“Quadrille” / 「カドリーユ」, Original Japanese Movie Poster 1997, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) G290

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed for the 1997 Japanese release of Quadrille / 「カドリーユ」, Valérie Lemercier’s stylish French romantic comedy adapted from the celebrated 1937 play by Sacha Guitry.

Directed by and starring Lemercier, the film transforms a four-sided romantic entanglement into a sophisticated Parisian farce of jealousy, seduction, and shifting loyalties.

Film background

The story centres on Paulette Nanteuil, an ambitious stage actress involved in a long-standing relationship with influential magazine editor Philippe de Morannes.

Their arrangement is disrupted by the arrival of Carl Bille-En-Tête, a charismatic American film star visiting Paris. Paulette is immediately drawn to him, setting in motion a succession of romantic manoeuvres and retaliations.

Philippe, wounded by Paulette’s fascination with Carl, turns his attention towards her perceptive journalist friend Claudine. The four characters become caught in an increasingly intricate exchange of attraction, deception, pride, and romantic competition.

The title refers to the quadrille, a formal dance performed by four participants, used here as a metaphor for the characters’ constantly changing emotional partnerships.

The film was directed by Valérie Lemercier, based on the play and scenario by Sacha Guitry.

The principal cast includes:

Valérie Lemercier
André Dussollier
Sandrine Kiberlain
Sergio Castellitto

The production was overseen by Daniel Toscan du Plantier and Patrice Haddad, with cinematography by Antoine Roch, music by Bertrand Burgalat, and costume design by Vincent Darré.

Poster design

This exceptionally distinctive Japanese poster uses a bold pop-art grid composition, combining photographic stills, simplified portrait silhouettes, vivid blocks of colour, and playful graphic symbols.

Heavy black lines divide the sheet into irregular rectangular panels. Some contain scenes from the film, while others are filled with flat areas of hot pink, turquoise blue, acid yellow, white, and black.

The central colour photographs show Valérie Lemercier and Sandrine Kiberlain in sharply styled period costumes, reinforcing the film’s theatricality and emphasis on fashion, conversation, and social performance.

Several panels contain high-contrast portraits reduced to black silhouettes against pink or blue grounds. These images evoke 1960s magazine graphics and European pop art while giving the cast the appearance of cultural icons.

Small illustrated details—including an Eiffel Tower, a pair of underwear, and a whimsical female figure—introduce an irreverent visual humour consistent with the film’s romantic farce.

The title appears in a large black panel at lower right:

“Quadrille”

with the credit:

“de Sacha GUITRY”

Directly above is the Japanese reading:

「カドリーユ」

The top credit panel reads:

“Daniel TOSCAN du PLANTIER et Patrice HADDAD présentent
Quadrille de Sacha GUITRY
un film de Valérie LEMERCIER”

The yellow cast panel lists:

Valérie Lemercier
André Dussollier
Sandrine Kiberlan
Sergio Castellitto

The poster itself prints Kiberlain’s surname as “Kiberlan.”

The extensive production block at left identifies the screenplay, cinematography, music, costumes, producers, and Japanese distribution through Trans Continents and ACE Pictures.

The result is an unusually sophisticated Japanese campaign design, closer to an editorial fashion layout or contemporary graphic print than a conventional photographic film poster.

Condition

Excellent condition. A highly attractive example retaining clean white areas, vivid pink, blue, and yellow colour, sharp photographic detail, and crisp black grid lines.

There are only light signs of age and handling consistent with an original Japanese theatrical poster from this period.

Reference: G290.

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

This is an original Japanese theatrical poster from the film’s 1997 Japanese release campaign, not a reproduction or reprint.

It is now over 25 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.