Collecting · Editions
Riedizione: How to Recognise Italian Re-release Posters
A riedizione is a re-release: a film brought back to Italian cinemas years after its premiere, with new posters printed for the occasion. Riedizione posters are genuine, but collectors pay more for the first edition (prima edizione). You can usually tell them apart by the distributor named on the poster, the word "riedizione", the credit block and the design.
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Why so many Italian re-releases exist
Italian cinemas showed popular films again and again: holiday seasons, summer arenas, provincial and parish cinemas, and later double bills. Each return to the screens could bring a new print run of posters, sometimes with new artwork. For famous titles there may be several riedizioni over thirty years.
How to tell a first edition from a riedizione
| Clue | First release | Re-release |
|---|---|---|
| Wording | No mention | Often "riedizione" or "ritorna" (returns) |
| Distributor | The original Italian distributor | Frequently a different, later company |
| Credits | Full original credit block | Shortened, or cast billed in a new order after later fame |
| Artwork | Original campaign art | Same art re-used, or a new cheaper design |
| Printing | Period printing for the release year | Later printing methods and paper |
Cross-check with the film's history: if the distributor named on the poster was not founded until years after the premiere, the poster is a re-release.
Dating a poster in five steps
- Find the first Italian release. The film's Italian Wikipedia article usually gives the Italian release date and distributor; note both.
- Compare the distributor. A different company on the poster is the strongest single sign of a re-release.
- Read the age banner. Before the 1962 film-review law, Italian age bans were set at 16 ("vietato ai minori di 16 anni"); under that law they became 14 or 18. A 1950s film whose poster says "vietato ai minori di 14 anni" or "18 anni" was printed in 1962 or later.
- Look at the printer's line. Printers changed over the decades, and a printer known only from later years points to a later print.
- Check the billing. Actors who became famous after the premiere are often promoted to the top of a re-release poster.
No single clue is proof, but three or four pointing the same way usually settle the question. If they disagree, describe the poster as "edition uncertain" rather than guessing.
Re-releases with new art by major painters
Some riedizioni are collected in their own right because a leading painter repainted the campaign. Angelo Cesselon, for example, painted re-release posters for L'angelo azzurro (The Blue Angel, 1951 re-release), Giungla d'asfalto (The Asphalt Jungle) and Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves), both 1958, and Io ti salverò (Spellbound, 1959). Spellbound had first appeared in Italy with artwork by Anselmo Ballester, so the two editions are the work of two different masters. For titles like these the re-release can be the better picture, even if the first edition is rarer.
When a riedizione is worth buying
- When the first edition is unaffordable or unobtainable — a re-release of a classic is still a period Italian poster.
- When it has new artwork by a major painter — some re-releases were repainted and are collected for the art.
- When it is the first Italian poster of a film that was not released in Italy at the time.
Price check: a riedizione is fairly priced when it is clearly labelled as such and priced well below a first edition in the same condition.
Frequently asked questions
What does riedizione mean on a poster?
Re-release. The poster was printed when the film returned to Italian cinemas after its first run.
Are riedizione posters original?
Yes, they are original posters of the re-release, but they are not first-release posters and usually sell for less.
Does every riedizione poster say "riedizione"?
No. Many re-release posters carry no such word, so date them by the distributor, the printer, the age banner and the cast billing.
Keep reading
- Is My Italian Movie Poster Original? How to Spot a ReproductionIs your Italian movie poster original or a reproduction? An 8-point checklist: size, paper, printing, folds, printer's credit, distributor and edition.
- Italian Movie Poster Value: How Much Is Yours Worth?Italian movie poster value: the five factors that set the price — film, format, artist, edition and condition — and how to research comparable sales.
- What Is a Locandina? The Small Italian Film Poster ExplainedA locandina is the small 33 × 70 cm Italian film poster. Learn what the word means, how locandine were used, how to date one and what collectors look for.
Locandine Best is an independent reference site. We do not sell posters, and we are not affiliated with any auction house, dealer, film distributor or previous owner of this domain.