“Arizona Dream” / 「アリゾナ・ドリーム」, Original Japanese Movie Poster 1994, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) — T187

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster for the 1994 Japanese release of Arizona Dream, Emir Kusturica’s surreal comedy-drama starring Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway and Jerry Lewis.

Released in Japanese cinemas on 30 July 1994 through Eurospace, the film combines an eccentric American setting with Kusturica’s fascination with dreams, impossible ambitions and unpredictable human relationships.

The Japanese poster captures that atmosphere through a striking image: a silver fish suspended beside a towering cactus beneath a moonlit desert sky.

Film background

The story follows Axel Blackmar, played by Johnny Depp, whose life in New York is interrupted when he returns to Arizona for his uncle’s wedding.

His uncle, Leo, played by Jerry Lewis, hopes to draw him into the family’s Cadillac business. Axel’s attention soon turns towards Elaine, played by Faye Dunaway, a woman determined to fulfil her dream of flying, and her troubled stepdaughter Grace, played by Lili Taylor.

Their competing desires lead the story through romance, family conflict and increasingly dreamlike situations. Vincent Gallo also appears as Axel’s aspiring-actor cousin, Paul.

The film’s recurring imagery of fish, flight and animals blurs the boundary between the physical world and the private fantasies of its characters. Its mixture of absurd humour and melancholy gives the familiar American desert landscape an unfamiliar emotional character.

Poster design

The composition centres on a solitary saguaro cactus, standing against a vast red-orange desert.

A silver fish floats beside its upper branches, creating an impossible encounter between aquatic life and an arid landscape. Above it, a pale moon hangs in a dark sky, while distant ridges and scattered vegetation establish depth across the lower half.

The colours move from bright amber and orange at the horizon through crimson into almost complete blackness. Long shadows stretch across the foreground, heightening the stillness of the scene.

Generous dark space separates the central image from the typography above. The English title:

“Arizona Dream”

runs across the top in widely spaced pale lettering, with the larger Japanese title directly below:

「アリゾナ・ドリーム」

The compact billing identifies Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway, Jerry Lewis and Paulina Porizkova, followed by Emir Kusturica as director and Iggy Pop in the theme-song credit.

The white handwritten-style slogan along the bottom reads:

「カメになりたい女、魚になりたい男、鳥になりたい女」

“A woman who wants to be a turtle, a man who wants to be a fish, a woman who wants to be a bird.”

This line connects the surreal image directly to the characters’ dreams of transformation and escape.

The result is an atmospheric piece of Japanese film advertising whose appeal rests on its unusual imagery, saturated colour and restrained composition.

Japanese B2 format: approximately 51 × 73 cm.

An appealing example for collectors of Emir Kusturica, Johnny Depp, surrealist film imagery and Japanese arthouse cinema posters.

Condition

Excellent condition.

The poster retains rich colour, clear typography and strong overall display appeal. Light handling marks and gentle paper undulations are visible, with a few faint marks on the reverse.

Once framed, this poster will display excellently.

Reference: T187.

Please review all photographs, including the front and reverse, as they show the exact poster for sale.

This is an original Japanese theatrical poster from the film’s 1994 Japanese release campaign.

It is now over 30 years old.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.