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“Bride of Frankenstein” (フランケンシュタインの花嫁), Ultra‑rare Original Japanese pre‑war poster for the first Japanese release, c. July 1935 — Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm
“Bride of Frankenstein” (フランケンシュタインの花嫁), Ultra‑rare Original Japanese pre‑war poster for the first Japanese release, c. July 1935 — Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm
“Bride of Frankenstein” (フランケンシュタインの花嫁), Ultra‑rare Original Japanese pre‑war poster for the first Japanese release, c. July 1935 — Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm
“Bride of Frankenstein” (フランケンシュタインの花嫁), Ultra‑rare Original Japanese pre‑war poster for the first Japanese release, c. July 1935 — Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm
“Bride of Frankenstein” (フランケンシュタインの花嫁), Ultra‑rare Original Japanese pre‑war poster for the first Japanese release, c. July 1935 — Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm
“Bride of Frankenstein” (フランケンシュタインの花嫁), Ultra‑rare Original Japanese pre‑war poster for the first Japanese release, c. July 1935 — Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm
“Bride of Frankenstein” (フランケンシュタインの花嫁), Ultra‑rare Original Japanese pre‑war poster for the first Japanese release, c. July 1935 — Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm
“Bride of Frankenstein” (フランケンシュタインの花嫁), Ultra‑rare Original Japanese pre‑war poster for the first Japanese release, c. July 1935 — Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm
“Bride of Frankenstein” (フランケンシュタインの花嫁), Ultra‑rare Original Japanese pre‑war poster for the first Japanese release, c. July 1935 — Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm
“Bride of Frankenstein” (フランケンシュタインの花嫁), Ultra‑rare Original Japanese pre‑war poster for the first Japanese release, c. July 1935 — Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm

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“Bride of Frankenstein” (フランケンシュタインの花嫁), Ultra‑rare Original Japanese pre‑war poster for the first Japanese release, c. July 1935 — Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm

Sale price $675.00

Ultra‑rare (c. 90 years old) Original Japanese pre‑war poster for the first Japanese release, c. July 1935
Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm (approx. 10.35 × 14.8 in, B4‑type) • Issued for Universal Pictures, Japan

Why this matters

James Whale’s 1935 masterpiece—Boris Karloff as the Monster, Elsa Lanchester as both Mary Shelley and the Bride—stands at the pinnacle of the Universal Monster cycle. Japanese pre‑war paper for this title almost never survives; these pieces were posted, handed out, or bound into ephemeral pamphlets and typically destroyed. Finding an example in this larger B4‑type format—and in this condition—is exceptional.

About this piece

  • Format: Japanese double‑page 広告ビラ / 折込みパンフ (pamphlet‑poster), printed for the 1935 first Japanese release.
    Note: The verso (back cover) carries a contemporaneous Universal layout for Werewolf of London; the recto/front—the focus here—is the two‑page “Bride of Frankenstein” spread.

Design & iconography

A monumental, full‑bleed portrait of the Monster commands the left page, rendered in stark, high‑contrast monochrome. The right page fires a jagged, electrified diagonal of katakana—「フランケンシュタイン」—across a pink field, with a production still of the Bride set on the lower half. A cream lozenge bears the English mark “The Bride of FRANKENSTEIN”, and the Universal globe emblem anchors the layout. Vertical side copy reads in pre‑war type 「ユニヴァーサル超等級日本版」 (“Universal, super‑grade Japan edition”). Central columns present cast/credit lines in classic vertical setting. The whole is a razor‑clean two‑tone pink/cream montage that fuses Universal shock advertising with Japanese typographic bravura.

Translations of the main captions

  • Credits column (center/right):
    「主演 ボリス・カーロフ／助演 コリン・クライヴ、エルサ・ランチェスター／ユニヴァーサル社製作／監督 ジェームズ・ホエール」
    — “Starring Boris Karloff; co‑starring Colin Clive and Elsa Lanchester; produced by Universal; directed by James Whale.”

  • Diagonal headline: 「フランケンシュタイン（…の花嫁）」 — “Frankenstein (…The Bride).”

  • Side mark: 「ユニヴァーサル超等級日本版」 — “Universal, deluxe (super‑grade) Japan edition.”

(Pre‑war kana spellings and layout conventions retained on the piece.)

Rarity & significance

  • Pre‑war survival—almost unheard‑of today.

  • Earliest Japanese paper for Bride of Frankenstein; an authentic artifact of the 1935 run.

  • Display impact: the colossal Monster portrait counterbalanced by the Bride still and vertical English title makes for striking wall presence.

  • Desirable format: larger B4‑type double‑page spread, not the small handbill size more commonly encountered (when found at all).

Condition

Excellent for the type and age. Even, honest toning; light handling with tiny edge nicks; old fold/crease trace along the original center where the spread was folded; no significant paper loss. Ink impressions remain rich and imagery strong. Please review the photos—this is the exact piece offered.

Details

  • Country: Japan

  • Year of issue: 1935 (first Japanese release)

  • Size: c. 26.3 × 37.6 cm (approx. 10.35 × 14.8 in, B4‑type)

  • Printing: Original period printing; not a reproduction

  • Verso: Werewolf of London design (original to the sheet)

  • Authentication: COA included

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