"Belladonna of Sadness", Original Release Movie Poster 1973, Ultra Rare, B2 Size (51 cm x 73 cm) I152

This is an original Japanese B2 poster printed in 1973 for the first release of Belladonna of Sadness (哀しみのベラドンナ). In Japan we prize original, unrestored sheets—the character and history remain intact—and this example is superb.

A landmark of avant-garde animation, the film was directed by Eiichi Yamamoto for Mushi Production, loosely inspired by Jules Michelet’s La Sorcière. The final entry in Yamamoto’s “Animerama” cycle, it melds watercolor tableaux, psychedelic montage, and Masahiko Satō’s score into a hypnotic folk-horror fable. Long under-seen, it has since achieved cult status, making first-release posters highly sought after.

Poster artwork
This dramatic advance-style design—widely associated with illustrator Kuni Fukai—centers a towering, horned witch figure rendered in bronze-gold ink with a delicate white line-drawing of Jeanne’s face inside, flanked by vertical fuchsia flames that lick up both sides of the sheet. Along the bottom, miniature vignettes parade scenes of persecution, ceremony, and seduction, with the central couple entwined—an elegant summary of the film’s themes of desire and damnation. Minimal typography lets the imagery dominate; the result is one of the most arresting poster treatments of the 1970s.

This poster is in excellent condition. Please refer to the imagery (both front and back) as this is the exact poster that is for sale.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.