DESPERATE MOMENT

Original British 30 inch x 40 inch Quad Poster for the 1953 Compton Bennett Thriller DESPERATE MOMENT, based on the novel by Martha Albrand and starring Dirk Bogarde, Mai Zetterling, Philip Friend and Albert Lieven.

Story of a Dutchman’s flight across post-war Germany trying to locate the man who alone can clear him of a false murder charge.

Poster design attributed to Eric Pulford (1915 – 2005). Having taken life classes at Leeds College of Art for 5 years Pulford was apprenticed as a commercial artist in 1931 to Gilchrist Bros a process house of 24 staff. Leslie Whitchurch, a partner in a Leicester based agency and also a part-time publicity manager for Rank, became aware of Pulford’s work and asked him to do some freelance work for him. Then in 1943 Rank invited Pulford to start a publicity department for them in London resulting in posters for “Henry V”, “Odd Man Out” and “Oliver Twist”. When the head of Downtons advertising agency, Charles Collins, died, Pulford was asked to take over. He became chairman and managing director but still spent most of his time designing posters. He retired in 1986. Pulford is responsible, either through his own artwork or design, for several hundred posters, some for classic films such as the ones already mentioned plus “Edge of the World”, “The Importance of Being Earnest”, “Genevieve”, “Reach for the Sky” and “A Night to Remember”. He is, without doubt, the most important force in British film poster design from the mid-1940s to the early 1980s.

Poster printed by The Haycock Press Ltd., London S.E.5

The poster is in very good folded condition with slight crumpling along bottom edge, minor fold splits and extra fold lines.