BB17-030 — THE BROTHERHOOD
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YEAR: 1968 — Australian theatrical release 1969
FILM STUDIO / PRODUCTION: The Brotherhood Company / Martin Ritt Production / Paramount Pictures
TAGLINE: “Kirk Douglas gives the kiss of death in The Brotherhood”
DIRECTOR: Martin Ritt PRODUCER: Kirk Douglas
CAST: Kirk Douglas, Alex Cord, Irene Papas, Luther Adler, Susan Strasberg, Murray Hamilton MUSIC: Lalo Schifrin
GENRE: Crime / Drama / Mafia
POSTER PRINTER: Robert Burton Pty. Ltd., Sydney — visible along the lower edge
FORMAT: Australian Daybill

POSTER DESIGN FEATURES: A striking Australian Daybill with a large, beautifully rendered illustration of Kirk Douglas delivering the film's ominous “kiss of death.” The upper artwork uses rich greens, blues and flesh tones before transitioning into a vivid yellow title panel with bold red and dark-blue typography. The shotgun held by Alex Cord gives the otherwise intimate image an immediate sense of danger. This Australian artwork is substantially more visually dramatic than many of the film's international poster treatments.

COLLECTOR'S NOTE: The Brotherhood is an interesting pre-Godfather Hollywood treatment of the Mafia, examining conflict between an older generation's traditions and a younger generation facing a changing organised-crime world. Kirk Douglas both starred in and produced the film, with Martin Ritt directing and Lalo Schifrin composing the score. Paramount's own records confirm the principal cast, while surviving Australian examples establish that this Daybill was produced for the film's first Australian theatrical release in 1969.