“The Conquest of Everest” (エヴェレスト征服), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1954 (film 1953), Artwork by Hisamitsu Noguchi, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) P54
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the first Japanese cinema release of the landmark British documentary The Conquest of Everest (エヴェレスト征服). Produced in 1953, the film opened theatrically in Japan on 26 January 1954, distributed domestically by Towa (東和映画). The documentary records the historic 1953 British Mount Everest expedition led by Colonel John Hunt, during which Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest, on 29 May 1953.
Filmed under extraordinary conditions by expedition cinematographer Thomas Stobart, with George Lowe responsible for high-altitude photography, the film became one of the defining expedition documentaries of its era. It won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It was also ranked No. 5 among foreign films in the 1954 Kinema Junpo Best Ten, reflecting the considerable impact it made in Japan.
Poster artwork — Hisamitsu Noguchi
Importantly, this original Japanese campaign is documented as the work of celebrated Japanese poster artist Hisamitsu Noguchi (野口久光). Japanese specialist records specifically identify the 1954 Everest Conquest B2 posters as “Noguchi Hisamitsu design / artwork,” and the title is also documented among groups of Noguchi’s original illustrated film posters. Noguchi was one of the great figures of post-war Japanese movie-poster design, particularly associated with the sophisticated Japanese campaigns created for European and foreign cinema.
Poster design
A magnificent example of Noguchi’s hand-painted 1950s poster work, dominated by the solitary figure of a mountaineer standing high on a snow-covered ridge. Heavy insulated clothing, oxygen apparatus, goggles and mountaineering boots convey the extreme physical conditions of the expedition, while the climber raises an ice axe bearing a small Union Jack, turning the figure into an immediately recognisable symbol of the historic British ascent.
The surrounding mountain is rendered with loose, expressive strokes of white, pale blue, grey and green, giving the image a painterly quality entirely different from photographic documentary advertising. Against this restrained background, the enormous angular Japanese title エヴェレスト征服 descends vertically in brilliant orange and rust-red, while the English THE CONQUEST OF EVEREST appears elegantly across the lower section.
The right-hand promotional copy celebrates mankind’s conquest of the world’s highest mountain and the extraordinary natural severity, excitement and danger of the expedition. Along the bottom are the original Towa, production and Japanese distribution markings, together with the credits for the 1953 John Hunt Everest Expedition documentary.
The combination of historic subject matter, exceptionally scarce first-release 1954 printing and original artwork by Hisamitsu Noguchi makes this a particularly important example of post-war Japanese film-poster design.
It is over 72 years old!
Condition
Very Good+ to Excellent for its age. A remarkably strong survivor for an original Japanese theatrical poster from 1954. The painted colours remain beautifully preserved, particularly the pale blue mountain atmosphere, green clothing and vivid orange title typography. There is light age-related surface creasing, handling and minor edge wear, entirely consistent with an original paper poster of this vintage, but the principal artwork remains extremely strong and highly displayable. Once framed, it will display excellently. Please review the photographs carefully—they show the exact poster for sale.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
