“La Notte” / 「夜」, Original Japanese Movie Poster 1962, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) F251

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed for the Japanese release of La Notte / 「夜」, Michelangelo Antonioni’s landmark modernist drama starring Jeanne Moreau, Marcello Mastroianni, and Monica Vitti.

One of the essential works of post-war European art cinema, La Notte is a profound study of emotional alienation, marital disintegration, and modern urban loneliness. This Japanese poster is especially striking, with a stark monochrome design, restrained typography, and a powerful central use of black space.

Film background
Originally released in 1961 and released in Japan in 1962, La Notte follows a single day and night in the troubled marriage of Giovanni, a successful but emotionally detached novelist, and Lidia, his deeply dissatisfied wife. Moving through Milan’s modern architecture, a hospital visit, literary circles, and an affluent night-time party, the film quietly reveals the erosion of intimacy between them.

The film was directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, from a screenplay by Antonioni, Ennio Flaiano, and Tonino Guerra. The principal cast includes Jeanne Moreau, Marcello Mastroianni, and Monica Vitti.

The film received major international acclaim and won the Golden Bear / Grand Prix at the Berlin International Film Festival. It remains one of Antonioni’s defining works and forms the central part of his celebrated trilogy on modern alienation, alongside L’Avventura and L’Eclisse.

Poster design
The Japanese poster uses a stark and sophisticated black-and-white modernist composition. The upper section features a grainy production still showing Marcello Mastroianni and Jeanne Moreau in a strained physical embrace, an image that immediately suggests emotional exhaustion, desire, and collapse.

Below, the design opens into a deep black field. At the centre is a rounded rectangular image panel featuring Jeanne Moreau and Monica Vitti, both presented with a cool, sculptural stillness that reflects the film’s emotional distance and psychological tension.

The principal Japanese tagline across the top reads:

「愛の失われる夜！孤独の夜！火と燃えた人妻の心にしのびよる夜の闇…」
“The night love is lost. The night of loneliness. The darkness of night stealing into the heart of a married woman who once burned like fire...”

Above the central image, the poster highlights the film’s major festival recognition:

「ベルリン映画祭グランプリ受賞作品」
“Winner of the Berlin Film Festival Grand Prix.”

The original Italian title La NOTTE appears in elegant pale blue script beneath the cast names, while the lower section is anchored by the large yellow kanji title 「夜」. Cast and production credits are printed neatly along the bottom, with the TOWA distributor logo at lower right.

The overall design is minimal, severe, and highly evocative of early-1960s Japanese poster art for European art-house cinema.

Release note
This poster was printed for the film’s original Japanese theatrical release campaign.

It is an original period Japanese cinema poster, not a later reproduction or commercial reprint.

Condition
Excellent condition. A highly displayable example, with strong imagery, sharp typography, rich black tones, and excellent overall visual impact. Minor signs of age and handling are visible, consistent with an original poster from this period.

Please review the photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale, including the reverse.

This is an original 1962 Japanese theatrical poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is now over 60 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.