Tony Nourmand's Golden Eye
5/3/07Interview with
Report from
Golden Eyes : Tony Nourmand Author/Collector
of
The Reel
Poster Gallery ©Tony Nourmand
"beauty is
in the eye of the beholder"
- 3rd century BC Greek
Proverb
"The Real
Voyage of Discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes
but in
having new eyes"
-Marcel Proust
( French Novelist 1871-1922 )
Some films like good wine age
well. A century old industry that was at best considered as a minor form of
social entertainment has lasted the test of time and is now ranked as an Art
Form by itself. Certainly a Collective Art Form in that it is not
reduced to one person but is indebted to the collective effort of talents that
try to render the film director's vision. Undoubtly the film poster is the Cherry on the
Cake that every film director, actor or film crew looks up to. It represents
the ultimate accomplishment of a collaboration that awaits critical or public
approval. I have often wondered
what happened to all the good old vintage posters of some of those great classic
Iranian films some of which may have been lost for ever. Have any ever survived
in some basement or backyard of a former cinema manager or movie buff ? These
items are certainly part of our social history and deserve to be collected,
gathered and displayed in a film museum or gallery as is the case for much of
the film art and memorabilia that are conserved in Europe and the
The beautiful and Europeanised Lalezar Ave was
decades screening
equally Iranian and
©Photocompostion Darius KADIVAR
It was a happy coincidence that
made me notice a recurrent name in such publications. I was doing some personal
research on how
After doing my research I decided to
give him a call and discovered a fascinating personality whose childhood passion
for films accidentally turned him into one of the World's most respected
connoisseurs of Hollywood Vintage posters and co-owns The Reel Poster
Gallery in Nottinghill which he co-founded
with Bruce Marchant back in 1991. Audrey
Hepburn the Paramount Years (Boxtree) is
Nourmand's 14th book. His books, which are still in print, have sold more than 1
million copies worldwide.
I had an opportunity to speak to
Tony Nourmand who shared his views and interests with me:.
Darius KADIVAR (DK): Tell us a
little about your background?
Tony Nourmand (TN): I was born in
DK: How long have you been
collecting posters and memorabilia? What got you interested in films in the
first place?
TN: I have always been interested in
film and cinema. When I was a child in
I actually bought my first original
film poster in 1979 - the British poster for Apocalypse Now. My interest grew
and I started having to sell some posters to pay for my hobby. Eventually this
habit grew into the business that I run today.
In 1992, I was asked to catalogue a
large collection of film posters acquired by Christie's
DK: On what criteria do you evaluate
the rarity and price of a movie poster?
TN: There are four or five main
criteria when evaluating a movie poster. The importance or popularity of the
film itself, and the poster's design, rarity and
condition.
DK: What has been the most expensive
sale to date?
TN: In 2005, we handled the sale of
the German poster for Metropolis, considered by many to be the holy grail
of science-fiction posters. It sold for $690,000 (£425,000) - a world record
price for any vintage poster (including works by Toulouse-Lautrec or Paul
Colin.)
DK: Who are your customers?
TN: Our customers come from all
walks of life and all corners of the world. We sell to Oscar-winning A-list
celebrities, Museums and institutions (including the
DK: How have movie posters
evolved over the years? Was there a distinct style between the Silent Era
and the Talkies, the Black& White and Technicolor age?
TN: The major change in poster
design happened in the late 80s. Prior to this date, movie posters were the
primary source of marketing for films. A lot of thought and imagination would go
into the design. After this date, with the rise of the internet and other
mediums such as DVD, poster art became less important as the main marketing tool
and as a consequence less and less attention was given to the product. The rise
in digital imaging and photography has also changed the way posters are created,
and designers often have to work within contractual constraints that stipulate
that actors heads / names etc have to be a set size on the
poster.
DK: Which film genres provide the
most imaginative in your opinion?
TN:
This is a difficult question and it is very hard to pinpoint down to a
particular genre. There are imaginative and interesting designs in all genres,
but if you had to pin me down, I would say that the most creative posters come
from
The Tony Nourmand Collection of books on Film Poster Genres
and Era's
© Taschen
DK: Were there major differences
between Posters distributed in the
TN: Up until the late-70s, all
countries had completely different poster designs for the same film - this is
because different distribution companies were in charge in each country and they
had to cater to the different psyches. This is one of the most interesting
aspects of what I deal in.
From the late-70s to today, the same
image or photos are used on posters from around the world-for example; the image
for Jaws (which has a shark swimming up towards a girl) was reproduced on the
US, British, Japanese, French, Spanish and Italian
posters.
DK: Alfred Hitchcock I am sure you
would agree was very aware of his own marketing potential. He did not hesitate
to even appear on some posters like with his cameo (Birds is one that comes to
mind) roles. Why don't we see the same with directors today like Tim Burton for
instance?
TN: Regarding Hitchcock, you are
right in that he was very aware of his own marketing potential. This is
especially true on posters for re-releases of his films, which more often
include his image in the design. This has the consequence of increasing their
value and in some instances, the re-release commands more money than the first
original release.
As regards modern directors, for example, Tarantino, his name in large letters is enough to attract attention. E.g., the first poster issued for Kill Bill: Vol 1, had an image of a sword and in big letters it read "Quentin Tarantino's Fourth Film."
. 
The Tony Nourmand Collection of books on Film Poster Genres
and Era's
© Taschen
DK: Could you tell us more on
your latest tribute book to Audrey Hepburn?
TN: Audrey
Hepburn: The Paramount Years is different to all the other books that I have
done up to this point. My previous publications were solely devoted to poster
art, whereas the Hepburn book includes original still photographs (both on and
off set), magazine covers, fashion sketches, and numerous biographies and essays
on the different films and people involved in forming Hepburn's
image.
DK: What was so unique about
Audrey (in comparison to other
TN: It actually
happened the other way round. I was approached by the publishers to do a book on
Hepburn. It was not until I started looking into her career in detail, that I
fully appreciated the impact she had and still has on popular
culture.
Incidentally, in the gallery, she is by far our biggest selling star.
Audrey
Hepburn:: The Paramount Years by Tony Nourmand © Boxtree
Ltd
DK: There seems to be an
ever-growing appetite for art books on films in recent years. What explains the
success of this type of publication today?
TN: Arguably
cinema is the most important art form of the twentieth century. It has permeated
all levels of our society and its influence on all areas of popular culture can
be acutely seen. I think this explains its continued
popularity.
DK: Have the DVD's and the
Bonus features curbed the volume of such publications or on the contrary
encouraged sales?
TN: Bonus features on DVD's etc are
really for major film buffs, whereas publications appeal to a wider audience. I
don't really see the two as being that closely connected to be
honest.
A huge fan of Iranian Cinema,
Nourmand, ranks Kiarostami's
Work with that of Fellini, Kurosawa, Truffaut
and Godard
©Iranian.com
DK: As a movie enthusiast,
do you also have any knowledge or interest in Iranian films and posters? Do you
have any rare posters from before the Revolution? Did any
survive?
TN: I am a huge
fan of Iranian Cinema. Abbas Kiarostami is one of my favorite directors and for
me; he is on a par with legends like Fellini, Kurosawa, Truffaut and Godard etc.
In fact, his film Close-Up is in my opinion, one of the greatest films ever
made. I also very much like earlier films such as The Cow (Gaav) 1969 by Darius
Mehrjui and A Simple Event (Yek Etefagh sadeh) 1973 by Sohrab Shahid Saless to
name a few.
Lost Heritage ? The whereabouts of the original Iranian
film
posters remain a mystery ... ©pictory
Iranian.com
Unfortunately, I
have never been able to track down original Iranian posters for these films. As
far as I know, the posters that are on exhibit in the Tehran Museum of Film are
American or European posters for Iranian films. I would love to find the
originals. I do buy posters for Iranian films that I like whenever I come across
them.
DK: What advice would you give
to anyone who wants to purchase a film poster of some value?
TN: Do your research. Buy what you
like, and not what you think you should buy. Be careful of condition and
originality.
DK: What
would you take with you on a
TN: I would take my partner Roxanna, a DVD player, DVDs and an endless supply of good food.
Tony Nourmand Author of
Audrey
Hepburn the Paramount Years
© Tony
Nourmand
VIVE
LE CINEMA !
Quick facts:
Full Name:
Tony Nourmand
Born In (city & date): Tehran, 1965
Favorite Color:
Blue
Favorite City: New
York
Favorite Dish: a good plate of Spaghetti
Favorite Drink:
Vodka
Favorite Film: Chinatown
Languages: In order of competency: English,
Farsi
Currently Reading: A biography on director Francis Ford
Coppola
Currently Writing: "The Unofficial Godfather in Pictures" (out
October 2007)
Author's notes:
Official Website
of The Reel Poster
Gallery
Tony Nourmand's books are available at amazon.com
Recommended
Readings :
- Sultan
of my heart: Monika Jalili and Noorsaaz's remembrance of things
past... by Darius
KADIVAR
- ASGAR
FOR AN OSCAR by Darius KADIVAR
- Persian Golden Boys In
Hollywood by Darius
KADIVAR
-Iranian
Pioneers in French New Wave Cinema by Darius
KADIVAR
About the Author: Darius KADIVAR is a Freelance Journalist,
Film Historian, and Media Consultant.
... Payvand News - 5/3/07 ...