“High and Low” (天国と地獄), Original Japanese Re-Release Movie Poster 1977, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) H68

This is an original Japanese B2 poster printed in 1977 for the theatrical re-release of High and Low, Akira Kurosawa’s masterful 1963 noir thriller starring Toshirō Mifune. Released by Toho, this striking revival design combines powerful black-and-white photography with enormous yellow brush lettering.

Film background
Adapted from Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom, the film follows wealthy shoe executive Kingo Gondo, whose future is thrown into turmoil when a kidnapper mistakenly abducts his chauffeur’s son. Faced with a ransom that could destroy his financial position, Gondo must choose between his personal ambitions and another family’s child.

Kurosawa transforms this premise into an extraordinary combination of moral drama, police investigation and social criticism. Moving from Gondo’s spacious hilltop home into the crowded streets below, High and Low explores the divisions between wealth and poverty with precision and intensity.

Poster design
The magnificent yellow calligraphy of 天国と地獄 stretches across a deep black field, with Kurosawa’s name highlighted in red above. The restricted palette gives the design immediate impact while allowing the monochrome imagery to carry the drama.

Below the title, a tightly arranged photographic montage brings together anxious faces, telephone conversations and the tense gathering inside Gondo’s home. Mifune’s troubled expression dominates the lower left, while the expansive windows at the centre recall the film’s meticulous widescreen compositions. Red ransom-demand text across the top and the Toho emblem beneath the imagery complete this commanding Japanese design.

Condition
Excellent. 

Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.

It is over 48 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.