“In Cold Blood” (冷血), Original Japanese Movie Poster 1968, Robert Blake / Scott Wilson, STB Tatekan Two-Sheet Format (c. 51 × 145 cm) — U12

This is an original Japanese STB tatekan theatrical poster for the 1968 Japanese release of In Cold Blood, titled Reiketsu in Japan. Over fifty years old, this complete two-sheet example combines shadowed photographic portraits, unsettling crime imagery, and monumental white brush lettering.

Written and directed by Richard Brooks, the film adapts Truman Capote’s nonfiction book about the murder of the Clutter family in Kansas and the subsequent pursuit of their killers. Robert Blake and Scott Wilson portray Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, with John Forsythe as investigator Alvin Dewey. Conrad Hall’s cinematography and Quincy Jones’s score contribute to the film’s tense, sombre atmosphere and its examination of violence and its consequences.

Printed on two sheets arranged vertically, the design makes forceful use of the tall tatekan format. A car with illuminated headlights crosses a deserted landscape beneath a yellow and mauve sky, while an enormous, partially shadowed face fills the upper section. Below it, an image of a handcuffed suspect escorted by two men carries the photographic composition across the central join.

The oversized white title 「冷血」 runs down the left side, its sharp brushstrokes contrasting with the dark photographic background. A narrow rope motif extends vertically through the composition, while red footprints and droplets introduce a concentrated accent of colour. The lower section combines another looming facial close-up with a disturbing scene of a knife-wielding man beside a bound victim. Truman Capote’s source credit, the Japanese production credits, and the English title “IN COLD BLOOD” complete the design.

The upper-right promotional copy includes:

「事実のみの激しい戦慄！」
“The terrifying impact of fact alone!”

The combination of stark portraiture, expressive calligraphy, and ominous narrative detail gives this poster a distinctive presence. It is an especially appealing example for collectors of Richard Brooks, Truman Capote, American crime cinema, and Japanese film poster design of the 1960s.

Condition: Excellent+.

Please review all photographs, including the individual sheets and reverse, as they show the exact poster for sale.

STB tatekan format: approximately 51 × 145 cm when assembled.
Stock code: U12.

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 joined vertically 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.