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{{Tab
{{Tab
|soundtrack=Atragon (Soundtrack)
|soundtrack=Atragon/Soundtrack
|credits=Atragon (film)/Credits
}}
}}
{{Infopelicula
{{Infobox Film|ratings=yes
|type1      =Steel
|type1      =Steel
|type2      =Fighting
|type2      =Fighting
|header      ={{Toho Kaiju Film}}
|image      =Kaitei-gunkan-atragon.18249.jpg
|image      =Atragon poster 04.jpg
|caption    =The Japanese poster for Atragon
|caption    =The Japanese poster for Atragon
|name        =''Atragon''
|dt          =''Atragon'' (1963)
|name        =''Atragon''|titles=yes|alt-titles=yes
|jp-title    =''The Undersea Warship'' (1963)
|intl-title  =''Atoragon'' (1963)
|producer    =[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]
|producer    =[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]
|director    =[[Ishiro Honda]]
|director    =[[Ishiro Honda]]
|writer      =[[Shigeru Komatsuzaki]],<br>[[Shunro Oshikawa]] {{small|(Original story)}},<br>[[Shinichi Sekizawa]]
|writer      =Shunro Oshikawa {{small|(story)}},<br>Shigeru Komatsuzaki {{small|(story, uncredited)}},<br>[[Shinichi Sekizawa]] {{small|(screenplay)}}
|composer    =[[Akira Ifukube]]
|composer    =[[Akira Ifukube]]
|distributor =[[Toho]]{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}<br>American International Pictures{{sup|[[United States|US]]}}
|distributor =[[Toho]]{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}<br>[[American International Pictures]]{{sup|[[United States|US]]}}<ref name="Craig">{{cite book|title=American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography|author=Craig, Rob|date=2019|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|page=43|isbn= 9781476666310}}</ref>
|rating      =Not Rated
|rating      =Not Rated
|budget      ={{tt|$?,???,???|¥?,???,???}}
|gross      =¥175 million<ref name="Honda">{{cite book|title=Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film |author=Steve Ryfle and Ed Godzizewski |date=2017 |publisher=Wesleyan University Press |page=203-204 |isbn=9780819577412}}</ref>
|gross      ={{tt|$180,000|¥?,???,???}}
|runtime    =94 minutes{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}<br>{{Small|(1 hour, 34 minutes)}}<br>89 minutes{{sup|[[United States|US]]}}<br>{{Small|(1 hour, 29 minutes)}}
|runtime    =94 minutes{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}<br>{{Small|(1 hour, 34 minutes)}}<br>89 minutes{{sup|[[United States|US]]}}<br>{{Small|(1 hour, 29 minutes)}}
|designs    =[[ShodaiManda]]
|aspectratio =2.35:1
}}
}}
'''''Atragon''''' {{Nihongo|海底軍艦|Kaitei Gunkan|lit. ''Undersea Battleship''}} is a [[1963]] [[tokusatsu]] science-fiction and fantasy film produced by [[Toho]], loosely based on the 1900 [[Japan]]ese adventure novel ''Undersea Battleship'' written by Shunrō Oshikawa. The film was released to Japanese theaters on December 22, 1963 and to [[United States|American]] theaters on March 11, 1965.
{{Notice|This page is about the film. For the titular vessel, see ''[[Gotengo]]''.}}
{{Quote|The dreaded [[Mu|undersea kingdom]] challenges the surface! The emergency dispatch of the [[Gotengo|all-purpose atomic battleship]]!|parenthetical=恐怖の海底王国地上に挑戦！緊急出動する万能原子戦艦！|Japanese tagline}}{{Quote|EXCITING SCIENCE FICTION BY [[Toho|TOHO]] TO STIR YOUR IMAGINATION!|International tagline}}
{{Quote|See the JUGGERNAUT of Destruction Challenge the Incredible EMPIRE Beneath the Sea!|American tagline}}
'''''Atragon''''' {{Nihongo|海底軍艦|Kaitei Gunkan|lit. "''The Undersea Warship''"}} is a [[1963]] [[tokusatsu]] science-fiction fantasy [[:Category:Films|film]] directed by [[Ishiro Honda]] and written by [[Shinichi Sekizawa]], with special effects by [[Eiji Tsuburaya]]. Produced by [[Toho]], the film is a loose adaptation of the 1900 [[Japan]]ese adventure novel ''[[The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure]]'' written by [[wikipedia:Shunrō Oshikawa|Shunro Oshikawa]], with additional elements taken from Shigeru Komatsuzaki's book ''The Undersea Kingdom''. It stars [[Tadao Takashima]], Yoko Fujiyama, [[Yu Fujiki]], [[Jun Tazaki]], [[Ken Uehara]], [[Kenji Sahara]], and [[Hiroshi Koizumi]]. The film was released to Japanese theaters by Toho on December 22, 1963. [[American International Pictures]] released a shortened English-dubbed version of the film to [[United States|American]] theaters in December [[1964]].
 
When the [[Muan|people]] of the [[Mu]] Empire declare war on the surface world, former Imperial Japanese Navy Admiral Kusumi calls upon his subordinate from the war, Captain [[Hachiro Jinguji (Atragon)|Hachiro Jinguji]], to use his secret invention, the undersea warship ''[[Gotengo]]'', to save [[human|mankind]]. However, Jinguji stubbornly refuses, having intended to use the ''Gotengo'' solely to rebuild the Japanese Empire following its unconditional surrender to the Allies at the end of World War II. But when the Muans kidnap Jinguji's estranged daughter Makoto, the Captain relents and launches a mission to assault Mu and end the undersea empire's invasion.
{{TOC}}
{{TOC}}
==Plot==
==Plot==
Two photographers, [[Susumu Hatanaka]] and [[Yoshito Nishibe]], are taking photos of a woman near the water. The woman screams when she sees what appears to be a monster climb onto the dock. Susumu scares the creature away with the camera flash, and nearly gets hit by a car that drives off the pier.
A taxi driver ignores his passenger's request to stop, burning his hand when he tries to grab him. Meanwhile, two photographers, Susumu Hatanaka and Yoshito Nishibe, are in the middle of a shoot with an actress near the ocean. She screams when she sees what appears to be a monster climb onto the dock, emitting steam. Susumu scares the creature away with his camera flash, then nearly gets hit by the taxi as it drives off the pier.
 
The next morning, the car is lifted out of the water. The two speak with Detective Ito about what happened, and another man claims to have been strangled by the same creature. The three of them are joined by a reporter, and they are all astonished to find that no bodies were found in or around the car. Susumu and Yoshito then turn to leave, but spot a beautiful woman, and they would like to have her model for them. He takes a picture of the license plate of the car she left in.


The woman is revealed to be [[Makoto Jinguji]], niece of [[Admiral Kusumi]], who is retired and now runs a shipping company. The two receive a visit from the reporter from the docks, Uoto Unno, who claims he knows about the [[I-403]]. He explains that [[Hachiro Jinguji]] is still alive and working on the warship [[Gotengo]]. Kusumi passes his story off as false, but Makoto wonders if her father really could be alive.
The next morning, the car is lifted out of the water. Susume and Yoshito speak with Detective Ito about what happened, along with the real driver, who claims to have been strangled by the burning hands of the same creature before his car was stolen. A reporter joins them, and they are all astonished to find that no bodies were found in or around the car. Their statement to Ito complete, Susumu and Yoshito are distracted by a beautiful woman stepping off of a nearby ship, who they view as a potential model. She ignores Susumu, but he manages to take a picture of the license plate of the car she left in. Another man in a nondescript outfit watches her leave from a distance.


Susumu and Yoshito have located Makoto's car and witness them get into it. They chase them down the highway, noticing the car's odd behavior. In reality, Makoto and Kusumi are being kidnapped, and are forced to get out of the car near the ocean. Susumu and Yoshito get out of the car to follow them, but find them being held at gunpoint. The kidnapper explains that they will be taken to work as slaves of the [[Mu|Mu Empire]], and that he is really a Mu Agent. Susumu attempts to attack him with a wrench, but is stopped when the agent heats it up by merely touching it. The creatures from before appear in the water, revealed to be diving suits for the agents, and a [[Mu Submarine]] arrives to pick them up. Just as they are about to depart, Kusumi kicks the gun out of the agent's hand, and holds him at gunpoint. The agent dives into the water, and the four escape.
Ito visits Susumu and Yoshito at their office and reveals to them that another man emitting steam has carried out a kidnapping, this time abducting an engineer at a dam. The other man was an engineer too, and both were experts on cave-ins. Their conversation is cut short by a brief earthquake. The woman Susumu and Yoshito spotted turns out to be Makoto Jinguji, the adopted daughter of former Admiral Kusumi, who now runs a shipping company. The two receive a visit from the reporter from the docks, Uoto Unno, who brings up the [[I-403]], a powerful submarine that the Imperial Japanese Navy launched the night the Pacific War ended. He claims that its captain, Kusumi's right-hand man [[Hachiro Jinguji (Atragon)|Hachiro Jinguji]], is still alive. Kusumi dismisses him, saying that Jinguji died during the war, but Makoto wonders if her father really could be alive. She questions why he had to leave her to go off into battle; Kusumi explains that his love for his country won out over his family.


While speaking to detective Ito, they receive a package labeled "MU". When they open it, they discover a film. They play the film in front of the United Nations, and it details the history of the Mu Empire. It reveals that they plan on taking over the world again, and have captured the submarine I-403. They warn that unless they dismantle the Gotengo, they will destroy surface civilization. The UN dismisses the film, claiming it to be a fake.
Yoshito tracks down Makoto's car and tails her with Susumu in tow. The man from the docks watches them go, and Makoto reveals to Kusumi that she's noticed him following her. Their driver turns out to be the same man who abducted the first engineer. He holds them at gunpoint, along with Yoshito and Susumu once they catch up, and explains that they will be taken to work as slaves of the [[Mu|Mu Empire]]. He identifies himself only as Mu Agent No. 23. Kusumi scoffs at the idea that the legendary kingdom said to have sunk into the [[Pacific Ocean]] millennia ago is real. Yoshito attempts to attack the agent with a wrench, but he catches it and heats it up with his touch. The creatures from before rise out of the water, revealed themselves as Mu frogmen, and a [[Mu Submarine]] arrives to pick them up. Just as they are about to depart, Susumu kicks the gun out of the agent's hand. As they fight, Kusumi picks up the gun and tries to convince the agent to come with them. Instead, he dives into the water, evading multiple shots.


Meanwhile, a ship is crossing the ocean. Steam is spotted rising from the water in front of it, and a Mu Submarine floats below it. The submarine lets out mines that close in on the ship, destroying it. This act convinces the UN that the threat is real, and the [[Red Satan]] is dispatched. It finds a Mu Submarine and attempts to chase it back to its base, but the depth is too great and the Red Satan explodes.
While speaking to Detective Ito, the four receive a package labeled "MU" from the agent, which contains a film. Played before the Japanese government, it details the history and technological prowess of the Mu Empire, which once ruled the world and plans to do so again. It also shows the I-403 on display in their undersea city. However, the Mu were unable to capture Jinguji, who they believe is constructing an even mightier submarine called the ''[[Gotengo]]''. They demand that humanity halt the ''Gotengo''{{'}}s construction and allow themselves to be subjugated once more. The [[United Nations]] meets about the film, but determines it to be fraudulent after only ten minutes of deliberation. A Mu Submarine responds by blowing up a ship with homing mines, then carrying out devastating attacks against Venice and [[Hong Kong]]. The crew of an elite nuclear submarine called the ''[[Red Satan]]'' dives after a Mu submarine in the hopes that it will lead them back to Mu, only to be destroyed by the extreme water pressure.


A man is discovered to be tailing Makoto, and he is arrested. The man will not speak to anyone, and he is suspected to being an agent. Kusumi talks to the man, and states his rank. The man immediately responds, claiming to be here on a mission from Captain Jinguji, who is in fact still alive. Kusumi asks if he will tell them where, but the man cannot say, but he can show them. The reporter also shows up for this revelation, and he is taken along in case he reveals the story.
Meeting with several military officials who express interest in the ''Gotengo'', Kusumi admits that Jinguji revolted from the Imperial Japanese Navy. Their conversation is interrupted by a call from the police station, where the man tailing Makoto has been detained. He is uncooperative at first, but gives his name as Warrant Officer Amano once Kusumi states his rank, and reveals that Jinguji is still alive. An earthquake rocks the police station as Mu Agent No. 23 again demands that humanity surrender, having placed a tape in the broadcasting room. Amano refuses at first to give out Jinguji's location, but Makoto, Kusumi, and the reporter from the docks convince him otherwise. The agrees to take Susumu, Yoshito, Ito, Makoto, Kusumi, and the reporter to the site. Agent No. 23 reports their trip to the High Priest of Mu. The kidnapped engineers respond to a cave-in at a power room as the High Priest leads scores of Muans in a prayer to their god, [[Manda]].


After a few days, the group arrives at a strange island. After traveling across the island, they arrive at a base. They are then introduced to Captain Jinguji, who explains that the Gotengo is real and that they plan to test it the next day. The captain explains that he escaped the I-403 after it came under attack by a mysterious submarine. He says Mu Empire must have captured it along with the Gotengo plans he left behind. The group attempts to convince the captain that they need to use it against the Mu Empire, but the captain refuses, claiming it shall only be used for the glory of [[Japan]].
After a flight and three days of sailing, the group has nearly reached Jinguji. Makoto tries to sort through her complicated feelings towards her father with Susumu's help: she feels no bitterness towards him, but his motivation remain a mystery to her. Like Kusumi, Susumu ascribes Jinguji's lack of contact with his daughter to old-fashioned patriotism. The reporter quietly drops a small white orb into the sea and a Mu Submarine picks it up. Their destination is an island, where they are soon met by Jinguji's troops, who lead them to their base. Captain Jinguji meets with them, thanking Kusumi for covering up his revolt but finding himself unable to speak with Makoto. He announces that he'll be testing the ''Gotengo'' tomorrow, but refuses to use it in service of the United Nations, only a resurgent Japanese navy. Makoto and Susumu storm out of the room, with the latter calling him "war crazy."


The next morning the Gotengo is tested, and works perfectly. The captain says they will test the Zero Cannon the next morning. Kusumi attempts to persuade the captain again, but he keeps to his word. The captain then goes to speak to Makoto, who hates him for not helping mankind. Susumu shares her opinion, and goes off after her. The reporter then attacks Makoto and is revealed to be a Mu Agent. When he is discovered by Susumu, he attempts to say he is helping her, but ends up kidnapping Susumu also. The hangar the Gotengo is in then explodes and the reporter drives into the water with the two with him.
Despite their misgivings, the group watches the ''Gotengo''{{'}}s trial run. Not only does the drill-nosed submarine successfully submerge, it follows that up by taking flight. Jinguji announces that they will test the Zero Cannon tomorrow. He explains to Kusumi that the Muans attacked the I-403 and he and his crew used it as bait to escape their clutches. However, they accidentally left a blueprint of the ''Gotengo'' behind. Kusumi attempts to persuade Jinguji again to fight the Muans, but he still refuses. That night, he speaks with Makoto, who declares that she hates him for turning his back on mankind. After she leaves, he gives Susumu an old photo of himself and Makoto as a child, and tells him to take care of her. The reporter shows his true colors as an agent of Mu, knocking out Makoto with an electric shock. After revealing that he planted a bomb in the ''Gotengo''{{'}}s hangar, he shocks Susumu as well and flees with them both as prisoners. The blast demolishes the hangar.


The captain realizes he has to help now to save his daughter, and the Gotengo is dug out of the rubble. The Gotengo then flies off to stop the Mu attack.
In Mu, the [[Mu Empress|Empress]] oversees a massive ceremony conducted by the High Priest. He presents Makoto and Susumu to her, and she orders them sacrificed to Manda. They are thrown into the same cell as the engineers, and Agent No. 23 invites them to open the window, revealing Manda himself, a massive sea dragon. Back on the island, Jinguji's men struggle to clear the rubble covering the ''Gotengo''. The Muans continue their campaign against the surface world, sending troops to [[Mount Mihara]] to carry out rocket attacks. After working in the mines, Susumu manages to steal several sticks of a powerful explosive.


Meanwhile, Mu attacks have started around the world, and cities are destroyed from underground. Mu Submarines attack ships in the water, and troops attack the rest with bombs.
The Mu Empire warns the world of impending attacks on [[New York City]] and [[Tokyo]]. Using the ''Gotengo''{{'}}s drill, Jinguji frees it from the ruined hangar and orders it into battle against the Muans, having realized his mistake. The [[JSDF]] mobilizes and oversees the evacuation of Tokyo. Suddenly, the Ginza and Marunouchi districts are leveled by an earthquake as a Mu Submarine opens fire on ships in [[Tokyo Bay]]. It retreats as the ''Gotengo'' arrives on the scene, with the super-submarine giving chase.


Makoto and Susumu are taken before the [[Mu Empress|Empress of Mu]], who says they will be fed to [[Manda]]. After working in the mines, Susumu manages to grab a stick of Nitro Glycerine, and uses it to kidnap the Empress and escape with the other prisoners. When they try to ship away, the Empress blows up the wall keeping Manda inside, and Manda attempts to eat them. The Gotengo arrives just in time, and saves the group from Manda. The Gotengo then freezes Manda and begins drilling into Mu.
In Mu, Susumu uses the dynamite to take the Empress hostage. As they change into diving sets, she secretly sets off a charge to release Manda. The monster seems to have them trapped, but the ''Gotengo'' gets his attention with a barrage of torpedoes. The group uses the distraction to swim toward the submarine and climb aboard. It surfaces, and Makoto reconciles with her father. The Empress is defiant, declaring her empire's supremacy. Jinguji prepares to attack the main Mu power generator, but the ''Gotengo'' must face Manda first. The serpent tries to constrict the submarine, but its electrified hull repels it, leaving it open to blasts from the Zero Cannon. The monster is quickly rendered immobile as the ''Gotengo'' advances, drilling into the generator room.


The Gotengo reaches the inner power chamber of Mu, and sends a team to sabotage it. The team goes through and freezes any guards that attack them. They set a charge on a power generator, and get back into the Gotengo. The Gotengo then uses its Zero Cannon on the generator, freezing it. The Gotengo then surfaces, and the crew watches Mu explode. Two Mu Submarines escape, but they are frozen. The Empress then escapes from the crew, and swims back into the flames to share the fate of her people.
Jinguji's troops plant explosives, using handheld versions of the Zero Cannon to freeze Muan soldiers in their tracks. The ''Gotengo'' fires its Zero Cannon at the machinery until it stops moving, then withdraws. The bombs detonate, starting a chain reaction which destroys the entire Mu Empire. A Mu Submarine escapes, but its rays miss their mark and the Zero Cannon quickly halts its attack. The Empress dives into the sea, swimming into the flames to share the fate of her people.
==Staff==
==Staff==
{{Main|Atragon (film)/Credits}}
{{Staffs
{{Staffs
|Directed by = [[Ishiro Honda]]
|Directed by|[[Ishiro Honda]]
|Written by = [[Shigeru Komatsuzaki]], [[Shunro Oshikawa]] and [[Shinichi Sekizawa]]
|Written by|[[Shinichi Sekizawa]]
|Produced by = [[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]
|Based on ''The Undersea Warship'' by|Shunro Oshikawa
|Music by = [[Akira Ifukube]]
|Characters inspired by ''The Undersea Kingdom'' by|Shigeru Komatsuzaki (uncredited)
|Cinematography by = [[Hajime Koizumi]], [[Sokei Tomioka]] and [[Teisho Arikawa]]
|Executive producer|[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]
|Edited by = [[Ryohei Fujii]]
|Music by|[[Akira Ifukube]]
|Production Design by = [[Takeo Kita]] and [[Akira Watanabe]]
|Cinematography by|[[Hajime Koizumi]]
|Assistant Directing by = Koji Kajita
|Edited by|[[Ryohei Fuji]]
|Special Effects by = [[Eiji Tsuburaya]] and [[Teruyoshi Nakano]]
|Production design by|[[Takeo Kita]]
|First assistant director|[[Koji Kajita]]
|Director of special effects|[[Eiji Tsuburaya]]
|First assistant director of special effects|[[Teruyoshi Nakano]]
}}
}}
==Cast==
==Cast==
Line 64: Line 73:
|[[Tadao Takashima]]|Susumu Hatanaka
|[[Tadao Takashima]]|Susumu Hatanaka
|Yoko Fujiyama|Makoto Jinguji
|Yoko Fujiyama|Makoto Jinguji
|Yu Fujiki|Yoshito Nishibe
|[[Yu Fujiki]]|Yoshito Nishibe
|[[Jun Tazaki]]|[[Hachiro Jinguji]]
|[[Jun Tazaki]]|Captain [[Hachiro Jinguji (Atragon)|Hachiro Jinguji]]
|Ken Uehara|Admiral Kusumi
|[[Ken Uehara]]|Admiral Kusumi
|[[Kenji Sahara]]|Uoto Unno
|[[Kenji Sahara]]|Uoto Unno
|[[Hiroshi Koizumi]]|Detective Ito
|[[Hiroshi Koizumi]]|Detective Ito
|[[Akihiko Hirata]]|[[Muans|Mu]] Agent #23
|[[Akihiko Hirata]]|[[Muan|Mu]] agent
|Yoshifumi Tajima|Tome Amanoshome
|[[Yoshibumi Tajima]]|Tome Amanoshome
|[[Hideyo Amamoto]]|High Priest of Mu
|[[Hideyo Amamoto]]|High Priest of Mu
|Tetsuko Kobayashi|[[Mu Empress]]
|Tetsuko Kobayashi|[[Mu Empress]]
|[[Hisaya Ito]]|Shindo
|[[Hisaya Ito]]|Shindo
|Susumu Fujita|Self Defense Force Commander
|Susumu Fujita|Self Defense Force commander
|Minoru Takada|Government Official
|Minoru Takada|government official
|Ikio Sawamura|Taxi Driver
|[[Ikio Sawamura]]|taxi driver
|Akemi Kita|Rimako
|Akemi Kita|Rimako
|Nadao Kirino|Kidnapped Scientist
|Nadao Kirino|kidnapped scientist
|Tetsu Nakamura|Warship Captain
|[[Tetsu Nakamura]]|warship captain
|Yukihiko Gondo|Military Official
|Yukihiko Gondo|military official
|Yutaka Nakayama|Sailor
|Yutaka Nakayama|sailor
|Shin Otomo|Government Official
|Shin Otomo|government official
|Koji Uno|Police Officer
|Koji Uno|police officer
|Wataru Omae|Police Officer
|Wataru Omae|police officer
|Katsumi Tezuka|Mu Henchman
|[[Katsumi Tezuka]]|Mu henchman
|[[Shoichi Hirose]]|Mu Henchman
|[[Shoichi Hirose]]|Mu henchman
|Yasuzo Ogawa|Mu Henchman
|Yasuzo Ogawa|Mu henchman
|Osman Yusuf|Mu Henchman
|[[Osman Yusuf]]|Mu henchman
}}
===International English dub===
{{Cast
|Nick Kendall|Susumu Hatanaka / Uoto Unno
|Ted Thomas|Captain [[Hachiro Jinguji (Atragon)|Hachiro Jinguji]] / High Priest of Mu / military officer
|Linda Masson|Makoto Jinguchi / Mu Empress / Rimako
|John Wallace|Admiral Kusumi / Shindo
|Hal Archer|Detective Ito
}}
 
===Titra Sound Studios English dub===
{{Cast
|Bernard Grant|Susumu Hatanaka
|Lucy Martin|Makoto Jinguji
|Larry Robinson|Yoshito Nishibe
|Bret Morrison<ref name="Craig"/>|Admiral Kosumi
|Kenneth Harvey|Detective Ito
|Jack Curtis|Mu agent
|Peter Fernandez<ref name="Craig"/>|[[Hachiro Jinguji (Atragon)|Hachiro Jinguji]]'s lieutenant
}}
}}
==Appearances==
==Appearances==
Line 94: Line 122:
{{Col-2}}
{{Col-2}}
===Monsters===
===Monsters===
*[[Manda]] ([[ShodaiManda]])
*[[Manda]]
{{Col-2}}
{{Col-2}}
===Weapons, Vehicles, and Races===
===Weapons, vehicles, and races===
*[[Gotengo]]
*''[[Gotengo]]''
*[[Muans]]
*[[Muan]]s
*[[I-403]]
*I-403
*[[Mu Submarine]]
*[[Mu Submarine]]
*[[Red Satan]]
*Mu Rockets
*''[[Red Satan]]''
*[[155mm Howitzer M2]]
*[[155mm Howitzer M2]]
*[[M4A3E8 Sherman Tank]]
*[[M4A3E8 Sherman Tank]]
*[[F-86F Sabre]]
*[[F-86 Sabre]]
*[[Mysterian Space Station]] (stock footage)
*Allied Army planes
*[[Mysterian UFO]] (stock footage)
*[[Mysterian Space Station]] (stock footage, erroneous)
*[[Mysterian UFO]] (stock footage, erroneous)
*[[Space Station JSS-3]] (stock footage)
*[[Space Station JSS-3]] (stock footage)
{{Col-end}}
{{Col-end}}
Line 112: Line 142:
{{Main|Atragon (film)/Gallery}}
{{Main|Atragon (film)/Gallery}}
==Soundtrack==
==Soundtrack==
{{Main|Atragon (Soundtrack)}}
{{Main|Atragon/Soundtrack}}
==Development==
Screenwriter [[Shinichi Sekizawa]] based ''Atragon'' on the 1900 Shunro Oshikawa novel ''The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure'', in which Japanese naval officers secretly built a drill-nosed submarine on a remote island to serve their country's imperialist ambitions. However, producer [[Tomoyuki Tanaka]] wanted the film to be set in the present, making their motivation anachronistic.<ref name="G-FAN">[http://www.g-fan.com/html/gfan_index/index_21.php "Atragon: A Toho Classic Revisited" by Ed Godziszewski, published in ''G-FAN'' #21 (May/June 1996)]</ref> Sekizawa chose to lean on that anachronism, with the character of Captain [[Hachiro Jinguji (Atragon)|Hachiro Jinguji]] blindly determined to serve an empire that no longer exists, inverting the book's nationalist themes. He may have also been inspired by ''Affirmations of the Greater East Asian War'' by Fumio Hayashi, first published in 1963, which argued that the Japanese empire was a means to "liberate the Asian people from the Western powers" and recent reports of [[wikipedia:Japanese holdout|Japanese holdouts]] throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands who either did not know that the Pacific War had ended or did not care.<ref name="Honda"/> The villains became the fantastical [[Mu]] Empire, taken from [[Toho]] illustrator Shigeru Komatsuzaki's book ''The Undersea Kingdom''. He submitted his first draft on August 10, 1963; following revisions and storyboards by Komatsuzaki, his final draft was approved on September 5.
==Production==
==Production==
A final draft of [[Shinichi Sekizawa]]'s script for the film was approved on September 5, 1963, merely three months before [[Toho]] demanded the film be theatrically released (concurrent with the fruitful Winter holiday season). On this unusually tight schedule, production was divided into one more than the usual two teams (drama and special effects) of [[tokusatsu]]: production—Unit A for dramatic filming and Units B and C for special effects. Visual effects director [[Eiji Tsuburaya]] and assistant visual effects director [[Teruyoshi Nakano]] began work in October and concluded within four weeks, a third of the usual time granted to effects work. While the effects of ''Atragon'' are generally praised, minor stock footage of buildings collapsing from ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' were used as inserts during the scene where [[Tokyo]]'s Marunouchi business district collapses (as well as shots of emergency vehicles responding before the collapse). Two other instances of stock footage were merely used in montages of satellite surveillance taken from ''[[The Mysterians]]'' and ''[[Battle in Outer Space]]'', while another montage, establishing shots of the world's major capitals, was taken from Shūe Matsubayashi's ''The Last War''.
Because Toho wanted ''Atragon'' in theaters before Christmas, the film had to be rushed to completion in less than four months.<ref name="G-FAN"/> Director [[Ishiro Honda]] led one unit to film the drama scenes, while special effects director [[Eiji Tsuburaya]] took charge of two units to compensate for the compressed schedule. The ''[[Gotengo]]'' was portrayed by models in five different scales, ranging from 4.5 meters in length to 30 centimeters, while the marionettes depicting the Mu Empire's monster god [[Manda]] ranged from 5 meters to 20 centimeters. The 4.5-meter ''Gotengo'' was commissioned from a shipbuilding company for ¥1,500,000. Its moving parts were operated through both radio and manual control, as it was large enough to fit a person inside. The Mu Empire's destruction of [[Tokyo]] was achieved by a truck pulling away the support beams of a raised set. Unfortunately, the driver sped away too quickly, causing the entire set to collapse at once instead of in a gradual wave. After contemplating the seemingly ruinous take, Tsuburaya decided to salvage it in the editing room, as he had shot it from six different angles using remote-control cameras. He also spliced in a few shots of buildings collapsing from ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]''. Stock footage was also used to depict satellites (''[[The Mysterians]]'' and ''[[Battle in Outer Space]]''), establishing shots of world capitals (''[[The Last War]]''), and Japanese emergency mobilization efforts (''Mothra'' again). The [[Mu Submarine]]'s [[Tokyo Bay]] raid was shot in Toho's "Big Pool" from 3:00 to 4:00 PM to ensure optimal lighting, again with the six-camera setup. The set for the Mu throne room was built in Toho's largest soundstage, with the empire's ceremonies involving 600 dancers.
 
==Alternate titles==
''Atragon'' became Toho's top box office earner during its month-long run in Japanese theaters and remained a popular feature on television and at film festivals. In fact, it was so popular that it was re-released in 1973. It was the 1964 Japanese entry at the Trieste Science Fiction Film Festival.
*'''''The Undersea Warship''''' (literal Japanese title)
==Alternate Titles==
*'''''Giant Dragon Manda''''' {{Nihongo|巨竜マンダ|Kyoryū Manda|Japanese 8mm title}}
*'''''Undersea Battleship''''' (Literal Japanese Title)
*'''''Atoragon''''' (international title)
*'''''Atoragon''''' (International Title)
**'''''Atoragon: Flying Super Sub''''' (extended international title)
*'''''Ataragon''''' ([[France]])
*'''''Ataragon''''' ([[France]])
*'''''The Ataragon''''' (''L'Ataragon''; French video title)
*'''''Agent 04 of the Submerged Empire''''' (''Agente 04 del imperio sumergido''; Spain)
*'''''Agent 04 of the Submerged Empire''''' (''Agente 04 del imperio sumergido''; Spain)
*'''''Atragon, Supermen of the Seas''''' (''Άτραγκον, οι σούπερμεν των θαλασσών''; Greece)
*'''''Atragon, Supermen of the Seas''''' (Άτραγκον, οι σούπερμεν των θαλασσών ''Átrangkon, oi súpermen ton thalassón''; Greece)
*'''''Atoragon, the Atomic Supersubmarine''''' (''Atoragon, el supersubmarino atómico''; [[Mexico]])
*'''''Atoragon, the Atomic Supersubmarine''''' (''Atoragon, el supersubmarino atómico''; [[Mexico]])
*'''''U 2000 - Descent of Horror''''' (''U 2000 - Tauchfahrt des Grauens''; West Germany)
*'''''U 2000 - Descent of Horror''''' (''U 2000 - Tauchfahrt des Grauens''; West Germany)
==Theatrical Releases==
*'''''U 2000 - Underwater Adventure''''' (''U 2000 - Abentuer Unter Wasser''; German TV title)
*[[Japan]] - December 22, [[1963]]
*'''''Atoragon, The Flying Submarine''''' (''Atoragon, O Submarino Voador''; Brazil)
==Theatrical releases==
*[[Japan]] - December 22, 1963{{Popup-poster|file=Atragon_poster_01.jpg|caption=Japanese 1963 poster}}; August 1, 1968 (re-release)<ref name="Galbraith IV">{{cite book|title=The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography|author=Galbraith IV, Stuart|date=2008|publisher=The Scarecrow Press, Inc.|page=251|isbn= 9780810860049}}</ref>{{Popup-poster|file=Atragon_poster_02.jpg|caption=Japanese 1968 poster}}
*[[United States]] - December 1964{{Popup-poster|file=Atragon.jpg|caption=American poster}}
*Canada - February 3, 1965
*Italy - 1964
*Italy - 1964
*[[United States]] - March 11, [[1965]]
*Thailand - 1964
*United Kingdom - 1964
*[[Mexico]] - September 9, 1965
*[[Mexico]] - September 9, 1965
*West Germany - November 12, 1965
*West Germany - November 12, 1965
*Barcelona, Spain - May 1, [[1967]]
*France - 1965
*Madrid, Spain - August 24, [[1968]]
*Spain - 1965
==[[United States|U.S.]] Release==
 
[[File:600full-atragon-poster_(1).jpg|thumb|right|200px|American ''Atragon'' poster]]
==Foreign releases==
American International Pictures gave ''Atragon'' a successful U.S. theatrical release in 1965 with minimal changes and an English dub recorded by Titra Studios. The film's U.S. title ''Atragon'', derived from Toho's international title ''Atoragon'', is presumably a contraction of "Atomic dragon", a colorful moniker for the titular warship; however, AIP's dubbed dialogue refers to the [[Gotengo]] by the name "Atragon." This shortening from four to three syllables was the choice of AIP, since several European markets released the film as ''Atoragon'' (Italy) and ''Ataragon'' (France). While ''Atragon'' became Toho's first tokusatsu eiga (visual effects film) released on home video in 1982, and though the film is relatively popular among western tokusatsu fans, ''Atragon'' was not released on home video in the United States until Media-Blasters' DVD in 2005 (although the film was in constant television syndication in the U.S. until the early 1980's).
===[[United States|U.S.]] release===
{{Clear}}
[[File:Atragon.jpg|thumb|right|200px|U.S. ''Atragon'' poster]]
[[American International Pictures]] gave ''Atragon'' a successful theatrical release in the [[United States]] beginning in 1964, with minimal changes and an English dub recorded by Titra Studios.<ref name="Craig"/> The film's U.S. title ''Atragon'', derived from Toho's international title ''Atoragon'', seems to have been intended as a new name for [[Manda]], combining the words "atomic dragon" or "Atlantis dragon." However, Titra's dubbing and AIP's promotional materials refer to the ''[[Gotengo]]'' by this name instead. This shortening from four to three syllables was the choice of AIP, since several foreign markets released the film as ''Atoragon'' (Mexico) and ''Ataragon'' (France). Although the film was in constant television syndication until the early 1980s, ''Atragon'' was not released on home video in the United States until [[Media Blasters]]' DVD in 2005, which included both the original Japanese audio track and the international English dub for the film.
{{clear}}
 
==Box office==
With a ¥175,000,000 gross, ''Atragon'' was Toho's most successful film of the 1963-1964 winter holiday season.<ref name="Honda"/><ref name="G-FAN"/>
==Video releases==
'''[[Toho]]''' VHS (1982)
*'''Tapes''': 1
*'''Audio''': Japanese
*'''Notes''': First home video release of a Toho science-fiction film.
 
'''Toho''' DVD (2003)
*'''Region''': 2
*'''Discs''': 1
*'''Audio''': Japanese (Mono, 5.1 Surround remix)
*'''Subtitles''': Japanese
*'''Special features''': Audio commentary by assistant director Koji Kajita, 75-minute version of the film released to theaters with ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'', trailer
*'''Notes''': Re-released on November 8, 2013, in a limited edition and on July 15, 2015, as part of the Toho DVD Masterpiece Selection.
 
'''[[Media Blasters|Tokyo Shock]]''' DVD (2006)
*'''Region''': 1
*'''Discs''': 1
*'''Audio''': Japanese (Mono, 5.1 Surround remix), English (Mono, 5.1 Surround remix; international dub)
*'''Subtitles''': English
*'''Special features''': Audio commentary by assistant director Koji Kajita, trailers
*'''Notes''': Out of print.
 
'''Toho''' Blu-ray (2010)
*'''Region''': A
*'''Discs''': 1
*'''Audio''': Japanese (LPCM Mono and 5.1 Surround remix)
*'''Subtitles''': Japanese
*'''Special features''': Audio commentary by assistant director Koji Kajita and Takeshi Furuta, 75-minute version of the film released to theaters with ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'', Roaring Sky Encyclopedia, trailer
==Videos==
==Videos==
{{videos|
===Trailers===
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">https://youtu.be/fBrCeVV7euU</youtube>|Japanese ''Atragon'' trailer}}
{{Videos|
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">https://youtu.be/DoLPtiO6Dyg</youtube>|American ''Atragon'' trailers}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">lUhewXhLyUg</youtube>|Japanese trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">fzUZLme3GEs</youtube>|U.S. trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">siXXJQeyrLI</youtube>|U.S. TV trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">TqQX6K4EezE</youtube>|West German trailer}}
}}
===Miscellaneous===
{{Videos|
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">J2rFge1WTZk</youtube>|Unused special effects footage of the<br>''Gotengo'' and the Mu Submarine}}
}}
}}
==Video Releases==
 
<b>Tokyo Shock</b> (2006)
*Region: 1
*Discs: 1
*Audio: Japanese (2.0 Mono, 5.1 Surround), English (2.0 Mono, 5.1 Surround; international dub)
*Special Features: Audio commentary by assistant director Koji Kajita, trailers
*Notes: Out of print.
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*This film's titular warship, the [[Gotengo]], has appeared in numerous pieces of media since its debut, including the films ''[[The War in Space]]'' (as the [[Gohten]]), ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'', ''[[Super Fleet Sazer-X the Movie: Fight! Star Soldiers]]'', as well as the OVA ''[[Super Atragon]]'' (as the [[Ra]]) and several [[Godzilla (Franchise)|Godzilla]]-related video games.
*''Atragon'' was theatrically released in Japan on a double feature with ''Operation Crazy Hong Kong'' and was re-released in Japan on August 1, 1968, on a double feature with ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'', where it was edited down to 75 minutes.<ref>{{Cite book|title=[[Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works]]|date=28 September 2012|publisher=[[villagebooks]]|page=74|isbn=4864910138}}</ref> The re-release version is included as a special feature on Toho's DVD and Blu-ray releases.
*In 1983, [[Masahiko Katto]] created a fan-made sequel to ''Atragon'' titled ''Continuation: Atragon'' {{Nihongo|続海底軍艦|Zoku Kaitei Gunkan}}.
*This film's titular warship, the ''[[Gotengo]]'', has appeared in numerous pieces of media since its debut, including the films ''[[Godzilla Final Wars]]'' and ''[[Super Fleet Sazer-X the Movie]]'', and several ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]''-related video games. Two craft inspired by the ''Gotengo'', the ''[[Gohten]]'' and the ''[[Ra]]'', appear in the film ''[[The War in Space]]'' and the two-part OVA ''[[Super Atragon]]'', respectively.
*[[Manda]], the sea serpent [[kaiju]] introduced in this film, would later be featured in the [[1968]] film ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'', and would go on to become one of [[Godzilla]]'s numerous kaiju co-stars in both film and non-film media.
*[[Manda]], the sea serpent [[kaiju]] introduced in this film, would later be featured in the [[1968]] film ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'', and would go on to become one of [[Godzilla]]'s numerous kaiju co-stars in both film and non-film media.
*In 1995 and 1996, [[Toho]] released a two-part animated adaptation of this film titled ''Super Atragon''.
 
{{Kaiju Movies}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Kaiju Movies|tab=Toho}}
{{Comments}}
{{Era|TOH|SHO|FIL|GTG|MAN}}
{{Era|TOH|SHO|FIL|GTG|MAN}}
[[Category:Films]]
[[Category:Films]]
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[[Category:Japanese films]]
[[Category:Japanese films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Ishiro Honda]]
[[Category:Films directed by Ishiro Honda]]
[[Category:Kiryu Saga Continuity]]
[[Category:Kiryu series continuity]]
[[Category:Showa Films]]
[[Category:Showa Films]]
[[Category:Films dubbed into English twice]]
[[Category:Films dubbed into English twice]]
[[Category:Films dubbed by Titra/Titan]]
[[Category:Films dubbed by Titra/Titan]]
[[Category:Films dubbed in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Films dubbed in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Showa Continuity]]

Latest revision as of 21:04, 11 March 2024

Article.png
Image gallery for Atragon
Credits for Atragon
Atragon soundtrack


Atragon
The Japanese poster for Atragon
Alternate titles
Flagicon Japan.png The Undersea Warship (1963)
Flagicon global.png Atoragon (1963)
See alternate titles
Directed by Ishiro Honda
Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka
Written by Shunro Oshikawa (story),
Shigeru Komatsuzaki (story, uncredited),
Shinichi Sekizawa (screenplay)
Music by Akira Ifukube
Distributor TohoJP
American International PicturesUS[1]
Rating Not Rated
Box office ¥175 million[2]
Running time 94 minutesJP
(1 hour, 34 minutes)
89 minutesUS
(1 hour, 29 minutes)
Aspect ratio 2.35:1
Rate this film!
3.93
(27 votes)

This page is about the film. For the titular vessel, see Gotengo.
“
The dreaded undersea kingdom challenges the surface! The emergency dispatch of the all-purpose atomic battleship! (恐怖の海底王国地上に挑戦！緊急出動する万能原子戦艦！)
„ 

— Japanese tagline
“
EXCITING SCIENCE FICTION BY TOHO TO STIR YOUR IMAGINATION!
„ 

— International tagline
“
See the JUGGERNAUT of Destruction Challenge the Incredible EMPIRE Beneath the Sea!
„ 

— American tagline

Atragon (海底軍艦,   Kaitei Gunkan, lit. "The Undersea Warship") is a 1963 tokusatsu science-fiction fantasy film directed by Ishiro Honda and written by Shinichi Sekizawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by Toho, the film is a loose adaptation of the 1900 Japanese adventure novel The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure written by Shunro Oshikawa, with additional elements taken from Shigeru Komatsuzaki's book The Undersea Kingdom. It stars Tadao Takashima, Yoko Fujiyama, Yu Fujiki, Jun Tazaki, Ken Uehara, Kenji Sahara, and Hiroshi Koizumi. The film was released to Japanese theaters by Toho on December 22, 1963. American International Pictures released a shortened English-dubbed version of the film to American theaters in December 1964.

When the people of the Mu Empire declare war on the surface world, former Imperial Japanese Navy Admiral Kusumi calls upon his subordinate from the war, Captain Hachiro Jinguji, to use his secret invention, the undersea warship Gotengo, to save mankind. However, Jinguji stubbornly refuses, having intended to use the Gotengo solely to rebuild the Japanese Empire following its unconditional surrender to the Allies at the end of World War II. But when the Muans kidnap Jinguji's estranged daughter Makoto, the Captain relents and launches a mission to assault Mu and end the undersea empire's invasion.

Plot

A taxi driver ignores his passenger's request to stop, burning his hand when he tries to grab him. Meanwhile, two photographers, Susumu Hatanaka and Yoshito Nishibe, are in the middle of a shoot with an actress near the ocean. She screams when she sees what appears to be a monster climb onto the dock, emitting steam. Susumu scares the creature away with his camera flash, then nearly gets hit by the taxi as it drives off the pier.

The next morning, the car is lifted out of the water. Susume and Yoshito speak with Detective Ito about what happened, along with the real driver, who claims to have been strangled by the burning hands of the same creature before his car was stolen. A reporter joins them, and they are all astonished to find that no bodies were found in or around the car. Their statement to Ito complete, Susumu and Yoshito are distracted by a beautiful woman stepping off of a nearby ship, who they view as a potential model. She ignores Susumu, but he manages to take a picture of the license plate of the car she left in. Another man in a nondescript outfit watches her leave from a distance.

Ito visits Susumu and Yoshito at their office and reveals to them that another man emitting steam has carried out a kidnapping, this time abducting an engineer at a dam. The other man was an engineer too, and both were experts on cave-ins. Their conversation is cut short by a brief earthquake. The woman Susumu and Yoshito spotted turns out to be Makoto Jinguji, the adopted daughter of former Admiral Kusumi, who now runs a shipping company. The two receive a visit from the reporter from the docks, Uoto Unno, who brings up the I-403, a powerful submarine that the Imperial Japanese Navy launched the night the Pacific War ended. He claims that its captain, Kusumi's right-hand man Hachiro Jinguji, is still alive. Kusumi dismisses him, saying that Jinguji died during the war, but Makoto wonders if her father really could be alive. She questions why he had to leave her to go off into battle; Kusumi explains that his love for his country won out over his family.

Yoshito tracks down Makoto's car and tails her with Susumu in tow. The man from the docks watches them go, and Makoto reveals to Kusumi that she's noticed him following her. Their driver turns out to be the same man who abducted the first engineer. He holds them at gunpoint, along with Yoshito and Susumu once they catch up, and explains that they will be taken to work as slaves of the Mu Empire. He identifies himself only as Mu Agent No. 23. Kusumi scoffs at the idea that the legendary kingdom said to have sunk into the Pacific Ocean millennia ago is real. Yoshito attempts to attack the agent with a wrench, but he catches it and heats it up with his touch. The creatures from before rise out of the water, revealed themselves as Mu frogmen, and a Mu Submarine arrives to pick them up. Just as they are about to depart, Susumu kicks the gun out of the agent's hand. As they fight, Kusumi picks up the gun and tries to convince the agent to come with them. Instead, he dives into the water, evading multiple shots.

While speaking to Detective Ito, the four receive a package labeled "MU" from the agent, which contains a film. Played before the Japanese government, it details the history and technological prowess of the Mu Empire, which once ruled the world and plans to do so again. It also shows the I-403 on display in their undersea city. However, the Mu were unable to capture Jinguji, who they believe is constructing an even mightier submarine called the Gotengo. They demand that humanity halt the Gotengo's construction and allow themselves to be subjugated once more. The United Nations meets about the film, but determines it to be fraudulent after only ten minutes of deliberation. A Mu Submarine responds by blowing up a ship with homing mines, then carrying out devastating attacks against Venice and Hong Kong. The crew of an elite nuclear submarine called the Red Satan dives after a Mu submarine in the hopes that it will lead them back to Mu, only to be destroyed by the extreme water pressure.

Meeting with several military officials who express interest in the Gotengo, Kusumi admits that Jinguji revolted from the Imperial Japanese Navy. Their conversation is interrupted by a call from the police station, where the man tailing Makoto has been detained. He is uncooperative at first, but gives his name as Warrant Officer Amano once Kusumi states his rank, and reveals that Jinguji is still alive. An earthquake rocks the police station as Mu Agent No. 23 again demands that humanity surrender, having placed a tape in the broadcasting room. Amano refuses at first to give out Jinguji's location, but Makoto, Kusumi, and the reporter from the docks convince him otherwise. The agrees to take Susumu, Yoshito, Ito, Makoto, Kusumi, and the reporter to the site. Agent No. 23 reports their trip to the High Priest of Mu. The kidnapped engineers respond to a cave-in at a power room as the High Priest leads scores of Muans in a prayer to their god, Manda.

After a flight and three days of sailing, the group has nearly reached Jinguji. Makoto tries to sort through her complicated feelings towards her father with Susumu's help: she feels no bitterness towards him, but his motivation remain a mystery to her. Like Kusumi, Susumu ascribes Jinguji's lack of contact with his daughter to old-fashioned patriotism. The reporter quietly drops a small white orb into the sea and a Mu Submarine picks it up. Their destination is an island, where they are soon met by Jinguji's troops, who lead them to their base. Captain Jinguji meets with them, thanking Kusumi for covering up his revolt but finding himself unable to speak with Makoto. He announces that he'll be testing the Gotengo tomorrow, but refuses to use it in service of the United Nations, only a resurgent Japanese navy. Makoto and Susumu storm out of the room, with the latter calling him "war crazy."

Despite their misgivings, the group watches the Gotengo's trial run. Not only does the drill-nosed submarine successfully submerge, it follows that up by taking flight. Jinguji announces that they will test the Zero Cannon tomorrow. He explains to Kusumi that the Muans attacked the I-403 and he and his crew used it as bait to escape their clutches. However, they accidentally left a blueprint of the Gotengo behind. Kusumi attempts to persuade Jinguji again to fight the Muans, but he still refuses. That night, he speaks with Makoto, who declares that she hates him for turning his back on mankind. After she leaves, he gives Susumu an old photo of himself and Makoto as a child, and tells him to take care of her. The reporter shows his true colors as an agent of Mu, knocking out Makoto with an electric shock. After revealing that he planted a bomb in the Gotengo's hangar, he shocks Susumu as well and flees with them both as prisoners. The blast demolishes the hangar.

In Mu, the Empress oversees a massive ceremony conducted by the High Priest. He presents Makoto and Susumu to her, and she orders them sacrificed to Manda. They are thrown into the same cell as the engineers, and Agent No. 23 invites them to open the window, revealing Manda himself, a massive sea dragon. Back on the island, Jinguji's men struggle to clear the rubble covering the Gotengo. The Muans continue their campaign against the surface world, sending troops to Mount Mihara to carry out rocket attacks. After working in the mines, Susumu manages to steal several sticks of a powerful explosive.

The Mu Empire warns the world of impending attacks on New York City and Tokyo. Using the Gotengo's drill, Jinguji frees it from the ruined hangar and orders it into battle against the Muans, having realized his mistake. The JSDF mobilizes and oversees the evacuation of Tokyo. Suddenly, the Ginza and Marunouchi districts are leveled by an earthquake as a Mu Submarine opens fire on ships in Tokyo Bay. It retreats as the Gotengo arrives on the scene, with the super-submarine giving chase.

In Mu, Susumu uses the dynamite to take the Empress hostage. As they change into diving sets, she secretly sets off a charge to release Manda. The monster seems to have them trapped, but the Gotengo gets his attention with a barrage of torpedoes. The group uses the distraction to swim toward the submarine and climb aboard. It surfaces, and Makoto reconciles with her father. The Empress is defiant, declaring her empire's supremacy. Jinguji prepares to attack the main Mu power generator, but the Gotengo must face Manda first. The serpent tries to constrict the submarine, but its electrified hull repels it, leaving it open to blasts from the Zero Cannon. The monster is quickly rendered immobile as the Gotengo advances, drilling into the generator room.

Jinguji's troops plant explosives, using handheld versions of the Zero Cannon to freeze Muan soldiers in their tracks. The Gotengo fires its Zero Cannon at the machinery until it stops moving, then withdraws. The bombs detonate, starting a chain reaction which destroys the entire Mu Empire. A Mu Submarine escapes, but its rays miss their mark and the Zero Cannon quickly halts its attack. The Empress dives into the sea, swimming into the flames to share the fate of her people.

Staff

Main article: Atragon (film)/Credits.

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

International English dub

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Nick Kendall   as   Susumu Hatanaka / Uoto Unno
  • Ted Thomas   as   Captain Hachiro Jinguji / High Priest of Mu / military officer
  • Linda Masson   as   Makoto Jinguchi / Mu Empress / Rimako
  • John Wallace   as   Admiral Kusumi / Shindo
  • Hal Archer   as   Detective Ito


Titra Sound Studios English dub

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Bernard Grant   as   Susumu Hatanaka
  • Lucy Martin   as   Makoto Jinguji
  • Larry Robinson   as   Yoshito Nishibe
  • Bret Morrison[1]   as   Admiral Kosumi
  • Kenneth Harvey   as   Detective Ito
  • Jack Curtis   as   Mu agent
  • Peter Fernandez[1]   as   Hachiro Jinguji's lieutenant

Appearances

Monsters

Weapons, vehicles, and races

Gallery

Main article: Atragon (film)/Gallery.

Soundtrack

Main article: Atragon/Soundtrack.

Development

Screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa based Atragon on the 1900 Shunro Oshikawa novel The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure, in which Japanese naval officers secretly built a drill-nosed submarine on a remote island to serve their country's imperialist ambitions. However, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka wanted the film to be set in the present, making their motivation anachronistic.[3] Sekizawa chose to lean on that anachronism, with the character of Captain Hachiro Jinguji blindly determined to serve an empire that no longer exists, inverting the book's nationalist themes. He may have also been inspired by Affirmations of the Greater East Asian War by Fumio Hayashi, first published in 1963, which argued that the Japanese empire was a means to "liberate the Asian people from the Western powers" and recent reports of Japanese holdouts throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands who either did not know that the Pacific War had ended or did not care.[2] The villains became the fantastical Mu Empire, taken from Toho illustrator Shigeru Komatsuzaki's book The Undersea Kingdom. He submitted his first draft on August 10, 1963; following revisions and storyboards by Komatsuzaki, his final draft was approved on September 5.

Production

Because Toho wanted Atragon in theaters before Christmas, the film had to be rushed to completion in less than four months.[3] Director Ishiro Honda led one unit to film the drama scenes, while special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya took charge of two units to compensate for the compressed schedule. The Gotengo was portrayed by models in five different scales, ranging from 4.5 meters in length to 30 centimeters, while the marionettes depicting the Mu Empire's monster god Manda ranged from 5 meters to 20 centimeters. The 4.5-meter Gotengo was commissioned from a shipbuilding company for ¥1,500,000. Its moving parts were operated through both radio and manual control, as it was large enough to fit a person inside. The Mu Empire's destruction of Tokyo was achieved by a truck pulling away the support beams of a raised set. Unfortunately, the driver sped away too quickly, causing the entire set to collapse at once instead of in a gradual wave. After contemplating the seemingly ruinous take, Tsuburaya decided to salvage it in the editing room, as he had shot it from six different angles using remote-control cameras. He also spliced in a few shots of buildings collapsing from Mothra. Stock footage was also used to depict satellites (The Mysterians and Battle in Outer Space), establishing shots of world capitals (The Last War), and Japanese emergency mobilization efforts (Mothra again). The Mu Submarine's Tokyo Bay raid was shot in Toho's "Big Pool" from 3:00 to 4:00 PM to ensure optimal lighting, again with the six-camera setup. The set for the Mu throne room was built in Toho's largest soundstage, with the empire's ceremonies involving 600 dancers.

Alternate titles

  • The Undersea Warship (literal Japanese title)
  • Giant Dragon Manda (巨竜マンダ,   Kyoryū Manda, Japanese 8mm title)
  • Atoragon (international title)
    • Atoragon: Flying Super Sub (extended international title)
  • Ataragon (France)
  • The Ataragon (L'Ataragon; French video title)
  • Agent 04 of the Submerged Empire (Agente 04 del imperio sumergido; Spain)
  • Atragon, Supermen of the Seas (Άτραγκον, οι σούπερμεν των θαλασσών Átrangkon, oi súpermen ton thalassón; Greece)
  • Atoragon, the Atomic Supersubmarine (Atoragon, el supersubmarino atómico; Mexico)
  • U 2000 - Descent of Horror (U 2000 - Tauchfahrt des Grauens; West Germany)
  • U 2000 - Underwater Adventure (U 2000 - Abentuer Unter Wasser; German TV title)
  • Atoragon, The Flying Submarine (Atoragon, O Submarino Voador; Brazil)

Theatrical releases

  • Japan - December 22, 1963  [view poster]Japanese 1963 poster; August 1, 1968 (re-release)[4]  [view poster]Japanese 1968 poster
  • United States - December 1964  [view poster]American poster
  • Canada - February 3, 1965
  • Italy - 1964
  • Thailand - 1964
  • United Kingdom - 1964
  • Mexico - September 9, 1965
  • West Germany - November 12, 1965
  • France - 1965
  • Spain - 1965

Foreign releases

U.S. release

U.S. Atragon poster

American International Pictures gave Atragon a successful theatrical release in the United States beginning in 1964, with minimal changes and an English dub recorded by Titra Studios.[1] The film's U.S. title Atragon, derived from Toho's international title Atoragon, seems to have been intended as a new name for Manda, combining the words "atomic dragon" or "Atlantis dragon." However, Titra's dubbing and AIP's promotional materials refer to the Gotengo by this name instead. This shortening from four to three syllables was the choice of AIP, since several foreign markets released the film as Atoragon (Mexico) and Ataragon (France). Although the film was in constant television syndication until the early 1980s, Atragon was not released on home video in the United States until Media Blasters' DVD in 2005, which included both the original Japanese audio track and the international English dub for the film.

Box office

With a ¥175,000,000 gross, Atragon was Toho's most successful film of the 1963-1964 winter holiday season.[2][3]

Video releases

Toho VHS (1982)

  • Tapes: 1
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Notes: First home video release of a Toho science-fiction film.

Toho DVD (2003)

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese (Mono, 5.1 Surround remix)
  • Subtitles: Japanese
  • Special features: Audio commentary by assistant director Koji Kajita, 75-minute version of the film released to theaters with Destroy All Monsters, trailer
  • Notes: Re-released on November 8, 2013, in a limited edition and on July 15, 2015, as part of the Toho DVD Masterpiece Selection.

Tokyo Shock DVD (2006)

  • Region: 1
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese (Mono, 5.1 Surround remix), English (Mono, 5.1 Surround remix; international dub)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Special features: Audio commentary by assistant director Koji Kajita, trailers
  • Notes: Out of print.

Toho Blu-ray (2010)

  • Region: A
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese (LPCM Mono and 5.1 Surround remix)
  • Subtitles: Japanese
  • Special features: Audio commentary by assistant director Koji Kajita and Takeshi Furuta, 75-minute version of the film released to theaters with Destroy All Monsters, Roaring Sky Encyclopedia, trailer

Videos

Trailers

Japanese trailer
U.S. trailer
U.S. TV trailer
West German trailer

Miscellaneous

Unused special effects footage of the
Gotengo and the Mu Submarine

Trivia

  • Atragon was theatrically released in Japan on a double feature with Operation Crazy Hong Kong and was re-released in Japan on August 1, 1968, on a double feature with Destroy All Monsters, where it was edited down to 75 minutes.[5] The re-release version is included as a special feature on Toho's DVD and Blu-ray releases.
  • In 1983, Masahiko Katto created a fan-made sequel to Atragon titled Continuation: Atragon (続海底軍艦,   Zoku Kaitei Gunkan).
  • This film's titular warship, the Gotengo, has appeared in numerous pieces of media since its debut, including the films Godzilla Final Wars and Super Fleet Sazer-X the Movie, and several Godzilla-related video games. Two craft inspired by the Gotengo, the Gohten and the Ra, appear in the film The War in Space and the two-part OVA Super Atragon, respectively.
  • Manda, the sea serpent kaiju introduced in this film, would later be featured in the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters, and would go on to become one of Godzilla's numerous kaiju co-stars in both film and non-film media.

References

This is a list of references for Atragon. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Craig, Rob (2019). American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 43. ISBN 9781476666310.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Steve Ryfle and Ed Godzizewski (2017). Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film. Wesleyan University Press. p. 203-204. ISBN 9780819577412.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Atragon: A Toho Classic Revisited" by Ed Godziszewski, published in G-FAN #21 (May/June 1996)
  4. ↑ Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 251. ISBN 9780810860049.
  5. ↑ Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works. villagebooks. 28 September 2012. p. 74. ISBN 4864910138.

Films
 
Godzilla films
Showa era
Heisei era
Millennium era
Reiwa era
American films
Short films
 
King Kong films
King Kong (1933) • Son of Kong (1933) • King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) • King Kong Escapes (1967) • King Kong (1976) • King Kong Lives (1986) • The Mighty Kong (1998) • Kong: King of Atlantis (2005) • King Kong (2005) • Kong: Return to the Jungle (2006) • Kong: Skull Island (2017) • Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) • Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
 
Other Toho films
Shōwa period
Ramayana (1940s) • Invisible Man (1954) • Half Human (1955) • Rodan (1956) • The Mysterians (1957) • The H-Man (1958) • Varan (1958) • The Three Treasures (1959) • Battle in Outer Space (1959) • The Secret of the Telegian (1960) • The Human Vapor (1960) • Mothra (1961) • The Last War (1961) • Gorath (1962) • Matango (1963) • Atragon (1963) • Dogora (1964) • Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965) • The War of the Gargantuas (1966) • The Killing Bottle (1967) • Latitude Zero (1969) • Konto 55: The Great Outer Space Adventure (1969) • Space Amoeba (1970) • Daigoro vs. Goliath (1972) • Submersion of Japan (1973) • ESPY (1974) • Prophecies of Nostradamus (1974) • The War in Space (1977) • Magnitude 7.9 (1980) • Bye-Bye Jupiter (1984) • Princess from the Moon (1987)
Heisei period
Reiwa period
 
Other Japanese films
Shōwa period
Heisei period
Reiwa period
 
Miscellaneous
Films
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) • The Giant Behemoth (1959) • Gorgo (1961) • Bulgasari (1962) • Gogola (1966) • Space Monster Wangmagwi (1967) • Yongary, Monster from the Deep (1967) • A*P*E (1976) • The Mighty Peking Man (1977) • Pulgasari (1985) • Reptilian (1999) • Cloverfield (2008) • 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) • Colossal (2016) • The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) • Rampage (2018) • Notzilla (2019) • untitled Cloverfield sequel (TBA)
Documentaries
Fan films
Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969) • Gamera 4: Truth (2003) • Waiting for Gorgo (2009) • G vs. G (2019) • Godziban (2019) • Heritage (2020) • Coming Out (2020) • Wolfman vs. Godzilla (TBA)

 
 
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