Mainstream Movies with presses in them
I have decided to start a collection of DVDs of movies which have printing or printing presses in them. I’m trying develop a list. Would like suggestions. Here’s what I have so far . .. .
Miss Potter (2007 movie about Beatrix Potter and her writing and publishing) depicts old litho printing of her illustrations in the books.
The Paper (1994 movie with Glenn Close and Michael Keaton) showing a fight between the owner Glenn Close, and the editor Michael Keaton , on the catwalk of a web newspaper press while it is running—in an attempt to “stop the presses” by Keaton’s character.
Catch Me If You Can (2003 movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, and Martin Sheen ) about a counterfeiter who in one scene is operating a huge press by himself printing bogus checks)
What other similar movies can you suggest from the past 20 years?
The Hours—
Virginia Wolf’s husband was a printmaker and there are several scenes in his printshop.
Todd
If I remember correctly, a heidelberg windmill was used to produce counterfit money in The Goonies.
Well, although it’s more than 20 years old ( more like 78), the Academy Award-winning Best Picture of 1930 — Cimarron — features a frontier newspaper and job-printing editor in this story of the settling of the Oklahoma Territory. One character is “the compositor” who is seen setting type in the functioning printing office and if I remember correctly, the movie also shows a working handpress and a platen press or two. If you like wood type you should like this movie!
Hi there,
Not a movie, but the TV series Deadwood features a newspaper publisher/printer in the 1870s(?). There are a few scenes of him setting type, inking and pulling a print on a handpress.
Thanks
The press in “catch me if you can” was a 40” Heidelburg iirc. An offset press, and there’s no way bills would have flown out if it like they did. I got a good laugh out of that. My wife didn’t get it though.
We had a camera crew come to our shop and do some shoots of our Heidelberg cylinder “printing” a newspaper page. The movie was about the Stork derby from 1926 in canada. I think the movie has the same name. We never did get sent a copy of it though.
An early sequence in the movie “Helvetica” by Gary Hustwit, the feature-length documentary of the typeface of the same name shows an old-timer handsetting the word Helvetica, positioning the line on a basic proof press, inking it and pulling a proof. Essentially a good basic example of the most rudimentary form of letterpress printing/proofing.
While the movie is either loved or hated by most who see it, you’ll have to decide which side you ultimately end up on.
Enjoy.