IN THE poster for “Abdullah’s Harem” , a British comedy film, a man in a fez clutches strings of precious stones while 13 women in diaphanous bikinis pout and pose seductively. “You Know What Sailors Are” , another British production, follows three inebriated officers who cause a major international incident and features three women dressed as belly dancers. The words “What surprises! What spectacle! What music! What lavish fun!” are splashed across the print.
Abboudi Abou Jaoudé, the curator of the show, has been collecting the posters since he was a teenager. Although he hasn’t seen all the films on which the posters in his collection are based, he loves the artwork and is fascinated by its symbolism. He explains that the artists often did not get the chance to watch the films they were tasked with selling.