“Killer’s Kiss” (非情の罠 / Killer’s Kiss), Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1960, Ultra Rare, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) P147

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1960 for the first Japanese release of Killer’s Kiss (Killer’s Kiss), one of Stanley Kubrick’s earliest feature films and a key title in the development of post-war American film noir. Ultra rare in Japan, this example was sourced in the Kansai region and survives as an exceptional piece of early Kubrick international release material—formats that were printed for short-term cinema display and almost always discarded.

Film background
Released in the United States in 1955, Killer’s Kiss is an independently produced crime film noir directed by Stanley Kubrick and written by Kubrick with Howard Sackler. It is Kubrick’s second feature film, following Fear and Desire (1953). The film stars Jamie Smith as Davey Gordon, a fading New York middleweight boxer, Irene Kane as Gloria Price, a taxi dancer living next door, and Frank Silvera as Vincent Rapallo, her violent employer. Shot with a raw, street-level energy and striking noir atmosphere, it foreshadows the precision and visual ambition that would define Kubrick’s later work.

Poster design
A superb, graphic Japanese design with a cool mid-century sensibility: a split-field composition in teal, cream, and charcoal, combining photographic stills with bold calligraphic title typography 非情の罠. The gun thrusting into frame, the looming close-up portrait, and the shadowy vignette scenes communicate pure noir tension—fatal attraction, violence, and paranoia—while the English title Killer’s Kiss appears in restrained serif type at centre. Finished with United Artists distribution crediting, it’s an unusually stylish Japanese B2 and a standout crossover piece for collectors of Kubrick, film noir, and mid-century Japanese poster design.

Condition
Very Good. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
Previously displayed in the cinema over 60 years ago; we have taken the condition into account when pricing. Once framed, this poster will display excellently.

It is over 65 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.