BB17-035 — NIGHT FLIGHT FROM MOSCOW
Shop Now YEAR: 1973
ORIGINAL TITLE: Le Serpent
ALTERNATE TITLE: The Serpent
FILM STUDIO / PRODUCTION: Les Films de la Boétie / Euro International Films / Rialto Film / Avco Embassy
TAGLINE: “One of these men is working for the C.I.A.”
DIRECTOR: Henri Verneuil
CAST: Yul Brynner, Henry Fonda, Dirk Bogarde, Philippe Noiret, Michel Bouquet, Virna Lisi, Guy Tréjan, Elga Andersen, Farley Granger MUSIC: Ennio Morricone
GENRE: Spy Thriller / Espionage / Cold War Thriller
POSTER PRINTER: M.A.P.S. Litho Pty. Ltd. — visible along the lower edge
FORMAT: Australian Daybill
Night Flight from Moscow was the title used for the film in Australia; internationally it is also known as The Serpent, from its original French title Le Serpent. It was a French-Italian-West German production centred on the defection of a high-ranking Soviet intelligence officer and the possibility that his information about Western double agents may itself be part of a KGB operation.
POSTER DESIGN FEATURES: A dark and appropriately secretive Australian Daybill using black-and-white photographic imagery against deep burgundy and vivid orange-red borders and typography. The upper photograph shows Soviet officials beneath the provocative “One of these men is working for the C.I.A.” headline, while individual portraits of the principal characters reinforce the film's intelligence and double-agent storyline. The stark design is much more restrained than many 1970s action posters and suits the film's Cold War espionage subject particularly well.
COLLECTOR'S NOTE: This Australian Daybill has an unusually strong line-up for a 1970s espionage film, bringing together Yul Brynner, Henry Fonda and Dirk Bogarde, alongside Philippe Noiret, Virna Lisi and Farley Granger. It also has additional appeal for soundtrack collectors through its score by Ennio Morricone. The film was released in the same year as Brynner's now-iconic appearance as the Gunslinger in Westworld, making this an interesting piece from the later part of his film career.
