“Saturn 3” / 「スペース・サタン」, Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1980, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) ZA656

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster for the 1980 science-fiction film Saturn 3, released in Japan under the far more lurid and memorable title 「スペース・サタン」 (“Space Satan”). With its bold cosmic imagery, ominous robot villain, and distinctly Japanese reimagining of the film’s marketing, this is an especially appealing piece for collectors of vintage sci-fi and Japanese poster design.

Film background
Directed by Stanley Donen, Saturn 3 stars Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, and Harvey Keitel. Set on a remote research outpost in the Saturn system, the film follows a scientist and his younger companion whose isolated existence is shattered by the arrival of a volatile outsider and his terrifying experimental robot, Hector. Blending space-age production design, psychological tension, and late-1970s / early-1980s science-fiction spectacle, the film has since developed a durable cult following.

Poster design
The Japanese B2 design is striking and highly atmospheric. Dominating the upper section is the sinister mechanical presence of Hector, rendered with glowing red optics and a looming, almost totemic silhouette against a deep star field. Cutting dramatically across the composition is a massive spacecraft, while Saturn glows in the upper right, anchoring the image in an expansive cosmic setting.

Across the centre runs a vivid red Japanese tagline, intensifying the poster’s sense of menace and catastrophe. The title 「スペース・サタン」 is set in a large, angular, futuristic font in the lower half, with bright blue edging that stands out sharply against the dark space background. Beneath this are portrait headshots of the three principal stars — Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel, and Farrah Fawcett — while a small inset scene at lower left adds another glimpse of the film’s futuristic environment.

What makes this poster especially interesting is how decisively the Japanese campaign leans into the robot-horror / cosmic menace aspect of the film. Compared with more conventional Western advertising materials, this design feels bolder, stranger, and more graphically inventive.

Collector appeal
Japanese posters for cult science-fiction titles of this period have become increasingly sought after, particularly when the domestic campaign artwork differs so substantially from the original U.S. or European designs. This example is a superb display piece: visually dramatic, unmistakably period-specific, and highly evocative of 1980s Japanese sci-fi marketing aesthetics.

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

This poster is over 40 years old.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.