“Barfly” (バーフライ), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1988 (film 1987), Mickey Rourke / Faye Dunaway, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) O868
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the first Japanese cinema release of Barbet Schroeder’s Barfly (バーフライ), starring Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway. The film was produced in 1987, and it first opened theatrically in Japan on 2 April 1988, distributed domestically by Warner Bros.
Written by legendary American poet and author Charles Bukowski, Barfly draws heavily on his own experiences and centres on Henry Chinaski, Bukowski’s semi-autobiographical alter ego. Chinaski is a penniless Los Angeles writer who spends his days drinking, writing and fighting, before meeting Wanda, played by Faye Dunaway, another outsider living on the margins of conventional society. Directed by Barbet Schroeder, the film also features cinematography by celebrated Dutch cinematographer Robby Müller.
Poster design
A superb and unmistakably 1980s Japanese arthouse design, making dramatic use of white negative space around a striking central portrait composition. High-contrast, almost screen-printed images of Faye Dunaway and Mickey Rourke are layered over aggressive diagonal brushstrokes of magenta, crimson, purple and electric blue, giving the artwork a raw, neon-noir quality perfectly suited to the film’s alcohol-soaked Los Angeles setting.
The elegant oversized BARFLY typography dominates the upper section, with the Japanese title バーフライ immediately beneath. Across the centre appears the poetic Japanese tagline 「この愛はきらめきの狂気、そして酔い痴れる日々——。」 — approximately, “This love is a glittering madness, followed by days lost in drunkenness.”
The poster also prominently credits Mickey Rourke + Faye Dunaway, while the production information highlights Charles Bukowski’s screenplay, Barbet Schroeder’s direction and the film’s Cannon / Warner Bros. connections. The combination of Bukowski literary culture, 1980s independent cinema and exceptionally bold Japanese graphic design makes this a particularly distinctive poster for the film.
It is over 38 years old!
Condition
Excellent. The poster retains superb colour saturation, with the magenta, red, blue and black artwork remaining exceptionally vivid against the clean white field. There are only very minor signs of age and handling, with no significant condition issues affecting the central artwork or typography. Please review the photo—it shows the exact poster for sale.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
