Vintage Hildebrandt Star Wars 1977 Poster, Style B, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in Darth Vader's shadow, slight trim, wall art

Vintage Hildebrandt Movie Poster Star Wars 1977 1970s luke skywalker han solo princess leia darth vader wall art cinema film memorabilia

This is a rare vintage original 1977 Style B Star Wars Hildebrant poster but without the movie text promotion. It is in very good condition.
The printer identification at the bottom reads Factors etc Inc. Bear Del USA. Image Factory Copyright 1977 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.
Dimensions: 28 in x 19.5 in (71 cm x 50 cm)
Condition: The left edge appears to have been trimmed by about half a cm, probably to fit a frame, but it doesn't look like it's ever been framed and is in otherwise very good condition, see photos.

The background to this style of Hildebrandt poster is that in 1977 the Hildebrandt brothers were approached by 20th Century Fox to produce poster art for the British release of Star Wars. A promotional poster had already been produced in US by the artist Tom Jung, but Fox executives considered this poster "too dark". The twins had to work to a very tight deadline, and worked together in shifts to produce a finished product in 36 hours.

Their version of the poster, referred to as Style B, was distributed to be used on British cinema billboards for the UK release, and became possibly their best known work. Using the same layout as Jung's Style A poster, it depicts Luke Skywalker standing in a heroic pose brandishing a shining lightsaber above his head, with Princess Leia standing below him, and a large, ghostly image of Darth Vader's helmet looming behind them. The central figures are surrounded by smaller depictions of other characters and a montage of starfighters in combat amid a sea of stars.

Both Jung and the Hildebrandts had worked on their posters without reference to photographs of the actual cast, and Fox and Lucasfilm subsequently decided that they wanted to promote the new film with a less stylised and more realistic depiction of the lead characters. Producer Gary Kurtz commissioned the film poster artist Tom Chantrell to paint a new version from film stills and publicity photos. Star Wars opened in British theatres on 28 November 1977, and the Hildebrandts' poster was displayed in UK cinemas for about two months before it was replaced by Chantrell's Style C poster.

Because of the age of these posters and their history, there are areas of wear and tear, particularly on the edges. I have done my best to take photos where they are torn or stained. The posters are traditionally folded up and with their age are creased. The good news is that when framed, the creases and tears press up well against glass, and any rough edges can be hidden by mats. Any wear picked up from years are part of the vintage charm.

These posters are sent as unframed. They will be delivered in a cardboard tube for protection.

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Movie synopsis: Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.