{"product_id":"the-thomas-crown-affair-original-first-release-japanese-movie-poster-1968-ultra-rare-stb-size-51x145cm","title":"\"The Thomas Crown Affair\", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1968, Ultra Rare, STB Size (51x145cm) Q47","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"115\" data-end=\"380\"\u003e\"The Thomas Crown Affair\", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1968, STB Size (51 × 145 cm)\u003cbr data-start=\"215\" data-end=\"218\"\u003eJapanese title: 「華麗なる賭け」(Karei naru Kake)\u003cbr data-start=\"259\" data-end=\"262\"\u003eSize: STB \/ 20 × 57 in (51 × 145 cm)\u003cbr data-start=\"298\" data-end=\"301\"\u003eCountry \/ Studio: Japan \/ United Artists. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"115\" data-end=\"380\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003ePrinted in 1968 for the first Japanese theatrical release of \u003cem data-start=\"474\" data-end=\"499\"\u003eThe Thomas Crown Affair\u003c\/em\u003e, this towering STB tatekan captures Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway at the height of the film’s original international impact. McQueen’s stature is central to the appeal: TCM describes him as one of the world’s most popular and highly paid actors during his 1960s–70s heyday, and notes that he became the highest-paid movie star in the world in 1974. In Japan, his following was especially strong and enduring; \u003cem data-start=\"910\" data-end=\"918\"\u003eSCREEN\u003c\/em\u003e still characterizes him as the “King of Cool,” recalling how films such as \u003cem data-start=\"994\" data-end=\"1017\"\u003eThe Magnificent Seven\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"1019\" data-end=\"1037\"\u003eThe Great Escape\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem data-start=\"1043\" data-end=\"1052\"\u003eBullitt\u003c\/em\u003e made him a lasting object of admiration for Japanese audiences. For collectors, that matters enormously: first-release Japanese paper for a major McQueen title is always desirable, but the STB is on another level altogether—a theatrical signboard format produced in smaller numbers and far rarer than standard Japanese posters. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1420\" data-end=\"2000\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1420\" data-end=\"1441\"\u003eDesign highlights\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"1441\" data-end=\"1444\"\u003eThis is Japanese poster design at its most sleek and seductive. The composition transforms the film’s cool sophistication into a monumental vertical collage: a commanding close-up of McQueen dominates the upper sheet, while Dunaway strides below in vivid yellow and grey, flanked by suited figures, a polo scene, glider, kiss, golf swing, and dune buggy. The huge red and blue Japanese title lettering drives down the sheet with real billboard force. It is glamorous, modern, and immediately legible from a distance—exactly what an STB was made to achieve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2002\" data-end=\"2643\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2002\" data-end=\"2021\"\u003eCultural impact\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"2021\" data-end=\"2024\"\u003eNorman Jewison’s \u003cem data-start=\"2041\" data-end=\"2066\"\u003eThe Thomas Crown Affair\u003c\/em\u003e was one of the signature stylish caper films of the late 1960s, released when McQueen, Dunaway, and Jewison were all near career peaks. The film’s reputation was further cemented by Michel Legrand’s Academy Award-winning “The Windmills of Your Mind,” which remains inseparable from its aura of sophistication and melancholy. That combination of glamour, modern design, romance, and anti-hero cool translates exceptionally well into Japanese poster art, and helps explain the enduring collector appeal of first-release paper for the title. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2645\" data-end=\"3614\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2645\" data-end=\"2658\"\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"2658\" data-end=\"2661\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVery Good\u003c\/strong\u003e, with clear signs of period theatrical display, entirely in keeping with the way STB posters were originally used. As is very common for the format, this poster was printed as \u003cstrong data-start=\"2850\" data-end=\"2873\"\u003etwo separate sheets\u003c\/strong\u003e, and in this example the two sections have been \u003cstrong data-start=\"2922\" data-end=\"2949\"\u003estuck \/ pasted together\u003c\/strong\u003e from prior display. The poster shows \u003cstrong data-start=\"2987\" data-end=\"3020\"\u003epinholes from decades-ago use. \u003c\/strong\u003eThere is also a small area of paper loss \/ tearing at the left side. Despite this, the front still presents attractively, with strong colour and excellent wall presence. \u003cstrong data-start=\"3474\" data-end=\"3538\"\u003eWe have taken the condition fully into account when pricing.\u003c\/strong\u003e Please review the photos carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is not a reproduction or a reprint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3659\" data-end=\"4280\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3659\" data-end=\"3690\"\u003eAbout STB (Tatekan) posters\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"3690\" data-end=\"3693\"\u003eSTBs are tall Japanese cinema signboard posters measuring approximately \u003cstrong data-start=\"3765\" data-end=\"3780\"\u003e51 × 145 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e (about \u003cstrong data-start=\"3788\" data-end=\"3802\"\u003e20 × 57 in\u003c\/strong\u003e). They were produced for prominent theatre and street display, and, as Sotheby’s notes for a comparable \u003cem data-start=\"3907\" data-end=\"3928\"\u003eThomas Crown Affair\u003c\/em\u003e example, were printed in \u003cstrong data-start=\"3954\" data-end=\"3968\"\u003etwo pieces\u003c\/strong\u003e intended to be pasted together on billboards. Because they were made in relatively small quantities and exposed to hard use, surviving originals are far rarer than standard Japanese B2 posters. That rarity is a major reason why first-release STBs are so sought after today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56801233600890,"sku":null,"price":1150.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/wall-niche-with-a-storage-bench-seat.jpg?v=1776144002","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/the-thomas-crown-affair-original-first-release-japanese-movie-poster-1968-ultra-rare-stb-size-51x145cm","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}