Vintage original 27x41 in. "international style" one-sheet poster from the infamous 1960's male objectification period drama, WOMEN IN LOVE, released in 1970 by United Artists and directed by Ken Russell. Based upon the novel by D.H. Lawrence and featuring a screenplay by the famed gay activist Larry Kramer, two best friends (Alan Bates, Oliver Reed) fall in love with a pair of women (Glenda Jackson, Jennie Linden), but the relationships soon go in very different directions.

 

This is the film's "international style" one-sheet, which was printed for distribution to theaters outside the U.S., and the image is much more graphic than the film's U.S. counterpart. It depicts the film's infamous scene in which the two friends (Alan Bates and Oliver Reed) are completely naked and fight in a wrestling-style scene, which is juxtaposed with a close-up of the two female characters (Glenda Jackson and Jennie Linden). Unrestored and folded as originally issued, this vintage original "international style" one-sheet is in fine+ condition with a small chip and a tear on the top left corner; a small area of paper loss on the center off the top border; some random tiny nicks along the top half of the right border; a light 6 in. horizontal/slightly diagonal crease on the bottom right corner; and light signs of wear on the ends of some of the horizontal fold lines. There are no pinholes, stains, or other flaws and the pink color tints are fresh and vibrant without any signs of fading.  Great gay interest!

Women in Love is considered, along with Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool (1969), to be among the first mainstream movies to feature male frontal nudity and was banned in Turkey because the nude wrestling scene was considered as a graphic gay sex scene. Oliver Reed and Sir Alan Bates were initially apprehensive about filming the legendary wrestling scene, due to insecurity over who had the largest "member." Eventually, after both got drunk, compared sizes, and realized there was little difference between the two, filming continued with relative ease. The nude wrestling scene posed problems for U.K. censor John Trevelyan, and this movie was only passed after director Ken Russell made some edits to the original print to reduce full-length shots of Rupert and Gerald standing motionless before the wrestling begins and to darken shots of sunlight streaming into the room. The sex scenes between Gerald and Gudrun were also reduced at the censor's request. After the edits were made, this movie was granted an "X" certificate. Glenda Jackson was pregnant throughout the shoot and, in referring to her nude scenes, said she'd never had such a "wonderful bosom." She became the first actress to win an Academy Award for a role that included nude scenes. The film ss ranked #87 on the British Film Insitute's top 100 list.

According to Director Ken Russell, this movie is set in 1920, just two years after the end of World War I. Some of the characters in this movie, and the novel on which it was based, were based on real-life people, mostly members of the "Bloomsbury Group", with whom D.H. Lawrence was acquainted. For example, Loerke was based on painter Mark Gertler, and Hermione is a very unflattering portrait of Lady Ottoline Morrell, who was so upset over the novel, that she ended her friendship with Lawrence, and never spoke to him again.