{"product_id":"the-big-sleep-三つ数えろ-ultra-rare-original-japanese-b2-first-release-poster-1955-first-japanese-release-april-1955-approx-20-3-28-7-in-51-5-72-8-cm-g","title":"“The Big Sleep” (三つ数えろ), Ultra‑Rare Original Japanese B2 First‑Release Poster — 1955 First Japanese Release (April 1955) — approx. 20.3 × 28.7 in (51.5 × 72.8 cm) P257","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"172\" data-end=\"715\"\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong data-start=\"183\" data-end=\"211\"\u003eoriginal Japanese poster\u003c\/strong\u003e printed for the film’s \u003cstrong data-start=\"235\" data-end=\"272\"\u003efirst Japanese theatrical release in April 1955.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"717\" data-end=\"1356\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"717\" data-end=\"735\"\u003eAbout the film\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"735\" data-end=\"738\"\u003eDirected and produced by \u003cstrong data-start=\"763\" data-end=\"779\"\u003eHoward Hawks\u003c\/strong\u003e, from \u003cstrong data-start=\"786\" data-end=\"808\"\u003eRaymond Chandler’s\u003c\/strong\u003e novel, with screenplay by \u003cstrong data-start=\"835\" data-end=\"855\"\u003eWilliam Faulkner\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"857\" data-end=\"875\"\u003eLeigh Brackett\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"881\" data-end=\"899\"\u003eJules Furthman\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"901\" data-end=\"918\"\u003eThe Big Sleep\u003c\/strong\u003e stars \u003cstrong data-start=\"925\" data-end=\"944\"\u003eHumphrey Bogart\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"946\" data-end=\"963\"\u003eLauren Bacall\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"965\" data-end=\"981\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eJohn Ridgely\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"983\" data-end=\"1001\"\u003eMartha Vickers\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"1003\" data-end=\"1021\"\u003eDorothy Malone\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"1027\" data-end=\"1046\"\u003eElisha Cook Jr.\u003c\/strong\u003e Japanese and broadcast reference sources summarize it as the story of private detective \u003cstrong data-start=\"1135\" data-end=\"1153\"\u003ePhilip Marlowe\u003c\/strong\u003e, hired to investigate a blackmail case involving General Sternwood’s younger daughter, only to be drawn into a maze of murder, gambling, pornography, and deception. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1358\" data-end=\"1960\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1358\" data-end=\"1398\"\u003eThe Film \u0026amp; Its Place in Noir History\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"1398\" data-end=\"1401\"\u003eThis film stands near the center of classic Hollywood noir. \u003cstrong data-start=\"1461\" data-end=\"1468\"\u003eBFI\u003c\/strong\u003e describes it as a \u003cstrong data-start=\"1487\" data-end=\"1512\"\u003estylish and seductive\u003c\/strong\u003e Hawks adaptation whose place in the noir canon is secure, while \u003cstrong data-start=\"1577\" data-end=\"1584\"\u003eTCM\u003c\/strong\u003e notes that it was conceived as the follow‑up pairing of \u003cstrong data-start=\"1641\" data-end=\"1662\"\u003eBogart and Bacall\u003c\/strong\u003e after \u003cem data-start=\"1669\" data-end=\"1691\"\u003eTo Have and Have Not\u003c\/em\u003e and that the finished version was not released in final form for almost \u003cstrong data-start=\"1764\" data-end=\"1777\"\u003etwo years\u003c\/strong\u003e after production began. Its long afterlife was cemented when the \u003cstrong data-start=\"1843\" data-end=\"1866\"\u003eLibrary of Congress\u003c\/strong\u003e added it to the \u003cstrong data-start=\"1883\" data-end=\"1909\"\u003eNational Film Registry\u003c\/strong\u003e in \u003cstrong data-start=\"1913\" data-end=\"1921\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e1997\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1962\" data-end=\"2511\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1962\" data-end=\"1988\"\u003eThe Big Sleep in Japan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"1988\" data-end=\"1991\"\u003eWhat makes this Japanese paper especially appealing is that it belongs not to the film’s original 1946 American rollout but to its \u003cstrong data-start=\"2122\" data-end=\"2164\"\u003edelayed first Japanese release in 1955\u003c\/strong\u003e, giving it a very particular postwar import character. The Japanese title \u003cstrong data-start=\"2239\" data-end=\"2248\"\u003e三つ数えろ\u003c\/strong\u003e is one of the great period retitlings, and the headline copy across the top sells the film as a major crime picture in which Marlowe’s intellect is thrown into turmoil amid a bizarre family and a vortex of criminal intrigue. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2513\" data-end=\"3165\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2513\" data-end=\"2530\"\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"2530\" data-end=\"2533\"\u003eA striking, highly graphic Japanese design transforms the film into a vivid crime‑book tableau. A giant \u003cstrong data-start=\"2637\" data-end=\"2655\"\u003eBogart\/Marlowe\u003c\/strong\u003e in a dark pinstripe suit dominates the sheet, revolver raised, while a smaller figure cowers beneath him. \u003cstrong data-start=\"2762\" data-end=\"2779\"\u003eLauren Bacall\u003c\/strong\u003e appears at lower left in a brilliant scarlet dress, and miniature action vignettes at the bottom suggest the film’s shifting alliances, violence, and blackmail. The oversized red title block \u003cstrong data-start=\"2971\" data-end=\"2980\"\u003e三つ数えろ\u003c\/strong\u003e, the contrasting vertical cast typography, and the pale blue ground give the poster extraordinary wall presence and a completely different visual identity from standard American paper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3167\" data-end=\"3713\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3167\" data-end=\"3204\"\u003eWhy collectors prize this example\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"3204\" data-end=\"3207\"\u003eCollectors respond strongly to this poster because it brings together nearly everything that defines classic noir collecting: \u003cstrong data-start=\"3333\" data-end=\"3343\"\u003eBogart\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"3345\" data-end=\"3355\"\u003eBacall\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"3357\" data-end=\"3369\"\u003eChandler\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"3375\" data-end=\"3384\"\u003eHawks\u003c\/strong\u003e, plus a country‑specific first‑release Japanese design that feels every bit as stylish as the film itself. The movie’s continued standing in the noir canon, along with its National Film Registry status, only deepens the appeal of an original Japanese first‑run sheet from the 1955 campaign. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3715\" data-end=\"4649\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3715\" data-end=\"3728\"\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"3728\" data-end=\"3731\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3731\" data-end=\"3768\"\u003eRemarkably excellent for its age.\u003c\/strong\u003e The poster shows its original fold\/storage lines, with the \u003cstrong data-start=\"3828\" data-end=\"3853\"\u003ecentral vertical fold\u003c\/strong\u003e the most visible, along with softer horizontal fold impressions that do not materially detract from display. The front remains unusually fresh, with \u003cstrong data-start=\"4003\" data-end=\"4031\"\u003estrong, saturated colour\u003c\/strong\u003e, crisp contrast, and very fine overall presentation. There is light, honest age wear: a few \u003cstrong data-start=\"4124\" data-end=\"4150\"\u003etiny foxing\/age specks\u003c\/strong\u003e near the upper blank margin, minor edge and corner wear, and some gentle handling\/pressure marks visible on close inspection. The blank verso shows \u003cstrong data-start=\"4299\" data-end=\"4318\"\u003eeven age toning\u003c\/strong\u003e, fold impressions, clear image show‑through, and a few light diagonal storage marks, but remains generally clean and stable. Overall, this is an exceptionally attractive survivor for a \u003cstrong data-start=\"4504\" data-end=\"4529\"\u003emid‑1950s Japanese B2\u003c\/strong\u003e, with outstanding display presence. Please review the supplied photographs carefully—shown is the exact poster offered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4651\" data-end=\"4693\"\u003eIt is \u003cstrong data-start=\"4657\" data-end=\"4692\"\u003enot a reproduction or a reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4695\" data-end=\"5083\"\u003eA rare opportunity to acquire an \u003cstrong data-start=\"4728\" data-end=\"4791\"\u003eoriginal first‑release Japanese B2 poster for The Big Sleep\u003c\/strong\u003e—a beautifully preserved, visually bold, and highly unusual piece of postwar Japanese noir poster design centered on \u003cstrong data-start=\"4908\" data-end=\"4944\"\u003eHumphrey Bogart’s Philip Marlowe\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"4946\" data-end=\"4979\"\u003eLauren Bacall’s star presence\u003c\/strong\u003e, and one of the great labyrinthine crime films in cinema history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56749748945274,"sku":null,"price":4950.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/wall-shelf-with-ornaments-2026-03-28T140718.657.jpg?v=1774674521","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/the-big-sleep-%e4%b8%89%e3%81%a4%e6%95%b0%e3%81%88%e3%82%8d-ultra-rare-original-japanese-b2-first-release-poster-1955-first-japanese-release-april-1955-approx-20-3-28-7-in-51-5-72-8-cm-g","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}