The 10 greatest 'The's in movie poster history

It's a word your eyes skim over every day, but it's the most crucial word in the English language - and without it, the foundations of Hollywood would crumble. No, not the word 'it' - the word 'the'! Shaun The Sheep: The Movie is out this week and the 'The' in the title joins the ranks of the greatest 'The's ever seen on a movie poster! Read on to find out why - your life will literally never be the same again.

The double 'The' in 'Shaun The Sheep: The Movie'



Little did film historians know, the release of Shaun The Sheep: The Movie in early 2015 would change the game forever. Hidden in this innocuous poster is a true revelation: a single 'The' that is used TWICE in the title. The first is obvious: read left to right, it indicates that Shaun is 'The' Sheep, not just any sheep. But read that logo again from top to bottom and you notice that the exact same 'The' is used for a second time, when indicating that this movie is The Shaun The Sheep movie, not just any Shaun The Sheep movie. Mind = blown! What? You thought it was called 'Shaun The Sheep Movie'? Haha! I feel fucking sorry for you, man. Seriously.
The first 'The' in 'The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift'



This 'The' toplined the Fast & Furious franchise for three movies, until it was unceremoniously ditched for the fourth movie in 2009, which famously ditched the definitive article. Thus, the poster for 'The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift' was a last hurrah of sorts for the first 'The', and its triumphant placing front and centre of the logo overshadowed the rumoured creative differences between it and the second 'The' following their timeout during '2 Fast 2 Furious'. Ever wondered what happened to the absent Fast & Furious 'And'? It was last seen on the promo poster for 'Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief'. How the mighty have fallen!
The 'The' in 'The Siege'



Clean. Simple. Elegant. In capitals. One of the all-time undisputed greats.
The 'Die' in 'Die Hard'



You probably don't recognise this little-known thriller from Deutschland, but for those of you who don't speak German (that's all of us, last time I checked, Hitler!) the title translates as 'The Hard', referring to Bruce Willis's character, Hans Gruber. Haven't heard of it yet? Try watching something other than American action films you philistine! A classic poster for a great cult movie!
The fourth and final 'The' in 'The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King'



We've all heard the story. The first choice for the fourth 'The' in the title of Peter Jackson's final part of the Rings trilogy was taken ill on the day of the poster composition; Jackson tried to substitute the 'The' with a plastic 'The' but it just didn't look right. With hours to spare before the print deadline, Jackson made a few phone calls and pulled in an agency 'The' with no experience in the field. What no one expected was just how great a job of being a 'The' the fourth and final 'The' would do, and the box-office reflected that professionalism. The final 'The' is still working in Hollywood today, albeit on a smaller scale (it was the 'The' in Lisa Cholodenko's 'The Kids Are All Right' in 2010) but it still talks fondly of its brush with mega-stardom. The Lord Of The Rings 'The' spoke to E! News last year, saying: "THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE". Only in Hollywood!
The 'The' in 'The Jurassic Park'



This 'The' is so subtle, it's often completely missed, leading many casual movie fans to call the movie simply 'Jurassic Park'. Can you see it?
The 'The' in 'Keith Lemon: The Film'



Tragically, last year we lost one of the industry's most definitive articles after 'The' - known to close friends as simply 'The' - took its own life. The real heart-breaker? After an esteemed career as the 'The' in Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Conversation' and most famously as the 'The' in 'The Godfather' trilogy, this 'The' slumped into addiction and was a known abuser of nouns. His last job was as the 'The' in 'Keith Lemon: The Film': poster sources say it arrived on the job "looking seriously lower case" and couldn't sit still on the page (a rare first pressing of the poster is available on which the title reads 'KeithThe Lemon:       Film'). R.I.P., 'The'.
The 'The' in 'Back To The Future Part II'



What's the matter, you don't like 'Back To The Future: Part II'? Everybody likes 'Back To The Future: Part II'. Get a clue! If you have a problem with any individual component of the title, 'Back To The Future: Part II', then you have a problem with me, buddy. Get 'the' hell out of here!
The 'The' hidden in 'Flags Of Our Fathers'



This 'The' went hidden for years until Clint Eastwood revealed all in a DVD commentary: the central syllable in the word 'Fathers' is actually a 'The' surrounded by single letters he'd called in as favours. Legend has it the 'The' couldn't find work as a singular definitive and it began moonlighting with 'F', 'A', 'R' and 'S' in an attempt to score some poster work. Eastwood liked its old-school attitude and it booked the gig, but the director none the wiser. It all came to a head eventually when the movie was released in China; the 'The' publicly denounced his fellow letters at a press conference, claiming they were holding him back: "Without me, this film would have been 'Flags Of Our Farce'," it quipped. It has not been seen since.
The 'The' in 'The Is Something About Mary'



An absolute masterwork from a consummate pro.