“The Grapes of Wrath” / 「怒りの葡萄」, Original Japanese First Release Movie Poster 1963, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) T199

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the 1963 first Japanese release of John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath, adapted from John Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Originally released in America in 1940, the film reached Japanese cinemas in January 1963. This poster belongs to that first Japanese release campaign, presenting Ford’s Depression-era drama through an imposing portrait of Henry Fonda, a map of the journey west, and a photograph of the Joad family.

The lower margin identifies 20th Century Fox and the Japanese distributor Shoei Film / 昭映フィルム.

Film background

The Grapes of Wrath follows Tom Joad, played by Henry Fonda, who returns to Oklahoma after leaving prison and discovers that his family has been forced from its land.

Hoping to find work and a more secure future, the Joads load their belongings onto a truck and travel west towards California. Their journey exposes them to poverty, exploitation and hostility, while testing the bonds that hold the family together.

Directed by John Ford, with a screenplay by Nunnally Johnson, the film stars Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Charley Grapewin, Dorris Bowdon and Russell Simpson alongside Fonda.

Its enduring strength lies in the relationship between individual hardship and collective experience. Tom’s growing awareness of injustice develops alongside the family’s struggle to preserve its dignity, giving the story both political force and emotional intimacy.

Poster design

The composition is dominated by an enormous purple portrait of Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, wearing a flat cap and looking towards the right.

The photograph has been reduced to bold areas of colour and broken, textured detail, giving it an appearance close to a graphic print. Set against a muted grey-green background, the portrait communicates weariness and resolve without relying on elaborate scenery.

Across Fonda’s face and chest, a white map of the western United States traces the family’s migration. State names including Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California appear alongside small illustrations of travellers, vehicles and settlements.

This overlay connects Tom’s individual experience to the geography of displacement, making the journey itself an essential part of the design.

At lower right, a colour-tinted photograph shows the Joad family gathered around Tom, with a young girl embracing him and Ma Joad standing beside the group. Their close arrangement provides an intimate counterpart to the monumental portrait above.

The Japanese title:

「怒りの葡萄」

appears across the lower section in large red brush lettering, followed by the English title in white:

“THE GRAPES OF WRATH”

The white headline along the top reads:

「砂塵と飢えに追われる集団移住の実体　アメリカ映画史に印す名作」

“The reality of mass migration driven by dust and hunger—a landmark in American film history.”

The upper-right credits highlight John Steinbeck and the principal cast. Near the lower left, the wording:

「ジョン・フォード監督 代表作」

“A major work by director John Ford.”

positions the film as an established achievement being introduced to Japanese audiences.

The restrained palette of purple, grey-green, white and red gives this poster a distinctive graphic character, balancing literary prestige with the human story at the film’s centre.

Release and format note

This poster dates from the film’s 1963 first Japanese theatrical release, rather than its original 1940 American release.

Japanese B2 format: approximately 51 × 73 cm.

An evocative example for collectors of John Ford, Henry Fonda, John Steinbeck, classic American cinema and Japanese poster design.

Condition

Very Good+ / Excellent. The poster was previously folded and subsequently has been stored flat. The reverse has age-related marks, small pieces of old tape near the upper edge, and discoloured adhesive traces along the lower margin.

The red title remains vivid, and the large portrait, route map and family photograph retain strong visual impact.

Please review all photographs, including the front and reverse, as they show the exact poster for sale.

This is an original Japanese theatrical poster from the film’s 1963 first-release campaign.

It is now over 60 years old.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.