When I was growing we had the 4:00 Movie. The movies they showed were centered around a theme being genre or actor and it was through these movies I discovered Steve McQueen and what cool really was all about. So I am very happy to reveal exclusively to you this incredible poster by Jack Gregory for the 1963 classic The Great Escape. Thank you to Alex from FAMP Art for letting me reveal it also it means a lot and happy to see the movie have such a fine piece of art. The poster is really incredible and if you have never seen the film you really should.
I asked Alex what made him chose the Great Escape and Jack as the artist (I had a good idea why, I had seen Jack's work on the Mad Max 2 Road Warrior poster he did and the way he captures motion is crazy) ?
I chose the Great Escape because it’s one of my favorite films of all time. My dad introduced it to me as a kid and since that day it still remains one of the most exciting and carefully constructed adventure dramas I’ve seen. It just holds up so damn well and is one of those films I always try and get people to see. It’s harder to convince people to go back and watch a classic when there’s so many other amazing new films being released.I talked with Jack and asked him to give us the Inside scoop on the poster and his work:
As for choosing Jack, I had saw the development and final poster he made for Mad Max 2 and was blown away. There’s was a palpable energy released from that poster that made me think he could crush anything adventure oriented. Since the original one-sheet for The Great Escape captures that same excitement, I knew Jack would be the right guy to illustrate an alternative take for it, especially since we could put Steve Mcqueen front and center.
When FAMP Art approached me with this gig they informed me that we had the likeness rights of Steve McQueen and only Steve McQueen. Clearly, I was not going to paint a portrait of him, slap in a title treatment and call it a day. I decided to focus on a composition that brought Steve to life in an augmented setting. The most action packed sequence in the film, in my opinion, is Steve's motorcycle jump, but I had reservations illustrating this scene due to the number of times it's been used before. After some brainstorming I decided to incorporate the title of the film into the composition. I kept the palette muted to give it a vintage feel and added the gun blasts and soldiers to add more intensity.I try to approach every assignment in a different way. My illustration influences are all over the map. Everything from Howard Pyle to Paul Pope.
I am very grateful to Alex from FAMP Art for this opportunity and to VG Kids for their stellar print work.
Since its launch, FAMP Art’s mission was to give some of the most iconic films a worthy screen-printed makeover. One such film that was always on their radar was John Sturges’ Oscar ® nominated adventure drama, The Great Escape.
The Great Escape is hailed as one of the best prison movies of all-time and is certainly one of FAMP's personal favorites. As the guys from FAMP's parents’ favorite film growing up, The Great Escape features an ensemble cast comprised of Richard Attenborough, James Garner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn and, most notably, the King of Cool aka Steve McQueen.
In order to capture the scope of the original one-sheet and highlight one of the most iconic moments of the film, they recruited the incredibly talented illustrator Jack C. Gregory to tackle their passion project. When FAMP made Jack aware of our undying love for the film, he knew the pressure was on to deliver and he absolutely did.
Jack managed to fuse all the best elements of the film into one explosive image. Building the title into the prison compound and using that to show off not only just the daring escape but also Steve McQueen’s climactic motorcycle chase.
Artist: Jack C. Gregory
Size: 36"x24”
Edition: 90 Hand-Numbered
Eight color Screen Print
Cost: $50.00
Printed by: VGKids
With that being said, FAMP Art is honored to have this officially licensed poster for The Great Escape which will go on sale March 7th at 12pm EST via their website www.FAMPArt.com.
As a bonus, for everyone that purchases a Great Escape poster, you will receive a $5 off coupon via email for all other posters in the shop. Coupon applies to all prints except The Great Escape and it will be emailed within 2-5 business days.
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