{"product_id":"a-fistful-of-dollars-per-un-pugno-di-dollari-荒野の用心棒-original-first-release-japanese-press-sheet-speed-movie-poster-1965-b4-width-slim-format-c-26-73-cm-c223","title":"\"A Fistful of Dollars\" \/ \"Per un pugno di dollari\" \/ 「荒野の用心棒」, Original First Release Japanese Press-Sheet \/ Speed Movie Poster 1965, B4-Width Slim Format, c. 26 × 73 cm C223","description":"\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is an \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eoriginal Japanese first-release speed \/ press-sheet poster\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e printed in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1965\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e for the Japanese theatrical release of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Fistful of Dollars\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (荒野の用心棒 \/ Per un pugno di dollari), the landmark Sergio Leone Western starring \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eClint Eastwood\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Released in Japan as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e荒野の用心棒\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e25 December 1965\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, this is an exceptionally rare \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003edouble-sided Japanese promotional format\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, with poster artwork on the front and dense period publicity material printed on the reverse.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is not a standard blank-backed theatre poster. It is a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ehybrid speed poster \/ press-sheet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, produced for cinemas, exhibitors, and press contacts, making it far more vulnerable to folding, handling, filing, taping, or disposal. Surviving examples are consequently very scarce.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFilm background\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDirected by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSergio Leone\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and starring \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eClint Eastwood\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Fistful of Dollars\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e was the film that brought Leone, Eastwood, and the modern Spaghetti Western to international prominence. It became the first entry in the celebrated \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDollars Trilogy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, followed by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor a Few Dollars More\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe film transformed the Western from a classical Hollywood morality tale into something harsher, leaner, more ironic, and more operatic: dust, silence, extreme close-ups, sudden violence, and moral ambiguity. Eastwood’s laconic “Man with No Name” persona became one of the defining screen images of the 1960s.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Japanese title \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e荒野の用心棒\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e translates approximately as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“The Bodyguard of the Wilderness.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e The use of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e用心棒 \/ yōjimbō\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is especially resonant given the film’s famous connection to Akira Kurosawa’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYojimbo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, whose structure Leone reworked into a new, violent Western idiom.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe film’s music is equally central to its legacy. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEnnio Morricone’s\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e score, with its whistles, whip-cracks, guitars, bells, voices, and unconventional orchestration, reshaped expectations for Western film music and became inseparable from the mythology of Leone’s cinema.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePoster design\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe front presents a highly distinctive \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003edouble-panel promotional design\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, combining Italian-title artwork with Japanese-release publicity presentation. One section uses the original Italian title \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePer un pugno di dollari\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, with \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eClint Eastwood\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMarianne Koch\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e prominently billed, while the second panel uses enormous red title lettering over a stark Western townscape.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe design has the immediacy of a street poster and the informational richness of a press sheet. The bold red typography gives the piece strong impact even at distance, while the presence of the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTowa presentation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e markings and period distributor information identifies it as Japanese release publicity for imported foreign cinema.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe reverse is especially important. It contains \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJapanese-language synopsis material, cast and crew credits, publicity copy, production notes, stills, and star information\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — exactly the type of material supplied to cinemas and journalists to help promote the film at the time of release. This surviving verso content is a major part of the object’s appeal and distinguishes it from ordinary one-sided poster paper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout the format\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJapanese speed posters were narrow theatrical advertisements made for quick, high-visibility display in cinema approaches, street-front spaces, and compact advertising areas. This example is especially desirable because it also functions as a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003epress sheet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, with the reverse printed for promotional and editorial use.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat dual purpose makes the format particularly scarce. A standard poster might be saved by theatre staff or collectors; a press \/ speed sheet was often folded, annotated, mailed, filed, pinned, taped, or discarded. Surviving examples in strong displayable condition are therefore much less common than standard one-sided posters.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCondition\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eExcellent vintage condition\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e for this rare double-sided promotional format. The piece is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eunrestored and not linen-backed\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePlease review the photos; they show the exact poster \/ press sheet for sale.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is an \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eoriginal Japanese first-release press-sheet \/ speed poster from 1965\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003enot a reproduction or a reprint\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt is over \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e61 years old!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56953050464634,"sku":null,"price":375.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/wall-shelf-with-ornaments-2026-06-06T131616.864.jpg?v=1780719437","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/a-fistful-of-dollars-per-un-pugno-di-dollari-%e8%8d%92%e9%87%8e%e3%81%ae%e7%94%a8%e5%bf%83%e6%a3%92-original-first-release-japanese-press-sheet-speed-movie-poster-1965-b4-width-slim-format-c-26-73-cm-c223","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}