Vintage original 27x41 in. US ons-sheet poster from the classic 1970's action/crime thriller, TELEFON, released in 1977 by United Artists and directed by Don Siegel. Charles Bronson stars as a Russian officer who is sent to the U.S. to try and stop sleeper agents who will mindlessly attack government entities when they hear certain coded words. The cast includes Lee Remick, Tyne Daly, Alan Badel, Patrick Magee, and Donald Pleasence.
The image features great artwork depicting a close perspective shot of Russian Major Grigori Borzov (Charles Bronson) holding a gun in one hand as he extends his arm holding the handset of a rotary-dial telephone, the instrument that would give the deadly instructions to brainwashed Russians to destroy key US military installations. The film's female lead, Lee Remick, is depicted above him. Unrestored and folded as originally issued, this vintage original one-sheet poster is in fine- condition with creases of varying sizes in the top border with random signs of wear along the border; and small scattered surface creases from handling over time that are unobtrusive. There are no pinholes, tears, stains, or other flaws and the rich color tints are fresh and vibrant without any signs of fading.
The name of the poem used as the code spoken over the telephone to activate sleepers was "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost, originally published in 1923 in his collection titled 'New Hampshire'. The exact lines from the poem heard in the movie each time were: "The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep."
Director 'Don Siegel asked Charles Bronson to shave-off his trademark mustache for this movie and Bronson replied, "No mustache, no Bronson." Siegel said in his book, A Siegel Film: An Autobiography: "I felt that as much as Bronson wore a heavy mustache in Russia, it would help his disguise if he had no mustache when he arrives in Canada. However he didn't want to shave it off." Reportedly, during filming, Bronson didn't want to kiss Lee Remick in the scene at airport. Bronson said that "When my wife meets me at an airport, we never kiss." Director Siegel asked Remick to kiss him anyway and Remick replied, "But, Don, I don't dare. He's liable to hit me!" The airport greeting scene went ahead and made Siegel's day. |