“Fantômas contre Scotland Yard” / 「ファントマ ミサイル作戦」, Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1967, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) B269
Sale price$175.00
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1967 for the first Japanese release of Fantômas contre Scotland Yard, released in Japan under the title 「ファントマ ミサイル作戦」 (Fantoma: Operation Missile). Directed by André Hunebelle and starring Jean Marais, Louis de Funès, and Mylène Demongeot, this was the third and final entry in the celebrated Fantômas film trilogy. With its bold pop-art styling, oversized central image, and exuberant period design, this is one of the most visually memorable Japanese posters produced for the series.
Film background Released in 1967, Fantômas contre Scotland Yard continues the wildly entertaining French blend of crime caper, spy spoof, and comic adventure that made the Fantômas films international favourites during the 1960s. Based on the notorious master criminal created by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre, the film pits the elusive Fantômas against his perennial adversaries—journalist Fandor and the hilariously overmatched Commissaire Juve—in a globe-trotting plot involving aristocrats, disguises, and high-stakes intrigue.
By the time this third film appeared, the Fantômas series had become renowned for its combination of stylish Euro-spy action, surreal humour, and Louis de Funès’s manic comic energy. In Japan, the series was marketed with particularly strong graphic flair, and this release poster is an outstanding example of that approach.
Poster design This Japanese B2 features a spectacular large-scale central image of Fantômas’s face, rendered in a striking halftone dot pattern that shifts tonally across the composition, giving the design a modern, almost Op Art quality. The giant mask-like visage dominates the sheet and gives the poster an immediate visual identity.
Across the top appears the lively pink slogan:
「世界中の富を狙って、陸に、海に、空に怪人ファントマ大暴れ！」 “Aiming for the wealth of the whole world, the phantom Fantômas runs amok on land, at sea, and in the sky!”
The title ファントマ is printed in huge multi-coloured block letters, while the subtitle ミサイル作戦 (“Operation Missile”) cuts boldly across the centre in vivid orange-red type. The poster is filled with energetic supporting imagery: a missile launching skyward, fighter jets, a biplane, a man suspended by cable, and small action vignettes that suggest the film’s adventurous, comic-book tone.
At the bottom, the principal cast is assembled in a montage beneath the looming face of Fantômas: Jean Marais, Mylène Demongeot, and Louis de Funès all appear, along with supporting silhouettes and action elements set against a castle landscape. The original French title and technical billing—
EASTMANCOLOR et FRANSCOPE FANTOMAS CONTRE SCOTLAND YARD
—appear at middle right, while the TOWA distribution mark is printed at lower left, confirming its original Japanese theatrical issue.
The result is a highly graphic, stylish, and unmistakably 1960s country-of-release design—a superb piece for collectors of European cult cinema, French comedy, and Japanese poster art.
Condition Excellent. Please review the photos carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.
The poster presents beautifully, with strong colour, clean imagery, and excellent overall display appeal. It remains a very attractive vintage example of this scarce Japanese release poster.
This poster is an original Japanese theatrical B2 from the film’s 1967 first-release campaign. It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
