“PARIS, TEXAS” (1984) – ORIGINAL JAPANESE B1 THEATRICAL POSTER – DESIGN BY MASAKATSU OGASAWARA (小笠原正勝) Rare | Large Format | First Japanese Release | 72.8 × 103 cm (B1)

“PARIS, TEXAS” (1984) – ORIGINAL JAPANESE B1 THEATRICAL POSTER – DESIGN BY MASAKATSU OGASAWARA (小笠原正勝)

Rare | Large Format | First Japanese Release | 72.8 × 103 cm (B1)

This is an original Japanese B1 poster printed for the first Japanese release of Paris, Texas (パリ,テキサス), Wim Wenders’s landmark road movie starring Harry Dean Stanton and Nastassja Kinski, with a hypnotic slide‑guitar score by Ry Cooder. The film won the Palme d’Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival (the jury’s decision was unanimous), and today stands as a touchstone of the New German Cinema’s dialogue with America—its landscapes, myths, and broken promises. 

Japan‑only design & designer

The poster bears the printed credit “DESIGN: M. OGASAWARA” at lower right (see photos). The designer is Masakatsu Ogasawara, one of Japan’s pre‑eminent film‑poster art directors, whose career spans decades and includes multiple Wenders campaigns (Paris, Texas, Wings of Desire). His work is profiled in the monograph 映画と演劇 ポスターデザインワークの50年 and in Japanese press celebrating his five decades of poster design. 

Poster design (visuals you see here)

Ogasawara’s layout is a uniquely Japanese composition: an enormous, soft‑edge portrait of Kinski in flaming pink hovers like a mirage above the desert, while Travis (Stanton) trudges across the alkali plain below—an image that distills the film’s ache of memory and distance. A black header carries the gold Cannes Palme d’Or wreath and Japanese copy, and the title is rendered with commanding impact as 「パリ,テキサス」 in scarlet over a bold western “PARIS, TEXAS” block. The balance of saturated skies, barren earth and typographic weight mirrors Robby Müller’s camera—clean horizons, long distances, and that lonesome music’s drift. 

About the B1 format (size & rarity)

Japanese theatrical posters were printed in several “B‑series” sizes. B1 measures 728 × 1030 mm—roughly 28.7 × 40.6 inches—twice the area of the common B2. B2 is the standard Japanese cinema poster; by contrast, B1 is a rarer large format, printed in significantly smaller numbers for prominent displays, so survival rates are much lower. 

Larger posters were printed in far fewer quantities and, due to hard theater use, far fewer survive—one reason original Japanese B1s are prized when found in strong condition. 

The film’s significance

Wenders’s Palme d’Or winner is canonized for its tender, elliptical storytelling, Robby Müller’s luminous photography of the American Southwest, and Ry Cooder’s spare, blues‑tinged slide guitar (famously rooted in the spiritual “Dark Was the Night”). The film has become a byword for the meditative road movie and remains central to Wenders’s international reputation. 

Why this example is extraordinary (rarity & market)

The Japan‑only Ogasawara design in the large B1 format rarely appears, especially this clean. Japanese one‑panels (B1s) were theater materials, not sold at retail, and were often discarded after the run. Combined with the film’s enduring cult and critical status, this makes a top‑condition survivor exceptionally desirable. 

Condition

Excellent. Rolled; vivid, unfaded colors; clean blacks; light handling or tiny edge nicks consistent with gentle exhibition and careful storage (please review the many close‑ups). Eirin seal present at lower right.

It is over 40 years old.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.

A rare chance to secure the iconic Japan‑only B1 for Wenders’s masterpiece—Ogasawara’s elegant, emotionally precise design at a commanding scale, beautifully preserved.