This is an original Japanese B2 poster printed in 1959 for the first Japanese theatrical release of Bonjour Tristesse, Otto Preminger’s elegant and emotionally charged 1958 drama, based on the novel by Françoise Sagan. Starring Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Jean Seberg, and Mylène Demongeot, the film became one of the most sophisticated literary adaptations of its era, blending Riviera glamour with jealousy, manipulation, and quiet tragedy. This Japanese first-release sheet is especially desirable because it uses the celebrated Saul Bass campaign artwork, including the unforgettable crying-eye motif that has become inseparable from the film’s visual identity.
Film background
Set on the French Riviera, Bonjour Tristesse follows the teenage Cécile, living a carefree life with her charming widower father until the arrival of a more serious, cultivated woman threatens the fragile emotional balance of their world. What begins in sunlight and luxury gradually darkens into a drama of vanity, resentment, and moral cruelty. Directed by Otto Preminger, the film is remembered for its cool, modern tone and for the striking contrast between youthful sensuality and emotional damage. It remains one of the great screen versions of postwar French literary chic.
Poster design
A superb and highly collectible Japanese design built around Saul Bass’s iconic graphic language. At the top are glamorous photographic portraits of the principal cast, while the lower half is dominated by the stark stylised face with a single red tear—one of Bass’s most memorable symbols. The huge red Japanese title 悲しみよこんにちは sweeps across the lower field with tremendous force, balanced by the clean white ground and green border. The result is elegant, modern, and instantly recognisable: a beautiful meeting of international graphic design and Japanese theatrical poster presentation. For collectors of Preminger, Saul Bass, or classic European-influenced postwar cinema paper, this is a particularly strong and desirable sheet.
Condition
Very Good / Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale. There is also a period red stamp visible in the lower margin area. The colours remain strong, the Saul Bass artwork presents beautifully, and the poster has excellent overall display appeal.
It is over 66 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
