“Love Is a Funny Thing” / 「あの愛をふたたび」, Original Japanese Movie Poster 1969, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) ZA1064

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed for the Japanese release of Love Is a Funny Thing / 「あの愛をふたたび」, the romantic drama directed by Claude Lelouch and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Annie Girardot.

A stylish late-1960s European romance, Love Is a Funny Thing combines French New Wave atmosphere, emotional melancholy, American road-movie imagery, and the music of Francis Lai. This Japanese poster is especially attractive, with a sophisticated photomontage design, rich nocturnal city imagery, and elegant period typography.

Film background
Released in 1969, Love Is a Funny Thing follows a French film composer and a French actress who meet while working on a production in Los Angeles. Though both are married, they are drawn into a passionate affair, travelling together across the American West as their relationship becomes both intensely romantic and painfully transient.

The film was directed and photographed by Claude Lelouch, from a screenplay by Claude Lelouch and Pierre Uytterhoeven. The principal cast includes Jean-Paul Belmondo, Annie Girardot, Maria Pia Conte, Marcel Bozzuffi, and Farrah Fawcett.

The film remains admired for its stylish visual language, naturalistic romantic atmosphere, American locations, and melancholic score by Francis Lai, whose music gives the story much of its emotional force.

Poster design
The Japanese poster uses a dramatic and highly atmospheric photomontage composition. The upper half is dominated by large, superimposed portraits of Jean-Paul Belmondo and Annie Girardot, set against a glowing nighttime cityscape. Their faces are presented in warm, intimate tones, giving the poster a sense of memory, longing, and emotional distance.

At left, a small black-and-white inset shows an intimate scene between the lovers, while below, a yellow convertible races through a dusty American roadscape. The very bottom features the couple embracing on a modern walkway, reinforcing the film’s mood of fleeting romance and separation.

The principal Japanese tagline reads:

「あの愛は遠く空の果て… 再び帰らぬ慕情のうたを フランスの名匠ルルーシュと フランシス・レイの名曲でつづる 珠玉の名作──」
“That love is far away, at the edge of the sky... A jewel-like masterpiece, weaving a song of longing that will never return, by French master Lelouch and the celebrated music of Francis Lai.”

The centre of the poster is dominated by the sweeping green Japanese title 「あの愛をふたたび」, rendered in expressive hand-styled lettering. The original French title UN HOMME QUI ME PLAIT appears at left in clean blue block letters. Cast and production credits are arranged neatly across the lower section in black and red text.

The overall design is romantic, cinematic, and highly evocative of late-1960s Japanese poster art for imported French 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
Very Good / Excellent condition. A very attractive example, with strong colour, clean imagery, sharp typography, and excellent overall display impact.

Please review the photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.

This is an original 1969 Japanese theatrical poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is now over 55 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.