“Spartacus” (スパルタカス), Original Japanese Re-Release Movie Poster 1991, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) Q81
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster issued in 1991 for the Japanese re-release of Spartacus, Stanley Kubrick’s monumental 1960 historical epic, starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, Tony Curtis, and John Gavin.
This poster was produced for the film’s important 1991 restored re-release in Japan, when the newly reconstructed version—restoring material removed after the original release—was screened theatrically once again. It also carries the designation “4th Tokyo International Film Festival – Special Invitational Work” at left, giving it an added layer of festival and revival-screening significance.
Film background
Released in 1960, Spartacus remains one of the great large-scale Hollywood epics. Based on the story of the Thracian gladiator who led a slave uprising against Rome, the film combines spectacle with political drama and emotional depth. It was a major prestige production of its era and went on to win four Academy Awards, while also standing as one of the defining films in Kubrick’s career.
The cast is famously distinguished: Kirk Douglas in the title role, supported by Laurence Olivier as Crassus, Jean Simmons as Varinia, Charles Laughton as Gracchus, Peter Ustinov as Batiatus, Tony Curtis as Antoninus, and John Gavin as Julius Caesar. The 1991 restoration gave audiences the opportunity to experience the film in a more complete form, making posters from this campaign especially appealing to collectors of both Kubrick and classic cinema.
Poster design
The design is bold, direct, and instantly recognisable. At the centre is a commanding image of Kirk Douglas as Spartacus, mounted on horseback with sword raised, framed against a dramatic sky and a battlefield scene below. The composition has tremendous impact in the Japanese B2 format, with strong vertical emphasis and a handsome black border that lends the poster a stately, premium look.
The Japanese title スパルタカス appears prominently near the bottom in large gold-toned lettering, while a row of cast portraits beneath reinforces the film’s status as a major all-star production. The vertical text at right refers to the restored version, noting that scenes cut at the time of the original release were reinstated for this screening. At left, the festival text identifies it as a special invited work at the 4th Tokyo International Film Festival.
Together, these elements make this much more than a standard reissue poster: it is a document of the film’s restoration-era reappraisal and of its prestige presentation in Japan.
Condition
Very Good / Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
It is over 35 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
