This is an original Japanese B3 poster printed in 1966 for the N.I.C. Films (エヌ・アイ・シー映画) re‑release of Columbia’s romantic drama Picnic (1955), directed by Joshua Logan from William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize‑winning play and starring William Holden, Kim Novak, Rosalind Russell, Betty Field, and Susan Strasberg. The story unfolds over a small‑town Labor Day that turns heady and life‑altering; the film earned two Academy Awards and made “Moonglow/Theme from Picnic” an enduring standard.
Design
A pastel mid‑60s charmer: the oversized “PiCNiC” masthead runs across the top; a moonlit dancing couple floats beneath festoon lights, all above a large embrace scene. “総天然色 / シネマスコープ” call‑outs appear at left, with credits and vignette portraits along the lower margin. At bottom left you’ll find the red NIC oval and the line 「エヌ・アイ・シー映画株式会社配給」 confirming the re‑release. The verso is a sepia montage with scene stills, staff/cast blocks, and long‑form Japanese program notes—classic Japan‑market layout of the period.
Condition
Very Good / Excellent. Folds and minor handling consistent with B3s distributed folded. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
Authenticity & dating notes
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Printed for the 1966 N.I.C. re‑release (NIC logo + 「エヌ・アイ・シー映画株式会社配給」 on front). A documented NIC‑credited Picnic poster from this same campaign is dated 1966.
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The 1956 Japanese first‑release was by Columbia, not NIC (see standard references). Your piece is therefore not a first‑release poster.
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NIC’s mid‑1960s distribution activity is widely recorded (e.g., multiple 1966 NIC releases), aligning with this re‑issue date.
This poster is an original Japanese theatrical B3 from the 1966 NIC re‑release campaign.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is about 59 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
