OPERATION THUNDERBOLT, RAID ON ENTEBBE (1978) Movie Poster, Daybill
Size AU Daybill Post-War (13" x 30")
Operation Thunderbolt, Raid on Entebbe (1978) Movie Poster Daybill, Starring Charles Bronson, Peter Finch, Directed by Ivan Kirshner is in Very Fine+ Condition. Movie Poster and Condition Condition: This Original...
Operation Thunderbolt, Raid on Entebbe (1978) Movie Poster Daybill, Starring Charles Bronson, Peter Finch, Directed by Ivan Kirshner is in Very Fine+ Condition.
Movie Poster and Condition
Condition: This Original Australian Daybill Movie Poster is presented as Very Fine+ condition with 2 Daybill Folds, no other issues apart from (GY and an extra Y) stamp on the poster for New Zealand theatres therefore we have marked it as Very Fine+ if not for the stamp we would have marked it as VeryFine/Near Mint condition. This poster is currently stored folded and will be shipped in an acid free archival polyproplene bag with acid free archival backing board. As an authentic Australian daybill produced for regional cinema use, this poster represents a scarce international format that is increasingly difficult to source. Daybills were printed in limited quantities and used briefly during theatrical runs, making them highly desirable among collectors of war films, political thrillers and historically themed cinema memorabilia.
Movie Synopsis
Operation Thunderbolt, also known internationally as Raid on Entebbe (1978), is a tense and dramatic war thriller based on the real-life Israeli military rescue mission carried out in July 1976. Directed by Menahem Golan, the film recounts the extraordinary events surrounding the hijacking of Air France Flight 139 by Palestinian and German terrorists, who diverted the aircraft to Entebbe Airport in Uganda. The hostages, many of whom were Israeli or Jewish, were held under the protection of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, creating an international crisis that captured global attention.
The film stars Charles Bronson as Brigadier General Dan Shomron, the commander of the daring rescue operation, with Peter Finch delivering a powerful performance as Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Supporting roles are filled by Martin Balsam, Horst Buchholz and Linda Blair, who portray a mix of military personnel, political leaders and civilians caught in the unfolding crisis. The screenplay was written by Ernest Gann, drawing heavily on documented events and eyewitness accounts to provide a gripping dramatisation of the mission.
The narrative follows the intense political debate within Israel as leaders weigh the risks of negotiating with terrorists against the near-impossible task of mounting a long-range military rescue deep inside hostile territory. As the clock ticks down, elite Israeli commandos prepare for an audacious overnight assault involving deception, precision and overwhelming speed. The film’s second half focuses on the execution of the mission itself, highlighting the bravery, sacrifice and strategic ingenuity required to free the hostages.
Released only two years after the actual events, Operation Thunderbolt was one of the first major motion pictures to dramatise the Entebbe raid. It was shot partly on location in Israel and features realistic military staging that adds to its documentary-style authenticity. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, underscoring its international impact and historical significance.
Today, the movie is regarded as an important entry in the canon of based-on-true-events war films and Cold War–era political cinema. This original Australian daybill movie poster is a compelling collectible for enthusiasts of military history, Israeli defence forces films and rare international movie posters from the late 1970s.
To find out more about Operation Thunderbolt / Raid on Entebbe (1978) click here to go to IMDB.com.
Special Notes
Images may have a small 'MPA' digital watermark and this does not appear on the poster. Posters are being held by magnets in the corners to take photographs, so you may see some magnet and shadows from the magnets in these areas. The magnets are not included in the sale of the item.
Postage, Insurance & Your Country Taxes
Postage costs are quoted for this item, include insurance up to AUD$100, but if you reside outside of Australia, the price does not include any import taxes/fees that you may be required to pay when the item reaches your borders. Please check with your local authorities for any additional taxes or fees. If you would like full insurance coverage for your purchase, please message me and I would be happy to quote the additional cost (estimate is AUD$2.50 p/AUD$100 or 2.5% of the item value, up to a maximum item value of AUD$5,000).
FAQ
At Movie Posters Australia, the love and conservation of movie posters comes first, and we like to share this passion. Our commitment to quality means we will provide high quality memorabilia to our customers. Posters are carefully chosen and authenticated to ensure originality and value. We want our customers to trust MPA, so we always try to be as open and transparent as we can, provide detailed condition information and images, to ensure customers are comfortable and confident in their purchase.
While the industry does have a few condition rating standards, there is no movie poster condition rating system that has become the accepted standard world wide. This unfortunately makes condition terms vary from movie poster dealer to movie poster dealer. Terms like Mint, Near Mint, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor, seem to be universal to most condition rating standards, but most standards still lack definition about what and how many flaws/defects/damage defines a specific condition level. For more information on how Movie Posters Australia grades the condition of its movie posters, daybills, lobby cards and other ephemera please see out Movie Poster Condition and Grading page.
In the early days of cinema, posters were primarily hand-drawn and printed in various sizes, often tailored to fit the available space in theaters or promotional areas. In the United States, the "One Sheet" size (some times called '1 Sheet' or '1SH' approximately 27" x 41", became the standard during the 1930s. This size was manageable for theater display and suited the needs of a growing film industry.
Different countries developed their own poster sizes and styles, which also changed sometimes over the decades, and were influenced by local preferences and practical considerations, like available paper sheet sizes and how many posters could be printed on one sheet.
In Australia, the most popular size, the Daybill, has evolved over the decades. Australian Daybills sizes in chronological order are:
- Long Daybills (15" x 40"), from 1920's to pre-WW2 or pre-1941, were printed two to a sheet, longer than current Daybill versions. There were size variances in width from 14.5" to 15" and in height from 39.5" to 40".
- War Time Daybill (10" x 30"), during WW2, for a short time to conserve paper during a war time shortage, four Daybills were printed on one sheet. Information from Press Sheets also referred to these War-Time sizes as "New Size Daybills".
- Post-War Daybill (13" x 30"), this 13" x 30" Post-War size carried through until the 1980's, but also varied in size from 13"-14" x 29.75"-30.25".
- Post-80's Daybill (33cm x 66cm, or 13" x 26"), over a few years in the late 80's, the size changed again to a metric 33cm x 66cm, although these have also varied from 32-33cm x 64.5-66cm. New sizes from the late 80's were created, sometimes called a Mini Daybill or Mini Poster, in 9" x 12", 11" x 17" and 13" x 20".
In the UK, the somewhat unique 'Quad' poster, measuring 30" x 40", became popular, offering a larger landscape format that allowed for more elaborate designs.
In Japan, movie poster sizes were smaller, such as the "B2" (20" x 28"), which suited the more compact living environment of larger cities, smaller advertising spaces, and unique aesthetic sensibilities.
The 1970s and 1980s, witnessed the rise of the "six-sheet" (81" x 81") format, reflecting a trend towards larger and more visually impactful advertising.
Overall, the variation in movie poster sizes across different countries and decades highlights the interplay between technological printing advancements, paper resource availability, paper sheet size changes, cultural preferences, and the evolving nature of movie marketing.
At Movie Posters Australia we tag each poster we sell with a 'size' and 'condition' description at the very top of the page for our customers to easily see. There may however be some slight variations to sizes by up one inch due to variations in production and guillotine methods by printers over the decades.