“Le Samouraï” (サムライ), Ultra-Rare Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1968 (film 1967), B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) P34
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the first Japanese release of Jean-Pierre Melville’s landmark neo-noir Le Samouraï—a defining hitman film starring Alain Delon as the ice-cold professional killer Jef Costello. Made for Japanese cinema display, first-release B2 examples of major European crime titles from this era are increasingly difficult to find in strong, displayable condition—especially with such an iconic, graphic design.
Film background
Melville distils the crime thriller to pure minimalism: ritual, repetition, silence, and immaculate composition. Delon’s performance—cool, controlled, and almost wordless—became a blueprint for modern screen assassins, while the film’s pared-back Parisian atmosphere (and its sense of fatalism) helped cement Le Samouraï as one of the most influential European noirs of the post-war period.
Poster design
A brilliantly modern Japanese layout that feels closer to graphic design than conventional star-collage marketing. The composition layers a smoky interior stand-off with stark, oversized brush-stroke katakana 「サムライ」 across the centre, punctuated by blocks of cool colour and icy photographic portraits. Delon’s face dominates the lower field—clinical, detached—while a blood-red map segment anchors the bottom edge like a warning flare. The overall effect is pure noir geometry: silence, smoke, and precision—an exceptionally frameable piece.
It is over 57 years old!
Condition
Very Good / Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
(Notes: Folded and subsequently stored flat. Colours remain vivid. Minor signs of handling/use consistent with age. Archival tape on verso used to repair two small tears. Small light brown stain.)
Once framed this poster will present very well. Alternatively, it can be linen backed and restored to near mint condition.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
