This is an original Japanese B2 (半裁) poster printed in 1968 for the first Japanese release of Sergio Leone’s masterpiece The Good, the Bad and the Ugly — issued domestically under the striking title 「続・夕陽のガンマン／地獄の決斗」 (Zoku Yūhi no Ganman: Jigoku no Kettō). The sheet carries the correct period identifiers, including an Eirin censorship number at lower left, confirming a genuine theatrical issue.
Leone’s final entry in the Dollars Trilogy—starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach—married Tonino Delli Colli’s widescreen photography with Ennio Morricone’s immortal score to redefine the Western. Released in Japan in 1968, it cemented Eastwood’s stardom and the trilogy’s cult status with local audiences.
Poster design
A superb Japan‑only composition that distils the film’s mythic showdown:
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A blood‑orange sun sinks over the cemetery plain as a gunman’s hand hovers near the holster—pure Leone suspense in a single gesture.
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The lower half erupts with a close, gritty portrait of Eastwood raising his revolver; a small hangman’s‑noose vignette nods to the film’s gallows humor.
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The dynamic logotype 「続・夕陽のガンマン／地獄の決斗」 slashes across the field in scarlet and yellow, with a small English caption variant reading “THE GOOD, THE UGLY and THE BAD”—a charming period quirk prized by collectors.
The colour grading—desert ochres against blazing orange—captures the trilogy’s dust‑and‑sun heat and looks magnificent framed.
Rarity & market
Original Japanese B2s for the 1968 first release were printed once for short‑lead theatrical promotion; survivals in high grade are scarce and remain in strong demand with Spaghetti‑Western and Japanese poster collectors alike.
Condition
Excellent overall. Paper is strong; colours are saturated; intersections show only light fold stress; margins clean; unrestored and not linen‑backed. Please review all photos (front, details, and verso)—they show the exact poster offered.
It is over 57 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
