Drew: The Man Behind the Poster, 2013
Directed by Erik Sharkey
SYNOPSIS:
A documentary on legendary movie-poster artist Drew Struzan.
Drew Struzan is a man who’s name might not be familiar to everyone, but his work certainly is. As the man behind iconic posters such as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, Police Academy and E.T: The Extra Terrestrial to name but a few, Drew Struzan has solidified himself as a legend in the field.
Drew: The Man Behind the Poster tells the story of a man who grew up with a family who didn’t love him, found his own true love, struggled as an artist before cementing himself as the “go to man” for some of Hollywood’s biggest filmmakers. The documentary has interviews with a lot of the people who have fallen in love with his work and used his incredible skills for their own movies including George Lucas, Steven Speilberg, The Muppets and Frank Darabont. Spielberg in particular is a great interview as he praises Struzan’s work but then almost hates him because his movies have to live up the posters Drew creates. Thomas Jayne, who played a Drew Struzan-type character in Darabont’s The Mist, tells a great story about working with him to make sure he’s emulating his art style on screen correctly. It’s in these stories where you learn just how much Drew loves his work and how much it means to him.
Watching Drew Struzan work is like a work of art in itself. If you take a step back and look at a Struzan piece, you just have to marvel at the intricacies, detail and brilliance of his technique. The documentary spends a good amount of time talking about the Star Wars artwork for the 1997 re-releases and how they then used that model for Lucas’ oft-maligned prequel trilogy in perhaps the most famous six-movie poster series of all-time. They talk about how he composes the layouts for the likes of the Indiana Jones movies and The Goonies and each story and poster feels like its own mini masterpiece. As a film lover, it’s wonderful to hear these kind of stories and it’s so impressive to see the man work.
The documentary even features that rare breed of interview – Harrison Ford, who has been the subject of many of Struzan’s posters. He gives a very candid interview about how much he loves his work and there’s a very sweet moment where the two meet for the very first time. Drew: The Man Behind the Poster is filled with these kind of interviews and even the ones from those not directly involved with projects like Carol Spinney talking about Jim Henson’s admiration for the man, feel personal and genuine.
Drew Struzan is a man who is clearly loved by an industry and in an age where posters can be made quickly through Photoshop, this style of film marketing sadly no longer exists. You can almost well up as Spielberg talks about how filmmakers like himself and artists like Struzan are becoming relics of a bygone era of films and Drew: The Man Behind the Poster makes you truly nostalgic for it. His beloved by the true greats of the industry and this documentary is a love letter to him.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Luke Owen is the Deputy Editor of Flickering Myth and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
Originally published August 25, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
