ATTILA ‘74

Original British 30 inch x 40 inch Quad Poster for the 1975 Michael Cacoyannis Greek Documentary ATTILA ‘74: THE RAPE OF CYPRUS.

The film is about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and was filmed on location in Cyprus and Greece in the immediate aftermath of the two Turkish invasions and subsequent occupation of approximately the northern third of the island. Cacoyannis chronicles the events with rare interviews of President Makarios of the Republic, Nikos Sampson – the man the Greek junta imposed as leader after their attempted coup, and many Greek Cypriot victims of the Turkish invasion.

The poster art is by Peter Strausfeld. Strausfeld was interned in the Isle of Man at the Onchan Internment Camp during the War where he met the Austrian producer George Hoellering. In 1947 Hoellering opened the Academy Cinema on Oxford Street and invited Strausfeld to produce some posters for the cinema which he did in wood and lino-cuts till his death in 1980.

The Academy Cinema, built in 1913, was saved from conversion to a shopping arcade in 1928 by Elsie Cohen of the original Film Society, who proceeded to run it as an arthouse which is how it was ran till it’s closure in 1986.

The posters became a London landmark, in fact very few were used outside of London, resulting in very small print runs of 3-500.

Printed by Ward & Foxlow Ltd., 19 Harcourt Street, London W1H 2AX

The poster is in fine unfolded (rolled) condition.