“Life, Love, Death” / 「愛と死と」, Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1969, Claude Lelouch / Amidou / Caroline Cellier, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) T258

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the first Japanese release in 1969 of Life, Love, Death (La Vie, l’Amour, la Mort), directed by Claude Lelouch and starring Amidou, Caroline Cellier, and Janine Magnan.

The Japanese design combines intimate romantic imagery with a melancholy railway scene, creating an evocative composition that reflects the film’s themes of love, separation, and mortality.

Film background
Following the international success of A Man and a Woman, Claude Lelouch brought his distinctive visual sensibility to a darker subject. The film follows François Toledo, a married factory worker whose relationship with a colleague is interrupted by his arrest for murder. His subsequent imprisonment and death sentence become the basis for an examination of capital punishment.

With music by Francis Lai, the film brings together romantic drama and social criticism. Its movement between personal memories, police investigation, and the machinery of punishment gives it a particular place within Lelouch’s late-1960s work.

Poster design
A large, softly tinted photograph of an embracing couple fills the upper background. In the foreground, a blonde woman stands with her back partly turned, carrying a dark shoulder bag and holding a newspaper.

Below, railway tracks recede beside a wet platform, where a solitary man walks away, his reflection extending towards the viewer. Red flowers beside the rails provide a small but vivid accent within the restrained palette of pink, cream, grey, and muted green.

The Japanese title 「愛と死と」 appears near the foot in substantial black-and-red lettering, with the original French title printed above in yellow. A smaller monochrome scene at the lower right introduces the film’s harsher subject matter.

The result is a thoughtfully composed piece of Japanese film advertising, balancing romantic intimacy with a strong sense of distance and loss.

The B2 format
Measuring approximately 51 × 73 cm, B2 is the standard Japanese theatrical poster format. Its proportions give the layered photographic composition considerable presence while remaining a practical size for framing.

Condition
Excellent vintage condition for its age and format. Please review the detailed photographs of both the front and reverse, as these show the exact poster for sale.

The poster retains attractive colour, clear photographic detail, and strong title lettering. Light creasing and minor edge wear are visible, together with small tape patches on the reverse at the upper edge and lower-right margin.

Once framed, this poster will display exceptionally.

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is over 55 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.