This is an original Japanese B2 movie poster printed in 1977 for the first Japanese theatrical release of The American Friend (アメリカの友人 / Der amerikanische Freund), a West Germany / France neo-noir directed by Wim Wenders, starring Bruno Ganz and Dennis Hopper, with Lisa Kreuzer (and featuring Gérard Blain).
Film background
Released in 1977, The American Friend is one of Wenders’ key films of the New German Cinema era—an atmospheric, morally uneasy crime story adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley world. A quiet Hamburg frame-maker (Ganz) is drawn into a deadly scheme when the charismatic, enigmatic Tom Ripley (Hopper) enters his life, pushing the film into a hypnotic space between friendship, manipulation, and fatalism. With its melancholy pacing, urban nightscapes, and transatlantic cool, the film has become a cult cornerstone of European neo-noir.
Poster design
A striking Japanese B2 with powerful late-’70s graphic impact. The upper image is a tense street-side tableau—Hopper leaning against a car, Ganz inside with a cigarette—set against neon signage and nocturnal city textures. A bold red title band dominates the lower third, with the large Japanese title 「アメリカの友人」 rendered in heavy black type, and the German title DER AMERIKANISCHE FREUND printed beneath in blue. Two inset stills at the bottom corners add character context—Ganz’ solitary presence at left, and an intimate, uneasy moment at right—while the overall composition sells the film as cool, dangerous, and psychologically charged.
Condition
Very Good. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
It is over 47 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
