Belgian Snow White Posters

Movie posters from Belgium often have blank areas along the top where theatres would print or attach their screening information. Also it is not uncommon to find a tax stamp affixed to the face of a poster. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs first premiered in Belgium in 1938. It looks to have been re-issued in 1951, 1962, 1973, 1983, 1987 (50th anniversary screening), and 1992.

• 1938. RKO. Folded, 60 x 80 cm / 23" x 32". French Text; poster layout unique to Belgium. Printed by L. & H. Verstegen, Brussels.

Image via Benito International Movie Poster.

The same poster as above but with the upper portion still intact. Lovanium was in the city of Leuven, about 25 kilometers east of Brussels.

Image via Archiefbank Vlaanderen.

1938. RKO. Folded, 60 x 80 cm / 23" x 32". French title plate. Printed by L. & H. Verstegen, Brussels. French text along upper portion announcing screenings at the Carrefour, set to begin on October 7th (a date that corresponds with a Friday premiere on a 1938 calendar).

Images via Benito International Movie Poster.

• R-1951. RKO. Folded, approximately 36 x 56 cm / 14" x 22". French title plate with Dutch to lower left. Text along the top reads, "Le chef-d'œuvre immorte de Walt Disney" (Walt Disney's immortal masterpiece), which suggests a re-release. Printed by L. & H. Verstegen, Brussels.

Reproductions of this poster are available online. The often have the name of the private collection they came from in small print.

Image courtesy of Greg Philip of A Lost Film.

• R-1962. Distributed by Discibel. Folded. Same design as the earlier release but with the Discibel imprint in the upper left corner.

• R-1973. Distributed by Elan Film. Folded, approximately 36 x 56 cm / 14" x 22" (when upper blank section is intact). French title text along the top, Dutch across the bottom  Elan logo in lower right corner.

Image via Heritage Auctions.

Upper portion with information on the Royal Chapelle screening. The French text, "dimanche à 16 h uniquement" translates as "Sunday showing only at 4:00 pm".

Image via emovieposter.

• R-1983. Distributed by Walt Disney Productions. Folded, approximately 36 x 56 cm / 14" x 22". Same poster design from 1973 except it also includes two Walt Disney Company 60th anniversary diamond logos.

Image via emovieposter.

• R-1992. Distributed by Warner Bros. Rolled, approximately 36 x 56 cm / 14" x 22". Dutch text and French text versions. Euro Disney Park logo in lower right corner.

A few sites online have suggested a possible Belgian re-issue of Snow White in 1945. Yet we've not found evidence of this. Certainly some limited screenings may have occurred, but the 1951 campaign was probably the first official RKO post-war release in Belgium. If you have information on any '45 screenings, let us know so we can add it to the Archive.