{"product_id":"the-outlaw-original-japanese-movie-poster-1951-ultra-rare-b2-size-51-x-73-cm-l101a","title":"“The Outlaw” (ならず者), Ultra-Rare Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1952, Jane Russell \/ Howard Hughes, B2 Size (c. 51 × 73 cm) L101A","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the first Japanese release of Howard Hughes’\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Outlaw\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003eならず者\u003c\/strong\u003e) in \u003cstrong\u003e1952\u003c\/strong\u003e, starring \u003cstrong\u003eJane Russell, Jack Buetel, Thomas Mitchell and Walter Huston\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe film opened theatrically in Japan on \u003cstrong\u003e1 November 1952\u003c\/strong\u003e, distributed by \u003cstrong\u003eRKO Japan\u003c\/strong\u003e, several years after its notoriously complicated and controversial American release history. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore than seventy years later, original Japanese first-release material for \u003cem\u003eThe Outlaw\u003c\/em\u003e is extremely difficult to encounter, and this B2 is particularly striking for its extraordinary painted image of \u003cstrong\u003eJane Russell as Rio\u003c\/strong\u003e, presented almost as a larger-than-life Western pin-up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFilm background\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProduced and directed by \u003cstrong\u003eHoward Hughes\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Outlaw\u003c\/em\u003e reworks the legends of \u003cstrong\u003eBilly the Kid, Doc Holliday and Pat Garrett\u003c\/strong\u003e into a highly romanticised and deliberately provocative Western.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJack Buetel\u003c\/strong\u003e plays Billy the Kid, with \u003cstrong\u003eWalter Huston\u003c\/strong\u003e as Doc Holliday, \u003cstrong\u003eThomas Mitchell\u003c\/strong\u003e as Pat Garrett and Jane Russell as \u003cstrong\u003eRio\u003c\/strong\u003e, the woman at the centre of the film’s complicated rivalry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe film became notorious well before its wide release.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHughes deliberately promoted Russell’s physical presence as one of the production’s defining attractions, creating a publicity campaign that pushed directly against Hollywood censorship conventions of the period. The Production Code Administration objected repeatedly to both the film’s sexual suggestiveness and the emphasis placed on Russell’s figure, leading to cuts, delays and years of controversy surrounding its exhibition. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe resulting scandal was enormously effective publicity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRussell became one of the most recognisable pin-up figures of the 1940s, while \u003cem\u003eThe Outlaw\u003c\/em\u003e developed an almost mythical reputation as the film Hollywood’s censors did not want audiences to see.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJane Russell\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis film marked \u003cstrong\u003eJane Russell’s screen debut\u003c\/strong\u003e and effectively created her star persona.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHoward Hughes had discovered the then-unknown actress and built much of the campaign around her image. His fixation on how Russell would appear on screen became a central part of the production story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHughes even designed a special brassiere intended to create a seamless appearance beneath Russell’s costume. Russell later recalled that the device was uncomfortable and that she instead modified her own bra to achieve the effect Hughes wanted. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat distinction is worth preserving because the frequently repeated story that Hughes invented the modern push-up or underwire bra for the film greatly exaggerates what actually occurred.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat is beyond dispute is that \u003cstrong\u003eRussell’s image became inseparable from the marketing of \u003cem\u003eThe Outlaw\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Japanese poster is an exceptional example of that phenomenon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDesign\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe composition is dominated almost entirely by \u003cstrong\u003eJane Russell reclining dramatically across a bed of straw\u003c\/strong\u003e, dressed in a torn white blouse and brilliant red skirt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHer figure fills virtually the entire sheet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pose is deliberately confrontational: Russell looks directly towards the viewer, one arm raised behind her head while the other rests beside a holstered revolver at her waist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe combination of \u003cstrong\u003esexual glamour and Western violence\u003c\/strong\u003e encapsulates exactly how Hughes sold the film.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAgainst the near-black upper background, the English title appears in enormous cream lettering:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHE OUTLAW\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003efollowed immediately by:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSTARRING\u003cbr\u003eJANE RUSSELL\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHer name is picked out in vivid \u003cstrong\u003eyellow\u003c\/strong\u003e, visually ensuring that Russell—not Billy the Kid—is unmistakably the principal attraction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Japanese campaign copy beneath reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e「奔放なる野性\u003cbr\u003e凄絶なる決闘!!\u003cbr\u003e渇望久しき話題作！」\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eapproximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Unrestrained wildness.\u003cbr\u003eA fierce and extraordinary duel!!\u003cbr\u003eThe long-awaited sensation!”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wording perfectly reflects the film’s Japanese marketing: a mixture of erotic notoriety, Western action and imported Hollywood scandal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJapanese typography\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross the bottom, the Japanese title:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eならず者\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eis rendered in enormous dark-green brush lettering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rough, hand-painted forms contrast beautifully with the polished Hollywood illustration above and give the sheet an unmistakably Japanese graphic identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbove the title, the Japanese credits emphasise:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e製作・監督 ハワード・ヒューズ\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e主演 ジェーン・ラッセル\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— \u003cstrong\u003eProduced \/ Directed by Howard Hughes; starring Jane Russell\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lower-right corner carries the period \u003cstrong\u003eRKO Radio Pictures\u003c\/strong\u003e trademark, while the bottom line identifies the Japanese RKO distribution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese original marks firmly situate the poster within the film’s \u003cstrong\u003efirst Japanese theatrical campaign\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe painted portrait\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe poster’s greatest strength is the painted Russell image itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRather than reproducing a conventional photographic still, the design transforms her into something closer to a \u003cstrong\u003emid-century pulp illustration or pin-up painting\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWarm ochres, deep reds and golden straw dominate the lower field, while Russell’s skin is modelled with heavily saturated orange and bronze tones.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe brilliant red skirt acts almost as a second title element, pulling the eye diagonally across the composition towards the huge Japanese lettering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe revolver at her hip is a particularly clever detail: without it, the image could almost be mistaken for glamour advertising. With it, the design becomes unmistakably Western.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is an exceptionally effective example of how Japanese distributors reinterpreted American star imagery for the domestic market during the early post-war period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJapanese first-release rarity\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJapanese B2 posters from the early \u003cstrong\u003e1950s\u003c\/strong\u003e survive in dramatically smaller numbers than later Japanese cinema posters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey were working advertising material, intended for theatre display and routinely pinned, pasted, folded, handled and discarded after a film’s run.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe combination of an internationally famous star image with original early-postwar Japanese typography makes this an especially evocative survivor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExcellent restored condition overall.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe poster was \u003cstrong\u003eoriginally folded\u003c\/strong\u003e, as was entirely normal for Japanese cinema advertising of this period, and has subsequently undergone \u003cstrong\u003eprofessional Japanese tissue-backing conservation\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe backing has successfully stabilised the original paper while practically eliminating the visual prominence of the former fold lines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe colours remain \u003cstrong\u003eexceptionally rich\u003c\/strong\u003e, particularly the deep black background, saturated red skirt, yellow \u003cstrong\u003eJANE RUSSELL\u003c\/strong\u003e lettering and dark-green Japanese title.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe principal image remains extremely strong, with Russell’s face, costume and revolver all retaining excellent definition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome age-related surface character and minor restoration consistent with an original \u003cstrong\u003e1952 theatrical poster\u003c\/strong\u003e remain visible on close examination, but these do not detract from the extraordinary overall presentation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe conservation treatment has been undertaken sympathetically, preserving the poster’s vintage character rather than making it appear artificially new.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease review all photographs carefully; they show the \u003cstrong\u003eexact poster for sale\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal Japanese B2 theatrical poster from the film’s first Japanese release in 1952\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is \u003cstrong\u003enot a reproduction or modern reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is approximately \u003cstrong\u003e74 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57269462466938,"sku":null,"price":2750.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/image4.jpg?v=1743735143","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/the-outlaw-original-japanese-movie-poster-1951-ultra-rare-b2-size-51-x-73-cm-l101a","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}