THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) Movie Poster, Daybill, Gene Hackman
Size AU Daybill Post-War (13" x 30")
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) Original Movie Poster, Daybill, starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, and Fernando Rey, directed by William Friedkin is in Fine Condition. Movie Poster and Condition Condition: This...
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) Original Movie Poster, Daybill, starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, and Fernando Rey, directed by William Friedkin is in Fine Condition.
Movie Poster and Condition
Condition: This Original Vintage Daybill Movie Poster is in Fine condition with: Paper loss and pin holes in all corners; barely visible fold line at top of poster; light edgewear on bottom of poster; marks on top right-hand side corner but this does not detract from this vibrant poster. It is currently store flat but will be rolled, carefully packed and shipped in a cylinder.
Movie Synopsis
The French Connection (1971) is a landmark American crime thriller that redefined the police procedural genre and remains one of the most influential films of the 1970s. Directed by the visionary William Friedkin and based on the non-fiction book by Robin Moore, the film delivers a gritty, documentary-style portrayal of real-world narcotics investigation in New York City. Its raw realism, relentless pacing and uncompromising tone earned it a lasting reputation as one of the greatest crime films ever made.
The story follows tough, obsessive New York City detectives Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (played by Academy Award winner Gene Hackman) and his partner Buddy “Cloudy” Russo (Roy Scheider). While working the streets, they stumble upon a sophisticated heroin-smuggling operation linking Marseille, France, to New York. Their investigation brings them into conflict with elusive French criminal mastermind Alain Charnier, chillingly portrayed by Fernando Rey. What unfolds is a tense cat-and-mouse pursuit across international borders, fuelled by obsession, moral ambiguity and an unflinching depiction of police work.
Hackman’s performance as Popeye Doyle is widely regarded as one of the finest in cinema history, earning him the Academy Award for Best Actor. His character is abrasive, driven and deeply flawed, reflecting the film’s refusal to present simple heroes or villains. Roy Scheider provides a grounded counterbalance, while Fernando Rey’s calm and intelligent antagonist adds a layer of sophistication that elevates the narrative tension.
The French Connection won an impressive five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. One of the film’s most famous sequences is the legendary car-chase under the elevated train, often cited as one of the greatest action scenes ever filmed. Friedkin staged the chase with minimal permits and real traffic, contributing to the film’s visceral realism and enduring impact on action filmmaking.
The film’s muted colour palette, handheld camerawork and on-location shooting in New York City give it an authentic, almost newsreel quality that was groundbreaking at the time.
For collectors and cinephiles, this Original Vintage Daybill Movie Poster represents a powerful piece of cinema history, tied to a film that changed Hollywood storytelling and continues to influence modern crime dramas. It is highly sought after by noir film enthusiasts and collectors of vintage movie posters.
To find out more about The French Connection (1971) 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 also see some 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.