“Starry Sky Marionette” (星空のマリオネット), Original Japanese Movie Poster 1978, ATG, B2 Size (51.5 × 72.8 cm) — P102

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster for the 1978 release of Starry Sky Marionette, directed by Masato Hashiura and distributed by the Art Theatre Guild (ATG). Produced in association with Tokyo Video Center, the film captures the restless energy and emotional uncertainty of young people living on the margins of society.

Starring Yoichi Miura, Kazuhito Takei and Ako, with a screenplay by Atsushi Yamatoya and Masato Hashiura, the film explores troubled relationships, alienation and the search for connection. Its mixture of intimacy, rebellion and tragedy places it firmly within the challenging youth cinema associated with ATG during the late 1970s.

The poster communicates these themes through a bold photographic collage. In the upper-left section, a softly tinted image shows three unclothed figures lying together on tatami, creating a moment of exposed vulnerability. Its muted purple colouring contrasts with the forceful mechanical imagery beside it.

A large black-and-yellow motorcycle wheel and front forks cut through the right side of the composition. Below, a stark monochrome photograph of motorcyclists riding towards the viewer brings movement and confrontation into the design. The juxtaposition of intimate bodies and machinery gives the poster its distinctive tension.

Across the bottom, the Japanese title, 星空のマリオネット, appears in enormous red lettering, standing out sharply against the surrounding photography. Hashiura’s directing credit sits above it, while the cast names follow the motorcycle imagery and the familiar ATG emblem completes the lower section.

The promotional copy introduces the film with the arresting declaration:

“One death, two deaths… ‘Being alive is magic!’”

It goes on to describe youth as an experience no one passes through unscathed, presenting the film as a wandering portrait of young lives and a vivid requiem. This fatalistic language reinforces the contrast between the freedom suggested by the motorcycles and the vulnerability of the figures above.

A striking example of 1970s Japanese independent film advertising, particularly appealing to collectors of ATG cinema, youth drama and motorcycle imagery.

Condition: Excellent.

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

Japanese B2 size: approximately 51.5 × 72.8 cm.
Stock code: P102.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.