“Elmer Gantry” (エルマー・ガントリー／魅せられた男), Original Japanese Movie Poster 1961, Burt Lancaster / Jean Simmons, STB Tatekan Two-Sheet Format (c. 51 × 145 cm) — T62

This is an original Japanese STB tatekan theatrical poster for the 1961 first Japanese release of Elmer Gantry, released in Japan as エルマー・ガントリー／魅せられた男. This rare two-sheet format gives the film’s forceful character portraits and contrasting romantic imagery an imposing presence.

Written and directed by Richard Brooks, the 1960 drama adapts Sinclair Lewis’s 1927 novel and stars Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Shirley Jones and Arthur Kennedy. Lancaster plays a charismatic travelling salesman who joins an evangelical revival movement, bringing his persuasive gifts and troubled past into the orbit of preacher Sister Sharon Falconer. The film examines ambition, faith and hypocrisy, winning Academy Awards for Lancaster’s leading performance, Jones’s supporting performance and Brooks’s adapted screenplay.

Printed on two sheets arranged vertically, the composition centres on an enormous portrait of Lancaster gripping a wooden-handled axe. His direct gaze and the blade’s diagonal projection create a commanding focal point. Above him, a photograph shows Lancaster embracing Jean Simmons, who holds a book against her chest.

The lower section introduces Shirley Jones in a pink dress, one foot resting on a wooden chair as Lancaster stands beside her. These contrasting encounters give visual form to the relationships and moral conflicts surrounding Gantry.

A large cream panel carries the expressive green Japanese title, with 「魅せられた男」 beneath it. Strong red and blue background blocks organise the composition, while white cast lettering runs down the upper-left margin. Credits for Richard Brooks and Sinclair Lewis, together with United Artists branding, complete the lower section.

The white promotional text against the red upper-right panel opens:

「悪党と呼べ！女たらしと呼べ！」
“Call him a villain! Call him a womanizer!”

The remaining copy presents the story as the one true love of a wandering, self-proclaimed hypocrite. Its emphasis on scandal, romance and Lancaster’s physical presence makes this a distinctive example of Japanese publicity for a major American literary adaptation.

An especially appealing piece for collectors of Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Richard Brooks and Japanese STB poster design.

Condition: Very Good+, especially considering its age and rare format.

Visible wear includes relatively minor edge wear and small tears along the upper and left edge.

The colours and principal imagery remain strong, and once framed, this poster will display excellently.

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

STB tatekan format: approximately 51 × 145 cm when assembled.
Stock code: T62.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.

About STB (Tatekan) posters
Japanese STB / tatekan posters were tall standing-board advertisements, printed in two pieces to be arranged one above the other for cinema display. Typically measuring around 51 × 145 cm, their elongated proportions offered considerable scope for distinctive compositions. Designed for temporary theatrical use, complete surviving examples preserve an important part of Japan’s cinema advertising history.