"Strangers on a Train", Original Release Japanese Movie Poster Early 1960`s, Size (9.5" X 20") D98
“Strangers on a Train” (見知らぬ乗客), Original Japanese Re‑Release Speed Poster / Press‑Sheet c. Early 1960s, Size (9.5” × 20”) C392
This is an original Japanese speed poster / press‑sheet produced for an early‑1960s revival theatrical release of Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (見知らぬ乗客). The film, based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel, first opened in Japan in 1953, but this piece specifically advertises the later Japanese‑dubbed “Mingei” version (日本語版・民芸) prepared by theatre company Gekidan Mingei for revival screenings. The tall, narrow “speed” format was used in Japanese cinemas for quick‑change display in foyers and outside showcases, while the reverse side doubles as a detailed press‑sheet for exhibitors. A red box on the back reading 非売品 (“Not for Sale”) confirms this as a genuine in‑house promotional item rather than a commercial reprint.
Design
The front design foregrounds Hitchcock himself as the star attraction. Against a jet‑black background, a large painted portrait of Hitchcock looks out at the viewer, his expression coolly appraising, one hand extended downward as if manipulating the drama below. To his left, the English title STRANGERS ON A TRAIN appears in pink block letters, while the bold yellow kanji title 見知らぬ乗客 (“Strangers on a Train”) dominates the top of the sheet. A vertical white tagline beside Hitchcock’s hand teases the premise: everyone has someone they’d like to see dead, and here a “murder exchange” is proposed.
Below his hand sits a stylised train‑window / signal motif: three circular frames stacked vertically like traffic lights. The top teal‑tinted circle shows two figures locked in a tense confrontation; the middle amber frame features Farley Granger and Ruth Roman in an intimate embrace; the bottom red circle hints at menace, with a shadowed figure looming over another across a desk. Together they succinctly suggest the film’s mix of romance, psychological tension and looming violence. Down the right side, hot‑pink vertical text hails this as “Master Hitchcock’s greatest masterpiece – astonishing concept, ingenious direction, intense suspense!”, while a central credit column names Farley Granger, Ruth Roman and Robert Walker alongside writer Raymond Chandler and director Alfred Hitchcock. A small vertical line at lower left notes this as the Japanese‑language version by Mingei, marking it out as the revival dub edition.
Flip the piece over and the reverse is printed as an exhibitor’s press‑sheet, laid out newspaper‑style in dense black Japanese text: staff and cast lists, plot synopsis, production notes and critical comments. At upper right a monochrome variant of the main art is reproduced with the line “ALFRED HITCHCOCK BRINGS YOU 101 MINUTES OF MATCHLESS SUSPENSE!”, while the lower section repeats the Japanese title in several type treatments alongside sketched black‑ink hands clasping or bound together – a simple but effective visual metaphor for the film’s theme of complicity and entrapment.
Condition
Excellent (close to near mint) condition. Please review the photos; they show the exact poster for sale.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
It is over 60 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
