“Breaking Glass” is a fondly remembered 1980 British film that features Hazel O’Connor as a burgeoning singer-songwriter trying to find success on the flourishing new wave music scene. The first film produced by Dodi Fayed, it also stars Phil Daniels of “Quadrophenia” fame as well as Jonathan Pryce as a drug-addicted saxophonist! Whilst not an immediate hit, “Breaking Glass” has maintained a dedicated following and has proven especially memorable for O’Connor’s strong lead performance in her first major role.

Also notable is the film’s soundtrack that O’Connor composed herself. Finding a life on its own, the soundtrack reached number 5 on the UK Albums chart, went double platinum and was nominated for a BAFTA award. An interesting side note is that when O’Connor toured the country to promote the album, she selected an unknown band called Duran Duran to be her opening act. The tour subsequently gave them the publicity they required to secure a recording contract.

Displayed here is the finished original artwork, minus text, for the film’s UK Quad poster. Designed by Tom Chantrell, its hip, ‘in-your-face’ imagery is a good fit for the film’s edgy nature with the powerful central illustration of O’Connor being a particular stand out. The shattered glass effect also makes sense, adding a vibrant energy to the poster. The cracked glass motif was something Chantrell liked to employ. See the example below of his Quad for “Through the Looking Glass”, shown courtesy of www.moviepostermem.com, which demonstrates a darker, seedier though no less effective usage of the imagery.

Also featured below, courtesy of www.chantrellposter.com, is the finished Quad for the film. The changes between the artwork and Quad appear minimal; colours appear to have been shaded slightly darker for the Quad and interestingly O’Connor’s hair in the top right image is a much more noticeable tint of yellow.  Many more examples of Chantrell's poster artistry available on www.chantrellposter.com