“Cape of the North” / 「北の岬」, Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1976, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) ZA706
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1976 for the first release of Cape of the North / 「北の岬」, known internationally by its French title Le Cap du Nord. Directed by Kei Kumai, the film stars Go Kato, Claude Jade, Tomoko Ogawa, and Kinuyo Tanaka.
A refined and melancholic romantic drama, Cape of the North is based on a novel by Kunio Tsuji and reflects Kumai’s serious, literary approach to cinema. This Japanese poster is especially elegant, with a quiet emotional intensity and a striking international character.
Film background
Directed by Kei Kumai, later internationally recognised for works such as Sandakan No. 8 and Death of a Tea Master, Cape of the North tells the story of an impossible love between Mitsuo, a Japanese automotive engineer, and Marie-Thérèse, a Swiss missionary nun.
The two meet aboard a passenger ship travelling from Marseille to Yokohama, where a deep but fragile emotional connection begins to form. Their relationship is shaped by distance, faith, restraint, and the knowledge that their love may never be fulfilled in ordinary terms.
The film is notable for its international casting, particularly the appearance of French actress Claude Jade, known for her work with François Truffaut and Alfred Hitchcock, opposite Japanese actor Go Kato.
Poster design
The poster is dominated by a large, intimate image of Go Kato kissing Claude Jade on the cheek as snow falls around them. Jade is shown in a black-and-white nun’s habit, her expression caught between tenderness, longing, and resignation. The snowy setting reinforces the emotional chill and melancholy suggested by the title.
The lower section is clean and restrained, with the French title LE CAP DU NORD printed at left above a short French text passage. At lower right, the Japanese title 「北の岬」 appears in vivid pink lettering, followed by 「熊井 啓 監督作品」, identifying it as a work directed by Kei Kumai.
The Japanese copy beneath the title reads:
「マルセイユの港ではじめて出会った時から、ふたりの心の中で悲しい“愛”がひとり歩きをはじめた。」
roughly:
“From the moment they first met at the port of Marseille, a sad ‘love’ began to walk alone within their hearts.”
The overall design is beautifully understated: romantic, wintry, international, and deeply restrained, perfectly suited to the film’s tone of longing and emotional impossibility.
Condition
Excellent condition. A very attractive example, with soft colour, clean photographic imagery, vivid pink title typography, and excellent overall display presence.
Please review the photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.
This is an original 1976 Japanese theatrical poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is now nearly 50 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
