“The Cross of Love” (愛の終着駅), Original Japanese Movie Poster 1954, B2 Size (c. 51.5 × 72.8 cm) ZA1244

An original Japanese B2 poster for Teuvo Tulio’s The Cross of Love, issued for the film’s first Japanese theatrical release in 1954. The Japanese title, Ai no Shūchakueki, means “Love’s Last Stop”. The lower margin credits Gaikoku Eiga Haikyū as distributor and Mitsuba Trading as presenter.

In Excellent condition for its age, with light wear along the folds. The yellow title and the scarlet headscarf retain their vivid colour, and the principal portraits display beautifully.

Film background

Made in Finland in 1946, The Cross of Love draws on Alexander Pushkin’s The Stationmaster. Regina Linnanheimo plays a lighthouse keeper’s daughter who finds a shipwrecked stranger on the shore. He persuades her to leave her island home for the city, where she discovers that he already has a wife.

Tulio filmed Finnish- and Swedish-language versions, with Linnanheimo playing the lead in both. The Japanese poster bills Hans Strååt and Carl-Olof Alm alongside her, identifying the Swedish-language version, Kärlekens kors.

Poster design

A couple kiss beneath the oversized yellow Japanese title. Below them, Linnanheimo wears a scarlet headscarf and pale green coat, a cigarette at her lips and a gas lamp just above her shoulder. At the lower left, a small figure wades into the surf beneath the English title printed on this poster, THE CROSS WAY OF LOVE.

The red lettering beside the gas lamp reads
「夜霧に濡れるガス燈の灯陰　悲恋の涙で綴る転落の詩集！」
“In the shadow of a gas lamp wet with night mist, a woman’s downfall is told in verses written with the tears of an ill-fated love!”

Condition

Excellent overall for its age. Previously folded and subsequently stored flat. The reverse shows age toning, a few small marks and a handwritten note in the lower half. Please review the front and reverse photographs for the full condition.

An original vintage Japanese theatrical poster.
Over 70 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.