Atragon (1963)

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Atragon
The Japanese poster for Atragon
Directed by Ishiro Honda
Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka
Written by Shigeru Komatsuzaki,
Shunro Oshikawa (Original story),
Shinichi Sekizawa
Music by Akira Ifukube
Distributor TohoJP
American International PicturesUS[1]
Rating Not Rated
Box office ¥175,000,000[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)

Atragon (海底軍艦,   Kaitei Gunkan, lit. Undersea Warship) is a 1963 tokusatsu science-fiction and fantasy film produced by Toho, loosely based on the 1900 Japanese adventure novel The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure written by Shunro Oshikawa. The film was released to Japanese theaters on December 22, 1963 and to American theaters on March 11, 1965.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Makoto and Susumu are taken before the 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.

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.

Staff

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

Cast

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

  • Tadao Takashima   as   Susumu Hatanaka
  • Yoko Fujiyama   as   Makoto Jinguji
  • Yu Fujiki   as   Yoshito Nishibe
  • Jun Tazaki   as   Hachiro Jinguji
  • Ken Uehara   as   Admiral Kusumi
  • Kenji Sahara   as   Uoto Unno
  • Hiroshi Koizumi   as   Detective Ito
  • Akihiko Hirata   as   Mu Agent #23
  • Yoshibumi Tajima   as   Tome Amanoshome
  • Hideyo Amamoto   as   High Priest of Mu
  • Tetsuko Kobayashi   as   Mu Empress
  • Hisaya Ito   as   Shindo
  • Susumu Fujita   as   Self Defense Force Commander
  • Minoru Takada   as   Government Official
  • Ikio Sawamura   as   Taxi Driver
  • Akemi Kita   as   Rimako
  • Nadao Kirino   as   Kidnapped Scientist
  • Tetsu Nakamura   as   Warship Captain
  • Yukihiko Gondo   as   Military Official
  • Yutaka Nakayama   as   Sailor
  • Shin Otomo   as   Government Official
  • Koji Uno   as   Police Officer
  • Wataru Omae   as   Police Officer
  • Katsumi Tezuka   as   Mu Henchman
  • Shoichi Hirose   as   Mu Henchman
  • Yasuzo Ogawa   as   Mu Henchman
  • Osman Yusuf   as   Mu Henchman

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   as   Admiral Kosumi[1]
  • Kenneth Harvey   as   Detective Ito
  • Jack Curtis   as   Mu Agent #23
  • Peter Fernandez   as   Hachiro Jinguji's Lieutenant[1]

Appearances

Monsters

Weapons, Vehicles, and Races


Gallery

Main article: Atragon (film)/Gallery.

Soundtrack

Main article: Atragon (Soundtrack).

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 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.

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.

Alternate Titles

  • Undersea Battleship (Literal Japanese title)
  • Giant Dragon Manda (巨竜マンダ,   Kyoryū Manda, Japanese 8mm title)
  • Atoragon (International title)
  • Ataragon (France)
  • 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)

Theatrical Releases

  • Japan - December 22, 1963; August 1, 1968 (Re-Release)[3]
  • Italy - 1964
  • United States - March 11, 1965
  • Mexico - September 9, 1965
  • West Germany - November 12, 1965
  • Barcelona, Spain - May 1, 1967
  • Madrid, Spain - August 24, 1968

U.S. Release

American Atragon poster

American International Pictures gave Atragon a successful U.S. theatrical release in 1965 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, 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 foreign markets released the film as Atoragon (Mexico) 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).

Videos

Japanese Atragon trailer
American Atragon trailers
German Atragon trailer

Video Releases

Tokyo Shock (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

  • 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, as well as the OVA Super Atragon (as the Ra) and several Godzilla-related video games.
  • 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.
  • Atragon was re-released in Japan on August 1, 1968, as a co-feature to Toho's Destroy All Monsters, in which Manda also appeared. The film was edited down to 75 minutes. The re-release version is included as a special feature on Toho's Blu-ray release.
  • In 1995 and 1996, Toho released a two-part animated adaptation of this film titled Super Atragon.

Comments

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  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. Steve Ryfle and Ed Godzizewski (2017). Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film. Wesleyan University Press. p. 204. ISBN 9780819577412.
  3. Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 251. ISBN 9780810860049.