Vintage original 41 x 81 in. US roadshow three-sheet poster from the teens WWI-themed silent film war drama, HEARTS OF THE WORLD, released in 1918 and directed by D.W. Griffith.
This is the only example of this style of three-sheet poster that we are aware of. It was issued for the film's initial roadshow release that was handled by William Elliott, Ray Comstock, and Morris Gest before the film went into its nationwide general release that was distributed by Artctraft Pictures Corporation. The design features artwork depicting war-time lovers Lillian Gish and Robert Harron in a passionate embrace and the borders are outlined with hearts.
The bottom panel (which starts in the lower half of the words "OF THE" in the credits) was missing, and we actually located it in the archive of an academic institution, but they would not sell it to us. However, they did send us a very high-quality JPG of the bottom panel, which was used by Poster Mountain to create a full-sized stencil in order to recreate this panel exactly how it was in every detail. The work was expertly performed and it matches perfectly with the other larger panel.
This poster is a stone lithograph, which features very fine details and rich, bold colors. It has been professoinally linen-backed in fine+ condition.
*"Hearts of the World is a 1918 American silent World War I propaganda film written, produced and directed by D. W. Griffith. In an effort to change the American public's neutral stance regarding the war, the British government contacted Griffith due to his stature and reputation for dramatic filmmaking. Hearts of the World stars Lillian and Dorothy Gish and Robert Harron and was produced by D.W. Griffith Productions, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, and the War Office Committee. The nationwide general release was distributed by Paramount Pictures under the Artcraft Pictures Corporation banner.
The British Government gave Griffith unprecedented access to film in locations that were otherwise forbidden to journalists. After being presented to George V and Queen Mary, Griffith was introduced to members of London's aristocracy, who agreed to appear in the film, including Lady Lavery, Elizabeth Asquith, Diana Manners. Playwright Noël Coward also appeared as an extra. Exterior shots were largely filmed throughout England from May to October 1917. Griffith made two trips to France, where he filmed footage of the trenches. In one instance, Griffith and his film crew were forced to take cover when their location came under German artillery fire; he escaped unscathed.
The film company returned to Los Angeles, where British and Canadian troops recreated battle scenes and other interior scenes on a stage at the Fine Arts Studio in Los Angeles from November to December 1917. The scenes shot in Europe and Los Angeles were edited together with footage from stock newsreels. In a scene cut from the movie, actress Colleen Moore appeared as a little girl in her bed who, hearing the war raging beyond her window, was so frightened that she turned the hands of her alarm clock forward, hoping that time would rush forward to the end of the fighting."
*(source: Wikipedia)
O.C.