“Clash of the Titans” (タイタンの戦い), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1981, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) S159
Sale price$120.00
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the first Japanese cinema release of Desmond Davis’s mythological fantasy epic Clash of the Titans (タイタンの戦い), starring Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress and Burgess Meredith. The film opened theatrically in Japan on 19 December 1981, distributed domestically by MGM-CIC.
Loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus, the film follows the young hero on his quest to save Princess Andromeda from sacrifice to the monstrous Kraken. Along the way he encounters Pegasus, Medusa, Calibos, the Stygian Witches and the gods of Olympus. The film was produced by Charles H. Schneer and Ray Harryhausen, with Harryhausen creating its celebrated stop-motion fantasy creatures. It became the final feature film to showcase Harryhausen’s signature stop-motion effects before his retirement, giving the film a special place in fantasy and visual-effects history.
Poster design A magnificent Japanese first-release fantasy design incorporating the film’s celebrated illustrated campaign artwork. The composition is dominated by the enormous Kraken rising from the sea, while Perseus descends on the winged horse Pegasus, sword raised and carrying the severed head of Medusa. At lower right, Perseus appears again protectively embracing Andromeda, creating a sweeping visual summary of the film’s romance, mythology and creature spectacle.
This Japanese B2 campaign is documented as incorporating artwork by Dan Goozee together with elements by Greg and Tim Hildebrandt, adapting the international fantasy imagery into a distinctive Japanese layout.
The upper-right promotional line reads:
「翔べ！ペガサス 愛するアンドロメダのために……」
— “Fly, Pegasus! For the beloved Andromeda…”
Alongside it, the green copy describes the film as “the romance of love and adventure of the young hero Perseus.”
Across the bottom, the enormous metallic gold-and-red Japanese title タイタンの戦い gives the poster tremendous visual weight. Immediately above it runs a strip of cast portraits highlighting the unusually prestigious ensemble of gods and mortals, including Laurence Olivier as Zeus, Maggie Smith as Thetis and Ursula Andress as Aphrodite.
The combination of Pegasus, Medusa, the Kraken, Perseus and Andromeda on a single sheet, together with the richly painted fantasy artwork, makes this one of the most recognisable Japanese posters from the early-1980s sword-and-sorcery boom.
It is over 44 years old!
Condition Excellent. The poster retains excellent colour saturation, with the golds, oranges, deep blacks and brilliant white of Pegasus remaining exceptionally strong. The artwork and typography present beautifully, with only very minor signs of age and handling consistent with an original 1981 theatrical poster and no significant issue detracting from the central composition.
Please review the photograph carefully—it shows the exact poster for sale.
