This lot will be auctioned on Friday, March 7th. The auction will begin at 9:30am PST and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close as part of the Day 2 Online auction on Saturday, March 8th.

Australian Daybill (13.5" x 30"); Country-of-Origin, First Release Matte Purple Style
Very Fine on Linen
Roadshow Films, 1979

This movie had a very limited initial release in 1979, accompanied by one sheets and daybills that were primarily purple, as is this one. Once it became a big hit, a small number of orange posters were printed, followed by blue posters with a matte finish, all released in the same year. The matte finish blue posters were produced after the movie's popularity grew, as it continued to play in drive-ins.

This poster from Mel Gibson's breakout film, created while he was still a drama student, has been professionally linen-backed with a minor touch-up to the gray field and features some airbrushing along the borders.

This low-budget, independently produced dystopian action film, featuring unknown actors, directed by a first-time filmmaker, and written by a finance journalist crafting his debut screenplay, was unlikely to be recognized at the time as the start of a highly successful franchise or as a launchpad for several remarkable careers. However, that is precisely what it became. "Mad Max" (1979) was conceived by George Miller, an emergency room doctor in Sydney who had firsthand experience with the types of injury and death depicted in the film. The story follows Max Rockatansky (played by Mel Gibson), a cop-turned-vigilante striving to restore law and order in a collapsing society. Miller raised part of the film's budget by working emergency medical calls for several months. The original film was followed by three sequels, the first two featuring Gibson, and it continues to be a fan favorite.

Estimate: $1,800 - 3,600