"Sabrina", Original Re-Release Japanese Poster 1965, Ultra Rare, B2 Size (51 x 73cm) O569
This exquisite original Japanese B2 poster for Sabrina (麗しのサブリナ, Uruwashi no Saburina) was issued for the 1965 revival release of Billy Wilder’s classic romantic comedy. Printed in the standard Japanese B2 format yet surviving here unfolded and in unusually fresh condition, it is widely regarded among specialists as one of the most desirable Audrey Hepburn posters produced in Japan—a design that more than holds its own against the celebrated Western campaigns for the film. Dealers and collectors consistently single out this artwork as one of the most highly prized Hepburn posters ever created.
Released in 1954, Sabrina is a luminous romantic comedy produced and directed by Billy Wilder, adapted from Samuel A. Taylor’s hit 1953 Broadway play Sabrina Fair. The film stars Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina Fairchild, the chauffeur’s daughter who blossoms in Paris before returning to Long Island to find herself torn between two wealthy brothers, played by Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. Lauded on its original release for its wit, sophistication and emotional delicacy, the picture went on to secure six Academy Award nominations—including Best Director, Best Actress and Best Screenplay—and won the Oscar for Best Costume Design (Black-and-White) for Edith Head. It remains a cornerstone of Hepburn’s career and a defining work of 1950s Hollywood romantic cinema.
The film also marks the beginning of Audrey Hepburn’s legendary partnership with French couturier Hubert de Givenchy. While the Academy Award went to Edith Head, contemporary and later accounts agree that several of Hepburn’s most memorable gowns originated in Givenchy’s atelier, launching a lifelong creative alliance that would shape both cinema and fashion. The embroidered ballgown and sleek evening silhouettes seen in Sabrina crystallised the “Hepburn look”—a union of simplicity and refined glamour that continues to influence designers and stylists to this day.
The 1965 Japanese re-release offered local audiences a renewed opportunity to experience this modern fairy tale, and with it came an entirely new visual campaign. This B2 design, unique to that reissue, distils Hepburn’s allure into a single unforgettable image: she stands poised in a strapless white gown richly embroidered with gold floral motifs, gloved arms relaxed yet elegant, leading two impeccably groomed poodles on pastel-coloured leashes. The composition is set against a field of pristine white, allowing the gown’s detailing and the playful ribbons to appear almost sculptural. To the right, the Japanese title 麗しのサブリナ sweeps across the upper half of the sheet in bold calligraphic green, juxtaposed with the delicate blue English logotype “Sabrina”; small portrait vignettes of Humphrey Bogart and William Holden balance the design near the lower edge. A romantic Japanese tagline across the top references a “rose‑coloured life” and “La vie en rose”, perfectly capturing the film’s bittersweet charm.
Original Japanese B2 posters were printed in limited numbers for cinema use and, unlike larger tatekan formats, were frequently folded, pinned and ultimately discarded. Surviving examples from the 1965 Sabrina campaign—especially unfolded specimens—are consequently scarce, with specialist auctioneers and Japanese dealers describing this issue as an R‑1965 theatrical poster and noting its rarity in high grade.
Among Audrey Hepburn’s Japanese posters, this design is considered a touchstone: an image that encapsulates not only her role in Sabrina but her broader status as an icon of mid‑century elegance.
This particular example is especially distinguished by its condition. It is completely unrestored and unbacked, with no pinholes, no tears and no folds—a remarkably well‑preserved sheet for a poster of this age. The paper is crisp, the colours retain their original delicacy, and only the most minimal signs of gentle handling are visible. The reverse is clean, as shown in the accompanying photograph, further attesting to careful long‑term storage.
This is an original Japanese poster, printed in 1965 for the Japanese re-release of Sabrina—now over 60 years old and surviving in outstanding, virtually mint condition. For collectors of Audrey Hepburn, classic Hollywood and Japanese cinema art, it represents an exceptional opportunity to acquire one of the finest designs from the film’s global promotional campaign.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
