Here are the best movie posters ever

Dear Mr. Smithee: I recently acquired an original "Blade Runner" poster and got to thinking: What is the greatest movie poster ever created?

KEVIN MCCOY, NORCROSS, GA.

Dear Good Buy: My friend, that might be the toughest question I have ever been asked. You see, a movie poster can benefit from the quality of the movie itself. As you look at it, fond memories of the movie light the corners of your mind. Is that better than a movie poster that stands by itself as a fine piece of art?

And what about the latest in movie posterdom -- the dramatic 3-D poster for "Speed Racer"? It involves 36 separate images and is one you must see in person, but there is a simulated way to experience it by going to www.startribune.com/a4387. (Click on the image and drag the cursor for the effect.)

For me, the following 20 posters are just about perfect. ("Blade Runner" was a semifinalist.)

20. "Kill Bill, Vol. 1" (2003) This poster with its crisp visuals not only looks good, it's a dual image. The back is a reverse look. It's cool.

19. "Around the World in 80 Days" (1956) I'm not much of a fan of the movie, but the poster successfully screams Victorian England.

17. "Scarface" (1983) I love how the red shouts Al Pacino's name with the same turbulence as the film's title.

16. "The Exorcist" (1973) The poster for the rerelease enlarged the original poster's image, heightening the unsettling feelings of fear and dread.

15. "Frankenstein" (1931) The looming, lighted-from-beneath vision of Boris Karloff commands attention.

14. "Thelma & Louise" (1991) The colors are amazingly vivid, the smiles infectious.

13. "E.T. the Extra-terrestrial" (1982) Fantasy comes to life with the signature vision of a boy and bicycle in flight against an enormous moon.

11. "The Big Sleep" (1946) Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were the hottest couple on Earth. This looks like a scribbled note from a studio mogul: "Get me him! Get me her! It'll be an instant hit!"

10. "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991) The haunting central skull image was inspired by a Salvador Dali photograph of women contorted into the shape of a skull.

9. "King Kong" (1933) A giant ape run amok. Terrified people running. A damsel in distress. Fire. An easy title to digest. If you saw this then, you would have said, "I'm already there."

8. "Blazing Saddles" (1974) All the posters for Mel Brooks' movies are grandiose, nostalgic and funny. There's a boom mike in plain view and a jet flying in the right corner.

7. "Bull Durham" (1988) In many posters for Kevin Costner's movies, he's looking right into the camera and being adored by a beautiful woman. Here, the cliché works.

5. "Anatomy of a Murder" (1959) For years, artist Saul Bass was the go-to guy for posters. Block images become the chalk outline to pack more punch in the film's title.

4. "Dead Again" (1991) The poster is of two faces that meld into one and become almost 3-D.

3. "Cabin in the Sky" (1943) The images on this poster pop and seemingly come alive. Talk about swingers.

2. "Walk the Line" (2005) I own a T-shirt with the same indelible image of Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash. Every single time I've worn it, somebody says, "Nice shirt."

1. "Jungle Fever" (1991) With great simplicity, it evokes the film's flashfire plot about a black man contemplating an affair with a white woman.

ALAN

P.S. You get an "Ask Alan Smithee" T-shirt and a 3-D poster for "Speed Racer." Seriously.