“Shanghai Grand” (上海グランド), Original Japanese Movie Poster 1998, Leslie Cheung / Andy Lau, B2 Format (c. 51 × 73 cm) — U35

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster for the first Japanese release of Shanghai Grand in 1998, originally titled 新上海灘. Produced in Hong Kong in 1996, the film opened in Japan on 18 April 1998, distributed by Toko Tokuma and Twin. This colourful design combines romantic floral imagery with the commanding presence of its two leading stars.

Directed by Poon Man-kit and produced by Tsui Hark, the film stars Leslie Cheung and Andy Lau, alongside Ning Jing. Reworking the celebrated television drama The Bund, it follows two men whose friendship develops amid the rivalries of Shanghai’s 1930s underworld. Their rise brings wealth and influence, but their love for the same woman places loyalty, ambition and revenge in conflict. The film brings together period romance and the heightened emotion of Hong Kong gangster cinema.

Printed on one B2 sheet, the design is dominated by an enormous pink peony, its pale-edged petals spreading across a golden-yellow background. Softly blurred, oversized gold characters overlay the flower, while green foliage and a green outer border frame the composition. Red and white inner borders give the sheet a decorative structure, recalling the presentation of a vintage advertisement.

Below the flower, Andy Lau appears on the left and Leslie Cheung on the right, both wearing formal dark suits. Linked posts cross the foreground, with a winged monument rising between the figures. Their separate poses and upward gazes give the lower composition a reflective, theatrical quality.

The stars’ Chinese names appear in large magenta lettering, while the Japanese title 「上海グランド」 runs vertically down the right in white brush lettering against a soft black surround. The English title and original Chinese title accompany it above. Widely spaced red numerals spelling 1935 stretch across the top, reinforcing the period setting.

The central Japanese tagline reads:

「愛か憎しみか聞かないでくれ。ここでしか見られない夢がある」
“Don’t ask me whether it is love or hatred. There is a dream that can only be found here.”

The combination of lush colour, floral imagery and elegant star portraits makes this a distinctive example for collectors of Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau, Tsui Hark and Japanese posters for Hong Kong cinema.

Condition: Excellent. 

Please review all photographs, including the reverse, as they show the exact poster for sale.

B2 format: approximately 51 × 73 cm.
Stock code: U35.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.