“All About Eve” (イヴの総て), Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1951, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size T281
An exceptional original 1951 Japanese first-release STB tatekan for All About Eve, Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s celebrated drama of ambition, celebrity, and betrayal. Starring Bette Davis and Anne Baxter, this landmark Hollywood production received six Academy Awards and remains one of the great achievements of American cinema.
Printed in the exceptionally scarce tall, two-sheet STB / tatekan format, this poster combines monumental Japanese lettering, elegant photographic portraits, and a striking palette of deep purple and saturated green. Its unusually substantial paper stock adds further character. In our opinion, this is one of the most interesting and visually distinctive designs produced for the film anywhere in the world.
The hand-painted theatre name at the foot of the poster adds a particularly evocative connection to its exhibition history. Together with the MPEA emblem, Central distribution credit, and original 20th Century-Fox branding, it makes this a fascinating surviving piece of early post-war Japanese cinema advertising.
Date & Japanese Theatrical Release
All About Eve was released in the United States in 1950 and received its first Japanese theatrical release on 16 September 1951, distributed by Central — セントラル.
This poster belongs to that original Japanese release campaign, when the film arrived following its extraordinary success at the Academy Awards earlier that year. The prominent Japanese advertising copy celebrates its six Oscar wins, presenting the production as a major artistic achievement.
Its first Japanese release took place during the final phase of the Allied occupation. The distribution markings therefore belong to a distinctive period in the history of Hollywood films reaching Japanese audiences.
The Film, Its Reception & Its Legacy
Written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, All About Eve developed from Mary Orr’s short story The Wisdom of Eve. Its setting is Broadway, where professional admiration, friendship, and theatrical ambition become dangerously difficult to separate.
Bette Davis plays Margo Channing, an established stage star who welcomes the apparently modest and devoted Eve Harrington, played by Anne Baxter, into her life. Eve’s helpfulness gradually reveals a calculated determination to secure a place on the stage—and to use Margo’s closest relationships to advance her career.
The remarkable supporting cast includes George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, and Thelma Ritter, with Marilyn Monroe in an early supporting appearance. Sanders’s urbane, merciless theatre critic Addison DeWitt provides a particularly memorable counterpart to the rivalry between Margo and Eve.
The film received a then-record fourteen Academy Award nominations and won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Directing, Screenplay, and Supporting Actor for George Sanders, alongside awards for black-and-white costume design and sound recording.
Davis’s performance revitalised her career and became one of her defining roles. Beneath Margo’s wit and theatrical confidence lies an unusually perceptive portrait of insecurity, ageing, and the fear of being replaced. That emotional depth gives the film an enduring power beyond its famously sharp dialogue.
Selected for the United States National Film Registry in 1990, All About Eve remains a touchstone for films about performance, ambition, and the ruthless pursuit of recognition.
Design Notes
Monumental Japanese title: The enormous lettering イヴの総て descends through a deep purple panel occupying much of the right-hand side. Pale characters alternate with green accents, transforming the title into the dominant architectural element of the composition.
Three leading women: Full-length photographic images of Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, and Celeste Holm stand across the lower section. Their elegant evening clothes and contrasting expressions bring the film’s sophisticated theatrical world into the foreground.
The winding green arrow: A broad green ribbon curves down the left-hand side, passing three male portraits before pointing towards the women below. It gives movement to the otherwise disciplined vertical arrangement and suggests the interconnected relationships surrounding the central drama.
Elegant English lettering: The italic, lowercase “all about eve” stretches across the top in green, overlapping the purple title field. Its lightness offers an effective balance to the immense Japanese lettering beneath it.
Academy Award prestige: The vertical Japanese copy at upper left prominently announces the film’s six Academy Awards. This is an integral part of the original release pitch: artistic distinction and international acclaim are presented alongside the appeal of the stars.
Rich colour and substantial paper: The restricted combination of purple, green, black, and the warm paper ground gives the poster remarkable coherence. The unusually thicker stock adds a distinctive physical quality, while the saturated inks retain considerable depth.
The result is a sophisticated piece of Japanese graphic design that interprets the film through scale, typography, portraiture, and visual relationships.
MPEA, Central, and the Early Post-War Japanese Release
The circular emblem at lower right reads MOTION PICTURE EXPORT ASSOCIATION Inc., incorporating the initials MPEA. Established in 1945 to promote American films overseas, the organisation belongs directly to the post-war expansion of Hollywood’s international distribution.
Beside it appears the original 20th Century-Fox emblem. The accompanying Japanese text reads:
「セントラル（CMPE）提供」
“Presented by Central (CMPE).”
「二十世紀フォックス作品」
“A Twentieth Century-Fox production.”
CMPE — Central Motion Picture Exchange was the organisation through which American studio films were collectively distributed in occupation-era Japan.
These markings give the poster historical interest beyond the film itself, preserving the identity of the distribution system through which Japanese audiences encountered Hollywood productions in the early post-war years.
Hand-Painted Theatre Name & Exhibition History
The panel at the bottom carries the hand-painted inscription:
「東洋劇場」 — “Tōyō Theatre.”
The expressive brush lettering is a particularly appealing feature of this example. Added for local exhibition, it connects the printed campaign artwork with the practical work of preparing a cinema display. The inscription identifies the theatre name.
On a poster now 75 years old, this individual human contribution has considerable charm: someone handled this very sheet and painted the name of the theatre where it was intended to be shown.
The handwritten verso notation 「二枚一組」 — “two sheets, one set” adds another intriguing detail, recording the paired construction of the poster.
About STB / Tatekan Posters
Japanese STB / tatekan posters were elongated advertisements intended for prominent cinema display, commonly produced in two sections arranged vertically. Their height allowed bold titles and star imagery to command attention around theatre entrances and display boards.
These were working advertising materials, subject to folding, mounting, handling, and disposal after exhibition. Preserving both sections of such a large poster presented particular challenges.
For an early 1950s first-release title, the format has exceptional collector appeal. This example brings together an ultra-rare Japanese format, an acclaimed Best Picture winner, distinctive artwork, and a surviving theatre inscription in one remarkable display piece.
Condition Report
Overall condition: Excellent for its age, with visible signs of use and handling consistent with an original 1951 theatrical poster.
Folds and storage: The poster was previously folded and has subsequently been stored flat. Original fold lines remain visible, with some associated creasing and localised rubbing or pigment wear.
Stabilised tears: Minor tears along the fold near the top edge have been stabilised using archival tape on the verso.
Edges and paper: There is minor edge and corner wear, including small nicks and tears, together with scattered small pinholes or punctures. The pale areas show age toning and some spotting, particularly around the margins. These details should be assessed in the supplied close-up photographs.
Colour and presentation: The deep purple and green inks remain rich and saturated, giving the poster exceptional visual presence. The substantial paper stock, powerful title treatment, and photographic figures retain their distinctive character.
Verso: The reverse shows age-related toning, fold impressions, image show-through, and handwritten annotations, together with the archival tape repairs described above.
A beautifully surviving example with considerable display impact and the visible character of a poster that was made for theatrical use.
Please review all supplied photographs carefully—front, reverse, and details—as they show the exact poster offered.
This is an original Japanese first-release STB tatekan poster from 1951.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
A Certificate of Authenticity is included.
