“THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS / 羊たちの沈黙” (1991), ORIGINAL JAPANESE B1 THEATRICAL RE-RELEASE POSTER, Rare B1 Oversize, Japanese “New Print Version” Theatrical Campaign (2001), Single-Sided, c. 72.8 × 103 cm (28.7 × 40.6 in)

A striking original Japanese B1 theatrical poster for Jonathan Demme’s landmark psychological thriller The Silence of the Lambs (羊たちの沈黙), starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. This example was issued for the film’s 2001 Japanese “New Print Version” theatrical re-release, a decade after its original release. It is an original cinema poster from that revival campaign, rather than a 1991 first-release sheet.

The design combines the celebrated moth-and-face imagery with an emphatically Japanese presentation: a vast, pale photographic face, vivid red eyes, a richly coloured death’s-head moth, and the large red title 羊たちの沈黙. Bold black banners above and below the principal image connect the film directly to Hannibal, while five gold Oscar statuettes reinforce its established critical reputation.

For collectors, the appeal lies in the combination of rare B1 scale, distinctive Japanese revival typography, and excellent overall presentation. The image is particularly effective in this larger format: the face fills almost the entire sheet, the moth becomes a substantial central motif, and the red title provides a powerful visual counterweight beneath it.

Date & Japanese Theatrical Release

The Silence of the Lambs was first released in 1991 and returned to Japanese cinemas in March 2001 in a new-print presentation. This poster belongs to that later theatrical campaign, with ニュープリント・バージョン — “New Print Version” clearly printed immediately beneath the Japanese title.

The surrounding copy identifies the campaign’s particular context. The top banner describes the film as the psychological-horror landmark that gave rise to Hannibal, while the bottom banner celebrates the sequel’s worldwide success. This was advertising for audiences revisiting the earlier film during the renewed interest surrounding its continuation.

Importantly, “New Print Version” refers to the film’s theatrical screening prints, not to a modern reproduction of the poster. The appropriate catalogue distinction is therefore 1991 film / 2001 Japanese theatrical re-release poster.

The Film & Its Place in Cinema History

Directed by Jonathan Demme and adapted by Ted Tally from Thomas Harris’s novel, The Silence of the Lambs follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she seeks the assistance of the imprisoned psychiatrist and murderer Hannibal Lecter in an investigation into another serial killer. What begins as an interview becomes a psychological exchange in which obtaining information requires Starling to surrender something of her own history. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins lead the cast, supported by Scott Glenn and Ted Levine.

The film’s achievement at the 1992 Academy Awards, honouring films released in 1991, was extraordinary. It won Best Picture, Best Director for Jonathan Demme, Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins, Best Actress for Jodie Foster, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Ted Tally—a sweep of the five principal categories. The five statuettes printed on this poster directly commemorate that achievement.

Its enduring significance was subsequently recognised through inclusion in the U.S. National Film Registry in 2011. For collectors, the poster brings together two important moments in the film’s history: the visual identity established around its original release and the Japanese theatrical revival that presented it to audiences again ten years later.

Design Notes

The sheet adapts the film’s celebrated international advertising imagery, associated with designer Dawn Baillie, within a distinctly Japanese release layout. Its individuality lies in the Japanese typography, awards presentation and Hannibal-related campaign banners, rather than an entirely separate Japanese origin for the central image.

Monumental photographic composition: the closely cropped face occupies nearly the entire image field. Its scale eliminates almost all surrounding context, concentrating attention on the eyes and the moth. At B1 size, the composition has an unusually direct, confrontational presence.

Pale face, dark shadows and red eyes: the grainy photographic treatment reduces the image to broad areas of pale tone and dense blue-black shadow. Against this restrained background, the red irises become immediate points of focus. Their colour is echoed in the title and the red shadows beneath the upper banner lettering.

Death’s-head moth: positioned over the mouth with its wings spread, the moth creates the design’s central interruption. Warm ochre, orange-red and black markings stand out sharply against the pale face, while the skull motif provides a smaller image within the larger composition.

Surrealist detail: the skull used in the original campaign artwork incorporates an adaptation of In Voluptas Mors (1951), the photographic collaboration between Salvador Dalí and Philippe Halsman, in which arranged human figures form a skull. This gives the familiar moth motif a second, less immediately apparent layer of visual construction.

Large red Japanese title: 羊たちの沈黙 dominates the lower portion of the artwork, its contrasting character sizes and expressive strokes providing a strong counterpoint to the photographic image. The small English title at lower left remains subordinate, allowing the Japanese lettering to define this edition.

Japanese revival campaign copy: the upper banner reads 「ハンニバル」を生んだサイコ・ホラーの金字塔！—“The landmark of psychological horror that gave rise to ‘Hannibal’!” Beneath it, レクター博士の恐怖はここから始まった… translates as “The terror of Dr. Lecter began here…” These are the campaign’s promotional statements, explicitly linking the revival to the sequel.

Black banner framing: the lower announcement, 続編「ハンニバル」全世界で超大ヒット！新記録達成!!, proclaims the sequel’s worldwide success and record-breaking performance. Together, the upper and lower banners give this release a forceful typographic structure that distinguishes it from the more restrained international layouts.

Awards and theatrical identification: five gold Oscar statuettes sit beside the awards line, while the “New Print Version” designation, cast billing, production credits and GAGA-HUMAX distribution branding complete the lower section. These details are integral to the poster’s identity as Japanese theatrical advertising for the revival.

The Japanese B1 Format and Why It’s So Hard to Find

The Japanese B1 format measures approximately 72.8 × 103 cm, giving it twice the surface area of B2. This is a substantial difference in display terms: the face, moth and title are considerably larger, and the fine, grainy texture of the photographic treatment becomes a more prominent part of the viewing experience.

This is a rare large-format example of the 2001 Japanese revival campaign. Its attraction is not a numbered limited edition or a claimed production total, but the combination of a specific theatrical issue, the larger B1 format and the survival of the sheet with such strong visual impact.

Large posters are also more demanding to handle, store and frame without introducing creases or edge damage. Here, the essential qualities of the design remain particularly effective: the red eyes and title are vivid, the moth is sharply defined, and the contrast between the pale image and surrounding dark field gives the poster considerable presence.

About the Filmmaker: Jonathan Demme, Jodie Foster & Anthony Hopkins

Demme’s direction places unusual emphasis on the act of looking. In the exchanges between Starling and Lecter, extreme close-ups and near-direct camera eyelines make the viewer acutely aware of scrutiny, vulnerability and control. The tension depends as much on how the characters listen and observe as on what they say.

Foster’s determination and emotional restraint provide a counterweight to Hopkins’s controlled, unsettling performance. Their exchanges turn the investigation into a contest of perception: each character attempts to understand the other without yielding too much. That balance between a criminal investigation and an intensely personal psychological encounter remains central to the film’s power.

The poster translates that intensity into a single concentrated image. Rather than illustrating a scene of violence or assembling a montage of narrative incidents, it relies on an unwavering gaze and an obscured mouth. The Japanese campaign surrounds this image with bold declarations of the film’s reputation, creating a theatrical display piece that is both immediately arresting and rich in period detail.

Condition Report

Overall presentation: Excellent.
A strongly presenting original example with vivid reds, rich dark tones and clear photographic detail. The principal image retains excellent visual impact, particularly at this substantial B1 scale.

The photographs show light handling creases and surface impressions, including within the pale facial area, together with some light rubbing and creasing in the darker sections. There is minor edge and corner wear, including small edge nicks and short marginal tears, most apparent along the right-hand edge. Small pinholes or pin marks are also visible in the outer black margins, including near the upper corners.

These details are visible in the close-up photographs and should be considered alongside the strong overall presentation. The central composition remains highly effective, and the poster would display impressively once framed.

Reverse: blank and unprinted, confirming the poster’s single-sided construction, with light handling impressions and storage waviness as photographed.

Authenticity: Original Japanese B1 theatrical poster from the 2001 “New Print Version” re-release campaign—not a 1991 first-release poster or a modern decorative reproduction.

Please refer to the images provided—this is the exact poster offered.

Condition
Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.

Certificate of Authenticity included.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.