“SOIS BELLE ET TAIS-TOI”, Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1963, STB Tatekan (51 × 145 cm) — Ultra Rare D73A

Why this is a trophy piece
Marc Allégret’s Sois Belle et Tais-Toi was produced in France in 1958 and released in Japan in 1963 under the title 黙って抱いて. The film brings together an exceptional early cast: Mylène Demongeot, Henri Vidal, Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo, René Lefèvre, Robert Dalban, and Darry Cowl.

This STB / tatekan was issued for the film’s Japanese theatrical release by Shin-Gaiei. STBs were tall, two-panel signboard posters formed from two stacked B2 sheets and made for prominent cinema display. Measuring approximately 51 × 145 cm, they were far less commonly preserved than standard B2 posters, particularly for imported European films of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Design highlights and on-poster translations
Street-distance impact: the poster is dominated by a monumental close-up of the young Alain Delon, his face occupying the upper-right section with the polished glamour that made him an extraordinary screen presence in Japan. Around him, the design layers scenes of Parisian nightlife, comic intrigue, romantic suggestion, and crime-film atmosphere.

Monumental Japanese title work: the large green title reads 「黙って抱いて」 — roughly, “Hold Me Silently” or “Hold Me Without Speaking.” It is a softer, more romantic Japanese title than the sharper French original Sois Belle et Tais-Toi, giving the campaign a more seductive tone for Japanese audiences.

Original French title retained: the orange circular device at right preserves the French title “Sois Belle et tais-toi”, anchoring the poster firmly in the glamour of imported French cinema.

Pink vertical copy: the Japanese promotional line sells the film as a stylish Paris-set romantic comedy of youth, glamour, and urban pleasure. Its tone is unmistakably of the period: fashionable, cosmopolitan, and slightly provocative.

Star-focused layout: Mylène Demongeot appears in a vivid pink dress across the lower panel, while Jean-Paul Belmondo is shown smoking in cap and striped shirt. The composition balances glamour, comedy, romance, and light crime intrigue, but the dominant visual emphasis is clearly on Delon.

Alain Delon and Japan
Alain Delon held a uniquely powerful place in Japanese popular culture. In the 1960s and 1970s, he became one of the most admired foreign actors in Japan, associated with elegance, beauty, cool masculinity, and the sophisticated aura of French cinema. His popularity in Japan was exceptional, extending well beyond ordinary film fandom into fashion, advertising, and broader cultural memory.

This poster belongs to that important early moment in Delon’s Japanese reception. Although Sois Belle et Tais-Toi predates his international breakthrough in films such as Purple Noon and Le Samouraï, the Japanese campaign already understands his appeal. The sheet gives him the most commanding image: a polished, almost magazine-like portrait that turns the STB into a striking document of early Delon iconography in Japan.

For collectors, this is precisely what makes the poster so compelling. It is not simply a French film poster issued in Japan; it is an early Japanese theatrical poster built around the emerging phenomenon of Alain Delon as an object of fascination for Japanese audiences.

Cultural context: French cinema in Japan
Post-war Japanese audiences had a deep appetite for French cinema, particularly films associated with Paris, youth culture, fashion, romance, and modern European style. This poster reflects that market beautifully. The campaign reframes a French black-and-white feature through a vivid Japanese graphic language: cream ground, green calligraphy, coral starbursts, purple and pink tonal imagery, and glamour-focused portraiture.

The result is a poster that feels distinctly Japanese while preserving the aura of French cinema. It is both film advertising and a visual record of how Japan sold European sophistication during the imported-film boom.

Printing & format notes
STB / Tatekan posters were designed as standing signboards for Japanese cinema displays. They were printed as two stacked B2 sheets, intended for theatre frames and free-standing display units. The format was largely phased out by the mid-1970s, which helps explain why earlier examples are materially harder to find than standard Japanese B2 posters.

Complete STBs from the early 1960s are especially desirable when they feature major international stars. In this case, the format gives the poster nearly five feet of vertical presence, allowing Delon’s portrait, Demongeot’s glamour image, and the bold Japanese title to operate at full theatrical scale.

Condition
Very Good / Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.

The poster retains strong colour and excellent display impact, with visible original fold lines, light handling, minor age wear, and natural signs of storage consistent with a vintage Japanese theatrical STB. The reverse appears comparatively clean, with expected toning and fold-line impressions. Overall, it presents very strongly, particularly for a two-panel cinema display format of this age.

Why this example matters
First Japanese release: an original Japanese theatrical STB for the 1963 domestic release of 黙って抱いて / Sois Belle et Tais-Toi.

Early Alain Delon significance: a rare Japanese poster from the period when Delon’s extraordinary popularity in Japan was beginning to take hold.

Important cast crossover: the film features both Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo early in their careers, making it significant for collectors of French cinema and post-war European screen culture.

Coveted format: STBs were purpose-made cinema signboards, produced in smaller quantities and surviving less often than regular B2 posters.

Cross-collectible appeal: Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Mylène Demongeot, French cinema, Japanese graphic design, and early-1960s theatrical advertising all meet in one imposing two-panel display piece.

About STB Tatekan posters
STBs, also known as tatekans, are tall, two-panel Japanese cinema signboard posters measuring roughly 51 × 145 cm and often also cited around 20 × 58 in / 50.8 × 147.3 cm. Formed from two B2 sheets and intended for theatre display, they were made for visibility rather than permanence, which is why surviving examples are so prized by collectors today.

Certificate of Authenticity included.

It is over 63 years old!