“Game of Death” / 「死亡遊戯」, Original Japanese Commercial Promotional Poster 1978, Bruce Lee, Rare A1 Size (59 × 84 cm) I348
This is an original officially licensed Japanese A1 promotional poster produced in 1978 in connection with the Japanese release of Game of Death / 「死亡遊戯」, Bruce Lee’s final screen project.
Manufactured in Japan by Artmax Ltd. and carrying a period Toho-Towa copyright notice, this is not the standard Japanese theatrical B2 poster. It is a large-format commercial or door poster created to capitalise on the film’s original Japanese release campaign.
Film background
Bruce Lee began developing Game of Death in 1972 as an ambitious martial-arts project structured around a series of increasingly difficult fights inside a multi-level pagoda.
Production was interrupted when Lee left the project to make Enter the Dragon. Following his death in 1973, the surviving footage was incorporated into a substantially revised film completed and released internationally in 1978.
The finished version follows martial-arts film star Billy Lo, who becomes the target of a criminal syndicate attempting to control his career. After surviving an assassination attempt, Billy allows the organisation to believe he is dead before returning to confront those responsible.
The film was completed under director Robert Clouse, who had previously directed Lee in Enter the Dragon. The original pagoda sequences were conceived and directed by Bruce Lee.
The principal cast includes:
Bruce Lee
Gig Young
Dean Jagger
Colleen Camp
Hugh O’Brian
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Dan Inosanto
Ji Han-jae
The score was composed by John Barry, with production associated with Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest.
Despite the extensive use of newly filmed material and doubles, Game of Death preserves some of Lee’s most celebrated original footage, including his encounters with Dan Inosanto, Ji Han-jae, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Poster design
This exceptional Japanese poster dispenses almost entirely with conventional billing, taglines, and montage imagery.
A full-length photograph of Bruce Lee fills the composition. He wears the instantly recognisable yellow-and-black tracksuit created for the original pagoda sequences and adopts a poised martial-arts stance, with one fist extended and the opposite hand raised defensively.
The dark wooden interior behind him provides a restrained setting, allowing the brilliant yellow costume and Lee’s physical form to dominate the image.
Its almost complete absence of typography gives the poster the character of a large-format photographic portrait rather than conventional cinema advertising. This visual simplicity makes it particularly effective for display.
At the lower-left corner appears the red wording:
“BRUCE IS BACK”
Directly beneath is the period copyright line:
“© 1978 TOHOTOWA”
Toho-Towa was the Japanese distributor responsible for releasing several of Bruce Lee’s major films during the 1970s.
The fine print along the lower edge reads:
“PRODUCED BY ART MAX LTD.
ROOM 717 CHISAN BUILDING
NISHINAKAJIMA 6-2-3 YODOGAWA-KU, OSAKA, JAPAN”
This identifies the Japanese company responsible for manufacturing the poster and supports its status as an official period commercial promotional issue.
Format and significance
This is a Japanese A1-size poster, measuring approximately:
59.4 × 84.1 cm / 23.4 × 33.1 inches
It is larger than a standard Japanese B2 theatrical poster and was intended as a visually direct promotional display.
Original Japanese Bruce Lee posters from the 1970s are highly collected, while minimalist commercial designs of this kind appear considerably less frequently than the standard theatrical campaigns.
Its imposing scale, full-figure image, iconic yellow tracksuit, and sparse “BRUCE IS BACK” branding make it a particularly desirable piece for collectors of Bruce Lee, martial-arts cinema, Japanese commercial posters, and 1970s popular culture.
Condition
Excellent condition. A highly attractive and well-preserved example, retaining strong colour, sharp photographic detail, clean borders, and excellent overall display impact.
There are only light signs of age and handling consistent with an original Japanese promotional poster from this period.
Reference: I348.
Please review both photographs carefully, including the reverse, as they show the exact poster for sale.
This is an original officially licensed Japanese promotional poster produced in 1978, not a reproduction or reprint.
It is approximately 48 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
