Tom Beauvais Collectibles and Curiosities

Making a bold visual statement with a clean and straightforward design, this small-format poster for the first Belgian release of George Miller's groundbreaking 1979 pre-apocalyptic action thriller 'Mad Max' utilises the same superb Tom Beauvais artwork created for the British campaign posters, which draws us in as we look down the twin-barrels of a shotgun. As noted by Sim Brannaghan in his 2006 book on 'British Film Posters,' the Beauvais design strips "the film down to its basic elements of cop, the car & the road". Set in a bleak dystopian near-future Australia veering towards societal collapse due to critical petrol shortages, the influential film starred a little-known Mel Gibson in the titular role as a police officer turned vigilante when his family are murdered by a sadistic biker gang. Essentially a revenge western meets apocalyptic road movie, the film's sparse dialogue made way for a kinetic combination of visceral action sequences, chaotic car chases and an other-worldly visual style, hinting at the barren wastelands we would see in later films. Shot on a shoestring budget of $400,000 Australian dollars...