“The Legend of the Holy Drinker” / 「聖なる酔っぱらいの伝説」, Original Japanese Release Movie Poster 1989, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) ZA939

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed for the Japanese release of The Legend of the Holy Drinker / 「聖なる酔っぱらいの伝説」, the acclaimed Italian drama directed by Ermanno Olmi and starring Rutger Hauer.

Adapted from the novella by Joseph Roth, the film is one of Olmi’s most poetic and quietly profound works. Winner of the Golden Lion at the 1988 Venice International Film Festival, it remains a deeply humane meditation on grace, poverty, memory, and moral redemption.

Film background
Originally released in 1988, The Legend of the Holy Drinker follows Andreas, a homeless alcoholic living beneath the bridges of Paris. After a mysterious stranger gives him money, Andreas insists on treating it as a loan and promises to repay the sum to a statue of Saint Thérèse in a church. The film traces his repeated attempts to honour that promise, as chance encounters, temptation, memory, and fate intervene.

Directed by Ermanno Olmi, the film stars Rutger Hauer, Anthony Quayle, Sandrine Dumas, and Dominique Pinon. It received major international recognition, including the Golden Lion at Venice, and later won multiple David di Donatello Awards, including honours for Best Film and Best Director.

Poster design
The poster is elegant, restrained, and beautifully composed. Against a soft cream-coloured background, the upper section presents the original Italian title:

LA LEGGENDA DEL SANTO BEVITORE

in large, classical black serif lettering.

At the centre is a framed still of the protagonist seated in a dim Parisian interior, holding a small glass beside a bottle. The image is quiet and contemplative, perfectly reflecting the film’s themes of solitude, memory, and spiritual uncertainty.

Beneath the image, the Japanese line reads:

「グラスのなかで愛しい人々に出会う。」
“Inside the glass, I meet the people I love.”

The lower section features the Japanese title 「聖なる酔っぱらいの伝説」 in bold crimson lettering, followed by festival and award text, including the Venice Golden Lion reference. The small Lion of Venice emblem below the title gives the poster a strong sense of international arthouse prestige.

The overall design is minimal, literary, and quietly cinematic—a refined Japanese release poster for a major European art-film title.

Release note
This poster was printed for the film’s 1989 Japanese theatrical release, following its original 1988 Italian release and Venice Film Festival success.

It is an original period Japanese cinema poster, not a later reproduction or commercial reprint.

Condition
Excellent condition. A very attractive example, with clean presentation, strong typography, soft colour, and excellent overall display appeal.

Please review the photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.

This is an original Japanese theatrical poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is now over 35 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.