{"product_id":"the-big-country-大いなる西部-original-japanese-first-release-b0-movie-poster-1958-ultra-rare-b0-poster-size-103-145-6-cm-approx-103-145-cm-ja14","title":"“The Big Country” (大いなる西部), Original Japanese 1966 Re-Release Two-Sheet “Six-Shaku” Large Tatekan Movie Poster, Ultra Rare, Complete Size c. 76 × 181–182 cm \/ 30 × 71.5 in","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"qMYqUG_convSearchResultHighlightRoot\"\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none [\u0026amp;:has([data-writing-block])\u0026gt;*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-15 [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\" class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+\u0026amp;]:mt-1\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert wrap-break-word w-full light markdown-new-styling\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\" class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+\u0026amp;]:mt-1\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert wrap-break-word w-full light markdown-new-styling\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal, exceptionally rare Japanese two-sheet theatrical display poster\u003c\/strong\u003e, printed for the \u003cstrong\u003e1966—Shōwa 41—Japanese re-release\u003c\/strong\u003e of William Wyler’s monumental Western \u003cem\u003eThe Big Country\u003c\/em\u003e, released in Japan as \u003cstrong\u003e大いなる西部 — Ōinaru Seibu\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe film itself was produced in 1958 and first opened in Japanese cinemas on \u003cstrong\u003e25 December 1958\u003c\/strong\u003e. This poster, however, is \u003cstrong\u003enot from that initial Japanese release\u003c\/strong\u003e. It belongs to the film’s major \u003cstrong\u003e1966 theatrical revival campaign\u003c\/strong\u003e, mounted eight years later and promoted in Tokyo from \u003cstrong\u003e14 May 1966\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lower-right corner retains the original \u003cstrong\u003eEirin approval mark and number 41182\u003c\/strong\u003e, while the lower black border reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e松竹映配／提供\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis translates as:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Presented by Shochiku Eihai.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat credit is decisive in establishing the later date. Shochiku’s corporate history records the establishment of \u003cstrong\u003eShochiku Eihai Co., Ltd. in 1962\u003c\/strong\u003e as an importer and distributor of foreign films. It therefore could not have appeared on a poster issued for the 1958 Japanese opening. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003eFormat, dimensions and rarity\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis poster is \u003cstrong\u003enot a standard Japanese B0\u003c\/strong\u003e, and it is considerably larger than a conventional STB tatekan in both width and height.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt consists of \u003cstrong\u003etwo separate, matching sheets\u003c\/strong\u003e, designed to be positioned one above the other:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUpper sheet:\u003c\/strong\u003e approximately \u003cstrong\u003e76 × 91 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLower sheet:\u003c\/strong\u003e approximately \u003cstrong\u003e76 × 91 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComplete assembled size:\u003c\/strong\u003e approximately \u003cstrong\u003e76 × 181–182 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eImperial equivalent:\u003c\/strong\u003e approximately \u003cstrong\u003e30 × 71.5 in\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe slight variation in total height depends upon whether the sheets are measured edge-to-edge or with the narrow overlap that may have been used when originally mounted.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA conventional Japanese \u003cstrong\u003etatekan or STB\u003c\/strong\u003e consists of two B2 sheets arranged vertically. The National Film Archive of Japan defines the standard tatekan as an upper and lower pair of Japanese B2 posters. This would normally produce a display of approximately \u003cstrong\u003e51.5 × 145.6 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present poster is therefore approximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e50 per cent wider than a standard STB\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e25 per cent taller than a standard STB\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNearly 85 per cent greater in total printed area than a standard STB\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNor does it correspond to B0, which measures approximately \u003cstrong\u003e103 × 145.6 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e. This poster is around \u003cstrong\u003e36 cm taller than B0\u003c\/strong\u003e, although it is narrower and slightly smaller in total paper area. Its defining characteristic is not simply size, but its extraordinary \u003cstrong\u003esix-foot, pillar-like vertical proportion\u003c\/strong\u003e. Standard B-series terminology does not adequately describe it. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe measurements also align remarkably closely with traditional Japanese \u003cstrong\u003eshaku-based dimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e76 cm:\u003c\/strong\u003e approximately \u003cstrong\u003e2 shaku 5 sun\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e91 cm:\u003c\/strong\u003e approximately \u003cstrong\u003e3 shaku\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e181.8 cm:\u003c\/strong\u003e exactly \u003cstrong\u003e6 shaku\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach panel is therefore approximately \u003cstrong\u003e2.5 shaku wide by 3 shaku high\u003c\/strong\u003e, while the complete poster forms a display approximately \u003cstrong\u003e2.5 shaku × 6 shaku\u003c\/strong\u003e. Traditional Japanese board and architectural dimensions frequently use a six-shaku height of approximately 1,818 mm. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe most accurate descriptive classification is consequently:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA special large-format two-sheet tatekan\u003c\/strong\u003e, or\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA “six-shaku” large standing cinema display\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe expression \u003cstrong\u003edai-tatekan\u003c\/strong\u003e—literally “large standing signboard”—is also useful as a descriptive collecting term.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt nearly \u003cstrong\u003e1.82 metres tall\u003c\/strong\u003e, the assembled poster is approximately human height. It was almost certainly intended for a prominent cinema entrance, foyer, frontage, pillar or dedicated wooden standing board, where its intense colour and enormous portraits could be read from a distance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe two-sheet construction made an image of this scale easier to transport and install, but substantially reduced its chances of long-term survival. Either panel could be separated, discarded or damaged after the engagement; the sheets were vulnerable to tearing where they met; and examples were frequently pasted to backing boards or repeatedly repaired for display.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe survival of \u003cstrong\u003eboth original, correctly corresponding panels\u003c\/strong\u003e is therefore especially important. This posters ultra rarity rests upon its \u003cstrong\u003enon-standard six-shaku dimensions, specialised theatrical purpose, 1966 revival attribution and survival as a complete two-sheet set\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003eFilm background\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDirected by \u003cstrong\u003eWilliam Wyler\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Big Country\u003c\/em\u003e is one of the defining epic Westerns of the 1950s: a visually immense production that simultaneously questions the traditional Western equation of aggression with courage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWyler returned to the genre approximately eighteen years after directing \u003cem\u003eThe Westerner\u003c\/em\u003e. The film was adapted from Donald Hamilton’s story \u003cem\u003eAmbush at Blanco Canyon\u003c\/em\u003e, originally serialised in \u003cem\u003eThe Saturday Evening Post\u003c\/em\u003e, with the credited screenplay by James R. Webb, Sy Bartlett and Robert Wilder. Wyler and the film’s principal star, \u003cstrong\u003eGregory Peck\u003c\/strong\u003e, served as producers. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGregory Peck stars as \u003cstrong\u003eJames McKay\u003c\/strong\u003e, a wealthy Maryland shipping magnate and former sea captain who travels west to marry Patricia Terrill, played by \u003cstrong\u003eCarroll Baker\u003c\/strong\u003e. McKay arrives in a society in which courage is expected to be demonstrated publicly—through riding, fighting, gunplay and retaliation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis reserve is repeatedly mistaken for cowardice. He declines to retaliate against drunken harassment, initially refuses to ride the notorious horse Old Thunder for an audience, and attempts to avoid becoming involved in the increasingly violent feud between Patricia’s father, Major Henry Terrill, and the neighbouring Hannassey family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the centre of the conflict is \u003cstrong\u003eBig Muddy\u003c\/strong\u003e, land containing the only dependable water supply available to both ranching families. The property belongs to schoolteacher Julie Maragon, portrayed by \u003cstrong\u003eJean Simmons\u003c\/strong\u003e, who refuses to permit either side to monopolise it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCharlton Heston\u003c\/strong\u003e plays Steve Leech, the physically imposing foreman of the Terrill ranch. Leech embodies the conventional frontier code against which McKay is judged, and the two men’s relationship provides one of the film’s central dramatic contrasts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir famous bare-knuckle fight takes place before dawn and away from any audience. By removing the spectators for whom masculine courage is normally performed, Wyler turns the sequence into something deliberately exhausting and faintly absurd: two capable men battering one another without proving anything of lasting importance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe film’s ensemble also includes \u003cstrong\u003eBurl Ives\u003c\/strong\u003e as Rufus Hannassey, \u003cstrong\u003eCharles Bickford\u003c\/strong\u003e as Major Terrill, \u003cstrong\u003eChuck Connors\u003c\/strong\u003e as Buck Hannassey and Alfonso Bedoya as Ramón.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIves won the \u003cstrong\u003eAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor\u003c\/strong\u003e for his performance as Rufus Hannassey, while \u003cstrong\u003eJerome Moross’s celebrated score\u003c\/strong\u003e received an Academy Award nomination. The film received two Oscar nominations in total, winning one. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhotographed by \u003cstrong\u003eFranz Planer\u003c\/strong\u003e in \u003cstrong\u003eTechnicolor and Technirama\u003c\/strong\u003e, the film repeatedly uses distant compositions and immense landscapes to make the characters’ supposedly all-consuming rivalry appear small. The scale of the land is not merely decorative: it forms an essential part of Wyler’s examination of pride, ownership and performative masculinity. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe film runs approximately \u003cstrong\u003e165–166 minutes\u003c\/strong\u003e. The poster’s dramatic claim that Wyler tells the story over “three hours” is therefore promotional rounding rather than a precise running time. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003eThe 1966 Japanese re-release campaign\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe poster’s later date is reflected not only in the distributor and Eirin information, but also in the unusual hierarchy of its star billing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn this poster, \u003cstrong\u003eCharlton Heston’s name appears before Gregory Peck’s\u003c\/strong\u003e in the Japanese cast list, despite Peck being the narrative lead and co-producer of the film.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA specialist archive documenting the matching 1966 revival handbill specifically draws attention to this billing order, noting that Heston was then at the height of his popularity in Japan. The same source records the campaign’s \u003cstrong\u003e14 May 1966\u003c\/strong\u003e opening at the Togeki, Shinjuku Piccadilly and Shibuya Tokyu, with the Asakusa Daishōkan following one week later. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a fascinating example of a re-release campaign repositioning an older film for a new audience. The 1958 production remains centred upon Gregory Peck’s James McKay, but the 1966 Japanese marketing gives \u003cstrong\u003eCharlton Heston unusually prominent visual and typographic status\u003c\/strong\u003e, reflecting the international stature he had acquired by the mid-1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is not simply a later printing of the first-release poster. It is a \u003cstrong\u003edistinctly conceived 1966 campaign design\u003c\/strong\u003e, with its own typography, promotional quotations, distributor identity and star hierarchy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003ePoster design\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrinted across two specially proportioned sheets, this spectacular Japanese revival design combines \u003cstrong\u003emonumental photographic portraiture, blazing orange colour, forceful Japanese typography and striking modernist abstraction\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003eThe upper sheet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe upper panel is dominated by enormous opposing portraits of Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeck appears at the left in profile as James McKay, wearing the refined clothing associated with his Eastern background. His expression is controlled and thoughtful, and his face is turned towards Heston’s portrait.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the right, Charlton Heston appears as Steve Leech beneath a broad cowboy hat, his red neckerchief introducing one of the few deep colour accents within the portrait montage. He looks upwards and away from Peck, creating a visual tension between the two men without showing them in direct physical confrontation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe contrast immediately conveys their competing ideas of strength:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMcKay:\u003c\/strong\u003e restrained, inwardly assured and unwilling to perform courage for others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLeech:\u003c\/strong\u003e visibly rugged, physically authoritative and deeply embedded in the traditions of the Western ranch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough Peck remains the film’s protagonist, Heston is given almost equal visual weight—and receives first billing in the cast list below. This unusual balance is one of the clearest signs of the design’s \u003cstrong\u003e1966 revival-era marketing strategy\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBetween the two portraits is a horizontal row of \u003cstrong\u003esmall monochrome supporting-character images\u003c\/strong\u003e, introducing the film’s large ensemble and breaking up the intense orange field.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImmediately above the portraits appears:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e総天然色／テクニラマ\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis translates as:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Full Natural Colour \/ Technirama”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe terminology promotes the production’s colour and widescreen process as major attractions, entirely appropriate for a film in which the immensity of the landscape is central to both spectacle and meaning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeneath the supporting portraits is:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e巨匠ウィリアム・ワイラー監督\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis may be translated as:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Directed by the master William Wyler.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe use of \u003cstrong\u003e巨匠 — kyoshō\u003c\/strong\u003e, meaning “master” or “maestro,” positions Wyler’s name as a prestige attraction in its own right. The film is presented not merely as a star-driven Western, but as a representative work by one of Hollywood’s major directors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Japanese title 大いなる西部 dominates the centre of the complete composition.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrinted in immense ivory-white characters, the title extends almost completely across the poster. At approximately 76 cm wide, the typography would have been immediately legible from across a cinema foyer or street entrance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe title may be translated literally as \u003cstrong\u003e“The Great West”\u003c\/strong\u003e or \u003cstrong\u003e“The Magnificent West.”\u003c\/strong\u003e Its size gives it an almost architectural role, providing a powerful horizontal counterweight to the exceptionally tall format.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003eThe lower sheet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lower panel changes dramatically in character. Rather than continuing the densely arranged photographic montage, it opens into a broad field of \u003cstrong\u003esaturated orange and yellow\u003c\/strong\u003e, evoking heat, dust, sunlight and the apparent infinity of the Western landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross its upper portion appears:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eテキサスの荒野に愛欲と物欲に狂奔する人間像を堂々3時間に亘って描く巨匠ワイラーの代表傑作！\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis may be translated approximately as:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“A representative masterpiece by the great Wyler, boldly portraying over three hours people driven to frenzy by passion and material greed in the Texas wilderness!”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe copy is unusually perceptive for theatrical advertising. Rather than selling the film solely through gunfights, horses and frontier adventure, it identifies \u003cstrong\u003edesire, greed and human rivalry\u003c\/strong\u003e as the forces propelling the story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeneath it, the large blue proclamation reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e西部劇60年の歴史に輝く 壮大凄絶の大叙事詩！\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis may be translated as:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“A vast and fiercely dramatic grand epic, shining in the sixty-year history of the Western!”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe endorsement is credited on the poster to Japanese film critic \u003cstrong\u003eJūzaburō Futaba — 双葉十三郎\u003c\/strong\u003e. Its retrospective reference to the history of the Western is particularly well suited to a 1966 revival campaign presenting an established modern classic to a new theatrical audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the left, the cast is billed in the following order:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCharlton Heston\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGregory Peck\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCarroll Baker\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChuck Connors\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJean Simmons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCharles Bickford\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBurl Ives\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sheet also credits cinematographer \u003cstrong\u003eFranz Planer\u003c\/strong\u003e and composer \u003cstrong\u003eJerome Moross\u003c\/strong\u003e, acknowledging two of the creative figures most responsible for the film’s expansive visual and musical identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003eThe sun and concentric-circle design\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe visual centre of the lower panel is an enormous \u003cstrong\u003eyellow disc surrounded by loosely brushed concentric rings\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInside the disc appears the original English treatment:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWILLIAM WYLER’S PRODUCTION\u003cbr\u003eTHE BIG COUNTRY\u003cbr\u003eIN TECHNICOLOR AND TECHNIRAMA\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe circle can be read simultaneously as a \u003cstrong\u003eblazing sun, a target, a ripple or an abstract emblem of the disputed land and water\u003c\/strong\u003e. The roughly brushed rings introduce movement into the otherwise broad, open orange field.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the lower right, two isolated figures reproduce the film’s celebrated confrontation between \u003cstrong\u003eMcKay and Leech\u003c\/strong\u003e. Against the vast orange field and enormous circular form, the fighting men appear deliberately small.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is particularly effective in relation to the film’s themes: what the characters regard as a crucial test of masculine pride is visually reduced to two minor human figures exhausting themselves beneath an immense Western sky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlong the bottom horizon, a procession of \u003cstrong\u003emounted riders appears in black silhouette\u003c\/strong\u003e. Their scale further reinforces the central idea embodied by the English title: the country itself is so large that even its most powerful inhabitants become small within it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe black lower border retains the important period distribution wording:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e松竹映配／提供\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt also includes a contemporary soundtrack promotion naming Japanese record distributors, while the lower-right corner carries the original \u003cstrong\u003eEirin mark and number 41182\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese elements are integral to the poster’s historical identity as a \u003cstrong\u003e1966 Japanese revival printing\u003c\/strong\u003e and should be preserved fully during any future framing or conservation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the two sheets are assembled, the composition moves from \u003cstrong\u003emonumental human faces at the top to open landscape and tiny silhouettes below\u003c\/strong\u003e. The portraits, title, campaign copy, blazing sun and distant riders unfold vertically across approximately six feet of paper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe unusual dimensions are therefore not incidental. The \u003cstrong\u003eextreme vertical format is fundamental to the design\u003c\/strong\u003e, progressively reducing its characters from enormous stars to minor figures within the landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003eCondition\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis complete two-sheet poster is in \u003cstrong\u003every good condition overall\u003c\/strong\u003e, particularly considering its enormous scale, original theatrical use and age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth original panels remain present and correctly matched. The extraordinary orange and yellow colour fields retain very strong saturation, while the portraits of Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston, the immense Japanese title and the central English logo remain clear, complete and highly impactful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs expected for a large-format Japanese theatrical display of this period, the sheets were \u003cstrong\u003efolded for distribution and storage\u003c\/strong\u003e. Both retain multiple horizontal and vertical fold lines, together with general fold memory and handling creases.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is \u003cstrong\u003ewear at several fold intersections\u003c\/strong\u003e, including localised separation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe white borders exhibit \u003cstrong\u003esmall tears, nicks, former display holes or pinholes.\u003c\/strong\u003e. A more noticeable vertical tear enters from the lower white margin into the orange image field, with a small adjacent puncture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse retains \u003cstrong\u003earchival tape reinforcement\u003c\/strong\u003e across part of the horizontal meeting area and along sections of the folds. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImportantly, \u003cstrong\u003ethe complete composition survives\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the principal condition issues do not substantially interrupt either lead portrait, the main Japanese title, the central sun motif or the essential campaign typography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce linen backed or professionally framed, this poster will display exceptionally well.\u003c\/strong\u003e The enormous six-shaku height, blazing orange palette, monumental portraits and bold modernist structure will dominate a substantial wall, while the existing fold and margin wear will become considerably less visually prominent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease refer to the detailed photographs of the two fronts, both reverses and the individual condition areas, as \u003cstrong\u003ethis is the exact complete two-sheet poster that is for sale\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis is the first time that we have had this ultra-rare 1966 Japanese six-shaku theatrical display in our gallery.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is \u003cstrong\u003eover 60 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is \u003cstrong\u003enot a reproduction or a reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCode: JA14\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57229606912378,"sku":null,"price":975.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/modern-open-plan-living-room_2.jpg?v=1788515564","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/the-big-country-%e5%a4%a7%e3%81%84%e3%81%aa%e3%82%8b%e8%a5%bf%e9%83%a8-original-japanese-first-release-b0-movie-poster-1958-ultra-rare-b0-poster-size-103-145-6-cm-approx-103-145-cm-ja14","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}