“Conversation Piece” (家族の肖像), Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1978, Luchino Visconti, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) B152

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1978 for the first Japanese release of Conversation Piece (家族の肖像), Luchino Visconti’s late-career Italian-French drama originally released in 1974.

Released in Japan under the title 家族の肖像 — literally “Portrait of a Family” — the film became a major critical success in Japan and is prominently advertised on the poster as winner of the 1978 Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival Grand Prize.

Film background
Directed by Luchino Visconti, Conversation Piece is one of the director’s most refined and psychologically complex late works. Set largely inside the Roman apartment of an ageing intellectual and art collector, the film explores class, memory, loneliness, generational conflict, desire, and the intrusion of modern disorder into a cultivated private world.

The film stars Burt Lancaster as the Professor, with Helmut Berger, Silvana Mangano, Claudia Cardinale, and Dominique Sanda among the principal cast. Its chamber-like structure and elegant interiors make it one of Visconti’s most intimate films, while its emotional undercurrents remain deeply unsettling.

Poster design
This Japanese B2 uses a sophisticated montage layout, rich in red tones and European art-house atmosphere. The upper section features a strip of circular portraits showing key cast members, including Silvana Mangano, Claudia Cardinale, Burt Lancaster, Helmut Berger, and Dominique Sanda.

At the centre, the title 家族の肖像 is printed in large black calligraphy within a white rectangular panel, with the English title CONVERSATION PIECE directly beneath. Above it, the poster states:

「昭和53年度芸術祭大賞受賞」
“Winner of the 1978 Arts Festival Grand Prize.”

The central oval vignette shows a formal dining-room scene, evoking the refined interiors and social rituals that define the film’s setting. The lower half is dominated by a powerful close-up of Burt Lancaster and Helmut Berger, capturing the film’s intimate psychological tension and emotional ambiguity.

The red background, formal title panel, and layered cast imagery give the poster a highly elegant 1970s Japanese art-film character.

Condition
Excellent condition. Please review the photo carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.

This poster is an original Japanese theatrical B2 from the 1978 first-release campaign.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is over 45 years old!

Certificate of Authenticity included.