humour and artistic interpretation in their posters to create some of the most striking artwork in the history of cinematic posters. Unlike the majority of film posters, artwork from the Polish School of Posters tended not to simply recreate a specific scene in the film, but instead the artist would create something based upon how he felt whilst watching the movie as well as an interpretation on the film, it’s messages and it’s social commentary. Viewers were required to think. The school, pioneered by artist Henryk Tomaszewski (who recently died at 91 in 2005), became a huge success story with posters being required almost on a weekly basis!

Below are a few examples of the posters to come out of Poland during this golden era.

Check out this Polish Poster’s database for hundreds of beautiful designs including some of the below…

Come and visit the official Cat O’Nine Tails’forum to chat about the release, it’s artwork and to get all the info you may possibly want!

Or order it now from Amazon!