1991 was a memorable year for movies. We had big blockbuster hits like Backdraft, City Slickers, What About Bob?, Boyz N The Hood, and Father of the Bride that became instant classics.  We had some great, less high-profile but fantastic films like Barton Fink and My Own Private Idaho.  Than we also had some cheesy bombs like Hudson Hawk, Switch, and Point Break.

But what of the movie posters of that year?  Were there any outstandingly designs ones that stood out from the pack adorning the walls of our local theaters.  You bet.

Here is my collection of the ones worth mentioning…

JFK

Not only a stellar movie (one of my personal Top 20 favorites), this poster used a combination of color and photo montages that created a very engaging layout where the eye is purposefully directed through the poster and works beautifully with the typography to convey interest in the movie yet flex it star’s growing popularity without it all being about Costnar.

Defenseless

Even more simplicity was the approach of this poster in using all black, minimal copy, and the very bold use of red in a slightly abstract way that draws interest and creates a very symmetrical design.

Jungle Fever

Big fan of the movie?  No.  But, since it’s debut, I have always LOVED the concept of this poster.  Finding a way to convey the plot synopsis of the movie with a very strong graphical treatment, the creatives behind this poster really went all out without going over the top.  Simple, yet very strong visually… and I love how the title treatment was worked into the layout.

The Silence of the Lambs

Not only was the book fanstastic, but we know how that well that movie went not only at the Box Office but at the Oscars. And it is nice to see the poster matched up the movie.  A very attention-getting layout whose concept is vague for a purpose.  That fact that it all comes together on your way out of the movie theater is what I love about it. Enough said.

Dead Again

I love the gray, grainy background and photo overlaying imagery of the two faces.  It dissects the layout plane wonderfully and its lack of real hues makes it stand out among a pack of other, colorful movie posters.

Rocketeer

I love posters that pay homage to a distant design style.  Here the combination of Art-Deco, Cubism, and the muted color palette of the ’20′s is fantastic.  It conveys the era portrayed in the movie as well as the design conventions of that era.