Imagine a publisher of a book about Van Gogh saying this to :“Meh. I’m not that fond of this “Vincent” signature on this painting. Let’s get rid of it and replace it with Comic Sans.”
I don’t think many art lovers would be interested in buying the book after a decision like that. I admit a title sequence is not really comparable to a signature on a painting, but it is part of a work of art. In fact, it’s the first thing you’ll see while experiencing the work of art. If you replace certain elements you’re rewriting history. Cinema history.
Moest of the examples below are minor alterations: titles have been replaced using the same or similar fonts. The chosen fonts are often close to the original versions, so I often shrug and try to ignore this phenomenon. But this time it’s the Criterion Collection, a company often praised for their high standards, that’s rewriting cinema history. The original opening credits on their Blu-ray of Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, 1970) have been replaced. Instead of white letters set in Recta (“the Italian Helvetica”) we get blue/green credits set in Arial (a font published in 1982, 12 years AFTER this film came out).
Criterion have also released Agnes Varda’s Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962), where the original titles set in Futura are replaced by Gotham, a font released in 2000.
Another Criterion Collection release, Les demoiselles de Rochefort (1967) used to have a title sequence designed by Jean Fouchet, France’s most important title designer. It’s replaced with titles set in Arial (15 years younger than the movie), in a different color (orange instead of white).
This list is getting longer every year. It’s worrying that films from some of the most well-known directors are being released without the authentic title sequences.
L’Enfer (1994)
- Directed by:
- Claude Chabrol
- Starring:
- Emmanuelle Béart, François Cluzet, Nathalie Cardone, André Wilms, Jean-Pierre Cassel
- Country:
- France
Cobra Verde (1987)
- Directed by:
- Werner Herzog
- Starring:
- Klaus Kinski, King Ampaw, José Lewgoy, Salvatore Basile
- Country:
- West Germany
Chariots of Fire (1981)
- Directed by:
- Hugh Hudson
- Starring:
- Nicholas Farrell, Nigel Havers, Ian Charleson, Ian Holm
- Country:
- USA
Stripes (1981)
- Directed by:
- Ivan Reitman
- Starring:
- Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, John Candy
- Country:
- USA
- Title design:
- Burke Mattsson
Atlantic City (1980)
- Directed by:
- Louis Malle
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Susan Sarandon, Kate Reid, Michel Piccoli, Hollis McLaren
- Country:
- France
The Big Red One (1980)
- Directed by:
- Samuel Fuller
- Starring:
- Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco
- Country:
- USA
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979)
- Directed by:
- Werner Herzog
- Starring:
- Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz
- Country:
- West Germany
Fedora (1978)
- Directed by:
- Billy Wilder
- Starring:
- William Holden, Marthe Keller, Hildegard Knef, Henry Fonda
- Country:
- USA
Novecento (1976)
- Directed by:
- Bernardo Bertolucci
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Dominique Sanda, Sterling Hayden
- Country:
- Italy
Le juge et l’assassin (1976)
- Directed by:
- Bertrand Tavernier
- Starring:
- Philippe Noiret, Michel Galabru, Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Claude Brialy
- Country:
- France
L’argent de poche (1976)
- Directed by:
- François Truffaut
- Starring:
- Nicole Félix, Jean-François Stévenin, Virginie Thévenet, Chantal Mercier, Tania Torrens
- Country:
- France
Amici miei (1975)
- Directed by:
- Mario Monicelli
- Starring:
- Ugo Tognazzi, Gastone Moschin, Philippe Noiret, Bernard Blier, Adolfo Celi
- Country:
- Italy
Hard Times (1975)
- Directed by:
- Walter Hill
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jill Ireland, Strother Martin, Margaret Blye
- Country:
- USA
- Title design:
- Burke Mattsson
Section spéciale (1975)
- Directed by:
- Costa-Gavras
- Starring:
- Louis Seigner, Roland Bertin, Michael Lonsdale, Ivo Garrani, Michel Galabru
- Country:
- France
THE GREAT GATSBY (1974)
- Directed by:
- Jack Clayton
- Starring:
- Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Bruce Dern, Karen Black
- Studio:
- Paramount Pictures
- Country:
- USA
Shaft (1971)
- Directed by:
- Gordon Parks
- Starring:
- Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John, Gwenn Mitchell
- Country:
- USA
- Title design:
- Burke Mattsson
Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto / Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)
- Directed by:
- Elio Petri
- Starring:
- Gian Maria Volonté, Florinda Bolkan, Gianni Santuccio, Orazio Orlando
- Country:
- Italy
Le Sauvage (1975)
- Directed by:
- Jean-Paul Rappeneau
- Starring:
- Yves Montand, Catherine Deneuve, Luigi Vannucchi, Tony Roberts
- Country:
- France
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
- Directed by:
- Sidney Lumet
- Starring:
- Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery
- Country:
- USA
Deliverance (1972)
- Directed by:
- John Boorman
- Starring:
- Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
- Country:
- Italy, France
Une belle fille comme moi (1972)
- Directed by:
- François Truffaut
- Starring:
- Bernadette Lafont, Claude Brasseur, Charles Denner, Guy Marchand
- Country:
- France
La voie lactée (1969)
- Directed by:
- Luis Buñuel
- Starring:
- Paul Frankeur, Laurent Terzieff, Alain Cuny, Edith Scob, Michel Piccoli
- Country:
- France
La prisonnière (1968)
- Directed by:
- Henri-Georges Clouzot
- Starring:
- Laurent Terzieff, Elisabeth Wiener, Bernard Fresson, Dany Carrel, Michel Etcheverry
- Country:
- France
Les demoiselles de Rochefort (1967)
- Directed by:
- Jacques Demy
- Starring:
- Catherine Deneuve, George Chakiris, Françoise Dorléac, Michel Piccoli
- Country:
- France
Le Bonheur (1965)
- Directed by:
- Agnès Varda
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Drouot, Claire Drouot, Olivier Drouot, Sandrine Drouot, Marie-France Boyer
- Country:
- France
Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962)
- Directed by:
- Agnès Varda
- Starring:
- Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray,Dorothée Blanck, Michel Legrand
- Country:
- France
Le Plaisir (1952)
- Directed by:
- Max Ophüls
- Starring:
- Claude Dauphin, Jean Galland, Gaby Morlay, Danielle Darrieux, Jean Gabin
- Country:
- France
Don Camillo (1952)
- Directed by:
- Julien Duvivier
- Starring:
- Fernandel, Gino Cervi, Vera Talchi, Franco Interlenghi
- Country:
- Italy, France
FANTASIA (1940)
- Directed by:
- Norman Ferguson, James Algar
- Starring:
- Leopold Stokowski, Walt Disney, Deems Taylor, James MacDonald
- Country:
- USA
