“Hang ’Em High” / 「奴らを高く吊るせ！」, Original Japanese First-Release Double-Sided Press Sheet Poster 1968, B3 Size (36 × 51 cm) Q300

This is an original Japanese double-sided B3 theatrical press sheet poster produced for the first Japanese release of Hang ’Em High / 「奴らを高く吊るせ！」, Ted Post’s 1968 American Western starring Clint Eastwood.

The film opened theatrically in Japan on 31 May 1968 through United Artists. 

Unlike a conventional one-sided poster, this unusual promotional format combines a dramatic full-colour theatrical design on the front with an extensive monochrome publicity layout on the reverse. The reverse was printed sideways relative to the front and is intended to be turned into landscape orientation for reading.

Film background

Hang ’Em High follows Jed Cooper, a former lawman transporting cattle through the Oklahoma Territory.

A nine-man vigilante posse discovers that the cattle’s previous owner has been murdered. Despite Cooper’s insistence that he purchased them legitimately, the men accuse him of cattle theft and murder, hang him from a tree and leave him for dead.

Cooper is discovered just in time by federal marshal Dave Bliss and taken to Fort Grant, where Judge Adam Fenton confirms his innocence. Recognising Cooper’s experience and determination, Fenton appoints him as a Deputy United States Marshal.

The judge orders Cooper to bring the members of the lynch mob back alive so they may face trial. Cooper accepts the badge, but the scar around his neck ensures that his pursuit of lawful justice remains inseparable from his desire for revenge.

The film examines the uncertain boundary between law, punishment and vigilantism, placing Eastwood’s familiar Western persona within a more conventional American production while retaining the moral ambiguity associated with his Sergio Leone films.

Following his international success in the Dollars Trilogy, Hang ’Em High became Eastwood’s first Hollywood Western and the first feature produced through his newly established Malpaso company. 

Front poster design

The front is constructed around one of the film’s defining visual symbols: an immense hanging rope descending from the top of the composition.

The two sides of the rope spread diagonally across the sheet, forming a monumental triangular frame around Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper. The rope functions simultaneously as a noose, a compositional border and a reminder of the attempted lynching that drives the story.

Eastwood stands at the centre wearing the badge of a federal marshal. He holds a revolver low in his right hand and looks away from the viewer with the controlled, suspicious expression that had already become central to his Western screen persona.

Behind him is a large wooden gallows crowded with condemned men, guards and spectators. The image expands the personal revenge story into a broader examination of organised execution and frontier justice.

The pale background allows the rope, Eastwood’s dark clothing and the enormous red Japanese title to dominate the design.

At the top appears the English title:

“HANG ’EM HIGH”

Beside it is the principal star credit:

「クリント・イーストウッド」

Translated:

“Clint Eastwood.”

The enormous red Japanese title reads:

「奴らを高く吊るせ！」

Translated:

“Hang Them High!”

Its rough, hand-painted lettering resembles slashing brushstrokes. The uneven forms and deep red colouring reinforce the poster’s atmosphere of violence, anger and frontier vengeance.

Promotional tagline

The black text beside Eastwood reads:

「たとえ心が忘れても
首に残った傷あとが
俺の憎しみをかきたてる
復讐は一つ！奴等を吊るせ！」

Translated:

“Even if my heart forgets, the scar left on my neck rekindles my hatred. There is only one revenge—hang them!”

The wording directly connects Cooper’s physical scar with his unresolved anger, presenting the film as a revenge Western while also echoing its conflict between personal punishment and legal justice.

Condition

Excellent condition. The sheet retains strong red, blue, black and cream colour, crisp photographic detail and excellent overall display impact.

Please review all photographs carefully, including both the colour front and monochrome reverse, as they show the exact item and its condition.

This is an original Japanese first-release B3 double-sided theatrical press sheet from 1968, not a reproduction or later reprint.

It is now over 58 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.