Finding new life for JUDGE ROY BEAN...

Sorry I haven’t posted any updates in a while. I’ve been busy this summer preparing for a new position at a nearby high school, developing and teaching a new Cinematic Arts elective! It’s been a lot of work, but I’m loving it so far. Once things on that front settle a bit, I’ll be getting back to editing and (hopefully) doing a few more interviews.

I’ll be sharing some great updates in the coming days concerning Richard Amsel’s artwork. A recent auction from an Amsel collector has unveiled some high quality 1:1 silkscreen prints, as well as an original piece, that reveal new insight into some of Amsel’s posters.

I’ll start with the original piece, which I eagerly bought: Amsel’s black and white comp for John Huston’s film, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN. (Given my limited means, I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to acquire it.)

Seeing the original artwork in person and up close reveals the unorthodox process Amsel used in creating the final color poster.

This black and white piece was executed through a combination of airbrushing and finely detailed graphite drawings. Some elements (the rifle and gun at bottom) look like they were drawn separately, then glued onto the illustration board, while a thin layer of fixative (clear gesso or workable varnish?) was brushed over the graphite elements.

Carefully comparing this to the final poster, I suspect Amsel made modifications either directly atop a 1:1 reproduction, or by using painted and tinted overlays, that added color and rearranged certain elements of the original. Notice how Paul Newman’s outfit differs – and that curiously placed boot underneath the bear has been omitted! (You have to see the film to understand.)

But my favorite revelation from this recent auction was something I’d never seen before. Amsel actually created a third, unused design, which featured Newman in a blue suit, and the addition of actress Jacqueline Bisset as Roy Bean’s daughter – a character who only appears towards the film’s end.

I spent a lot of time digitally enhancing and restoring this image, and while it’s not ideal, seeing it helps appreciate Amsel’s remarkable process in creating the final posters we know and love.