"Picnic", Original Re-Release Japanese Movie Poster 1966, STB Size (51 x 145cm) O725
This is an original Japanese STB tatekan (vertical) theatrical poster printed in 1966 for the Japanese re-release of Picnic (ピクニック). The STB format was produced in significantly lower quantities than standard B2 posters, making surviving examples very rare—especially for major, widely loved classic titles like this—and highly sought after by collectors today.
This almost 5′ tall STB poster features fantastic artwork and an instantly recognisable mid-century design sensibility—an exceptional display piece once framed.
Film background
Picnic is a 1955 American Technicolor romantic comedy-drama filmed in CinemaScope, adapted by Daniel Taradash from William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize–winning 1953 play. Directed by Joshua Logan (who also directed the original Broadway production), the film stars William Holden and Kim Novak, with Rosalind Russell, Susan Strasberg, and Cliff Robertson in supporting roles. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won two.
The film dramatizes 24 hours in the life of a small Kansas town, centred around the Labor Day holiday—an outsider’s arrival rippling through a web of longing, jealousy, and romantic tension.
Poster design
A superb, tall-format composition built around bold typography and colour-block elegance: the clean English title Picnic floats above the enormous vertical red Japanese title ピクニック, set against a cool blue-to-white gradient field. The central vignette—Holden and Novak holding hands—adds delicate romance and scale, while the lower half explodes into classic star-driven drama with a striking embrace image and portrait strip. It’s a quintessential, highly graphic STB that reads beautifully from across a room.
Condition
Very good condition overall. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
There is one tear that has been repaired with tape (see close-up). We have taken this into account when pricing. Once framed, this STB will display excellently.
This poster is an original Japanese theatrical STB tatekan from the 1966 re-release campaign.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is over 59 years old!
Certificate of Authenticity included.
