“Duel” (激突！), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1971, B2 Size (51 x 73cm) N250A

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the Japanese release of Steven Spielberg’s 1971 thriller Duel (激突！). Directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Richard Matheson based on his own story, the film stars Dennis Weaver as David Mann, an ordinary motorist pursued across the desert by an unseen truck driver.

Film background
Released in 1971, Duel is one of the defining early works of Steven Spielberg’s career. Originally produced as a television film before receiving theatrical distribution in international markets, it announced Spielberg’s extraordinary command of suspense, motion, framing, and visual tension. The premise is famously simple: a travelling salesman becomes the target of a relentless tanker truck on an isolated highway. From that minimal setup, Spielberg created one of the most effective chase thrillers of the 1970s.

Poster design
A powerful Japanese theatrical design, dominated by an explosive image of the massive tanker truck charging through dust and rock, with a car overturned below. The poster captures the film’s central fear perfectly: not a visible villain, but a machine-like force of pursuit and destruction.

The Japanese title 激突！ is printed at the upper left in jagged, violent red lettering, giving the poster immediate impact. At upper right, an inset image shows Dennis Weaver clinging desperately beside a vehicle wheel, reinforcing the physical danger and panic of the film. The vertical Japanese copy reads in effect: “A 40-ton killer truck races forward! A car is pursued with terrifying force — a 500-mile dead heat of fear and shock!” The lower-right DUEL title and Universal / CIC distribution details complete the original Japanese campaign layout.

Rarity and significance
Original Japanese posters for Duel are highly collectible as early Spielberg material. The film predates Jaws and belongs to the moment when Spielberg’s talent for cinematic suspense first became impossible to ignore. Japanese release posters are especially appealing for their bold title treatment and dramatic action-heavy design, which gives the film a more explosive theatrical identity than many Western campaign styles.

Condition
Very Good. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.

It is over 55 years old!

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.