“Il Grido / The Cry” (さすらい), Original Japanese First Release Speed Poster 1959, Very Rare, Speed Poster Size (26 × 73 cm) O645

This is an original Japanese speed poster issued in Japan for the first domestic theatrical release of Michelangelo Antonioni’s early masterpiece Il Grido (1957)—released in Japan as さすらい (Sasurai / “Wanderer”). Starring Steve Cochran, with Alida Valli, Betsy Blair, Dorian Gray, and Gabriella Pallotta, the film is a landmark of post-war European cinema and a key bridge into the modernist Antonioni that would soon redefine the art film in the 1960s. The film opened theatrically in Japan on 12 April 1959. 

Often cited as one of Antonioni’s essential early works, Il Grido premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and received major critical attention internationally—prestige that is explicitly echoed in the Japanese release copy on this poster. 

Poster design
A beautifully composed, cinematic horizontal design that feels closer to fine-art advertising than standard lobby material: the huge brush-style Japanese title さすらい floats across an open sky, while the central road tableau—Cochran’s solitary figure and the child moving through a bleak riverside landscape—captures the film’s mood of emotional drift and quiet fatalism. The corners are anchored by glamour portrait vignettes of the female leads (including Alida Valli and Betsy Blair), creating a striking contrast between star imagery and Antonioni’s austere environment.

As a true speed poster (26 × 73 cm), this format was designed for fast visual impact in narrow display spaces—making surviving examples considerably scarce. The reverse is fully printed with Japanese text and images (programme-style synopsis/cast/features), an especially desirable “as-issued” trait for collectors.

Condition
Very Good / Excellent overall. Folded as issued, with visible fold lines and general age/handling wear consistent with cinema distribution; light surface creasing and edge wear may be present (see photos, including the reverse). Please review the photos as they show the exact poster for sale.

It is over 66 years old!

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.