{"product_id":"fantastic-voyage-ミクロの決死圏-original-japanese-first-release-stb-tatekan-movie-poster-1966-ultra-rare-stb-size-c-51-145-cm-20-58-in-i356","title":"“Fantastic Voyage” (ミクロの決死圏), Original Japanese First-Release STB Tatekan Movie Poster 1966, Ultra Rare, STB Size (c. 51 × 145 cm \/ 20 × 58 in) I356","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal, ultra-rare Japanese STB tatekan theatrical poster\u003c\/strong\u003e, printed in 1966 for the first Japanese cinema release of \u003cem\u003eFantastic Voyage\u003c\/em\u003e (ミクロの決死圏), Richard Fleischer’s landmark science-fiction adventure—released in Japanese cinemas on \u003cstrong\u003e23 September 1966\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKnown to collectors as an \u003cstrong\u003eSTB or tatekan\u003c\/strong\u003e, this imposing Japanese cinema-display format consists of two vertically arranged B2-size sections forming a complete poster approximately \u003cstrong\u003e51 × 145 cm—almost five feet tall\u003c\/strong\u003e. These posters were designed for highly visible cinema-front, entrance or foyer presentation and have a substantially greater physical presence than the standard Japanese B2 format. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003eFilm background\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFantastic Voyage\u003c\/em\u003e is one of the defining science-fiction spectacles of the 1960s. Following an assassination attempt, an important scientist is left with a life-threatening blood clot in his brain. Conventional surgery is impossible, so a specialised team and the experimental submarine \u003cstrong\u003eProteus\u003c\/strong\u003e are miniaturised to microscopic size and injected into his bloodstream.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe crew has only \u003cstrong\u003eone hour—3,600 seconds—to navigate the human body, reach the damaged area, perform the operation and escape before the miniaturisation process reverses\u003c\/strong\u003e. The journey transforms the interior of the human body into an extraordinary alien landscape of arteries, lungs, nerves, antibodies and immense biological hazards. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDirected by \u003cstrong\u003eRichard Fleischer\u003c\/strong\u003e and produced by Saul David for 20th Century Fox, the film stars \u003cstrong\u003eStephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O’Brien, Donald Pleasence, Arthur Kennedy, Arthur O’Connell and William Redfield\u003c\/strong\u003e. Fleischer approached the fantastic premise with the seriousness of a technological thriller, combining Cold War suspense with medical science and visionary “inner-space” spectacle. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe film became particularly celebrated for its elaborate production design and groundbreaking visual effects. It received \u003cstrong\u003efive Academy Award nominations\u003c\/strong\u003e, winning two—for \u003cstrong\u003eColour Art Direction\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eSpecial Visual Effects\u003c\/strong\u003e—while also receiving nominations for colour cinematography, film editing and sound effects. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003ePoster design\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrinted in the monumental \u003cstrong\u003eJapanese two-section STB tatekan format\u003c\/strong\u003e, this extraordinary first-release design features:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn enormous human eye dominates the upper half of the composition\u003c\/strong\u003e, immediately establishing the film’s central idea of entering an unseen microscopic world. The eye is rendered in pink, flesh and black tones, while a circular scientific structure and minute human figures appear within the pupil, visually suggesting the transition from the ordinary human scale into the film’s radically miniaturised environment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbove the eye, the Japanese title \u003cstrong\u003eミクロの決死圏\u003c\/strong\u003e is presented in spectacular three-dimensional typography. \u003cstrong\u003eミクロ\u003c\/strong\u003e appears in white with sharply angled pink bands, while \u003cstrong\u003e決死圏\u003c\/strong\u003e is printed in brilliant hot pink. The small connecting character \u003cstrong\u003eの\u003c\/strong\u003e is placed between the two sections of the title.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Japanese title may be understood approximately as \u003cstrong\u003e“The Desperate Mission in the Microscopic Zone.”\u003c\/strong\u003e Rather than translating the comparatively poetic English title directly, the Japanese campaign emphasises danger, confinement and the crew’s life-or-death operation inside the human body.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo the left of the eye, the original English title \u003cstrong\u003e“fantastic voyage”\u003c\/strong\u003e appears in condensed turquoise lettering. Its cool blue-green colour provides a striking contrast with the vivid pink Japanese title and the dark internal landscape surrounding it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the upper right, the period presentation text \u003cstrong\u003e総天然色／シネマスコープ\u003c\/strong\u003e announces the film as being presented in \u003cstrong\u003e“Full Natural Colour \/ CinemaScope”\u003c\/strong\u003e—an important part of the original 1966 campaign, which promoted the scale and visual spectacle of the production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA succession of miniaturised crew members descends diagonally through the microscopic environment\u003c\/strong\u003e, creating a dramatic sense of motion from the upper eye towards the lower anatomical imagery. Their cream-coloured protective suits, breathing apparatus and dark harnesses contrast against a dense web of turquoise, blue and black organic forms resembling capillaries, nerves and living tissue.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the centre, an armed crew member advances through this strange biological landscape carrying specialised equipment, while additional figures appear to tumble or swim through the body’s interior above and behind him. The repeated figures convey the hazardous progress of the mission and the disorientating loss of ordinary scale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRaquel Welch as Cora Peterson dominates the lower section\u003c\/strong\u003e, wearing the film’s distinctive cream diving suit and black breathing mask. Her dramatically enlarged figure projects towards the viewer, creating the illusion that the crew is emerging directly from the microscopic environment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the lower right appears the unmistakable white form of the \u003cstrong\u003eProteus\u003c\/strong\u003e, the miniaturised submarine used to transport the surgical team through the scientist’s bloodstream. Its smooth, futuristic silhouette is one of the film’s most recognisable pieces of production design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross the lower composition runs a sharp \u003cstrong\u003ewhite electrocardiogram line\u003c\/strong\u003e, visually connecting the expedition to the patient whose life depends upon its success. The line leads towards a vividly coloured anatomical illustration of the human body, with arteries and veins mapped in red and blue.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe anatomical figure creates an ingenious change of scale. The microscopic crew members appear enormous within the internal landscape, yet the cutaway human form at the bottom reminds the viewer that the entire adventure is taking place inside a single injured body.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlong the right edge, a vivid orange-red vertical band carries the dramatic Japanese campaign text:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e潜行隊は微小化され、博士の体内に注入された！驚異とサスペンスがきざむ3600秒の決死圏！\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis may be translated approximately as:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“The expedition has been miniaturised and injected into the scientist’s body! A death-defying 3,600 seconds marked by wonder and suspense!”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reference to \u003cstrong\u003e3,600 seconds\u003c\/strong\u003e directly expresses the film’s one-hour time limit and turns the entire design into a visual countdown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the lower left, the principal cast is presented in Japanese, including \u003cstrong\u003eStephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O’Brien, Donald Pleasence, Arthur O’Connell, Arthur Kennedy and William Redfield\u003c\/strong\u003e, followed by the credit for director \u003cstrong\u003eRichard Fleischer\u003c\/strong\u003e and the original 20th Century Fox mark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe extraordinarily vertical composition is exceptionally well suited to the STB format. The viewer’s eye is pulled from the monumental title and staring eye at the top, down through the descending microscopic crew, towards Raquel Welch, the Proteus, the electrocardiogram and the anatomical figure below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts combination of \u003cstrong\u003ehot-pink dimensional typography, turquoise microscopic forms, orange campaign text, an enormous human eye, descending crew members and anatomical imagery\u003c\/strong\u003e makes this one of the most spectacular Japanese poster designs created for \u003cem\u003eFantastic Voyage\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBecause the STB tatekan was intended for prominent physical display and was formed from two large sections, complete examples were far more vulnerable to separation, folding, tearing and disposal than conventional posters. In our experience, complete first-release STBs for major 1960s science-fiction films are exceptionally difficult to source today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis complete poster presents in \u003cstrong\u003every good+ to excellent condition overall\u003c\/strong\u003e. The printed image and colours remain remarkably strong, with especially vivid pink, turquoise, orange, cream and deep black tones.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe poster has been stored folded and retains visible horizontal and vertical fold lines. There is a \u003cstrong\u003ehorizontal tear entering from the left edge along one of the folds in the upper section\u003c\/strong\u003e, with a fine continuation into the image, together with two small adjacent pinholes. There is also light age-related edge wear, minor handling creases and small marks consistent with its original cinema use and nearly sixty years of storage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tear is situated within a dark and visually complex part of the design and does not substantially interrupt the principal imagery. The remainder of the poster presents extremely well, with no major area of image loss. The reverse remains clean overall and retains a \u003cstrong\u003eperiod handwritten Japanese title annotation\u003c\/strong\u003e, adding further evidence of its original theatrical handling in Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease refer to the detailed photographs of the front, reverse and affected area, as \u003cstrong\u003ethis is the exact poster that is for sale\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is \u003cstrong\u003eover 59 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is \u003cstrong\u003enot a reproduction or a reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57221247041914,"sku":null,"price":1150.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/man-standing-in-front-of-gallery-wall_41.jpg?v=1788306368","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/fantastic-voyage-%e3%83%9f%e3%82%af%e3%83%ad%e3%81%ae%e6%b1%ba%e6%ad%bb%e5%9c%8f-original-japanese-first-release-stb-tatekan-movie-poster-1966-ultra-rare-stb-size-c-51-145-cm-20-58-in-i356","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}