Fabian oder der Gang vor die Hunde movie posters
Fabian – Going to the Dogs (original title: Fabian oder der Gang vor die Hunde) is Dominik Graf’s loose adaptation of Erich Kästner’s novel Fabian. Die Geschichte eines Moralisten, set in Berlin in 1931. The drama film premiered at this year’s Berlinale festival and had its theatrical release on August 5, 2021.
The typeface used for the title is from Berlin, too: Fanfare was first cast by the Berthold foundry in 1927. It’s a well-considered choice: Not only was Fanfare frequently seen on posters from the era. Fabian, the protagonist, works as a copywriter for a cigarette company. Louis Oppenheim, the designer of Fanfare, had a background in commercial arts, too, and created ads for Problem cigarettes (for Mahala Problem) and Juhl cigars (for Paul Juhl).
Apart from the title type, the posters have little in common with German poster design from the 1920s and 1930s, and lack in dynamics and audacity. They look as if the brief was to show Tom Schilling (as Fabian, with his obligatory cigarette) as big as possible. And to fill the remaining space with blurbs and credits.
