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 Robert
DePietro President, Cinema Images. Com
Dim the
lights and get out the buttered popcorn…it's movie time! Memories
of the silver screen await you with our extraordinary collection
of movie posters, brought to you by Cinema Images. Com.
What you may not know is that Cinema Images is home to the world's
largest collection of movie posters and memorabilia. The posters
in the collection date from the late 1890s to the present. And
most are and will be available for sale on our site.
But a collection of this size and rarity needs to be managed by
a true film aficionado with world-renowned credentials in the
movie memorabilia industry. Meet Robert DePietro, M.F.A.,
curator, archivist, and movie specialist. Without "Bobby D"
(as he is called with affection in his new home, Houston, Texas),
the collection would be, well, just another bunch of pretty pictures.
For over a year, Bob and his staff have worked hard to categorize
and create a collection second to none throughout the world.
 In
one way or another, Bob has been "in the business" for almost
30 years…as a collector, film archivist, and poster dealer. He
has even been called upon to build the personal film and poster
collections of many well-known people, including Martin Scorsese,
Tom Cruise. In the coming months, Bob will provide his expert
guidance on the art of poster collecting. Look for features on
how to start and "grow" a personal collection, how to preserve
posters, and how to evaluate insurance protection. He's also a
great source for historical information about all our favorite
films and their stars.
According to
Bob, interest in poster collecting is growing due to an increased
awareness of their rich history and rarity. The old posters that
used to follow a movie from theatre to theatre experienced much
wear and tear. Considered cheap and disposable advertising, many
were destroyed after a movie's run. That old theory of supply
and demand rears its beautiful (to a collector, anyway) head!
But have no
fear! Cinema Images is a treasure trove of old, hard-to-find,
and valuable posters, along with related memorabilia including
lobby cards, photos, scripts, and movie magazines. Here are just
a few items in its incredible collection:
An original
Snow White poster from the French release of the movie.
This "stone" lithograph has strong, sharp colors, the result of
actually using stones to rub the color into the paper.
Original French,
Italian, and German movie posters of classic films including Gone
With the Wind, The Maltese Falcon, and Treasure of Sierra
Madre.
Posters designed
by famous illustrators and artists, including Andy Warhol, Jean
Dubuffet, Villamont, Jan Lenica, Saul Bass, and Jack Davis.
Bela Lugosi
still collection, including several never-before-seen photos and
his audition photograph for Dracula.
 It's
incredibly easy to find the perfect poster to grace your walls
or to give as a memorable gift on Cinema Images. Wouldn't this
be a unique way to acknowledge special moments you and your
honey have shared throughout the years? Think about how many
times you've watched your favorite Humphrey Bogart movie together.
Type in Humphrey Bogart in the Product Search and several posters
will appear, including the Maltese
Falcon (#mp00849, $165.00) or Faucon
Maltais (#mp00799, $5,000.00). Is your dad a Beatles
fan? Use the Product Search and type in the word "Beatles" to
find the perfect birthday present. Several suggestions are given,
including Beatlemania
(#mp02459, $165.00). For Christmas, start your nephew's
poster collection with a colorful poster from a classic Disney
film like 101
Dalmatians (#mp01378, $35.00). So many fun choices!
Look for Bobby
D's next column, featuring some of the best posters to buy for
the holiday season. At that time, we will also open up a discussion
board so that our resident expert can answer all your movie
memorabilia and poster questions! More information on that to
follow. In the meantime, how about a little more butter on your
popcorn?
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