While it was a good year for some very memorable flicks like The Exorcist, Enter The Dragon, Disney’s Robin Hood and American Graffiti, I am not so sure it was a great year for some memorable movie posters.  In combing the archives, I really only came up with 6 that I felt really tried something different in either layout or imagery.

Day of The Jackel (1973)

Even though this is the foreign movie posters for this film, the sheer simplicity of the poster helps convey what the movie is about.  The bold flat colors are striking and the hand-done approach to the design elements and beautiful choice of fat serifed type is fantastic!

Magnum Force (1974)

While I am a man that is definitely comfortable in saying that he’s not comfortable in pink or salmon, I don’t mind this dominating hue for this poster for a another great film in the now, long career of Clint Eastwood.  The tilted angle of the layout grid, the distorted images, that color…  make this a great movie poster.

Billy Jack (1973)

I just LOVE this overall collage approach to this poster’s design.  The hand-cut paper, the rich tapestry of colors and that flippin’ sweet typeface used for the title treatment. Really nice…

The Sting (1973)

While not recognized as the main “cover” image for this film (as portrayed on all video and dvd covers of the film), this alternate version helps to continue to establish a main design theme of that year in graphic design. Flat muted colors and an printed lithograph look to the design.  Simple, yet charming.

Kid Blue (1973)

While not one of Dennis Hopper’s more notorious films, I love the interesting fusion of imagery for Kid Blue’s poster design, along with the flat areas of color to create different duotones in the layout. Nice!

Brother On The Run (1973)

Okay.  This  just ROCKS!  This thing screams an echoing tribute to the 1960′s era of psychedelic poster design, while giving that day-glow disco color palette.  Whether you think this poster is “groovy” or an eye-sore, you can not deny its visual power to make you look at it while drifting by the movie theater to view the marque line-up.  Fantastic!!!