“All Quiet on the Western Front”, Original Japanese Re-Release STB Movie Poster 1962, STB Size (51 × 146 cm) K357

This is an original Japanese STB / Tatekan poster printed in 1962 for the Japanese re-release of All Quiet on the Western Front (西部戦線異状なし / Seibu Sensen Ijō Nashi), Lewis Milestone’s landmark anti-war masterpiece. Based on Erich Maria Remarque’s celebrated novel, the film remains one of the most important war pictures ever made, and this striking Japanese vertical billboard-format poster powerfully reflects its historic stature, stark imagery, and enduring emotional force.

Film background

Originally released in 1930, All Quiet on the Western Front is one of the defining films of world cinema and among the most influential anti-war statements ever committed to the screen. Directed by Lewis Milestone, the film follows a group of idealistic young German students who enthusiastically enlist in the First World War, only to be confronted by the devastating reality of trench warfare and the destruction of innocence.

Its reputation was immediate and lasting. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Academy Award for Best Director, and it has remained a towering work in the history of war cinema for its realism, moral clarity, and harrowing portrayal of industrialised conflict.

This Japanese 1962 re-release campaign is especially significant in that the poster prominently advertises the film as:

「わが国はじめてのノー・カット公開！」
“Japan’s first ever uncut release!”

That phrasing gives the poster particular historical interest, marking the film’s reintroduction to Japanese audiences as a major prestige revival screening.

Poster design

This STB features a bold, dramatic, and highly effective Japanese design. The composition is dominated by the enormous red vertical title:

「西部戦線異状なし」
“All Quiet on the Western Front”

Alongside it runs the powerful blue promotional copy:

「戦争映画史上最高・最大の傑作！」
“The greatest and grandest masterpiece in the history of war films!”

The imagery is arranged in stark documentary-style montage form. At the top appears a battlefield scene of soldiers in combat; lower down, advancing troops are shown amid smoke and chaos; and at the bottom is the unforgettable close-up of a soldier’s face beneath a steel helmet, one of the most iconic visual motifs associated with the film.

On the left side, the poster prominently highlights the picture’s Academy Award pedigree:

「アカデミー最優秀作品賞」
“Academy Award for Best Picture”

「アカデミー最優秀監督賞」
“Academy Award for Best Director”

It also lists key credits, including Lewis Milestone and principal cast members such as Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray, and Raymond Griffith. The Tokyo Film distribution credit further grounds the poster in the Japanese revival-screening context of the early post-war period.

Visually, the design has considerable display power: the towering title typography, sepia and black war imagery, and sombre helmet close-up combine to create a sheet of exceptional impact.

About STB / Tatekan posters

STBs, or Tatekan posters, are among the most desirable and distinctly Japanese theatrical formats. A complete STB consists of two vertically joined B2-sized sheets, measuring approximately 51.5 × 145.6 cm overall. These were produced for display in narrow standing signboards, theatre pillars, or lobby frames.

Because both original matching sections had to survive together, complete STBs are substantially rarer than standard B2 posters. Their unusual proportions and strong visual presence make them especially prized by collectors of vintage Japanese film paper.

Condition

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

This poster is an original Japanese theatrical STB from the 1962 re-release campaign.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is approximately 64 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.