“Magic” / 「マジック」, Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1979, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) ZA527

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed for the 1979 Japanese release of Magic / 「マジック」, the psychological horror-thriller directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, and Ed Lauter.

A superb and unsettling Japanese poster for one of the great ventriloquist-dummy thrillers of the 1970s, this design captures the film’s atmosphere of obsession, jealousy, split identity, and psychological collapse.

Film background
Originally released in 1978, Magic follows Corky, a shy magician whose career takes off after he introduces a ventriloquist dummy named Fats into his act. As Corky retreats from public pressure and reconnects with a woman from his past, his mental state begins to fracture, and Fats appears to develop a violent, possessive will of his own.

Directed by Richard Attenborough from a screenplay by William Goldman, adapted from Goldman’s own novel, the film became a major psychological horror classic. Anthony Hopkins received strong acclaim for his dual performance as Corky and the voice of Fats, while Goldman won an Edgar Award for his screenplay.

Poster design
The Japanese poster is beautifully atmospheric and deeply eerie. The upper section features Ann-Margret in a tense, shadowed composition, with Anthony Hopkins looming behind her. At the right, Hopkins appears again, holding a blade-like object under dramatic light, heightening the sense of menace.

The central image is dominated by a misted, rain-speckled pane of glass, through which a ghostly distorted face seems to emerge. This gives the poster a strong psychological-horror quality, suggesting fractured identity and unseen presence.

The vertical pink copy reads:

「突然、もう一人の私が彼女に嫉妬した！」
“Suddenly, the other me grew jealous of her!”

At lower left, the Japanese title 「マジック」 is printed in large white katakana, finished with a small yellow heart. Near the bottom, the English title MAGIC appears above the image of Fats, the ventriloquist dummy, whose wide staring eye provides the poster’s most disturbing final note.

The overall design is moody, elegant, and highly effective, with a distinctly Japanese approach to 1970s psychological horror advertising.

Release note
This poster was printed for the film’s original Japanese theatrical release campaign.

It is an original period Japanese cinema poster, not a later reproduction or commercial reprint.

Condition
Excellent condition. A very attractive example, with strong colour, clean imagery, atmospheric tonal quality, and excellent overall display impact.

There are light signs of age and handling consistent with an original theatrical poster of this period, but overall it presents very well.

Please review the photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.

This is an original 1979 Japanese theatrical poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is now over 45 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.