“The Man with the Golden Arm” (黄金の腕), Original Re-Release Japanese Movie Poster 1966, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) O537

This is an original Japanese B2 poster printed in 1966 for the Japanese re-release of The Man with the Golden Arm (黄金の腕), Otto Preminger’s groundbreaking drama starring Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak and Eleanor Parker, distributed in Japan by Shochiku.

Film background

Adapted from Nelson Algren’s novel, the film follows Frank Sinatra as Frankie Machine, a gifted jazz drummer and card dealer who tries to stay clean from heroin addiction after his release from prison. Preminger fought the Hollywood Production Code to depict drug addiction frankly on screen; the PCA initially refused approval because the topic was forbidden, but Preminger released the film without the Code’s seal, helping to weaken the system and pave the way for more mature subject matter in American cinema. Sinatra’s performance earned him an Academy Award nomination and remains one of his most acclaimed dramatic roles.

Poster design

The Japanese B2 reinterprets Saul Bass’s iconic design. A deep green central field is bisected by a jagged white column, from which the angular black “golden arm” juts out to cradle the English title. Around this modernist core, Japanese designers have added photo panels: a close‑up of a tormented Sinatra at left, a portrait of Kim Novak at top right, and a small scene of gamblers at the bottom. The Japanese title 「黄金の腕」 is rendered in bold metallic gold characters across the lower section, sitting above a red band carrying Shochiku and 映倫 credits. The blend of stark graphic abstraction and expressive photography makes this one of the most striking mid‑60s Japanese takes on a classic Hollywood poster.

This poster is in excellent condition (please refer to the imagery of the exact poster for sale).

It is over 59 years old.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.