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|type1      =Dark
|type1      =Dark
|type2      =Water
|type2      =Water
|header      ={{Toho}} {{Kaijup}} {{Film}}
|image      =Snowman.jpg
|image      =Snowman.jpg
|caption    =The Japanese poster for Half Human
|caption    =The Japanese poster for Half Human
|dt          =''Half Human'' (1955)
|dt          =''Half Human'' (1955)
|name        =''Half Human''|titles=yes|alt-titles=yes
|name        =''Half Human''|titles=yes|alt-titles=yes
|jp-title    =''Monster Snowman'' (1955)
|jp-title    =''The Beastman Snowman'' (1955)
|intl-title  =''The Snowman'' (1955)
|director    =[[Ishiro Honda]]
|director    =[[Ishiro Honda]]
|producer    =[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]
|producer    =[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]
|writer      =[[Takeo Murata]], Shigeru Kayama
|writer      ={{bl|[[Takeo Murata]] (screenplay)|[[Shigeru Kayama]] (story)}}
|composer    =[[Masaru Sato]]
|composer    =[[Masaru Sato]]
|distributor =[[Toho]]{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}<br>DCA{{sup|[[United States|US]]}}
|distributor =[[Toho]]{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}, DCA{{sup|[[United States|US]]}}
|rating      =Not Rated
|rating      =Not Rated
|runtime    =94 minutes{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}<br>{{Small|(1 hour, 34 minutes)}}<br>63 minutes{{sup|[[United States|US]]}}<br>{{Small|(1 hour, 3 minutes)}}
|runtime    =94 minutes{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}<br>{{Small|(1 hour, 34 minutes)}}<br>63 minutes{{sup|[[United States|US]]}}<br>{{Small|(1 hour, 3 minutes)}}
|aspectratio =1.37:1  
|aspectratio =1.37:1{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}<br>1.66:1{{sup|[[United States|US]]}}
}}
}}
{{Quote|Is it a demon or a primitive man? A horrible giant beastman with superhuman strength, it's the [[Snowman]]!|parenthetical=魔か原始人か？怪力と戦慄の巨獣人、これが雪男だ！|Tagline}}
{{Quote|Is it a demon or a primitive man? A horrible giant beastman with superhuman strength, it's the [[Snowman]]!|parenthetical=魔か原始人か？怪力と戦慄の巨獣人、これが雪男だ！|Tagline}}
{{Quote|Ah! A moment of fright! The giant beastman Snowman suddenly stamps through the snow of the Alps, approaching humanity!|parenthetical=あッ！驚愕の一瞬！忽然アルプスの雪を蹴って巨獣人雪男人間に迫る！|Tagline}}
{{Quote|Ah! A moment of fright! The giant beastman Snowman suddenly stamps through the snow of the Alps, approaching humanity!|parenthetical=あッ！驚愕の一瞬！忽然アルプスの雪を蹴って巨獣人雪男人間に迫る！|Tagline}}
{{Quote|1400 POUNDS OF FROZEN FURY that moves like man! HALF-MAN, HALF-BEAST but <u>ALL MONSTER</u>!|American tagline}}
{{Quote|1400 POUNDS OF FROZEN FURY that moves like man! HALF-MAN, HALF-BEAST but <u>ALL MONSTER</u>!|American tagline}}
'''''Half Human''''' {{Nihongo|獣人雪男|Jūjin Yuki Otoko|lit. ''Monster Snowman''}} is a [[1955]] [[tokusatsu]] [[kaiju]] [[:Category:Kaiju Films|film]] produced by [[Toho]]. It was released to [[Japan]]ese theaters on August 14, 1955, and to [[United States|American]] theaters on May 17, 1957.
'''''Half Human''''' {{Nihongo|獣人雪男|Jūjin Yuki Otoko|lit. "''The Beastman Snowman''"}} is a [[1955]] [[tokusatsu]] [[kaiju]] [[:Category:Kaiju Films|film]] directed by [[Ishiro Honda]] and written by [[Takeo Murata]] from a story by [[Shigeru Kayama]], with special effects by [[Eiji Tsuburaya]]. Produced by [[Toho]], it was the company's first kaiju film since the previous year's ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1954). It stars [[Akira Takarada]], Akemi Negishi, [[Momoko Kochi]], Nobuo Nakamura, and Sachio Sakai. The film was released to [[Japan]]ese theaters by Toho on August 14, 1955, while [[Toho International]] had brought an English-subtitled print to select American theaters as '''''The Snowman''''' by February [[1956]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=List of Toho Pictures Exported Abroad|magazine=Toho Films|volume=2|date=c. 1956|publisher=[[Toho]]|page=48}}</ref> [[wikipedia:Distributors Corporation of America|DCA]] later released a heavily edited English-language version of the film to wider American theaters on May 17, [[1957]] as a double feature with ''[[wikipedia:Monster from Green Hell|Monster from Green Hell]]''.
{{TOC}}
{{TOC}}
The Japanese version is told in flashbacks framed by scenes of a reporter questioning the expedition after they have returned from their harrowing ordeal in the mountains.
==Plot==
It is a dark and stormy night. A mountaineering club from Towa University has returned from a trip to the Japanese Alps, traumatized and wounded by an encounter with a so-called “monster” responsible for the death of their friend Takeno and several others. A news reporter arrives to interview them about the experience, and Takeshi Iijima begins to recall the events.


Five young friends, university students, have come to the Japanese Alps in Nagano during New Year's for a skiing vacation. Among them are Takashi Iijima (Akira Takarada) his girlfriend Machiko Takeno (Momoko Kochi), her elder brother Kiyoshi Takeno (Tadashi Okabe) and their friends Nakada (Sachio Saki) and Kaji.
The club was going skiing in the Japanese Alps for a New Year’s vacation at the time. After a day of skiing, Takeno and Kaji go off to find Mr. Gen’s cabin and promise to meet up with Iijima and the others back at Mr. Matsui’s lodge. The two groups go off on their separate ways and the one going to the lodge successfully arrive, but an unexpected snowstorm begins before Takeno and Kaji can reach their destination. Worried about his friends, Iijima attempts to call Mr. Gen, but it doesn’t go through. Suddenly, Machiko, Takeno’s sister and Iijima’s girlfriend, spots a figure wearing fur clothing outside the lodge, who quickly enters and is revealed to be a village woman named Chika, who takes refuge. She informs the group that an avalanche occured in the Burning Hell Valley, which is en route to Mr. Gen’s place. The storm does not seem to be letting up and the group is getting anxious when the phone suddenly rings. Picking it up, the club is greeted with screaming and the roars of a ferocious animal, followed by a single gunshot and silence. Chika quickly packs her things and leaves, unbeknownst to the group.


Rather than the five of them skiing together, Kiyoshi announces that he will follow Kaji to the cabin of a mutual friend named Gen, and then meet the other three at the inn. Takashi, Michiko, and Nakada arrive at the inn, welcomed by the manager Matsui (Akira Sera), who informs them that a blizzard is approaching.
The next day, a rescue party sets out to find Mr. Gen’s home. When they arrive, they find him dead, the victim of an apparent home invasion by a mysterious creature, as evident by massive footprints leading out the door. They first speculate that it was a bear, but the footprints are too human to match that description. Machiko finds Takeno’s coat, Mr. Matsui finds another item belonging to Kaji, and pieces of fur are found along the door frame. Kaji’s dead body is found outside by the rescue party, and the club members mourn. Night falls as the club searches for Takeno, but their search yields no results. Later, Dr. Koizumi, a zoologist, explains that he is unable to identify the fur of the creature that attacked Gen’s cabin, and other party members suggest it could be the legendary Abominable Snowman. The club and Koizumi agree to wait for spring to continue the investigation.


The caretaker tries to telephone the remote cabin, but nobody answers. He tries to hide his concern, but nobody is fooled. While Takashi takes over trying to ring the cabin, Machiko stares out the window into the deepening storm. She catches sight of a shadowy figure shambling toward the lodge: a fur-clad young woman named Chika (Akemi Negishi), who lives in a remote village somewhere deep in the mountains. Chika is none too pleased to see so many visitors in the lodge, since the people of her village shun all contact with outsiders. However, the night is so brutal that she has little choice but to join them if she wants to stay warm. There is still no response from the cabin; and the little group is horrified to hear the sound of an avalanche thundering down a nearby slope. The lodge telephone starts ringing. Machiko runs to the phone; but no sooner has she put it up to her ear when she throws it back down again in horror. Through the earpiece comes the sound of screams, followed by a single gunshot. There is a moment of silence. Takashi picks up the receiver, he hears another agonized scream and the line goes dead. Chika puts her furs back on and slips away, unnoticed by the others.
Spring arrives, and Dr. Koizumi and the mountaineering club arrive at Matsui’s lodge. A shifty little man reports the arrival of the group to his boss, Oba, who is also searching for the creature for his carnival, and his own group packs up and leaves. The club sets out even deeper in the Alps, Oba and his gang spying on them. The mountaineers plan their next destination for the following day, Garan Valley, something that worries their two guides as no one has ever returned from the place, and they refuse to go any further. Iijima encourages Koizumi that they should go there anyway, determined to discover what happened to Takeno. As the club sings around the campfire, a mysterious bearded man watches them from afar.


The next day, as soon as the weather clears, a rescue party goes off to find Gen and Kaji. Gen is found dead on the cabin floor while Kaji's body has been dragged out into the snow. Their injuries suggest they were attacked by something far stronger than a man. Of the elder Takeno, though, there is no sign. Takashi and Nakata find strange tufts of hair around the cabin, as though whatever had left them was absurdly large. But most disturbing of all are the enormous bare footprints leading off into the snow. The search team splits up, with one group bringing the dead men back to the lodge and the other continuing the search for Kiyoshi. By nightfall, there is still no sign of Kiyoshi and the leader of the rescue team informs the others that they will have to return to Tōkyo until the snow thaws.
One day later, the group manages to survive a landslide after finding the remains of an animal that was attacked by the creature. A monstrous roar further confirms Koizumi’s suspicions of the likelihood of an unknown creature living in the area. That night, the Snowman reaches inside Machiko’s tent and strokes her face, her screams sending it running. Iijima gets separated from the rest of the club as they pursue the beast and he’s forced to find his way back with a limp after taking a nasty fall. He is then attacked by Oba’s gang and pushed off the side of a cliff.


Six months later, the snow on the mountains have thawed enough for a proper search to be mounted, Takashi and Machiko return to the Japanese Alps with anthropologist Professor Shigeki Koizumi (Nobue Nakamura) as leader of the expedition. There is little hope of Kiyoshi having survived, a fact which Machiko seems to have come to terms with; but if there is some clue what happened to him and the others, Takashi is determined to find it. Determining Kiyoshi's fate, though, is almost incidental to Koizumi's intentions: the main focus of the expedition is to find out if there is a previously unknown bipedal primate lurking in the area.
Takeshi Iijima wakes up to find himself on the floor of a village hut, having been rescued by Chika. The bearded man, who was spying on the club earlier, is angry with Chika for bringing Iijima to the village, and she is ostracized by her fellow villagers. As punishment, she brings food to the Snowman and its offspring, who are regarded as deities. She returns to find Iijima missing, and is beaten by the elder when she demands to know where he is. Iijima awakens to find himself tied up and hanging over a ravine.


When the party arrives at an inn, Machiko is distracted by a monkey in a cage. As she stops to feed it some treats, the shifty little man who seems to own the animal turns to the innkeeper and asks him who the Koizumi expedition might be.
Chika sadly watches from afar, Oba and one of his lackeys attempt to sneak up behind her, but she turns to face them before they can do anything. She mistakes them for members of the mountaineering club, and denies knowing the existence of the Snowman when asked by Oba. He sneakily earns her trust by telling her he will lead her to the rest of the club if she tells him the location of the Snowman; she reluctantly agrees, and he also gives her a ring. The Snowman discovers Iijima, hoists him up from the ravine and unties him, then walks away, leaving him confused. Meanwhile, the village elder beats Chika until she gives him the ring she received from Oba.


The innkeeper explains that this is a famous zoologist from the city who will be spending some time in the area. As soon as the innkeeper's back is turned, the little man sneaks out of the room and goes to find his boss. His boss is Ōba (Yoshio Kosugi), an animal broker of less-than-sterling reputation. His job is to capture animals for circuses and he has heard stories of one animal in particular that account for his presence here. When his lackey tells him a university scientist has come with a fully equipped expedition, Ōba has no trouble guessing what he is looking for. Ōba had thought he had the area to himself. But there may be an upside to Koizumi's competition. Ōba and his men can follow the expedition surreptitiously, make use of Koizumi's knowledge of the local wildlife and sneak in ahead of him when they start getting close to their target. Little does Ōba know that he is not the only one following Koizumi's progress. As the expedition gets further into the mountains, a white-bearded old man and his oddly shaped sidekick watch them warily.
Oba and his men discover the Snowman’s cave and captures the young Snowman, who is used to bait the adult Snowman into a trap. The trap is successful, the adult is chloroformed and the child escapes. Later, Oba encounters the villagers and shoots the elder when he lunges to attack him. The wounded elder’s words to Chika as he fades into unconsciousness are that she brought terrible evil to the village.


Late one night, as the expedition tries to get some sleep after the day's misfortunes, a very large shadow falls across Machiko's tent. A face of an ape-like creature appears at the tent window. The creature reaches into the tent and touches Machiko's face, causing her to wake up and scream. The Snowman runs off into the forest, while Takashi chases after him. Takashi loses his way and takes a bad fall. As he stumbles back to the campfire that he believes marks the expedition site, he is astonished to find himself surrounded by Ōba and his cronies. Ōba's men give Takashi a beating and casually toss him into a lethally deep ravine.
Later still, the adult Snowman is caged and carried away on a truck. The young Snowman catches up with the truck and attempts to break the adult free, but is stopped by Oba’s men and thrown into the same cage. The adult eventually wakes up and kills the truck driver by reaching through the cage. Oba shoots at the adult, but accidentally kills the child. Enraged, the Snowman pushes the now-stopped truck over the side of the cliff and kills Oba. Holding the lifeless body of its offspring, the Snowman returns to its cave. That night, the Snowman rampages through the village, tearing down houses and setting everything ablaze. By now Iijima has found his way back to the mountaineer club’s camp, and he recalls his experience with the Snowman. The village fires are visible from the camp, and the roars of the Snowman indicate it is getting closer to them. Iijima mistakenly believes the creature is docile, and one of the party members gets injured by it. Trying to save their injured friend, they leave Machiko back at the camp, who screams and faints as the Snowman finds her, allowing it to carry her off.


Takashi is found at the bottom of the cliff by none other than Chika, the girl who appeared and disappeared so mysteriously during the snowstorm. Chika brings him back to her village, a place so isolated that it has had little or no contact with the outside world for generations and the population has become inbred and disfigured. There she tends to his wounds as he regains consciousness. She is the granddaughter of the white-bearded old village chief (Kokuten Kodo). When the village finds out Chika has brought an outsider into their midst, they become furious; but the chief, pretending to be reasonable, sends Chika out to bring an offering of game to the Snowman, who the villagers worship as a deity, while he confers with the others. She takes her grandfather at his word and leaves Takashi alone with them. They bind and gag him and hang him off a cliff to be eaten by the vultures. When Chika gets back, she is horrified to find Takashi gone. When she confronts her grandfather, the old man castigates her, both for defying tradition and for challenging his authority. He also beats her viciously with a stick.
The following morning sees the group finding the smoldering remains of the village. The group meets Chika, who tells them the elder was killed by the “mountain lord,” and she agrees to lead them to it. Armed with rifles, the mountaineer club enters the cave of the Snowman and finds the skeletal remains of Takeno, which upsets his little brother, Shinsuke. Contents from Takeno’s journal reveal that the Snowman rescued and fed him, but he ultimately died regardless. The group ventures further into the cave and finds the body of the Snowman’s child and a pile of bones, as well as mushrooms that Dr. Koizumi theorizes were the source of their food. He comes to the conclusion that the Snowman's species has been looking for companionship and has set out into the Alps many times out of loneliness, which led to a member of its species going berserk and killing Kaji and Mr. Gen last season. The Snowman appears before them, carrying an unconscious Machiko, but flees as they fire at it. The group pursues the Snowman and manage to corner it in a large room, the creature standing in front of a bubbling pit of sulfuric acid. Chika attempts to approach the beast, and it lets Machiko go. As Chika struggles with the Snowman, a group member opens fire on it and the monster collapses with her into the pit.


Chika goes off on her own up the mountain to nurse her injuries. Sitting alone on a rocky path, she runs into Ōba and his henchman. She mistakes them from members of Koizumi's party out looking for Takashi. Ōba seizes the opportunity to try to worm his way into the girl's trust. He trades her a shiny silver ring for some information on where the Snowman can be found. The gift of the ring persuades her and Chika marks the spot for Ōba by throwing a stone across the valley.
Flashing forward to the present, the news reporter thanks the group for their account on the incident and remarks “It looks like the rain has stopped.” The film ends with a shot of the Japanese Alps.
 
Meanwhile, the Snowman is on his way back to its cave, with a freshly killed deer over his shoulder, when he sees Takashi hanging off a cliff by a rope. The beast calmly puts down the deer, pulls Takashi back up, unties his hands, shoulders the deer again and walks off without a second glance. Ōba and his men lug their traps and equipment up the mountain to the creature's lair. But when they get there, they make an astonishing discovery: there is a juvenile Snowman playing by the cave entrance. Ōba's eyes light up with fiendish inspiration: they will trap the young Snowman and use it as bait to capture the adult! The Snowman comes back a little while later and is horrified to find the cave empty. As he searches frantically for the little creature, Ōba's men remove the gag from the juvenile's mouth; its cries bring the Snowman storming back out of the cave. A heavy net falls on it, trapping the creature, and Ōba's men use chloroform to knock him out.
 
Back in the village, Chika is still being punished for breaking the rules; and in the course of her punishment, her grandfather finds the ring. Chika admits that she has told the outsiders about the Snowman's lair. The old man and the other villagers arrive at the cave just in time to see Ōba preparing the unconscious beast for transport. When the old chief tries to intervene, Ōba shoots him. Terrified, the remaining villagers can do little more than jeer impotently and throw stones as the outsiders drag the Snowman away. The young creature has managed to slip out of his bonds and run away.
 
Ōba is at first too excited by capturing the adult creature, and later too busy fending off the locals, to notice that the little beast has escaped. But the young creature has no intention of running away. When the truck carrying the Snowman starts off down the mountain, the juvenile springs onto the platform and works at undoing the ropes. Ōba finds himself the last surviving human as the adult creature begins to break his way out of the cage. In the chaos that results, Ōba ends up killing the juvenile Snowman. The adult grabs Ōba and throws him to a gruesome death. With its offspring dead, the Snowman, enraged and full of grief, runs back to the village and destroys it.
 
Takashi makes it back to the camp and tells his story to his companions. The Snowman is then heard approaching their camp. The beast grabs Machiko while she is adding logs to the fire. The next day, the expedition spots smoke in the distance. They find the smoldering remnants of the village and Chika. Chika tells them about what happened and Takashi asks her where the Snowman's cave is. She then leads them to the cave. There, they find the bones of Kiyoshi, as well as the fragments of his journal. According to the last, fragmentary journal entries, Kiyoshi had been tracking the creature when he was caught in an avalanche. The Snowman had actually tried to save Kiyoshi's life, giving the injured man food and shelter. Going further into the cave, the party finds a large pile of bones of other Snowmen. Koizumi finds poisonous mushrooms growing near the bones and speculates that eating these mushrooms may have killed off the Snowman population.
 
The creature storms in with Machiko over his shoulder. They chase the beast further into the cave, until it stops by a pit of boiling sulfur. Chika comes to the rescue, attacking the Snowman with her knife; she distracts the creature enough that Takashi is able to get a clear shot at it. The mortally wounded Snowman grabs Chika and drags her down with him as he plunges into the sulfur pit to certain death.<ref name="">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_Human]</ref>


==Staff==
==Staff==
Line 61: Line 52:
{{Staffs
{{Staffs
|Directed by|[[Ishiro Honda]]
|Directed by|[[Ishiro Honda]]
|Written by|[[Takeo Murata]] and Shigeru Kayama
|Written by|[[Takeo Murata]]
|Produced by|[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]
|Based on a story by|[[Shigeru Kayama]]
|Executive producer|[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]
|Music by|[[Masaru Sato]]
|Music by|[[Masaru Sato]]
|Cinematography by|Tadashi Imura
|Cinematography by|Tadashi Imura
|Edited by|Shuichi Anbara
|Edited by|Shuichi Anbara
|Production Design by|Tatsuo Kita
|Production design by|Tatsuo Kita
|Assistant Directing by|Kihachi Okamoto
|First assistant director|Kihachi Okamoto
|Special Effects by|[[Eiji Tsuburaya]], [[Akira Watanabe]], Hiroshi Mukoyama, and Masao Shirota
|Director of special effects|[[Eiji Tsuburaya]]
|First assistant director of special effects|[[Masakatsu Asai]] (uncredited)
}}
===[[United States|U.S.]] version===
{{Staffs|notice=no
|Directed by|Kenneth G. Crane
|Script supervisor|Francis Steens
|Associate producers|Robert B. Homel, Minoru Sakamoto
|Cinematography by|Lucien Andriot
|Edited by|Kenneth G. Crane
|Art director|Nicolai Remisoff
|Assistant director|Hal Klein
}}
}}
==Cast==
==Cast==
Line 79: Line 82:
|Nobuo Nakamura|Professor Koizumi
|Nobuo Nakamura|Professor Koizumi
|Sachio Sakai|Nakata, alpine club member
|Sachio Sakai|Nakata, alpine club member
|Kuninori Kodo|Tribal Chief
|Kuninori Kodo|tribal chief
|Yoshio Kosugi|Oba, animal broker
|Yoshio Kosugi|Oba, animal broker
|Akira Tani|Chubby Thug, Oba's men
|Akira Tani|chubby thug, part of Oba's men
|Kenji Kasahara|Shinsuke Takeno, Machiko's younger brother
|Kenji Kasahara|Shinsuke Takeno, Machiko's younger brother
|Senkichi Omura|Villager
|Senkichi Omura|villager
|Toshitsugu Suzuki|Kurihara, alpine club member (as Koji Suzuki)
|Toshitsugu Suzuki|Kurihara, alpine club member (as Koji Suzuki)
|Ren Yamamoto|Shinagawa, alpine club member
|Ren Yamamoto|Shinagawa, alpine club member
Line 89: Line 92:
|Yasuhisa Tsutsumi|Kodama, reporter
|Yasuhisa Tsutsumi|Kodama, reporter
|Tadashi Okabe|Takeno, Machiko' older brother
|Tadashi Okabe|Takeno, Machiko' older brother
|Etsuro Saijo|Mountain guide
|Etsuro Saijo|mountain guide
|Kamayuki Tsubono|Mountain guide
|Kamayuki Tsubono|mountain guide
|Akira Yamada|Kaji, alpine club member
|Akira Yamada|Kaji, alpine club member
|[[Shoichi Hirose]]|Mountain Searcher
|[[Shoichi Hirose]]|mountain searcher
|Yutaka Nakayama|Thug, Oba's men
|Yutaka Nakayama|thug, part of Oba's men
|Ichiro Chiba|Chief policeman
|Ichiro Chiba|chief policeman
|Kihachi Okamoto|Mountain Searcher
|Kihachi Okamoto|mountain searcher
|Takuzo Kumagai|Policeman (as Jiro Kumagai)
|Takuzo Kumagai|policeman (as Jiro Kumagai)
|[[Haruo Nakajima]]|Mountain Searcher
|[[Haruo Nakajima]]|mountain searcher
}}
}}
{{Col-2}}
{{Col-2}}
{{Cast|notice=no
{{Cast|notice=no
|Shigeo Kato|Villager
|Shigeo Kato|villager
|Akio Kusama|Villager
|Akio Kusama|villager
|Rinsaku Ogata|Mountain guide
|Rinsaku Ogata|mountain guide
|Keiichiro Katsumoto|Villager
|Keiichiro Katsumoto|villager
*Koichi Sato
*Koichi Sato
*Kazuo Fukuda
*Kazuo Fukuda
|Hiroshi Akitsu|Stationmaster
|Hiroshi Akitsu|stationmaster
|Kyoko Ozawa|Villager
|Kyoko Ozawa|villager
|Fuminori Ohashi|[[Snowman]]
|Akira Kitchoji|villager (as Hikaru Kitchoji)
|Takashi Ito|[[Snowman's Child]]
|Yasumasa Onishi|thug, part of Oba's men (as Yasuo Onishi)
|Akira Kitchoji|Villager (as Hikaru Kitchoji)
|Ryutaro Amami|mountain searcher
|Yasumasa Onishi|Thug, Oba's men (as Yasuo Onishi)
|Kenzo Echigo|mountain searcher
|Ryutaro Amami|Mountain searcher
|Kazuo Hinata|station employee
|Kenzo Echigo|Mountain searcher
|Tsurue Ichimanji|villager
|Kazuo Hinata|Station employee
|Toku Ihara|mountain searcher
|Tsurue Ichimanji|Villager
|Kawamata Kiichi|mountain searcher
|Toku Ihara|Mountain searcher
|Eisuke Nakanishi|mountain searcher
|Kawamata Kiichi|Mountain searcher
|Shigemi Sunagawa|policeman
|Eisuke Nakanishi|Mountain searcher
|Jiro Suzukawa|mountain searcher
|Shigemi Sunagawa|Policeman
|Masaaki Tachibana|mountain searcher
|Jiro Suzukawa|Mountain searcher
|Hideo Otsuka|mountain searcher
|Masaaki Tachibana|Mountain searcher
|[[Fuminori Ohashi]]|[[Snowman]] (as Sanshiro Sagara)<ref name="Sagara" group="lower-alpha">While Sanshiro Sagara was a known pseudonym of [[Fuminori Ohashi]], there are conflicting reports as to whether this Sagara was a different person entirely, and [[Toho]] claimed that Sagara was chosen from a nationwide contest to portray the creature.</ref>
|Hideo Otsuka|Mountain searcher
|Takashi Ito|[[Snowman's child]]
}}
}}
{{Col-end}}
{{Col-end}}
===[[United States|U.S.]] version===
{{Cast|notice=no
|[[wikipedia:John Carradine|John Carradine]]|Dr. John Rayburn, anthropologist
|[[wikipedia:Russell Thorson|Russell Thorson]]|Professor Philip Osbourne
|[[wikipedia:Robert Karnes|Robert Karnes]]|Professor Alan Templeton
|[[wikipedia:Morris Ankrum|Morris Ankrum]]|Dr. Carl Jordan
}}
==Appearances==
==Appearances==
===Monsters===
===Monsters===
*[[Snowman]]
*[[Snowman]]
*[[Snowman's Child]]
*[[Snowman's child]]
==Gallery==
==Gallery==
{{Main|Half Human/Gallery}}
{{Main|Half Human/Gallery}}
==Soundtrack==
==Soundtrack==
{{Main|Half Human (Soundtrack)}}
{{Main|Half Human/Soundtrack}}
==Alternate Titles==
==Alternate titles==
*'''''Snowman''''' (International Title)
*'''''The Snowman''''' (international title)
*'''''Monster Snowman''''' (Literal Japanese Title)
*'''''The Beastman Snowman''''' (literal Japanese title)
*'''''Beast Man Snowman''''' (Alternate Translation)
*'''''Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman''''' (alternate [[United States|U.S.]] title)
*'''''Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman''''' (Alternate American Title)
==Theatrical releases==
==Theatrical Releases==
*[[Japan]] - August 14, 1955
*[[Japan]] - August 14, 1955
*[[United States]] - May 17, 1957
*[[United States]] - May 22, 1957
*England - 1957
*Canada - August 8, 1957
*United Kingdom - 1957
*Sweden - July 10, 1958
*Sweden - July 10, 1958
==[[United States|U.S.]] Release==
[[File:Half Human American Poster 2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|American ''Half Human'' poster]]
In [[1958]], DCA acquired the rights to distribute ''Half Human'' in the [[United States]] in a double-bill with ''Monster from Green Hell''. Like what had been done with ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' and would later be done with ''[[Varan (film)|Varan]]'', the American version of the film added in newly-filmed scenes with western actors. The American version of ''Half Human'' removes several of the human scenes from the Japanese cut and replaces them with new footage featuring John Carradine, Robert Karnes, Russell Thorson, and Morris Ankrum where the [[Snowman's Child|baby Snowman]] is being dissected. Carradine's doctor character acts as a narrator who tells the events of the film through a flashback, similar to [[Raymond Burr]]'s role as [[Steve Martin]] in ''Godzilla, King of the Monsters!'' None of the Japanese characters are dubbed. Unlike the American edit of ''Godzilla'', the American version of this film was not well received and its edits have been widely criticized.


Due to Toho's self-imposed ban on its own cut of the film, the American edit of ''Half Human'' remains the only version of the film to be legitimately available on home video around the world.
==Foreign releases==
===[[United States|U.S.]] release===
[[File:Half Human American Poster 2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|U.S. ''Half Human'' poster]]
In [[1957]], [[wikipedia:Distributors Corporation of America|DCA]] acquired the rights to distribute ''Half Human'' in the [[United States]] and released it as a package with ''[[wikipedia:Monster from Green Hell|Monster from Green Hell]]'', also directed and edited by Kenneth G. Crane. As what had been done with ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' and what would later be done with both ''[[Varan (film)|Varan]]'' and ''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla]]'', the American version of the film added in newly-filmed scenes with Western actors. The American version of ''Half Human'' removes several of the human scenes from the Japanese cut and replaces them with new footage featuring [[wikipedia:John Carradine|John Carradine]], [[wikipedia:Robert Karnes|Robert Karnes]], [[wikipedia:Russell Thorson|Russell Thorson]], and [[wikipedia:Morris Ankrum|Morris Ankrum]] where the [[Snowman's child|baby Snowman]]'s carcass is being dissected. Carradine's doctor character acts as a narrator who tells the events of the film through a flashback, similar to [[Raymond Burr]]'s role as [[Steve Martin]] in ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)#U.S. release|Godzilla, King of the Monsters!]]''. None of the Japanese characters are dubbed. Unlike the American version of ''Godzilla'', the American version of this film was not well received at all and its edits have been widely criticized.
 
Due to Toho's self-imposed ban of its own cut of the film, the American version of ''Half Human'' remains the only version of the film to be legitimately available on home video around the world. It was released on VHS by [[wikipedia:Rhino Entertainment|Rhino Home Video]] and Englewood Entertainment in the 1990s (the latter release as part of the home video series ''The Wade Williams Collection''), while its sole DVD release to date came from [[wikipedia:Renown Pictures|Renown Pictures]] in 2021 as part of a six-film set.
{{Clear}}
{{Clear}}
==Video Releases==
 
'''Rhino Home Video''' VHS (1990)<ref name="Amazon1">[http://www.amazon.com/Half-Human-John-Carradine/dp/B00004WLTZ/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1420146781&sr=1-1&keywords=Half+Human Amazon.com: Half Human (1955) Rhino Home Video]</ref>
==Video releases==
*Audio: English
'''[[wikipedia:Rhino Entertainment|Rhino Home Video]]''' VHS (1990)<ref name="Amazon1">[http://www.amazon.com/Half-Human-John-Carradine/dp/B00004WLTZ/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1420146781&sr=1-1&keywords=Half+Human Amazon.com: Half Human (1955) Rhino Home Video]</ref>
'''Englewood Entetainment''' VHS (1998)<ref name="">[http://http://vhscollector.com/movie/half-human]</ref>
*'''Tapes''': 1
*Audio: English
*'''Audio''': English
 
'''Englewood Entertainment''' VHS (1998) [''The Wade Willams Collection'']<ref name="Englewood">[http://http://vhscollector.com/movie/half-human]</ref>
*'''Tapes''': 1
*'''Audio''': English
 
'''[[wikipedia:Renown Pictures|Renown Pictures]]''' DVD (2021) [''The Renown Pictures Monster Collection Volume 2'']<ref name="Renown">{{cite web|url=https://www.renownfilms.co.uk/product/the-renown-pictures-monster-collection-vol-2/|title=The Renown Pictures Monster Collection Vol 2|date=16 October 2021|work=Renown Pictures Ltd}}</ref>
*'''Region''': N/A
*'''Discs''': 2
*'''Audio''': English
*'''Subtitles''': English
*'''Special features''': None
*'''Notes''': Packaged with ''[[wikipedia:The Ape (1940 film)|The Ape]]'' (1940), ''[[wikipedia:The Bat (1959 film)|The Bat]]'' (1959), ''[[wikipedia:Creature from the Haunted Sea|Creature from the Haunted Sea]]'' (1961), ''[[wikipedia:Nabonga|Nabonga]]'' (1944), and ''[[wikipedia:Claws (film)|Claws]]'' (1977).
 
==Videos==
==Videos==
{{videos|
{{videos|
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">GCgNRcGMzXM</youtube>|''Half Human'' American trailer}}
{{vid|<dailymotion dimensions="300x149">x7fq44v</dailymotion>|Japanese ''Half Human'' video trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">GCgNRcGMzXM</youtube>|U.S. ''Half Human'' trailer}}
}}
}}


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*In [[Japan]], this film has been removed from circulation due to the original version depicting the inhabitants of the remote village as being deformed from generations of inbreeding as well as showing backwards and violent behavior. In the film’s dialogue, the word used for “village” is “buraku” {{Nihongo|部落}}, which is associated with Japan’s [[wikipedia:burakumin|Burakumin]] minority group. In the time since the film’s release, offensive portrayals of Burakumin have become a sensitive issue in Japan. To avoid causing offense, Toho has never issued it on any home video format. <ref name="RG">{{cite book|title=Ishiro Honda: a life in film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa|author=Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski |date=2017 |publisher=Wesleyan University Press|page=116-117}}</ref>
*In [[Japan]], this film has been removed from circulation due to the original version depicting the inhabitants of the remote village as being deformed from generations of inbreeding, as well as showing backward and violent behavior. In the film’s dialogue, the word used for “village” is “buraku” {{Nihongo|部落}}, which is associated with Japan’s ''[[wikipedia:Burakumin|burakumin]]'' minority group. In the time since the film’s release, offensive portrayals of the ''burakumin'' have become a sensitive issue in Japan. To avoid causing offense, Toho has never officially released it on any home video format in Japan.<ref name="RG">{{cite book|title=[[Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa]]|author=Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski |date=2017 |publisher=Wesleyan University Press|page=116-117}}</ref>
*Toho prepared a VHS release of ''Half Human'' in 1994 or 1995, but ultimately declined to sell it.<ref name="MZ">[http://www.scifijapan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=20371&p=435014&hilit=half+human+laserdisc#p435014]</ref> Bootlegs of this tape, which include a timecode on the top of the frame, are the only way to see the Japanese version of the film.
*Toho prepared a VHS release of ''Half Human'' in 1994 or 1995, but ultimately declined to sell it.<ref name="MZ">[http://www.scifijapan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=20371&p=435014&hilit=half+human+laserdisc#p435014]</ref> Gray market bootlegs of this release, which include an internal use timecode on the top of the frame, are the only way to see the Japanese version of the film outside of occasional screenings in Japan.
*''Half Human'' was the first non-[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]] [[kaiju]] film produced by [[Toho]], as well as the first film [[Ishiro Honda]] directed following ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]''.
*''Half Human'' was the first non-''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' [[kaiju]] film produced by [[Toho]], as well as the first film [[Ishiro Honda]] directed following ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1954).


==External Links==
==External links==
*[http://www.zomboscloset.com/zombos_closet_of_horror_b/2016/04/monster-from-green-hell-and-half-human-double-bill.html DCA pressbook for ''Monster from Green Hell'' and ''Half Human'']
*[http://www.zomboscloset.com/zombos_closet_of_horror_b/2016/04/monster-from-green-hell-and-half-human-double-bill.html DCA pressbook for ''Monster from Green Hell'' and ''Half Human'']
==Notes==
{{Notelist|lower-alpha}}
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Kaiju Movies}}
{{Kaiju Movies|tab=Toho}}
{{Comments}}
{{Comments}}
{{Era|TOH|SHO|KAI|SNW}}
{{Era|TOH|SHO|KAI|SNW}}

Latest revision as of 23:42, 5 March 2024

Article.png
Image gallery for Half Human
Credits for Half Human


Half Human
The Japanese poster for Half Human
Alternate titles
Flagicon Japan.png The Beastman Snowman (1955)
Flagicon global.png The Snowman (1955)
See alternate titles
Directed by Ishiro Honda
Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka
Written by
Music by Masaru Sato
Distributor TohoJP, DCAUS
Rating Not Rated
Running time 94 minutesJP
(1 hour, 34 minutes)
63 minutesUS
(1 hour, 3 minutes)
Aspect ratio 1.37:1JP
1.66:1US
Rate this film!
3.27
(15 votes)

“
Is it a demon or a primitive man? A horrible giant beastman with superhuman strength, it's the Snowman! (魔か原始人か？怪力と戦慄の巨獣人、これが雪男だ！)
„ 

— Tagline
“
Ah! A moment of fright! The giant beastman Snowman suddenly stamps through the snow of the Alps, approaching humanity! (あッ！驚愕の一瞬！忽然アルプスの雪を蹴って巨獣人雪男人間に迫る！)
„ 

— Tagline
“
1400 POUNDS OF FROZEN FURY that moves like man! HALF-MAN, HALF-BEAST but ALL MONSTER!
„ 

— American tagline

Half Human (獣人雪男,   Jūjin Yuki Otoko, lit. "The Beastman Snowman") is a 1955 tokusatsu kaiju film directed by Ishiro Honda and written by Takeo Murata from a story by Shigeru Kayama, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by Toho, it was the company's first kaiju film since the previous year's Godzilla (1954). It stars Akira Takarada, Akemi Negishi, Momoko Kochi, Nobuo Nakamura, and Sachio Sakai. The film was released to Japanese theaters by Toho on August 14, 1955, while Toho International had brought an English-subtitled print to select American theaters as The Snowman by February 1956.[1] DCA later released a heavily edited English-language version of the film to wider American theaters on May 17, 1957 as a double feature with Monster from Green Hell.

Plot

It is a dark and stormy night. A mountaineering club from Towa University has returned from a trip to the Japanese Alps, traumatized and wounded by an encounter with a so-called “monster” responsible for the death of their friend Takeno and several others. A news reporter arrives to interview them about the experience, and Takeshi Iijima begins to recall the events.

The club was going skiing in the Japanese Alps for a New Year’s vacation at the time. After a day of skiing, Takeno and Kaji go off to find Mr. Gen’s cabin and promise to meet up with Iijima and the others back at Mr. Matsui’s lodge. The two groups go off on their separate ways and the one going to the lodge successfully arrive, but an unexpected snowstorm begins before Takeno and Kaji can reach their destination. Worried about his friends, Iijima attempts to call Mr. Gen, but it doesn’t go through. Suddenly, Machiko, Takeno’s sister and Iijima’s girlfriend, spots a figure wearing fur clothing outside the lodge, who quickly enters and is revealed to be a village woman named Chika, who takes refuge. She informs the group that an avalanche occured in the Burning Hell Valley, which is en route to Mr. Gen’s place. The storm does not seem to be letting up and the group is getting anxious when the phone suddenly rings. Picking it up, the club is greeted with screaming and the roars of a ferocious animal, followed by a single gunshot and silence. Chika quickly packs her things and leaves, unbeknownst to the group.

The next day, a rescue party sets out to find Mr. Gen’s home. When they arrive, they find him dead, the victim of an apparent home invasion by a mysterious creature, as evident by massive footprints leading out the door. They first speculate that it was a bear, but the footprints are too human to match that description. Machiko finds Takeno’s coat, Mr. Matsui finds another item belonging to Kaji, and pieces of fur are found along the door frame. Kaji’s dead body is found outside by the rescue party, and the club members mourn. Night falls as the club searches for Takeno, but their search yields no results. Later, Dr. Koizumi, a zoologist, explains that he is unable to identify the fur of the creature that attacked Gen’s cabin, and other party members suggest it could be the legendary Abominable Snowman. The club and Koizumi agree to wait for spring to continue the investigation.

Spring arrives, and Dr. Koizumi and the mountaineering club arrive at Matsui’s lodge. A shifty little man reports the arrival of the group to his boss, Oba, who is also searching for the creature for his carnival, and his own group packs up and leaves. The club sets out even deeper in the Alps, Oba and his gang spying on them. The mountaineers plan their next destination for the following day, Garan Valley, something that worries their two guides as no one has ever returned from the place, and they refuse to go any further. Iijima encourages Koizumi that they should go there anyway, determined to discover what happened to Takeno. As the club sings around the campfire, a mysterious bearded man watches them from afar.

One day later, the group manages to survive a landslide after finding the remains of an animal that was attacked by the creature. A monstrous roar further confirms Koizumi’s suspicions of the likelihood of an unknown creature living in the area. That night, the Snowman reaches inside Machiko’s tent and strokes her face, her screams sending it running. Iijima gets separated from the rest of the club as they pursue the beast and he’s forced to find his way back with a limp after taking a nasty fall. He is then attacked by Oba’s gang and pushed off the side of a cliff.

Takeshi Iijima wakes up to find himself on the floor of a village hut, having been rescued by Chika. The bearded man, who was spying on the club earlier, is angry with Chika for bringing Iijima to the village, and she is ostracized by her fellow villagers. As punishment, she brings food to the Snowman and its offspring, who are regarded as deities. She returns to find Iijima missing, and is beaten by the elder when she demands to know where he is. Iijima awakens to find himself tied up and hanging over a ravine.

Chika sadly watches from afar, Oba and one of his lackeys attempt to sneak up behind her, but she turns to face them before they can do anything. She mistakes them for members of the mountaineering club, and denies knowing the existence of the Snowman when asked by Oba. He sneakily earns her trust by telling her he will lead her to the rest of the club if she tells him the location of the Snowman; she reluctantly agrees, and he also gives her a ring. The Snowman discovers Iijima, hoists him up from the ravine and unties him, then walks away, leaving him confused. Meanwhile, the village elder beats Chika until she gives him the ring she received from Oba.

Oba and his men discover the Snowman’s cave and captures the young Snowman, who is used to bait the adult Snowman into a trap. The trap is successful, the adult is chloroformed and the child escapes. Later, Oba encounters the villagers and shoots the elder when he lunges to attack him. The wounded elder’s words to Chika as he fades into unconsciousness are that she brought terrible evil to the village.

Later still, the adult Snowman is caged and carried away on a truck. The young Snowman catches up with the truck and attempts to break the adult free, but is stopped by Oba’s men and thrown into the same cage. The adult eventually wakes up and kills the truck driver by reaching through the cage. Oba shoots at the adult, but accidentally kills the child. Enraged, the Snowman pushes the now-stopped truck over the side of the cliff and kills Oba. Holding the lifeless body of its offspring, the Snowman returns to its cave. That night, the Snowman rampages through the village, tearing down houses and setting everything ablaze. By now Iijima has found his way back to the mountaineer club’s camp, and he recalls his experience with the Snowman. The village fires are visible from the camp, and the roars of the Snowman indicate it is getting closer to them. Iijima mistakenly believes the creature is docile, and one of the party members gets injured by it. Trying to save their injured friend, they leave Machiko back at the camp, who screams and faints as the Snowman finds her, allowing it to carry her off.

The following morning sees the group finding the smoldering remains of the village. The group meets Chika, who tells them the elder was killed by the “mountain lord,” and she agrees to lead them to it. Armed with rifles, the mountaineer club enters the cave of the Snowman and finds the skeletal remains of Takeno, which upsets his little brother, Shinsuke. Contents from Takeno’s journal reveal that the Snowman rescued and fed him, but he ultimately died regardless. The group ventures further into the cave and finds the body of the Snowman’s child and a pile of bones, as well as mushrooms that Dr. Koizumi theorizes were the source of their food. He comes to the conclusion that the Snowman's species has been looking for companionship and has set out into the Alps many times out of loneliness, which led to a member of its species going berserk and killing Kaji and Mr. Gen last season. The Snowman appears before them, carrying an unconscious Machiko, but flees as they fire at it. The group pursues the Snowman and manage to corner it in a large room, the creature standing in front of a bubbling pit of sulfuric acid. Chika attempts to approach the beast, and it lets Machiko go. As Chika struggles with the Snowman, a group member opens fire on it and the monster collapses with her into the pit.

Flashing forward to the present, the news reporter thanks the group for their account on the incident and remarks “It looks like the rain has stopped.” The film ends with a shot of the Japanese Alps.

Staff

Main article: Half Human/Credits.

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

U.S. version

  • Directed by   Kenneth G. Crane
  • Script supervisor   Francis Steens
  • Associate producers   Robert B. Homel, Minoru Sakamoto
  • Cinematography by   Lucien Andriot
  • Edited by   Kenneth G. Crane
  • Art director   Nicolai Remisoff
  • Assistant director   Hal Klein

Cast

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

  • Akira Takarada   as   Takeshi Iijima, alpine club member
  • Akemi Negishi   as   Chika, villager
  • Momoko Kochi   as   Machiko Takeno, Iijima's lover
  • Nobuo Nakamura   as   Professor Koizumi
  • Sachio Sakai   as   Nakata, alpine club member
  • Kuninori Kodo   as   tribal chief
  • Yoshio Kosugi   as   Oba, animal broker
  • Akira Tani   as   chubby thug, part of Oba's men
  • Kenji Kasahara   as   Shinsuke Takeno, Machiko's younger brother
  • Senkichi Omura   as   villager
  • Toshitsugu Suzuki   as   Kurihara, alpine club member (as Koji Suzuki)
  • Ren Yamamoto   as   Shinagawa, alpine club member
  • Akira Sera   as   Matsui, hotelier
  • Yasuhisa Tsutsumi   as   Kodama, reporter
  • Tadashi Okabe   as   Takeno, Machiko' older brother
  • Etsuro Saijo   as   mountain guide
  • Kamayuki Tsubono   as   mountain guide
  • Akira Yamada   as   Kaji, alpine club member
  • Shoichi Hirose   as   mountain searcher
  • Yutaka Nakayama   as   thug, part of Oba's men
  • Ichiro Chiba   as   chief policeman
  • Kihachi Okamoto   as   mountain searcher
  • Takuzo Kumagai   as   policeman (as Jiro Kumagai)
  • Haruo Nakajima   as   mountain searcher


  • Shigeo Kato   as   villager
  • Akio Kusama   as   villager
  • Rinsaku Ogata   as   mountain guide
  • Keiichiro Katsumoto   as   villager
  • Koichi Sato
  • Kazuo Fukuda
  • Hiroshi Akitsu   as   stationmaster
  • Kyoko Ozawa   as   villager
  • Akira Kitchoji   as   villager (as Hikaru Kitchoji)
  • Yasumasa Onishi   as   thug, part of Oba's men (as Yasuo Onishi)
  • Ryutaro Amami   as   mountain searcher
  • Kenzo Echigo   as   mountain searcher
  • Kazuo Hinata   as   station employee
  • Tsurue Ichimanji   as   villager
  • Toku Ihara   as   mountain searcher
  • Kawamata Kiichi   as   mountain searcher
  • Eisuke Nakanishi   as   mountain searcher
  • Shigemi Sunagawa   as   policeman
  • Jiro Suzukawa   as   mountain searcher
  • Masaaki Tachibana   as   mountain searcher
  • Hideo Otsuka   as   mountain searcher
  • Fuminori Ohashi   as   Snowman (as Sanshiro Sagara)[a]
  • Takashi Ito   as   Snowman's child

U.S. version


Appearances

Monsters

Gallery

Main article: Half Human/Gallery.

Soundtrack

Main article: Half Human/Soundtrack.

Alternate titles

  • The Snowman (international title)
  • The Beastman Snowman (literal Japanese title)
  • Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman (alternate U.S. title)

Theatrical releases

  • Japan - August 14, 1955
  • United States - May 22, 1957
  • Canada - August 8, 1957
  • United Kingdom - 1957
  • Sweden - July 10, 1958

Foreign releases

U.S. release

U.S. Half Human poster

In 1957, DCA acquired the rights to distribute Half Human in the United States and released it as a package with Monster from Green Hell, also directed and edited by Kenneth G. Crane. As what had been done with Godzilla and what would later be done with both Varan and King Kong vs. Godzilla, the American version of the film added in newly-filmed scenes with Western actors. The American version of Half Human removes several of the human scenes from the Japanese cut and replaces them with new footage featuring John Carradine, Robert Karnes, Russell Thorson, and Morris Ankrum where the baby Snowman's carcass is being dissected. Carradine's doctor character acts as a narrator who tells the events of the film through a flashback, similar to Raymond Burr's role as Steve Martin in Godzilla, King of the Monsters!. None of the Japanese characters are dubbed. Unlike the American version of Godzilla, the American version of this film was not well received at all and its edits have been widely criticized.

Due to Toho's self-imposed ban of its own cut of the film, the American version of Half Human remains the only version of the film to be legitimately available on home video around the world. It was released on VHS by Rhino Home Video and Englewood Entertainment in the 1990s (the latter release as part of the home video series The Wade Williams Collection), while its sole DVD release to date came from Renown Pictures in 2021 as part of a six-film set.

Video releases

Rhino Home Video VHS (1990)[2]

  • Tapes: 1
  • Audio: English

Englewood Entertainment VHS (1998) [The Wade Willams Collection][3]

  • Tapes: 1
  • Audio: English

Renown Pictures DVD (2021) [The Renown Pictures Monster Collection Volume 2][4]

Videos

Japanese Half Human video trailer
U.S. Half Human trailer

Trivia

  • In Japan, this film has been removed from circulation due to the original version depicting the inhabitants of the remote village as being deformed from generations of inbreeding, as well as showing backward and violent behavior. In the film’s dialogue, the word used for “village” is “buraku” (部落), which is associated with Japan’s burakumin minority group. In the time since the film’s release, offensive portrayals of the burakumin have become a sensitive issue in Japan. To avoid causing offense, Toho has never officially released it on any home video format in Japan.[5]
  • Toho prepared a VHS release of Half Human in 1994 or 1995, but ultimately declined to sell it.[6] Gray market bootlegs of this release, which include an internal use timecode on the top of the frame, are the only way to see the Japanese version of the film outside of occasional screenings in Japan.
  • Half Human was the first non-Godzilla kaiju film produced by Toho, as well as the first film Ishiro Honda directed following Godzilla (1954).

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ While Sanshiro Sagara was a known pseudonym of Fuminori Ohashi, there are conflicting reports as to whether this Sagara was a different person entirely, and Toho claimed that Sagara was chosen from a nationwide contest to portray the creature.

References

This is a list of references for Half Human. 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. ↑ "List of Toho Pictures Exported Abroad". Toho Films. Vol. 2. Toho. c. 1956. p. 48.
  2. ↑ Amazon.com: Half Human (1955) Rhino Home Video
  3. ↑ [1]
  4. ↑ "The Renown Pictures Monster Collection Vol 2". Renown Pictures Ltd. 16 October 2021.
  5. ↑ Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski (2017). Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa. Wesleyan University Press. p. 116-117.
  6. ↑ [2]

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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