Mothra (film): Difference between revisions
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{{Notice|For the 1996 film also titled "Mothra" in Japan, see [[Rebirth of Mothra]].}} | {{Notice|For the 1996 film also titled "Mothra" in Japan, see [[Rebirth of Mothra]].}} | ||
{{Quote|A gruesome marvel! From giant egg to giant moth, attacking the whole world with fury!|parenthetical=凄絶驚異!巨卵から大蛾へ全世界を襲う猛威!|Japanese tagline}} | {{Quote|A gruesome marvel! From giant egg to giant moth, attacking the whole world with fury!|parenthetical=凄絶驚異!巨卵から大蛾へ全世界を襲う猛威!|Japanese tagline}} | ||
{{Quote|Mightiest monster in all creation! Ravishing a universe for love!|American tagline}} | |||
'''''Mothra''''' {{Nihongo|モスラ|Mosura}} is a [[1961]] [[tokusatsu]] [[:Category:Kaiju Films|kaiju film]] produced by [[Toho]], and the first film to feature the character [[Mothra]]. It is an adaptation of the serial novel ''[[The Luminous Fairies and Mothra]]'', published in ''Weekly Asahi'' earlier in 1961. The film was released to [[Japan]]ese theaters on July 30, 1961. | '''''Mothra''''' {{Nihongo|モスラ|Mosura}} is a [[1961]] [[tokusatsu]] [[:Category:Kaiju Films|kaiju film]] produced by [[Toho]], and the first film to feature the character [[Mothra]]. It is an adaptation of the serial novel ''[[The Luminous Fairies and Mothra]]'', published in ''Weekly Asahi'' earlier in 1961. The film was released to [[Japan]]ese theaters on July 30, 1961. | ||
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Revision as of 22:01, 12 July 2019
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- For the 1996 film also titled "Mothra" in Japan, see Rebirth of Mothra.
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A gruesome marvel! From giant egg to giant moth, attacking the whole world with fury! (凄絶驚異!巨卵から大蛾へ全世界を襲う猛威!)
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— Japanese tagline |
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Mightiest monster in all creation! Ravishing a universe for love!
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— American tagline |
Mothra (モスラ is a Mosura)1961 tokusatsu kaiju film produced by Toho, and the first film to feature the character Mothra. It is an adaptation of the serial novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra, published in Weekly Asahi earlier in 1961. The film was released to Japanese theaters on July 30, 1961.
Plot
In waters off Infant Island, a presumably uninhabited site for Rolisican atomic tests, the Daini-Gen'you-Maru is caught and run aground in the turbulence of a typhoon. A rescue party following the storm finds four sailors alive and strangely unafflicted with radiation sickness, which they attribute to the juice provided them by island natives. The story is broken by tenacious reporter Zenichiro (also known as "Bulldog" or "Zen-chan") Fukuda (Frankie Sakai) and photographer Michi Hanamura (Kyoko Kagawa), who infiltrate the hospital examining the survivors.
The Rolisican Embassy responds by co-sponsoring a joint Japanese–Rolisican scientific expedition to Infant Island, led by capitalist Clark Nelson (Jerry Ito). Also on the expedition are radiation specialist Dr. Harada (Ken Uehara), linguist Shin'ichi Chūjō (Hiroshi Koizumi), and stowaway reporter Fukuda. There the team discover a vast jungle of mutated flora, a fleetingly-glimpsed native tribe, and minuscule twin girls (the Peanuts, Emi and Yumi Ito). These "small beauties", as Fukuda calls them, wish their island to be spared further atomic testing. Acknowledging this message, the team returns and conceals these events from the public.
Nelson, however, returns to the island with a crew of henchmen and abducts the girls, gunning down several natives who try to save them. While Nelson profits off a "Secret Fairies Show" in Tokyo featuring the girls singing, both they and the island natives beseech their god Mothra, a giant egg, for help. Fukuda, Hanamura, and Chūjō communicate with the girls via their telepathic ability; they express conviction that Mothra will come to their aid. Meanwhile, Fukuda's newspaper has accused Nelson of holding the girls against their will; Nelson denies the charge and files a libel suit against the paper. Meanwhile, the island egg hatches to reveal a gigantic caterpillar, which begins swimming the Pacific Ocean toward Japan. The caterpillar destroys a cruise ship and survives a napalm attack on a beeline path for Tokyo. The Rolisican Embassy, however, defends Nelson's property rights over the girls, ignoring any connection to the monster.
Mothra finally arrives on the Japanese mainland, impervious to the barrage of weaponry directed at it, ultimately building a cocoon in the ruins of Tokyo Tower. Public feeling turns against Nelson, and he is ordered to release the girls. He flees incognito to Rolisica, where Mothra, newly hatched in an imago form, immediately resumes her search. Police scour New Kirk City for Nelson as Mothra lays waste to the metropolis. Ultimately Nelson is killed in a shootout with police, and the girls are assigned to Chūjō's care. Observing a religious significance in Mothra's unique symbol, Chūjō hits upon a novel way to attract Mothra to an airport runway. The girls are returned amid salutations of "sayōnara", and Mothra flies back to Infant Island.
Staff
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Ishiro Honda
- Written by Takehiro Fukunaga, Yoshie Hotta, Shinichiro Nakamura, Shinichi Sekizawa
- Produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka
- Music by Yuji Koseki
- Cinematography by Hajime Koizumi
- Edited by Kazuji Taira
- Production design by Teruaki Abe, Takeo Kita, Akira Watanabe
- Special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Frankie Sakai as Journalist Senichiro Fukuda
- Hiroshi Koizumi as Doctor Shinichi Chujo
- Kyoko Kagawa as Photgrapher Michi Hanamura
- Ken Uehara as Dr. Harada
- Yumi Ito, Emi Ito as Shobijin
- Jerry Ito as Clark Nelson
- Takashi Shimura as News Editor
- Akihiro Tayama as Shinji Chujo
- Obel Wyatt as Roff, Doctor
- Akihiko Hirata as Ship Doctor
- Kawazu as General Seizaburo
- Yoshibumi Tajima as Military Advisor
- Robert Dunham as Rolisican Cop
- Harold Conway as Rolisican Ambassador
- Kenji Sahara as Helicoptor Pilot
- Akira Yamada, Takeo Nagashima, Arai Hayamizu as Infant Island Natives
- Tetsu Nakamura, Akira Wakamatsu, Hiroshi Akitsu, Hiroshi Iwamoto, Toshio Miura, Osman Yusuf as Nelson's Henchmen
- Yoshio Kosugi as Ship Captain
- Ren Yamamoto, Haruya Kato, Ko Mishima, Rinsaku Ogata as Ship Survivors
- Kazuo Imai as Announcer
- Wataru Omae, Kazuo Higata as Officials
- Shoichi Hirose, Toshihiko Furuta as Dam Workers
- Koji Uno as Reporter
- Tadashi Okabe, Akio Kusama, Mitsuo Tsuda as Surveyors
- Mitsuo Matsumoto, Hiroyuki Satake as Police Officers
- Hiroshi Sekita as Sekida, Orion Maru steering assistant
Titra Sound Studios English Dub
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Bernard Grant as Senichiro Fukuda
- Bret Morrison as Dr. Harada
Appearances
Monsters |
Weapons, Vehicles, and Races |
Gallery
- Main article: Mothra (film)/Gallery.
Soundtrack
- Main article: Mothra (Soundtrack).
Alternate Titles
- Mothra Attacks Tokyo! (モスラアタック東京! Mosura Atakku Tōkyō, Japanese 8mm title)
- Mothra Threatens the World (Mothra bedroht die Welt, Germany)
- Mothra the Indestructible (Mothra la indestructible, Mexico)
- Mothra, the Wild Goddess (Mothra, a Deusa Selvagem, Brazil)
Theatrical Releases
- Japan - July 30, 1961
- United States - May 10, 1962
U.S. Release
Columbia Pictures distributed Mothra in the United States in a double bill with The Three Stooges in Orbit. Columbia removed about ten minutes of footage from the Japanese version of the film and rearranged some scenes, as well as dubbing the dialogue into English.
Reception
Mothra was a considerable critical and financial success in Japan. It launched the career of screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa, who would go on to write several Godzilla films as well as contribute to Tsuburaya Productions' Ultraman series. The monster Mothra would go on to become a very popular character, appearing in the Godzilla series film Mothra vs. Godzilla in 1964 and countless other films in the series afterward. Mothra eventually received her own trilogy of films in the late 1990's. Mothra also received favorable reviews in the United States when it was released there, with critics praising its cinematography and special effects.
Mothra remains a popular and beloved film among fans of the kaiju genre, due to its unique story and the fact that it introduced the fan-favorite kaiju Mothra.
Video Releases
Sony DVD (2009) [Icons of Sci-Fi: Toho Collection]
- Region: 1
- Discs: 3
- Audio: Japanese (2.0 Mono), English (2.0 Mono)
- Subtitles: English
- Special Features: Audio commentary by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski (Mothra and Battle in Outer Space), trailers
- Note: Packaged with H-Man and Battle in Outer Space.
Sony DVD (2013)
- Region: 2, 4, 5
- Discs: 1
- Audio: Japanese (2.0 Mono), English (2.0 Mono)
- Subtitles: English
- Special Features: Original trailer, 24-page illustrated booklet by Jonathan Clements
Mill Creek DVD (2014)
- Region: 1
- Discs: 1
- Audio: English (2.0 Mono)
- Subtitles: None
- Special Features: None
- Note: Packaged with 20 Million Miles to Earth, The Giant Claw, and It Came From Beneath the Sea.
Anolis Blu-ray (2019)
- Region: Unknown
- Discs: 2
- Audio: Japanese, German, English (2.0 Mono)
- Subtitles: German
- Special Features: Audio commentary by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski (English); audio commentary by Jörg Buttgereit, Bodo Traber and Ingo Strecker (German); audio commentary by Florian Bahr (German); 20-page booklet by Ingo Strecker; American and Japanese trailers; Japanese Super 8 version; photo gallery
Mill Creek Blu-ray SteelBook (2019)[1]
- Region: A/1
- Discs: 1
- Audio: Japanese, English (DTS-HD Master Audio)
- Subtitles: English
- Special Features: Audio commentary by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godzizewski, trailers, photo gallery
Videos
Trailers
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External Links
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Comments
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- ↑ Aiken, Keith (26 April 2019). "Mill Creek Entertainment to Release Kaiju Classic MOTHRA as Special Edition SteelBook Blu-ray!". SciFi Japan.