“The Third Man” (第三の男), Original Japanese Re-Release Movie Poster 1975, Carol Reed / Orson Welles, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) S214

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical re-release poster, printed in 1975 for Carol Reed’s legendary 1949 British film noir The Third Man (第三の男), starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard. 

Written by Graham Greene, photographed by Robert Krasker, and set amid the ruins and divided occupation zones of post-war Vienna, The Third Man remains one of the defining works of twentieth-century cinema.

Film background

American pulp novelist Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives in Vienna after being invited there by his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to discover that Lime has apparently been killed in a traffic accident.

As Martins begins asking questions, conflicting accounts of the death lead him deeper into the city’s black-market underworld and eventually toward one of cinema’s most famous revelations.

The film’s atmosphere is inseparable from Robert Krasker’s extraordinary black-and-white cinematography: deep shadows, wet cobblestones, extreme angles and the ruined architecture of Vienna create a world of suspicion and moral instability.

Equally important is Anton Karas’s zither score, whose instantly recognisable Third Man Theme provides an almost jaunty counterpoint to the increasingly dark story.

The film won the Grand Prix at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival, while Krasker received the Academy Award for Black-and-White Cinematography—both honours are proudly referenced directly on this Japanese poster.

Poster design

A superbly graphic Japanese revival design built almost entirely from high-contrast black-and-white imagery, negative space and vivid red typography.

The upper section evokes one of the film’s most famous locations: the great Vienna Ferris wheel, presented in stark, almost abstract architectural detail. Its machinery and observation structures loom against a deep black ground, immediately recalling the celebrated Prater sequence between Holly Martins and Harry Lime.

Across the centre is an enormous, grainy photographic close-up of a man’s eyes and face, cropped almost to abstraction. The image feels intrusive and uneasy—perfectly suited to a film built around watching, suspicion, deception and hidden identities.

Across this face, the Japanese title erupts in brilliant red:

第三の男

— “The Third Man.”

At the bottom, the design shifts to the film’s unforgettable tree-lined cemetery road, with a solitary figure receding into the distance. The imagery directly evokes the extraordinary final sequence, one of the most famous closing shots in film history.

The original English title:

THE THIRD MAN

appears discreetly at lower right.

The restrained combination of black, white, cream and red gives the poster a remarkably sophisticated appearance and allows the imagery itself to carry the atmosphere of the film.

Japanese campaign copy

Running vertically down the left side is an evocative Japanese promotional line celebrating the film’s return to cinemas:

「たちきれぬ愛の想いを胸に秘め、あのメロディと共に絢爛と甦える映画史上ベストワンの名作！」

— approximately:

“With an unforgettable love still held within the heart, the masterpiece returns magnificently together with that unforgettable melody!”

The adjacent award copy highlights:

カンヌ映画祭グランプリ受賞
— Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix

and:

アカデミー撮影賞受賞
— Academy Award for Cinematography

The principal cast is also listed prominently:

オーソン・ウェルズ — Orson Welles
アリダ・ヴァリ — Alida Valli
ジョゼフ・コットン — Joseph Cotten
トレバー・ハワード — Trevor Howard

with credits for director Carol Reed, composer Anton Karas and original writer Graham Greene.

Film significance

The Third Man is widely regarded as one of the supreme achievements of British cinema and one of the defining films of the noir tradition.

Its extraordinary combination of Graham Greene’s morally ambiguous screenplay, Carol Reed’s direction, Robert Krasker’s expressionistic photography, Anton Karas’s music and Orson Welles’s unforgettable performance created a film whose imagery and dialogue have become part of cinema history.

The ruined Vienna locations, the Ferris wheel confrontation, Harry Lime emerging from a darkened doorway, the sewer pursuit, and the final cemetery shot have all become canonical images of post-war filmmaking.

This 1975 Japanese revival poster is particularly appealing because the designer avoids conventional star portraits and instead builds the campaign around the film’s most iconic visual motifs—Vienna, surveillance, isolation and the unforgettable final road.

It is over 50 years old.

Condition

Very Good+ / Excellent.

A very attractive surviving example with strong blacks, crisp red typography and excellent overall visual presentation.

Once framed, it will display exceptionally well.

Please review the front and reverse photographs carefully—they show the exact poster for sale.

This is not a reproduction or reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.