The Mercenaries
Small French movie poster for the 1968 action-adventure film titled
Le dernier train du Katanga, which is known in English-speaking markets as Dark of the Sun or The Mercenaries.
Movie Details
Release Year: 1968
Director: Jack Cardiff
Main Cast: Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux, and Jim Brown
Synopsis: Set during the 1964 Congo Crisis, the film follows a band of mercenaries led by Captain Bruce Curry (Rod Taylor). They are hired for a dangerous mission to travel by train through rebel-held territory to rescue a group of civilians and retrieve $50 million in uncut diamonds from a remote mine. The mission is a tough, raw action spectacle known for its hard-hitting action and scenes of violence, including the chainsaw duel depicted on the poster.
Original Novel: The film is based on the novel of the same name by Wilbur A. Smith.
Rating: The French poster indicates it was prohibited for those under 13 ("INTERDIT AUX MOINS DE 13 ANS"). The film was rated R in the United States and faced initial bans in several other countries due to its violent content. The artist for the iconic movie poster for
Dark of the Sun (known in French as Le dernier train du Katanga) is the American illustrator Frank McCarthy.
About the Artist
Frank McCarthy (1924–2002) was a highly regarded American artist and illustrator, known for his dynamic and action-packed art style.
He created poster art for over 100 films, often referred to as the "Action Artist" of Hollywood due to his specialization in scenes of movement and conflict.
In addition to Dark of the Sun, his notable works include movie posters for the James Bond films (like Thunderball and You Only Live Twice), The Dirty Dozen, and The Gauntlet.
The striking, painted style of the poster in your image is characteristic of McCarthy's work, which often featured dramatic compositions and a powerful use of color.
Le dernier train du Katanga, which is known in English-speaking markets as Dark of the Sun or The Mercenaries.
Movie Details
Release Year: 1968
Director: Jack Cardiff
Main Cast: Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux, and Jim Brown
Synopsis: Set during the 1964 Congo Crisis, the film follows a band of mercenaries led by Captain Bruce Curry (Rod Taylor). They are hired for a dangerous mission to travel by train through rebel-held territory to rescue a group of civilians and retrieve $50 million in uncut diamonds from a remote mine. The mission is a tough, raw action spectacle known for its hard-hitting action and scenes of violence, including the chainsaw duel depicted on the poster.
Original Novel: The film is based on the novel of the same name by Wilbur A. Smith.
Rating: The French poster indicates it was prohibited for those under 13 ("INTERDIT AUX MOINS DE 13 ANS"). The film was rated R in the United States and faced initial bans in several other countries due to its violent content. The artist for the iconic movie poster for
Dark of the Sun (known in French as Le dernier train du Katanga) is the American illustrator Frank McCarthy.
About the Artist
Frank McCarthy (1924–2002) was a highly regarded American artist and illustrator, known for his dynamic and action-packed art style.
He created poster art for over 100 films, often referred to as the "Action Artist" of Hollywood due to his specialization in scenes of movement and conflict.
In addition to Dark of the Sun, his notable works include movie posters for the James Bond films (like Thunderball and You Only Live Twice), The Dirty Dozen, and The Gauntlet.
The striking, painted style of the poster in your image is characteristic of McCarthy's work, which often featured dramatic compositions and a powerful use of color.
Mounted
Disclaimer
The object and/or subject of this report is private property. This page is for informational purposes only. Unless clearly stated otherwise, all conservation and restoration has been performed by Poster Mountain (PM) or Los Angeles Paper Group (LAPG)I) PM-LAPG has not knowingly withheld any significant information from its evaluation report and to the best of its knowledge all statements and evaluations in this report are true and correct.
II) PM-LAPG stated in the Evaluation Report its own personal, unbiased and professional analysis, opinions and conclusions, which are subject to the assumptions and limited conditions in this evaluation report as set forth hereinabove.
III) PM-LAPG has no present or prospective interests in the property which is the subject matter of this report and it has no present or prospective personal interests or bias with respect to the participants in this matter.
IV) PM-LAPG and its employment and/or compensation for performing this evaluation or any future anticipated evaluation was not conditioned on any agreement or understanding, written or otherwise, that it would report (or present analysis in support) as predetermined specific authenticity, a predetermined evaluation that favors the cause of any party or the attainment of any specific result or occurrence of a specific subsequent event, such as value or marketability.
V) PM-LAPG prepared all opinions and conclusions about the subject property that were set forth in this Evaluation Report. If it has relied on significant evaluation assistance from any individual or individuals in the performance of this evaluation or the appropriation of this evaluation report, PM-LAPG has named such individuals and disclosed the specific task performed in this evaluation report. PM-LAPG certifies that any individual so named is qualified to the same extent as PM to perform the task. PM-LAPG has not authorized anyone to make a change to any item in this evaluation report, therefore, any change made to this evaluation is unauthorized and PM-LAPG will not take responsibility for it.
VI) The Client may not disclose or distribute this Evaluation Report to any potential purchasers of the subject property without first obtaining PM-LAPG's prior written consent. This consent must be obtained before this evaluation report may be disclosed or distributed to any other party, including, but not limited to, the public through advertising, public relations, news, sales, or other media.