Movie Magic /
From house to film poster gallery – a rare collection of original film posters
Having collected thousands of original film posters over more than 20 years, ex-British Army weapons engineer Wil Wright has now turned his Sumner home into a film poster gallery. Framed and restored, the posters are a direct link to classics, blockbusters and old screen treasures of the 20th century.
In the silent movie era, William King Baggot was one of the most photographed men in the world. People used to say his face was as familiar as the man in the moon. Few would know it now, but on the day of my visit to The Film Poster Gallery in Sumner, the old movie star still commands attention, dressed as a dashing medieval hero on the 1913 theatrical release poster of Ivanhoe.
This is one of Wil Wright’s rarer posters. It is thought to be one of only three such surviving examples. The large threesheet poster, with stone litho painted colour-drenched design, still draws the eye. Rather fittingly, the next poster along is a 1977 Star Wars original, with Mark Hamill starring as knight hero of that rather more familiar sci-fi classic.
On the other side is an Australian daybill for the 1937 serial The Mysterious Pilot. While parts of it are missing, this is believed to be the only Australian poster still in existence for this title. Thankfully, the surviving part has a stunning portrait of famed actor and stunt pilot Captain Frank Hawks.
Each of the 60 or so posters displayed at this unique home gallery comes with its own compelling story and associated memories and much care has gone into preservation and presentation. They range from small daybills, to a huge sixsheet (2 m x 2 m) multi-panel poster for the 1931 movie Anybody’s Blonde. (Apparently the title was considered too risqué for New Zealand audiences; here it was released as Elusive Blonde!). These posters were made as disposable items, not meant to last, but Wil sees plenty of value in protecting them so they can continue to be appreciated into the future.
‘For me, this collection is rooted in nostalgia,’ he says. ‘An original film poster is an artwork but it’s also the closest link you have to that movie, apart from the actual film reel itself. They’re very evocative. There have been some fantastic poster artists. My favourite was a British artist, Thomas William
Chantrell [who designed his first film poster in 1938 for The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse and who later produced poster art for Star Wars]. In the days before TV and the internet, posters were the main vehicle used for selling tickets.’
Wil and his wife Alexandra moved into their current home just over a year ago with a plan to refurbish it so it could serve also as a film poster gallery. ‘We’ve recarpeted, redecorated and installed hanging tracks. We plan to change what’s on display every 12 months or so. The larger posters, like the one for Ivanhoe, have been bolted into place so, of course, they’re now on permanent display.
‘I got that particular poster from an auction in the United States, but they come from all sorts of places. I’ve found original film posters many would deem beyond repair in the basements of old theatres. Since coming to New Zealand and letting people know about the collection, I’ve been contacted by retired projectionists and other people interested in onselling posters. A couple doing a house renovation in Auckland last year found some boxes with some fantastic original Disney posters including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs that are now on display here.’
The gallery is open by appointment only through Facebook or the website (filmpostergallery.co.nz). Many genres and eras are represented from war movies to sci-fi and thrillers. In total, there are up to 15,000 pieces in the collection including lobby cards and production stills. ‘Sometimes we end up with duplicate items and we sell these through the website as a way to help fund costs associated with purchase, restoration and display of others.’
Wil grew up in rural West Sussex and has fond memories of watching 1950s war movies like The Bridge on the River Kwai and The Dam Busters with his father, who had served in the British Parachute Regiment.
Through his teenage years in the 1980s, he joined the queues for American releases like The Goonies, Top Gun and Back to the Future. Not to mention, too, the latest Star Wars movies. The Film Poster Gallery’s downstairs hallway has a fantastic display of original Star Wars posters from both the US and the UK.
Information with the posters adds to the experience. One of the UK originals in the gallery was released for 1962 war epic The Longest Day. Wil says actor John Wayne took offence to his name being buried in the credits, so this one was quickly replaced with another to smooth over the perceived snub. Wil also has the oil-on-board concept art that Tom Chantrell created for this poster, along with other material for the film. Posters often differed from country to country for the same film, depending on the artists used. New Zealand had the same film poster art as Australia but apparently our censorship rules were tighter so any material deemed offensive was blanked out.
Wil’s own life could just about provide enough material for a film script. He joined the British Army at
16, completed an engineering apprenticeship at Princess Marina College in Arborfield and was then posted to the Royal Dragoon Guards’ tank regiment in Germany, serving there for three years.
‘I was an armourer so my job was to maintain weapon systems from hand guns to the large calibre weapons on the tanks and give training on how to use them correctly.’
The next posting was also in Germany with the Royal Tank Regiment. From there, Wil applied to join the Airborne Force via selection through ‘P Company’. After passing the arduous entry tests, he was posted to an Airborne engineering workshop and from there to Sierra Leone with the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment, taking part in Operation Palliser in May 2000.
Even though Wil was raised on family stories of military service that involved jumping out of planes, it wasn’t until he tried skydiving in Canada whilst on exercise with his tank regiment that he was sure he wanted to emulate that experience. ‘I really enjoyed skydiving, although the military equivalent is rather different. You’re jumping at night with all your equipment, no control on landing and you can’t even see what you’re jumping into!’
With the Royal Irish Regiment, part of the Airborne Brigade, Wil served in the Falklands with their Gurkha company and then, in 2003, with the invasion forces entering Iraq, under Colonel Tim Collins. Again, his role was to help keep the regiment’s weapons working throughout the advance. ‘We went all the way through to Al Amarah and were then the first unit to be flown home after the ceasefire.’
Wil’s British military service spanned 14 years, at the end of which he found work with the UK film and television industry as an advisor for actors on how to handle prop weaponry. This saw him working on shows like Dr Who and Torchwood and films including Flyboys (2006), Stormbreaker (2006), 28 Weeks Later (2007), The Golden Compass (2007) and Atonement (2007).
‘Sometimes I’d end up stepping in as an extra. So, for example, I appeared as a German pilot in Flyboys.’
Three years later, when a tempting vacancy came up with the New Zealand Defence Force, Wil moved to New Zealand. He was based at Burnham for three years, promoted ultimately to Company Operations Manager and assisting in the Christchurch earthquake recovery.
Prior to setting up the poster gallery, he spent three years as project manager at the Arts Centre and was instrumental in organising the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day commemoration by the newly refurbished memorial window.
These days, though, his focus is very much on continuing to develop the precious film poster archive that he’s established. As I admire that poster of Ivanhoe one last time, I can’t help but feel happy for old King Baggot, sword in hand, a star on the gallery wall.
Wil’s British military service spanned 14 years, at the end of which he found work with the UK film and television industry as an advisor for actors on how to handle prop weaponry.