54 replies to this topic

[SamuelKevlar]

"You're looking at the world's most wanted man."

I'm really digging that tagline, actually.

And yes, pretty much all of these are better than what they ended up with.

[clublos]

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but did anyone ever find the Peak designs on a large scale? I've been looking for a desktop background of the red and black Revoked poster for years.

Request granted

Enjoy!

[IMG]http://web.archive.org/web/20060429220510/http://007.themes.ru/wallpapers/ltk/ltkb1024.jpg[/IMG]

1024x768

Thanks!

[booyeah_]

Syndicate posted this link in a different topic but I think it might be somewhat relevant here.

http://www.universal...se-images.shtml

The first picture is a teaser for "Licence Revoked" which doesn't look too impressive, to be honest.

Looks more like a billboard attached to a cinema or building; the image is from TLD poster though.

[Simon]

... as stated here dude.

http://debrief.comma...ost__p__1145151

[Mr Teddy Bear]

If anyone's interested I toyed with it to make it bigger and get rid of the text

Edited by Mr Teddy Bear, 13 February 2011 - 03:32 AM.

[iBond]

It saddens me to see that all of the posters seen here are better than their final choices...

Well, you know the reason why they were so crappy. It was a last-minute effort to change the title of the film since the majority of people in the U.S. didn't know that "revoked" wasn't referring to a driving license, but in fact his 00-status. It was a shame that they had to make them so poorly.

[TheREAL008]

I think Americans would have understood revoked back then. There's really no need to dub down a Bond film for any sudience, regardless of nationality.


Unless you come from Kazakhstan.

[Col. Sun]

It saddens me to see that all of the posters seen here are better than their final choices...

Well, you know the reason why they were so crappy. It was a last-minute effort to change the title of the film since the majority of people in the U.S. didn't know that "revoked" wasn't referring to a driving license, but in fact his 00-status. It was a shame that they had to make them so poorly.

I worked on LTK, and the title change happened about mid-way through post production, so it wasn't last minute. We were all disappointed because we loved Licence Revoked, but some studio market research carried out in the US, I think specifically LA, discovered that many younger Americans did not know what revoked meant!!! Crazy!

The poster campaign could have been so much better, the final UK poster looked rushed and stuck together, and the US poster was easy worse. Everyone on the film were very disappointed, especially as a couple of test screenings - one held in Pinewood's Theatre 7, went down extremely well and people seemed genuinely excited about a rougher edged Bond -- but with the poor poster campaign, major competition from Batman and Lethal Weapon 2, and in truth the average cinema goer not really digging Dalton at the time, the film did not do well in the US, as we all know.

[Royal Dalton]

Bond's roughly cut around blurry hand on the British poster looked horrible. The version some other countries used, with a tux drawn onto Bond, looked a bit better, though.

The 15 certificate didn't help at the box office, either. Not really a good idea to freeze out your core audience. It was still one of the top ten highest grossing films of the year in Britain, though.

[clublos]

It saddens me to see that all of the posters seen here are better than their final choices...

Well, you know the reason why they were so crappy. It was a last-minute effort to change the title of the film since the majority of people in the U.S. didn't know that "revoked" wasn't referring to a driving license, but in fact his 00-status. It was a shame that they had to make them so poorly.

I worked on LTK, and the title change happened about mid-way through post production, so it wasn't last minute. We were all disappointed because we loved Licence Revoked, but some studio market research carried out in the US, I think specifically LA, discovered that many younger Americans did not know what revoked meant!!! Crazy!

The poster campaign could have been so much better, the final UK poster looked rushed and stuck together, and the US poster was easy worse. Everyone on the film were very disappointed, especially as a couple of test screenings - one held in Pinewood's Theatre 7, went down extremely well and people seemed genuinely excited about a rougher edged Bond -- but with the poor poster campaign, major competition from Batman and Lethal Weapon 2, and in truth the average cinema goer not really digging Dalton at the time, the film did not do well in the US, as we all know.

Col. Sun,

Does that mean that there might exist some slightly more finished artwork for the film with the 'Revoked' title on it? Just curious, as I recall seeing the teaser artwork (with the final title) in a theater in late March '89.

[iBond]

Here's a list of all of the images for the other campaign. I would have to say that my favorite is the first and second one from the left.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Syndicate]

It saddens me to see that all of the posters seen here are better than their final choices...

Well, you know the reason why they were so crappy. It was a last-minute effort to change the title of the film since the majority of people in the U.S. didn't know that "revoked" wasn't referring to a driving license, but in fact his 00-status. It was a shame that they had to make them so poorly.

I think the change was so that people didn't think it was a sequal to the movie License To Drive or got it mix up with that movie at the time.

[Stainless Steel Teeth INC]

With regard to the summer of 1989, it was quite possibly 'the' most competitive ever on record (at that point) with several major releases competing within weeks of each other. Inevitably certain films were going to loose out and unfortunately LTK was one of them. The ad campaign was undoubtedly a factor as it lacked the confidence and swagger of previous Bond film posters but most importantly it simply looked tired and uninspired.

The film (and Dalton) definitely deserved a better outcome and we'll never know what difference a more evocative poster (or even a shift of release date to the winter) would have made but the subsequent six year break was arguably the best thing that could have happened to the Bond franchise at the time.

Edited by Stainless Steel Teeth INC, 29 March 2011 - 08:12 PM.

[iBond]

With regard to the summer of 1989, it was quite possibly 'the' most competitive ever on record (at that point) with several major releases competing within weeks of each other. Inevitably certain films were going to loose out and unfortunately LTK was one of them. The ad campaign was undoubtedly a factor as it lacked the confidence and swagger of previous Bond film posters but most importantly it simply looked tired and uninspired.

The film (and Dalton) definitely deserved a better outcome and we'll never know what difference a more evocative poster (or even a shift of release date to the winter) would have made but the subsequent six year break was arguably the best thing that could have happened to the Bond franchise at the time.

You mean, for a time to reorganize and have more time to think about what to do with the character to make him stand out more?

[Stainless Steel Teeth INC]

I would say that after 27 years and 16 films the general cinema going public in the U.S at least (beyond the serious 007 fans) had perhaps taken the Bond films for granted. It could be argued that compared to the likes of Lethal Weapon and Die Hard the look and film-making style of LTK was perhaps more traditional or even predictable and what was once an unmissable 'event' had simply become part of the herd.

I recall reading that at the premiere of TSWLM the climax of the pre-title sequence resulted in a collective standing ovation, something I would have loved to have witnessed for myself. The closest I have come to that since then has been at the end of CR during the first official press screening and at the climax of Goldeneye's PTS during the first public screening at the Odeon Lei Sq. The atmosphere was absolutely electric that night which was obviously down to the fact that after six long years James Bond had finally returned and with a genuine sense of 'swagger'.

[iBond]

I would say that after 27 years and 16 films the general cinema going public in the U.S at least (beyond the serious 007 fans) had perhaps taken the Bond films for granted. It could be argued that compared to the likes of Lethal Weapon and Die Hard the look and film-making style of LTK was perhaps more traditional or even predictable and what was once an unmissable 'event' had simply become part of the herd...

You've made a very good point. It would be surpassed as just being part of a series where the other blockbusters just came out for the first time. Well, if not the first time than at least a sequel to another film.

Edited by iBond, 01 April 2011 - 09:32 PM.

[Guy Haines]

I think there were a few with Lowell, Tim and Soto. Don't think they were Peak posters, though.

20 years later and I still wish they had called it Licence Revoked.

I agree. I always thought the original title was more appropriate, given the story. "Licence To Kill" could have been used as a title for any Bond film. Indeed, it seemed more like the title of one of those innumerable B-grade copy-cat films made in the 1960s at the height of "Bondmania". A loss of nerve on the part of the Bond producers, or more probably the studio. As I understand it, "Licence Revoked" was dropped because someone involved in the film's production thought that audiences might assume it referred to Bond's driving licence. Do they really think the paying public are that thick?

[Stainless Steel Teeth INC]

Actually, I wouldn't say "thick" but according to reports at the time (I think there was mention of it in Premiere magazine along with the unused 1-sht concepts) that market research did indeed confirm there was possible confusion with regard to the title.

In America at least the use of the words 'Licence' and 'Revoke' has direct links to a loss of driving privileges. You have to remember that (prior to online/viral marketing) the print/ad campaign played a major part in the 'persuasion factor' of getting people into the cinema. However, this choice can actually be made in a matter of seconds (on the basis of title/actors/image) as an individual walks past the poster on the street and you'll be amazed at how scientific this process can be.

If there is any possibility that a consumer will get a negative reaction or walks away with conflicting opinions then whole advertising campaigns can get completely altered even at the 11th hour.

But I agree, the original title was better and was more powerful but I can also understand the change as the term 'Licence to Kill' has stronger connotations to James Bond amongst the general public.

[Ozzman313]

Sorry for necro-posting, but I just had to post this other LTK / License Revoked poster.

[Mr. Blofeld]

...why does he look like a zombie?

[DamnCoffee]

Can you not say anything nice about anything?

[Mr. Blofeld]

Can you not say anything nice about anything?

...is that a command? It's a rejected poster, and I can see why. You didn't have to butt in.

[Righty007]

Well, I happen to think Harkin is very reputable and an asset to the forums. Keep up the good work, Harkers.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I wasn't attacking Harkin's reputation; I like him in most things, but he just came out of nowhere attacking me on this. I just thought the poster looked a little garish, that's all; that's probably why it was rejected, as Ozzman mentioned above.

[elizabeth]

I have to agree with Mr. Blofeld. That poster looks like it came straight out of Night of the Living Dead.

Actually, come to think of it, that looks more like Bela Lugosi than Timothy Dalton.