{"product_id":"branded-to-kill-殺しの烙印-original-first-release-japanese-movie-poster-1967-b2-size-51-73-cm-i121","title":"“Branded to Kill” (殺しの烙印), Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1967, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) I121","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is an \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eoriginal Japanese B2 theatrical poster\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e printed in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1967\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e for the first release of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBranded to Kill\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (殺しの烙印), the legendary Nikkatsu yakuza film directed by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeijun Suzuki\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and starring \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJoe Shishido\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKoji Nanbara\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnnu Mari\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWidely regarded as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eone of Suzuki’s defining works\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—and for many collectors the film with which he is most closely identified—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBranded to Kill\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e has become one of the great cult landmarks of postwar Japanese cinema. This example is especially desirable: it was \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003enot used at the time of release\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and was instead \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ecarefully stored in a warehouse just outside Tokyo for several decades\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, helping to preserve it in unusually strong condition. It is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003every hard to find in this state of preservation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFilm background\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReleased by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNikkatsu\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e in 1967, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBranded to Kill\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e follows contract killer \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGorō Hanada\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, the No. 3 assassin in Japan, whose life spirals into paranoia, obsession, and violence after a fateful encounter with the mysterious Misako and a botched hit. What begins as a hard-boiled gangster picture rapidly mutates into something far stranger: a fragmented, anarchic, darkly comic, and visually radical fever dream.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProduced within the studio system as a modestly budgeted programmer, the film notoriously confounded Nikkatsu executives. Suzuki’s disregard for convention—his abrupt tonal shifts, surreal imagery, and satirical treatment of genre—contributed to his dismissal from the studio shortly afterwards. Yet the film’s reputation only grew. Over time, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBranded to Kill\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e came to be recognised as an \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eabsurdist masterpiece\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and a foundational cult film, admired internationally for its visual daring and anti-classical energy. It has since been cited as an influence by filmmakers including \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJim Jarmusch, John Woo, Park Chan-wook, and Quentin Tarantino\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePoster design\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe poster is every bit as bold and confrontational as the film itself. Dominating the left side is the title \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e「殺しの烙印」\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, rendered in large, aggressive \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eblood-red calligraphy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, giving the sheet an immediate graphic power. In the foreground appears \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJoe Shishido\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e in dark suit and sunglasses, gun in hand, his cool, menacing pose anchoring the lower half of the composition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbove him, on a staircase-like setting, are two women in lingerie—one of them the striking \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnnu Mari\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—their placement lending the design the charged, erotic danger so central to the film’s mood. A smaller inset at lower left introduces additional cast portraits, while the dark, smoky palette and angular composition heighten the poster’s atmosphere of danger, seduction, and psychological instability. It is an iconic late-1960s Nikkatsu design: lurid, stylish, and unmistakably of its moment.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRelease note\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis poster was printed for the film’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eoriginal 1967 Japanese theatrical release\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. As issued at the time, the film was released on a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003edouble bill\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e with \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBurning Nature\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (燃えつきた地図 \/ or depending on campaign associations, another Nikkatsu support feature), a standard studio practice of the era.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCondition\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNear mint condition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e An exceptional example, particularly for a 1967 Japanese poster of this title. As noted above, it was \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eunused at the time of release\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewarehouse-stored for decades\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, a rare survival that accounts for its unusually fresh appearance.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePlease review the photographs carefully, as they show the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eexact poster for sale\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is an \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eoriginal 1967 Japanese theatrical poster\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003enot a reproduction or a reprint\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt is now \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eover 55 years old\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57044962476410,"sku":null,"price":1200.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/wall-shelf-with-ornaments-2024-10-04T110858.717.jpg?v=1728007754","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/branded-to-kill-%e6%ae%ba%e3%81%97%e3%81%ae%e7%83%99%e5%8d%b0-original-first-release-japanese-movie-poster-1967-b2-size-51-73-cm-i121","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}