“The Great Escape” / 「大脱走」, Original Japanese Re-Release Movie Poster 1970, Steve McQueen / James Garner / Charles Bronson / John Sturges, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) D275
This is an extremely rare original Japanese B2 theatrical re-release poster for The Great Escape / 「大脱走」, produced for the film’s 1970 Japanese theatrical re-release.
This is not the 1963 first-release poster, but an original Japanese cinema poster from the film’s 1970 revival campaign. It remains a highly desirable vintage Japanese issue for one of the most iconic World War II adventure films ever made.
Film background
Directed by John Sturges, The Great Escape is the legendary wartime escape drama based on the mass breakout of Allied prisoners from a German POW camp during World War II. The film features one of the great ensemble casts of 1960s cinema, including Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, David McCallum, Donald Pleasence, and Hannes Messemer.
The film became a defining adventure epic, combining suspense, heroism, humour, tragedy, and large-scale action. Steve McQueen’s role as Hilts, “The Cooler King,” became one of his most enduring screen performances, while the motorcycle escape sequence remains one of the most famous action images in cinema history.
Poster design
This Japanese B2 re-release poster uses a magnificent multi-tiered montage design, capturing the scale, spectacle, and star power of the film.
Across the centre, the title 「大脱走」 appears in massive three-dimensional red lettering, bursting forward from the composition. Above it, portraits of the principal cast are arranged against a dark blue sky, with Steve McQueen prominently placed alongside James Garner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and David McCallum.
At upper right, the poster includes the film’s most famous visual motif: McQueen on a motorcycle attempting the barbed-wire jump, an image now inseparable from the mythology of the film.
Beneath the title, a vast crowd of prisoners streams out from the camp under the beams of a watchtower searchlight. In the lower section, McQueen and the other escapees run directly toward the viewer, giving the poster strong forward momentum and dramatic theatrical impact.
At lower right, the English title THE GREAT ESCAPE appears inside a barbed-wire design, beside the vintage United Artists release mark and the Japanese Eirin classification seal.
Release identification
This poster should be catalogued as the 1970 Japanese theatrical re-release B2 poster.
Japanese re-release posters of this period often used newly arranged artwork and more spectacular montage layouts to reintroduce major foreign films to cinema audiences. This example presents The Great Escape as a grand-scale entertainment event, with bold top copy, large ensemble imagery, and dramatic emphasis on the film’s action set-pieces.
It is an original period Japanese theatrical poster, not a modern reproduction or later decorative print.
Condition
Good vintage condition. Please review the photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.
The poster retains strong colour, bold red title lettering, impressive character imagery, and excellent overall display impact. There are visible signs of age and theatrical handling, including fold lines, creasing, edge wear, small tears, and minor paper loss.
The most notable condition points are a small tear and tiny area of paper loss at the upper right edge, near the top tagline, and a small chip / tear at the upper left corner, affecting the outer edge of the printed top text. These are clearly visible in the close-up photographs and are consistent with an original Japanese re-release poster now over five decades old.
We have taken the condition into account when pricing. Once framed, this poster will display excellently.
This is an original 1970 Japanese theatrical re-release B2 poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is over 50 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
