“Joke with a Sorrowful Heart” (哀しい気分でジョーク), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1985, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) Q225
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1985 for the first domestic release of Joke with a Sorrowful Heart / 哀しい気分でジョーク / Kanashii Kibun de Joke, directed by Masaharu Segawa and starring Beat Takeshi / ビートたけし.
Released by Shochiku in 1985, Joke with a Sorrowful Heart is a rare and deeply affecting family drama from an early and highly interesting stage in Takeshi Kitano’s career. Long before he became internationally celebrated as the director of Violent Cop, Sonatine, and Hana-bi, Kitano delivered a warm, vulnerable, and emotionally resonant performance here under his comedy-stage credit Beat Takeshi.
The film follows Hiroshi Igarashi, a successful television personality and comedian whose life is transformed when his young son becomes seriously ill. Beneath the public image of a man who makes everyone laugh lies private grief, regret, and a desperate desire to build a meaningful bond with his child. The result is a moving and bittersweet drama about fatherhood, show-business loneliness, love, and loss.
The poster features a wonderfully colourful and highly memorable mid-1980s design. At the centre, Beat Takeshi smiles warmly while holding a koala, standing beside a young boy who is also cradling one — imagery that reflects the film’s Australian travel setting and emotional father-son core. The bright yellow grid background, playful multicoloured title lettering, and inset supporting images give the design a vivid commercial appeal, while the overall tone still hints at the sadness beneath the comedy.
Across the top, the title appears in large, colourful lettering:
哀しい気分でジョーク
JOKE WITH A SORROWFUL HEART
The large red vertical copy at the right reads:
「いつも笑わせていたけれど ホントは泣いていたんだぜ」
This can be understood roughly as:
“I was always making everyone laugh, but really, I was crying inside.”
It is a perfect summary of the film’s emotional contrast between outward humour and inward sorrow.
The design also includes smaller cast images, a performance still along the lower section, and supporting credits, all contributing to its distinctive 1980s Japanese studio-poster aesthetic.
About the film
Joke with a Sorrowful Heart is one of the most unusual and compelling titles in Beat Takeshi’s acting career. It captures him at a transitional point, when he was still best known as a hugely popular television comedian but was beginning to reveal the emotional restraint and screen presence that would later define his film work.
The film balances melodrama, family emotion, and light meta-commentary on the entertainment world, making it an especially interesting title for collectors of Japanese cinema, Beat Takeshi, and 1980s Japanese film posters.
Condition
This poster is in excellent condition.
It presents beautifully, with strong colour, clean imagery, and excellent overall visual impact. Please refer carefully to the imagery, as this is the exact poster that is for sale.
It is over 40 years old!
It is not a reproduction and not a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
