1963 This Sporting Life Original Release One Sheet Poster

This is an original release British film poster for the classic British film 'This Sporting Life' (1963).

The movie, based on the novel, written by David Storey, follows the story of young Frank Marchin (Richard Harris) a coal miner who becomes the star of the local rugby team of Wakefield, Yorkshire. Although successful on the field, he is unhappy in his love life. An affair he starts with his landlady (Rachel Roberts), comes to an early end when she dies from a brain haemorrhage .

This poster size is called a 'British One Sheet', and rarely used for British posters. This poster's rariety stems from the fact that they would have only produced enough prints to be sent to cinemas across the United Kingdom in the year of its initial release, 1963. In the forty or so years since then more of the print run will have been destroyed than collected, giving this poster rariety and its subsequent present-day value.

The poster features artwork by artist Renato Fratini, who was responsible for many of the best British poster designs of this era, including the poster for 'From Russia With Love'.

Unlike most posters from this period, which were originally folded, this poster has never been folded. It is rare to find rolled posters from this era, making the poster more valuable and in better condition than most of its contemporaries.