Mothra vs. Godzilla: Difference between revisions

From Wikizilla, the kaiju encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
mNo edit summary
 
(161 intermediate revisions by 24 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Tab
{{Tab
|soundtrack=Mothra vs. Godzilla (Soundtrack)
|soundtrack =Mothra vs. Godzilla/Soundtrack
|credits=Mothra vs. Godzilla/Credits
|credits     =Mothra vs. Godzilla/Credits
}}
}}
{{Nav|style=bottom
{{Nav|style=top
|type1      =Red
|type1      =Red
|type2      =Rock
|type2      =Rock
|type        =[[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'']] [[:Category:Godzilla Films|Films]]
|type        =[[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'']] [[:Category:Godzilla Films|films]]
|name        =''Mothra vs. Godzilla''
|name        =''Mothra vs. Godzilla''
|prev        =King Kong vs. Godzilla
|prev        =King Kong vs. Godzilla
Line 16: Line 16:
|type1      =Red
|type1      =Red
|type2      =Rock
|type2      =Rock
|type        =[[Mothra]] [[:Category:Films]]
|type        =''[[Mothra]]'' [[:Category:Films|films]]
|name        =''Mothra vs. Godzilla''
|name        =''Mothra vs. Godzilla''
|prev        =Mothra
|prev        =Mothra (film)
|prevname    =''Mothra''
|prevname    =''Mothra'' (1961)
|next        =Godzilla vs. Mothra
|next        =Godzilla vs. Mothra
|nextname    =''Godzilla vs. Mothra''
|nextname    =''Godzilla vs. Mothra''
Line 31: Line 31:
|name        =''Mothra vs. Godzilla''|titles=yes|alt-titles=yes
|name        =''Mothra vs. Godzilla''|titles=yes|alt-titles=yes
|us-title    =''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' (1964)
|us-title    =''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' (1964)
|producer    =[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]
|producer    =[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]{{#tag:ref|The American version of the film additionally credits [[Sanezumi Fujimoto]] as an executive producer, which has been repeated in American sources including ''[[Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G"|Japan's Favorite Mon-Star]]'' and ''[[A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series]]''. However, neither the film's Japanese version nor any press materials from [[Toho]] make mention of Fujimoto.|name="Sanezumi"|group="lower-alpha"}}
|director    =[[Ishiro Honda]]
|director    =[[Ishiro Honda]]
|writer      =[[Shinichi Sekizawa]]
|writer      =[[Shinichi Sekizawa]]
|composer    =[[Akira Ifukube]]
|composer    =[[Akira Ifukube]]
|distributor =[[Toho]]{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}<br>AIP{{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=169|isbn= 9781476666310}}</ref>
|sfx        =[[Eiji Tsuburaya]]
|rating      =TV-14
|distributor =[[Toho]]{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}, [[American International Pictures|AIP]]{{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=169|isbn=9781476666310}}</ref>
|gross      =¥2,330,000,000{{citation needed}}
|rating      =TV-14{{sup|[[United States|US]]}}, {{tt|12|For moderate bloody images}}{{sup|[[United Kingdom|UK]]}}, X (U.S. cut){{sup|[[united Kingdom|UK]]}}
|runtime    =89 minutes{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}<br />{{Small|(1 hour, 29 minutes)}}<br />88 minutes{{sup|[[United States|US]]}}<br />{{Small|(1 hour, 28 minutes)}}
|rentals    =¥1.55 billion (1980)<ref name="Eirin">{{cite web|url=http://www.eiren.org/toukei/1980.html|title=Past Box Office-Topping Films: 1980 (January-December)|work=Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc.|accessdate=18 September 2023}}</ref>
|runtime    =89 minutes{{sup|[[Japan|JP]]}}<br />{{Small|(1 hour, 29 minutes)}}<br />88 minutes{{sup|[[United States|US]]}}<br />{{Small|(1 hour, 28 minutes)}}<br />74 minutes{{sup|[[Toho Champion Festival|TCF]]}}<br />{{Small|(1 hour, 14 minutes)}}
|aspectratio =2.35:1
|aspectratio =2.35:1
}}
}}
{{Quote|A massive Mach 3 moth! The heavy missile tank [[Godzilla/Showa|Godzilla]]! The sky, sea, and land quake in the fierce battle of the century|parenthetical=マッハ3の巨蛾か!ミサイル重戦車のゴジラか!空・海・陸を揺がす世紀の激斗|Japanese tagline}}
{{Quote|A massive [[Mothra (First Generation)|Mach 3 moth]]! The heavy missile tank [[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]]! The sky, sea, and land quake in the fierce battle of the century|parenthetical=マッハ3の巨蛾か!ミサイル重戦車のゴジラか!空・海・陸を揺がす世紀の激斗|Japanese tagline}}
{{Quote|Nothing like this ever on the screen!<br>What is it... how much terror can you stand?<br>SEE the armies of the world destroyed! SEE the BIRTH of the world's most terrifying monster! SEE the war of the GIANTS!|American taglines}}
{{Quote|Nothing like this ever on the screen!<br>What is it... how much terror can you stand?<br>SEE the armies of the world destroyed! SEE the BIRTH of the world's most terrifying monster! SEE the war of the GIANTS!|American taglines}}
'''''Mothra vs. Godzilla''''' {{Nihongo|モスラ対ゴジラ|Mosura tai Gojira|lit. ''Mothra Against Godzilla''}} is a [[1964]] [[tokusatsu]] [[:Category:Kaiju Films|kaiju film]] produced by [[Toho]], and the fourth installment in the [[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla series]] as well as the [[Showa era|Showa series]]. The film was released to [[Japan]]ese theaters on April 29, [[1964]],<ref name="Godzilla.jp">[http://godzilla.jp/work/4/ モスラ対ゴジラ|ゴジラ 東宝公式サイト] (official [[Godzilla.jp]] page)</ref> and to [[United States|American]] theaters on November 25, 1964.
'''''Mothra vs. Godzilla''''' {{Nihongo|モスラ対ゴジラ|Mosura tai Gojira}} is a [[1964]] [[tokusatsu]] [[:Category:Kaiju Films|kaiju film]] directed by [[Ishiro Honda]] and written by [[Shinichi Sekizawa]], with special effects by [[Eiji Tsuburaya]]. Produced by [[Toho]], it is the fourth installment in the [[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'' series]] as well as the [[Showa era|Showa series]]. It stars [[Akira Takarada]], [[Yuriko Hoshi]], [[Hiroshi Koizumi]], [[Yu Fujiki]], [[Kenji Sahara]], [[Jun Tazaki]], and [[Yoshibumi Tajima]], with The Peanuts singing duo of [[Emi Ito and Yumi Ito|Emi and Yumi Ito]] as the [[Shobijin]]. The film was released to [[Japan]]ese theaters on April 29, [[1964]].<ref name="Godzilla.jp">[http://godzilla.jp/work/4/ モスラ対ゴジラ|ゴジラ 東宝公式サイト] (official [[Godzilla.jp]] page)</ref> [[American International Pictures]] released an edited English-language version of the film, originally titled '''''Godzilla vs. The Thing''''', to [[United States|American]] theaters on November 25, 1964.
 
''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' marks the first crossover between two of Toho's own monsters: their flagship character [[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]] and the giant moth deity [[Mothra (First Generation)|Mothra]], introduced three years prior in [[Mothra (film)|her own film]]. When Mothra's egg washes ashore in [[Japan]] following a typhoon, greedy businessmen [[Kumayama]] and [[Jiro Torahata]] claim it as their own property and plan to exploit it for revenue. To make matters worse, Godzilla reemerges and begins rampaging across Japan, making his way straight for the egg. It is up to [[Ichiro Sakai]], [[Junko Nakanishi]], and [[Shunsuke Miura]] to travel to [[Infant Island]] and plead with the dying Mothra to return to Japan and battle Godzilla to save both her offspring and the millions of innocent people threatened by Godzilla's rampage. ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' was immediately followed by a direct sequel, ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'', later the same year.
{{TOC}}
{{TOC}}
==Plot==
==Plot==
A news reporter named [[Ichiro Sakai]] and his photographer [[Junko Nakanishi]] take pictures of the wreckage caused by a typhoon. Later on that day a giant egg is discovered on the shore. The local villagers salvage it and scientists come to study the egg.
In the wake of the powerful Typhoon No. 8 in Japan's Chūbu region, a news reporter named [[Ichiro Sakai]] and his photographer [[Junko Nakanishi]] take pictures of the wreckage of an industrialization project at Kurata Beach and discover a bizarre, iridescent object of undetermined origin. Later on that day, a giant egg is discovered on the shore of the fishing village Shizunoura. The local villagers salvage it and a scientific investigation of the egg proceeds.
 
While Sakai and Junko try to ask [[Shunsuke Miura|Professor Miura]] questions about the egg, an entrepreneur of Happy Enterprises named Kumayama scurries the scientists off and explains that he bought the egg from the local villagers. Instead of letting scientists study the egg, Kumayama wants to make it into a large tourist attraction. Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura are disgusted and believe that Kumayama has no right to keep the egg.


While the three are discussing the egg at a hotel, they discover Kumayama checking in. Sakai wonders aloud if somebody else may be working with Kumayama and investigates the matter. Kumayama walks into the room of [[Jiro Torahata]], the head of Happy Enterprises. As the two are discussing the billion-dollar tourist attraction, two tiny twin girls, known as the [[Shobijin]], interrupt them. The Shobijin explain that they are from [[Infant Island]] and that the egg belongs to a monster named [[Mothra/First Generation|Mothra]] who lives there. Torahata and Kumayama ignore the girls' pleas and try to capture them.
While Sakai and Junko attempt to question [[Shunsuke Miura|Professor Miura]] about the egg, entrepreneur Kumayama, president of Happy Enterprises, scurries the scientific party off, explaining that he bought the egg from the locals. Instead of letting scientists study the egg freely, Kumayama intends to make it into a large tourist attraction. Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura are disgusted and believe that Kumayama has no right to keep the egg.


The Shobijin escape the room and meet with Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura outside the hotel. The girls beg them to bring the egg back too and the three promise to try as hard as they can to bring the egg back to Mothra Island. The girls explain that if the egg is not returned, a larva will hatch and will cause great destruction to its surroundings. Sakai tries to write editorials but "...public opinion is powerless against the law."
While the three are discussing the egg at the Hamakaze Hotel, they notice Kumayama checking in. Sakai suspects somebody else may be working with Kumayama and investigates the matter. Kumayama enters the room of [[Jiro Torahata]], his affluent, well-connected financier. As the two are discussing the plans for the billion-dollar tourist attraction, two tiny twin girls, known as the [[Shobijin]], interrupt them. The Shobijin assert that the egg belongs to them and implore for its return. Torahata and Kumayama ignore the girls' pleas and try to capture them.


The girls soon leave and even though they could not get the egg back, they thank Sakai, Junko, and Miura for their kindness. Later, while the three are testing for radioactivity in an industrial area, [[Godzilla/Showa|Godzilla]] suddenly pops out of a beach and begins to attack [[Nagoya]] and the other surrounding cities.
The Shobijin escape the room and meet with Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura outside the hotel, explaining that they are from [[Infant Island]] and the egg is that of a monstrous deity named [[Mothra (First Generation)|Mothra]] who lives there. The girls beg them to bring the egg back too, and the three promise to try as hard as they can to return the egg to Infant Island. The girls explain that if the egg is not returned, a larva will hatch and will cause great destruction to its surroundings. The trio attempt to appeal with Happy Enterprises directly, but Kumayama and Torahata refuse and even make an offer to buy the Shobijin from them, appalling the three who promptly leave the negotiations.


The editor of Sakai's newspaper believes that the military cannot do anything against Godzilla and discusses it with Sakai and Junko. Jiro, another reporter who loves to eat eggs, walks in and suggests that Mothra might be able to defeat Godzilla. Sakai and Junko are skeptical that the island would agree because atomic testing had destroyed most of their island, and they had failed to return the egg to them.
Distraught at society's indifference, the girls leave with Mothra, and even though they could not get the egg back, they thank Sakai, Junko, and Miura for their kindness. Sakai writes editorials, but finds his words both meaningless against Happy Enterprises' legal precedents and a further source of publicity for them. As Happy Enterprises finishes the construction of and activates its colossal incubator for the egg, Kumayama, who still hasn't paid the villagers for the egg or the land he is utilizing, asks Torahata for further finances to fulfill his contract to them, who agrees on the condition that Kumayama uses the egg as the collateral for the loan, to which Kumayama reluctantly agrees. Miura calls Sakai and Junko to his laboratory to decontaminate them from residual radiation and explains the strange object the duo discovered at Kurata Beach is highly radioactive. As the trio return to the industrialization construction area to find the source of the radioactivity, [[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]] suddenly emerges from the reclaimed land and attacks Yokkaichi and [[Nagoya]].


The two go to Infant Island anyway with Professor Miura. They are captured by the local villagers and are brought to the tribe’s chief. The three ask for assistance but, as expected, are turned down because of the atomic testing that destroyed their island, and Japan's failure to return the egg.
Sakai's editor Maruta believes that the government alone should not be responsible for defending against Godzilla and discusses alternatives with Sakai, Junko, and Miura. Nakamura, another reporter who loves to eat eggs, overhears and suggests that Mothra might be able to defeat Godzilla. Dismissive at first, Maruta concedes, but Junko and Miura are skeptical that the Infant Islanders would agree because atomic testing had all but destroyed their home, and Japan had failed to return the egg to them.


The Shobijin are heard singing and everyone walks towards them. Sakai, Junko, and Miura ask the Shobijin for Mothra's assistance but they are also turned town. Junko then pleads to all the villagers that not everyone from Japan should be blamed for what happened to their island. She argues that Godzilla is killing both good and bad people in Japan, but that all people have a right to live. Sakai then adds that "we're all human" and that everyone is connected and must help each other. Mothra's screech is soon heard and the Shobijin ask everyone to follow them. They convince Mothra to help Japan but the monster is weak. After the monster will fight Godzilla it will have no power to return to the island.
The trio go to Infant Island anyway. They are captured by the islanders and are brought before the tribe’s chief. The three ask for assistance but, as expected, Infant Island has no more trust or faith in the outside world for the reasons that Junko and Miura suspected. Sakai, Junko, and Miura ask the Shobijin for Mothra's assistance but they are also turned down. Junko pleads that not everyone from Japan should be blamed for what happened to their island. She argues that Godzilla is killing both good and bad people in Japan, but that all people have a right to live. Sakai appeals that even though humanity grows more numerous and disparate, with dedication, the world can be made free of distrust and held grudges. Agreeing with these entreaties, they convince Mothra to help Japan, but the divine creature is old and weak. Although Mothra will fight Godzilla, she will have no power to return to the island, but will be reborn when the egg hatches.


The next day, Kumayama barges into Torahata's room and demands Torahata to give him his money back that Torahata had recently swindled from Kumayama. The two get into a fistfight and Kumayama knocks Torahata down. Kumayama crawls into Torahata's money cabinet and begins to steal the money from it. Torahata wakes up and sees Godzilla approaching the hotel. He then grabs a gun and kills Kumayama. Torahata tries to escape with his money but Godzilla destroys the hotel, crushing the greedy head of Happy Enterprises to death.
A broke and furious Kumayama barges into Torahata's room, demanding reimbursement for his losses in their lopsided business venture. As Torahata coldly tells him that he should've used better judgement, the two get into a brawl and Kumayama downs Torahata, leaving him to loot Torahata's cabinet filled with cash. Torahata dazedly sees Godzilla approaching. Grabbing a gun from his drawer, he kills Kumayama and tries to escape with his money, but Godzilla destroys the Hamakaze Hotel, crushing the greedy Torahata to death.


Godzilla walks towards the egg and tries to destroy it until Mothra shows up. The two fight a tough battle where Mothra seems to have the upper hand. While on the ground, Godzilla fires his atomic ray at Mothra and badly burns one of her wings. Mothra dies with her wing resting on top of the egg. Godzilla walks away. The Shobijin then explain to Sakai, Junko, and Miura that the egg can be hatched today. The tiny twins soon begin to sing.
Godzilla advances on the egg, intending to destroy it, but Mothra arrives and intercepts him. The two behemoths fight a determined battle where Mothra gains the upper hand with her hurricane winds and her final weapon, a deadly poisonous powder. Violently thrashing on the ground, Godzilla blindly fires his atomic breath, eventually landing a hit on Mothra that badly burns one of her wings. Mothra knocks Godzilla off of a cliff and flies to her egg, where nestling it under her massive wing, she dies. A defeated Godzilla walks away. The Shobijin reassure Sakai, Junko, and Miura that Mothra will live again, and the party leaves for the egg in order for the Shobijin to begin their song of prayer.


Meanwhile, the military tries to fight Godzilla by electrocuting him with "artificial lighting" but fail. The Shobijin continue singing and the monster egg finally hatches with not one, but two [[Mothra/Second Generation|Mothra larvae]]. The Mothra larvae follow Godzilla to Iwa Island and use silk spray on Godzilla to wrap the giant monster up in a cocoon. Godzilla struggles as he becomes fully wrapped up and plunges into the ocean. The Mothra larvae celebrate and return to their island.
Meanwhile, the [[JSDF]] attempt two different operations to corral Godzilla and kill him by electrocuting him with 30 million volt [[Artificial Lightning Generator|artificial lightning generator]]s, but fail. With no recourse, the JSDF withdraw and Godzilla destroys the village of Shizunoura. The Shobijin and the Infant Islanders conclude their prayer and the monster egg finally hatches, with not one, but two [[Mothra (Second Generation)|Mothra larvae]] emerging. Nakamura arrives to inform the trio Godzilla is heading for Iwa Island, where schoolteacher Ms. Kobayashi and her class are still stranded, and the party departs to mount a search and rescue operation with the authorities. The Mothra larvae pursue Godzilla to Iwa Island and battle their mother's killer, taking advantage of their small size and the island's rocky terrain to avoid Godzilla's heat rays. The party arrives and escorts Kobayashi and the children safely away from the combat. As the larvae use their silk to encase the massive reptile in a cocoon, Godzilla struggles helplessly as he becomes fully enveloped in the webbing and plunges into the ocean. Victorious, the twin Mothras with Shobijin in tow depart for Infant Island, sending their goodbyes. Nakamura had hoped to at least formally thank them, but Sakai and Miura believe the only way to do so is to better society and create a world based on mutual respect and understanding.
==Staff==
==Staff==
{{Main|Mothra vs. Godzilla/Credits}}
{{Main|Mothra vs. Godzilla/Credits}}
Line 72: Line 73:
|Directed by=[[Ishiro Honda]]
|Directed by=[[Ishiro Honda]]
|Written by=[[Shinichi Sekizawa]]
|Written by=[[Shinichi Sekizawa]]
|Produced by=[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]], Sanezumi Fujimoto
|Executive producer=[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]{{R|Sanezumi|group="lower-alpha"}}
|Stock Music by|Hiroshi Miyagawa
|Music by=[[Akira Ifukube]]
|Music by=[[Akira Ifukube]]
|"[[Mothra's Song]]" composed by|Yuji Koseki
|Stock music by=Hiroshi Miyagawa
|Cinematography by=Hajime Koizumi
|"[[Mothra's Song]]" composed by|[[Yuji Koseki]]
|Edited by=Ryohei Fujii
|Cinematography by|[[Hajime Koizumi]]
|Production Design by=Takeo Kita, [[Akira Watanabe]]
|Edited by|Ryohei Fujii
|Assistant Directing by=Koji Kajita
|Production design by|[[Takeo Kita]]
|Special Effects by=[[Eiji Tsuburaya]]
|First assistant director|[[Koji Kajita]]
|Assistant Director of Special Effects|[[Teruyoshi Nakano]]
|Director of special effects|[[Eiji Tsuburaya]]
|First assistant director of special effects|[[Teruyoshi Nakano]]
}}
}}
==Cast==
==Cast==
{{Main|Mothra vs. Godzilla/Credits}}
{{Cast
{{Cast
|[[Akira Takarada]]|[[Ichiro Sakai]], newspaper reporter
|[[Akira Takarada]]|[[Ichiro Sakai|Ichiro "Ichi" Sakai]], ''Maicho Shimbun'' reporter
|[[Yuriko Hoshi]]|[[Junko Nakanishi]], newspaper photographer
|[[Yuriko Hoshi]]|[[Junko Nakanishi]], ''Maicho Shimbun'' photographer
|[[Hiroshi Koizumi]]|Professor [[Shunsuke Miura]]
|[[Hiroshi Koizumi]]|Professor [[Shunsuke Miura]], Kyonan University zoologist
|Yu Fujiki|Jiro Nakamura, newspaper reporter
|Yu Fujiki|Jiro Nakamura, ''Maicho Shimbun'' reporter
|Emi Ito and Yumi Ito|[[Shobijin]]
|[[Yoshibumi Tajima]]|Kumayama, Owner of Happy Enterprises
|[[Kenji Sahara]]|[[Jiro Torahata]]
|[[Kenji Sahara]]|[[Jiro Torahata]]
|[[Jun Tazaki]]|Editor Arota
|[[Emi Ito and Yumi Ito|Emi Ito and Yumi Ito]]|[[Shobijin]]
|Kenzo Tabu|Politician
|[[Jun Tazaki]]|Maruta, ''Maicho Shimbun'' social affairs department editor
|Yoshio Kosugi|[[Infant Island]] Chief
|[[Yoshibumi Tajima]]|Kumayama, president of Happy Enterprises
|Akira Tani|Head Villager
|Kenzo Tabu|prefectural assembly member
|Susumu Fujita|Japanese SDF Officer
|Yutaka Sada|school principal
|Ikio Sawamura|Priest
|Akira Tani|Amimoto, head villager of Shizunoura
|Ren Yamamoto|Sailor
|Susumu Fujita|head of [[JSDF]] task force
|[[Katsumi Tezuka]]|Soldier
|[[Ikio Sawamura]]|Shinto priest
|Tadashi Okabe|Soldier
|Ren Yamamoto|sailor at dock
|Kozo Nomura|Soldier
|Kozo Nomura|JSDF member
|Koji Uno|Journalist
|Yasuhisa Tsutsumi|police officer at dock
|Senkichi Omura|Villager
|Mitsuo Tsuda|JSDF officer
|Yutaka Sada|School Principal
|Shin Otomo|police chief
|Miki Yashiro|School Teacher
|Senkichi Omura|Shizunoura fisherman
|[[Hiroshi Sekita]]|Infant Islander / Nagoya citizen / Hotel guest
|Yoshio Kosugi|[[Infant Island]] chief
|[[Haruo Nakajima]]|[[Godzilla/Showa|Godzilla]]
|Miki Yashiro|Ms. Kobayashi, teacher at Iwa Island Branch School
|Koji Iwamoto|Shizunoura fisherman
|Terumi Oka|Hamakaze Hotel waitress
|Wataru Omae|Happy Enterprises employee
|Shiro Tsuchiya, Takuzo Kumagai, Koji Uno, Yutaka Nakayama|Shizunoura fishermen
|Toshihiko Furuta, Hideo Shibuya, [[Koji Uruki]], Ken Echigo|reporters
|Yukihiko Gondo, Koichi Sato|Happy Enterprises employees
|Hiroshi Akitsu|Shizunoura fisherman
|Tadashi Okabe, Haruya Sakamoto, Seishiro Kuno|JSDF members
|Hiroshi Takagi|Happy Enterprises employee
|Keisuke Yamada|police chief
|Shinjiro Hirota|Happy Enterprises employee
|Shigemi Sunagawa|fisherman
|Ikuo Kawamura|transport aircraft pilot
|Rinsaku Ogata|transport aircraft operations assistant
|[[Haruo Suzuki]]|JSDF correspondent
|Asunaro Theatrical Company|students of Iwa Island Branch School
|[[Haruo Nakajima]], [[Katsumi Tezuka]]|[[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]]
}}
}}
===''Godzilla vs. The Thing''===
===''Godzilla vs. The Thing''===
{{Cast
{{Cast
|Harold Conway|Weapons Expert on Frontier Missile Cruiser
|[[Harold Conway]]|weapons expert on [[Frontier Missile Cruiser]]
|[[Robert Dunham]]|U.S. Navy Sailor
|[[Ralph Jesser]]|U.S. Navy sailor
|Osman Yusuf|Journalist
|[[Osman Yusuf]]|journalist
|Bernard Grant|[[Ichiro Sakai]], newspaper reporter (voice)
|Bernard Grant|[[Ichiro Sakai]] (voice)
|Paulette Rubenstein, Terry Van Tell|[[Shobijin]] (voices)
|Paulette Rubenstein, Terry Van Tell|[[Shobijin]] (voices)
|Larry Robinson|Jiro Nakamura, newspaper reporter (voice)
|Larry Robinson|Jiro Nakamura (voice) / journalist (voice)
|Bret Morrison|Kumayama, Owner of Happy Enterprises (voice)<ref name="Craig"/>
|Bret Morrison|Kumayama (voice)<ref name="Craig"/>
|Jack Curtis|[[Jiro Torahata]] (voice)
|Jack Curtis|[[Jiro Torahata]] (voice)
|Peter Fernandez|Villager (voice)<ref name="Craig"/>
|Earl Hammond|head of JSDF Task Force (voice)
|Peter Fernandez|villager / JSDF correspondent (voice)<ref name="Craig"/>
}}
}}
==Appearances==
==Appearances==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{col-2}}
===Monsters===
===Monsters===
*[[Godzilla/Showa|Godzilla]] ([[MosuGoji]])
*[[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]] ([[MosuGoji]])
*[[Mothra/First_Generation|Mothra Imago]]  
*[[Mothra/First_Generation|Mothra Imago]]
*[[Mothra/Second Generation|Mothra Larvae]]
*[[Mothra (Second Generation)|Mothra Larvae]]
*[[Skeleturtle|Mystery Bones of Infant Island]]
*[[Mysterious Bones]]
{{col-2}}
{{col-2}}
===Weapons, Vehicles, and Races===
===Weapons, vehicles, and races===
*[[Shobijin]]
*[[Shobijin]]
*[[wikipedia:Aérospatiale Alouette II|Aérospatiale Alouette II]]
*[[wikipedia:Aérospatiale Alouette II|Aérospatiale Alouette II]]
Line 144: Line 161:
{{Main|Mothra vs. Godzilla/Gallery}}
{{Main|Mothra vs. Godzilla/Gallery}}
==Soundtrack==
==Soundtrack==
{{Main|Mothra vs. Godzilla (Soundtrack)}}
{{Main|Mothra vs. Godzilla/Soundtrack}}
==Alternate Titles==
==Alternate titles==
*'''''Godzilla Against Mothra''''' (English Japanese Title)
*'''''Godzilla Against Mothra''''' (English Japanese poster title; original international title)
*'''''Godzilla vs. The Thing''''' ([[United States]]; England)
*'''''Godzilla vs. The Thing''''' ([[United States]]; United Kingdom)
*'''''Godzilla vs. Mothra''''' (Singapore; Revised U.S. Title)
*'''''Godzilla vs. Mothra''''' (Singapore; revised U.S. title)
*'''''Godzilla Against Mothra''''' (''Godzilla contra Mothra''; Mexico)
*'''''Godzilla Against Mothra''''' (''Godzilla contra Mothra''; Mexico)
*'''''Mothra Against Godzilla''''' (''Mothra contre Godzilla''; France; )
*'''''Mothra Against Godzilla''''' (''Mothra contre Godzilla''; France; ''Mothra Contra Godzilla''; Portugal)
*'''''Godzilla Against "The Thing"''''' (''Godzilla contre "La Chose"''; French Belgium; ''Godzilla tegen "Het Ding"''; Dutch Belgium)
*'''''Godzilla Against "The Thing"''''' (''Godzilla contre "La Chose"''; French Belgium; ''Godzilla tegen "Het Ding"''; Dutch Belgium)
*'''''Godzilla and the Prehistoric Caterpillars''''' (''Godzilla und die Urweltraupen''; Germany)
*'''''Godzilla and the Prehistoric Caterpillars''''' (''Godzilla und die Urweltraupen''; West Germany)
*'''''Godzilla Against the Monsters''''' (''Godzilla contra los monstruos''; Spain)
*'''''Godzilla Against the Monsters''''' (''Godzilla contra los monstruos''; Spain)
*'''''Godzilla and the Mothra Challenge''''' (''Godzilla i el Repte de Mothra''; Spain (Catalonia))
*'''''Watang! In the Fabulous Empire of Monsters''''' (''Watang! Nel favoloso impero dei mostri''; Italy)
*'''''Watang! In the Fabulous Empire of Monsters''''' (''Watang! Nel favoloso impero dei mostri''; Italy)
*'''''Mothra Meets Godzilla''''' (''Mothra möter Godzilla''; Sweden)
*'''''Mothra Meets Godzilla''''' (''Mothra möter Godzilla''; Sweden)
Line 159: Line 177:
*'''''Godzilla Against the Sacred Island''''' (''Godzilla Contra a Ilha Sagrada''; Brazil)
*'''''Godzilla Against the Sacred Island''''' (''Godzilla Contra a Ilha Sagrada''; Brazil)
*'''''Mothra Fights Dinosaur''''' (魔斯拉鬥恐龍 ''Mósīlā dòu Kǒnglóng''; Taiwan)
*'''''Mothra Fights Dinosaur''''' (魔斯拉鬥恐龍 ''Mósīlā dòu Kǒnglóng''; Taiwan)
 
*'''''Strong Godzilla''''' (''Ofjarl Godzilla''; Iceland)
==Theatrical Releases==
*'''''Godzilla Unexpected Beast''''' (''Godzilla Beklenmeyen Canavar''; Turkey)
*'''''Fuji Yama Operation''''' (Επιχείρησις Φούτζι Γιάμα ''Epiheirisis Fuji Yama''; Greece)
==Theatrical releases==
{{All Posters}}
{{All Posters}}
*[[Japan]] - April 29, 1964<ref name="Godzilla.jp"/> {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_A.png|caption=Japanese 1964 poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}; December 19, 1970 (Re-Release) {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_1970.jpg|caption=Japanese 1970 poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}; March 15, 1980 (Second Re-Release) {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_1980.jpg|caption=Japanese 1980 poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*[[Japan]] - April 29, 1964<ref name="Godzilla.jp"/> {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_A.png|caption=Japanese 1964 poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}; December 19, 1970 ([[Toho Champion Festival]]); {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_1970.jpg|caption=Japanese 1970 poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}; March 15, 1980 {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_1980.jpg|caption=Japanese 1980 poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*[[United States]] - November 25, [[1964]] {{Popup-poster|file=3708208675_666e2d9505.jpg|caption= poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*[[United States]] - November 25, [[1964]] {{Popup-poster|file=3708208675_666e2d9505.jpg|caption= poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*Canada - September 30, 1964
*Portugal - October 4, 1964
*Sweden - 1964
*Thailand - 1964
*Belgium - 1965
*United Kingdom - 1965
*Iceland - July 2, 1965 {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra vs. Godzilla Poster Iceland.jpg|caption= Icelandic poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*Mexico - 1966
*Spain - February 27, 1967 {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_Spain.png|caption=Spanish poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*Spain - February 27, 1967 {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_Spain.png|caption=Spanish poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*Italy - 1972 {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_Italy_1.jpg|caption=Italian poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*Pakistan - 1967 {{Popup-poster|file=Godzilla vs The Thing Pakistan.png|caption=Pakistani poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*Sweden - 1964
*Brazil - 1968
*Italy - 1970 {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_Italy_1.jpg|caption=Italian poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*Belgium - 1971 {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_Belgium.jpg|caption=Belgian poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*West Germany - 1974 {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_Germany.jpg|caption=German poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*Taiwan - October 23, 1967
*Taiwan - October 23, 1967
*Belgium - 1971 {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_Belgium.jpg|caption=Belgian poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*France - February 1, 1995 {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_France_1.jpg|caption=French poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*Germany - 1974 {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_Germany.jpg|caption=German poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*Lebanon {{Popup-poster|file=Godzilla vs The Thing Lebanon.jpg|caption=Lebanese poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
*France - 1995 {{Popup-poster|file=Mothra_vs._Godzilla_Poster_France_1.jpg|caption=French poster|link={{PAGENAME}}}}
 
*Brazil - 1968
==Foreign releases==
===[[United States|U.S.]] release===
[[File:3708208675 666e2d9505.jpg|thumb|right|200px|U.S. ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' poster]]
[[American International Pictures]] originally released ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' in the [[United States]] under the title ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' in September of 1964, and it opened in [[New York|New York City]] on November 25, 1964. Mothra's appearance was kept out of promotional material, which hinted that Godzilla's opponent would be a hideous tentacled creature, and she was referred to only as "The Thing." Even the trailers omitted the Mothra imago and only briefly showed the larvae. Dialogue was dubbed in New York at Titra Sound Studios and several alterations and deletions were made in AIP's version:
*Altered: Throughout the film in Titra's dubbing, characters alternatively refer to Mothra generically as "The Thing", in keeping with AIP's re-titling and marketing.
*Deleted: The discordant opening notes of [[Akira Ifukube]]'s main title have no picture equivalent and were jettisoned.
*Altered: The film's soundtrack begins with Godzilla's leitmotif from the main title over 12 seconds of black before the title sequence over Typhoon No. 8 seen in the Japanese version begins.
*Deleted: An establishing shot of a placard announcing the completion of the Kurata coastal reclamation project during the typhoon.
*Altered: Newspaper headlines announcing the discovery of the egg at Shizunoura and subsequent investigation by Professor Miura were given newly lensed English equivalents.
*Deleted: Establishing shots of placards pertaining to the construction of the Shizunoura Happy Center.
*Deleted: A brief sequence showing a street side news stand and superimposed newspaper headlines detailing the conflict between Sakai's editorials and Happy Enterprises' counterstatements, and Kumayama and his associates on a float announcing the grand opening of the Shizunoura Happy Center to the public.
*Deleted: The head of the anti-Godzilla task force announcing the emergency deployment of western, central, and eastern JSDF forces and their strategy to divert Godzilla to the coast to minimize collateral damage. A correspondent enters the war room with a report on Godzilla's eastward movement from Nagoya.
*Added: The most notable difference between ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' and ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' is a drama and effects sequence that was shot by [[Ishiro Honda]] and [[Eiji Tsuburaya]]'s teams, yet does not appear in the Japanese version. After Godzilla attacks [[Nagoya]], American [[Frontier Missile Cruiser]]s fruitlessly bombard him, marking the first occasion the [[United States]] battled the monster. [[Harold Conway]] and [[Osman Yusuf]], two foreign actors who were staples in [[Toho]] films at the time, appear in this sequence.
*Altered: AIP added louder Hollywood explosion sound effects to the above sequence as well as Godzilla's battles with the JSDF as sweetening.
*Deleted: Three short stanzas from the [[Shobijin]]'s song "[[Sacred Springs]]" were removed.
*Deleted: The Shobijin elaborating further that the small oasis they occupy is the only resource left to sustain the life of the islanders.
*Deleted: Kumayama collapsing on the floor with a visible bullet wound on his head.
*Altered: Part of the shot of Godzilla approaching the hotel was cut and then placed where the footage of Kumayama collapsing had previously occupied.
*Deleted: Part of a longer shot of the Shobijin curtsying as they are reunited with Sakai, Junko, and Miura as the adult Mothra battles Godzilla.
*Deleted: The ending sequence was re-edited to remove the party's final musings and goodbyes; they now simply wave to the Mothra larvae and the Shobijin.
*Altered: Instead of a superimposed end title as in the Japanese version, after a shot of the departing Mothra larvae fades to black, a simple title reading "An American International Picture" appears.
 
''New York Times'' film critic Eugene Archer reacted to the film and its title: "Well, there are three things, not counting the movie. One has wings and looks like a big bee. The other two are hatched from the first Thing's egg, after quite a bit of worshipful kootch dancing from a pair of foot-tall native goddesses..."
 
By the 1980s, [[Henry G. Saperstein]]'s [[UPA]], who originally sold the picture to American International, had bought back the American distribution rights. In UPA's home video releases and broadcast syndication beginning in the late-1980s, the film was retitled ''Godzilla vs. Mothra''. However, as Mothra is still repeatedly called "The Thing" in the dub, this confused many viewers who thought "The Thing" and "Mothra" were two separate monsters. Because of this, when [[TriStar Pictures|TriStar]] released ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' in the U.S., they re-titled it ''Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth'' so that it would not be confused with this film. Despite this, Peter Bollinger's cover artwork for [[Simitar Entertainment]]'s VHS and DVD release of the older film continues to be erroneously used to represent the newer film on streaming services and even on [[Sony|Sony Pictures]]' official website.
{{Clear}}
 
===United Kingdom release===
[[File:Godzilla vs. The Thing UK poster.png|thumb|UK ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' poster]]
Warner-Pathe brought ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' to UK theaters in 1965, as part of a double feature with ''[[wikipedia:The Time Travelers (1964 film)|The Time Travelers]]''.<ref name="MFAUC">[http://www.smguariento.com/monsters-from-an-unknown-culture-godzilla-and-friends-in-britain-1957-1980-by-sim-branaghan-part-1/ Monsters From An Unknown Culture: Godzilla (and friends) in Britain 1957-1980 by Sim Branaghan – Part 1]</ref> It received an X rating from the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC), preventing children under 16 from seeing it. [[Sony]] released the Japanese version of the film on Blu-ray in 2019 as part of the [[The Criterion Collection]]'s ''Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975'' box set. The BBFC gave this version a 12 rating for "moderate bloody images."<ref name="BBFC">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/mothra-vs-godzilla-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yndm0otu|title=Mothra Vs. Godzilla|work=BBFC|accessdate=1 December 2023}}</ref>
{{Clear}}


==[[United States|U.S.]] Release==
===West German release===
[[File:3708208675 666e2d9505.jpg|thumb|right|200px|American ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' poster]]
''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' was released in West Germany by Gloria Film under the title ''Godzilla und die Urweltraupen'' (lit. "''Godzilla and the Prehistoric Caterpillars''") on April 15, 1974, with dubbing duties undertaken by SL Film Synchron GmbH in Berlin. Visuals such as the credits and newspaper insets were rendered in German accordingly. The dubbing itself contains a major post-production error during the reel containing the battle between Godzilla and the adult Mothra, the music and effects being entirely out of sync with the visuals, possibly stemming from a lack of understanding of the proper reel and segment structure of the American International version, as it appears dubbing track elements were conformed to the reel structure of Toho's version. Presentations of the West German release on home video in contemporary Germany have been reconstructions created from various sources, as a complete copy or duplication element of the theatrical release appears to be lost or misplaced.
American International Pictures originally released ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' in the [[United States]] under the title ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' in September of 1964, and it opened in [[New York|New York City]] on November 25, 1964. Mothra's appearance was kept out of promotional material, which hinted that Godzilla's opponent would be a hideous tentacled creature and referred to it only as "the Thing." ''New York Times'' film critic Eugene Archer reacted to the film and its title: "Well, there are three things, not counting the movie. One has wings and looks like a big bee. The other two are hatched from the first Thing's egg, after quite a bit of worshipful kootch dancing from a pair of foot-tall native goddesses...".


In American video releases in the 1980's, the film was titled simply ''Godzilla vs. Mothra''. However, Mothra is still repeatedly called "The Thing" in the dub, confusing many viewers who thought "The Thing" and "Mothra" were two separate monsters. Because of this, when [[TriStar Pictures|TriStar]] released ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' in the U.S., they re-titled it ''Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth'' so that it would not be confused with this film.
==Box office==
==Box Office==
When ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' was re-released in 1980 alongside ''[[wikipedia:Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur|Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur]]'', the films earned ¥1.55 billion in distributor rentals, placing them eighth among the highest-grossing Japanese films of that year.{{R|Eirin}}
In the original April 29th, 1964 Japanese release of ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'', the film had 3,510,000 people attend. The first re-issue of the film, on December 19th, 1970, had an attendance of 730,000. When the film was re-released again on March 15th, 1980, it got 2,980,000 people attend and made ¥1,550,000,000, or $7,000,000. All releases put together made a gross of ¥2,330,000,000, or $10,000,000, and had a total attendance of 7,220,000.
==Reception==
==Reception==
''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' is often considered by both fans and critics alike as being one of the best in the [[Showa era|Showa series]] of Godzilla films.
''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' is often considered by both fans and critics alike as being one of the best in the [[Showa era|Showa series]] of Godzilla films.
==Video Releases==
==Video releases==
'''Simitar''' DVD (1998)<ref name="Simitar">[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/630491167X Amazon.com: Godzilla Vs Mothra (1964)]</ref>
'''[[Simitar Entertainment|Simitar]]''' DVD (1998)<ref name="Simitar">[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/630491167X Amazon.com: Godzilla Vs Mothra (1964)]</ref>
*Region: 1
*'''Region:''' 1
*Discs: 1
*'''Discs:''' 1
*Audio: English (2.0 Mono, 5.1 Surround)
*'''Audio:''' English (2.0 Mono, 5.1 Surround)
*Subtitles: None
*'''Subtitles:''' None
*Special Features: Optional 1.33:1 presentation (cropped), Simitar-produced trailers for the company's kaiju releases, art gallery, trivia game
*'''Special features:''' Optional 1.33:1 presentation (cropped), Simitar-produced trailers for the company's kaiju releases, art gallery, trivia game
*Notes: Out of print.
*'''Notes:''' Out of print.
 
'''Studio Canal''' DVD (2001)
'''Studio Canal''' DVD (2001)
*Region: 2
*'''Region:''' 2
'''Classic Media''' DVD (2002)<ref name="Classic Media 2002">[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006FD9H Amazon.com: Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964)]</ref>
*'''Audio:''' French (2.0 Mono)
*Region: 1
*'''Notes:''' Out of print.
*Discs: 1
 
*Audio: English (2.0 Mono, 5.1 Surround)
'''[[Classic Media]]''' DVD (2002)<ref name="Classic Media 2002">[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006FD9H Amazon.com: Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964)]</ref>
*Subtitles: None
*'''Region:''' 1
*Special Features: ''[[Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee]]'' trailer
*'''Discs:''' 1
*Notes: Cropped 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Out of print.
*'''Audio:''' English (2.0 Mono, 5.1 Surround)
*'''Subtitles:''' None
*'''Special features:''' ''[[Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee]]'' trailer
*'''Notes:''' Cropped 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Out of print.
 
'''Siren Visual Entertainment''' DVD (2003)
*'''Region:''' 4
*'''Discs:''' 1
*'''Audio:''' English (2.0 Mono)
*'''Subtitles:''' None
*'''Special features:''' None
*'''Notes:''' Cropped 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Transfer derived from a flat 16mm print.  Packaged with ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster#U.S. release|Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' (same disc). Out of print.
 
'''[[Toho]]''' DVD (2003)
'''[[Toho]]''' DVD (2003)
*Region: 2
*'''Region:''' 2
*Discs: 1
*'''Discs:''' 1
*Audio: Japanese (1.0 and 5.1)
*'''Audio:''' Japanese (1.0 and 5.1)
*Subtitles: Japanese
*'''Subtitles:''' Japanese
*Special Features: Audio commentary by [[Kenji Sahara]], theatrical trailer, 75-minute reissue edit from 1980, 8mm version of ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'', "Mothra Attacks Tokyo" narrated storybook
*'''Special features:''' Audio commentary by [[Kenji Sahara]], theatrical trailer, 75-minute reissue edit from 1980, 8mm version of ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'', "Mothra Attacks Tokyo" narrated storybook
 
'''Marketing Film''' DVD (2004)
'''Marketing Film''' DVD (2004)
*Region: 2
*'''Region:''' 2
*Audio: German
*'''Audio:''' German
 
'''Classic Media''' DVD (2006)<ref name="Classic Media 2006">[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000MV8AJK Amazon.com: MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA (1964)]</ref>
'''Classic Media''' DVD (2006)<ref name="Classic Media 2006">[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000MV8AJK Amazon.com: MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA (1964)]</ref>
*Region: 1
*'''Region:''' 1
*Discs: 1
*'''Discs:''' 1
*Audio: Japanese (2.0 Mono), English (2.0 Mono)
*'''Audio:''' Japanese (2.0 Mono), English (2.0 Mono)
*Subtitles: English
*'''Subtitles:''' English
*Special Features: Audio commentary for ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski, [[Akira Ifukube]] featurette (13 minutes), poster slideshow
*'''Special features:''' Audio commentary for ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski, [[Akira Ifukube]] featurette (13 minutes), poster slideshow
*Notes: ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' has a cropped 1:78:1 aspect ratio. It also features the original "''Godzilla vs. The Thing''" title card in place of the "''Godzilla vs. Mothra''" card used in previous releases. Reissued in 2012, both releases are out of print.
*'''Notes:''' ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' has a cropped 1:78:1 aspect ratio. It also features the original "''Godzilla vs. The Thing''" title card in place of the "''Godzilla vs. Mothra''" card used in previous releases. Reissued in 2012; both releases are out of print.
'''Madman''' DVD (2006)
 
*Region: 4
'''[[Madman Entertainment|Madman]]''' DVD (2006)
*'''Region:''' 4
 
'''[[Toho]]''' Blu-ray (2010)
'''[[Toho]]''' Blu-ray (2010)
*Region: A/1
*'''Region:''' A/1
*Audio: Japanese
*'''Audio:''' Japanese
*Special features: Audio commentary by [[Kenji Sahara]], theatrical trailer, 1970 [[Toho Champion Festival]] cut, 8mm promotional footage for ''[[Mothra (film)| Mothra]]'', "Mothra Attacks Tokyo" narrated [[Asahi Sonorama|Sonorama]] storybook, interview with Yuji Sakai, behind the scenes photo gallery, storyboards gallery,
*'''Special features:''' Audio commentary by [[Kenji Sahara]], theatrical trailer, 1980 reissue cut, 8mm promotional footage for ''[[Mothra (film)| Mothra]]'', "Mothra Attacks Tokyo" narrated [[Asahi Sonorama|Sonorama]] storybook, interview with Yuji Sakai, behind the scenes photo gallery, storyboards gallery
 
'''[[The Criterion Collection]]''' Blu-ray (2019) [''Godzilla: The [[Showa era|Showa-Era]] Films, 1954–1975'']
'''[[The Criterion Collection]]''' Blu-ray (2019) [''Godzilla: The [[Showa era|Showa-Era]] Films, 1954–1975'']
*Region: A/1 or B/2
*'''Region:''' A/1 or B/2
*Discs: 8
*'''Discs:''' 8
*Audio: Japanese
*'''Audio:''' Japanese
*Subtitles: English
*'''Subtitles:''' English
*Special Features: All bonus features on Criterion's ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' Blu-ray, 1990 [[Ishiro Honda]] interview by [[Yoshimitsu Banno]], interview with director [[wikipedia:Alex Cox|Alex Cox]], interviews with actors [[Bin Furuya]] and [[Tsugutoshi Komada]], 2011 interview with critic Tadao Sato, unused effects sequences from Toho releases including ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'', trailers, illustrated hardcover book with an essay by Steve Ryfle and liner notes on each film by Ed Godziszewski<ref name="CC">[https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/2648-godzilla-the-showa-era-films-1954-1975 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 | The Criterion Collection]</ref>
*'''Special features:''' All bonus features on Criterion's ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' Blu-ray, 1990 [[Ishiro Honda]] interview by [[Yoshimitsu Banno]], interview with director [[wikipedia:Alex Cox|Alex Cox]], interviews with actors [[Bin Furuya]] and [[Tsugutoshi Komada]], 2011 interview with critic Tadao Sato, ''[[Toho Unused Special Effects Complete Collection]]'', trailers, illustrated hardcover book with an essay by Steve Ryfle and liner notes on each film by Ed Godziszewski<ref name="CC">[https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/2648-godzilla-the-showa-era-films-1954-1975 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 | The Criterion Collection]</ref>
*Notes: Uses a new English subtitle translation by Jason Franzman. [[Sony]] will distribute the Region B/2 version of the set in the United Kingdom on November 25.
*'''Notes:''' Uses a new English subtitle translation by Jason Franzman. [[Sony]] distributed a Region B/2 version of the set in the United Kingdom.


'''Toho''' 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray (October 25, 2023)<ref name="Note">{{cite web|url=https://note.com/toshiakis/n/nc00e9ea469b0|title=7 "Godzilla" works released in 4K remastered UHD for 3 consecutive months!|author=Sato, Toshiaki|date=18 July 2022|work=Note}}</ref>
*'''Region:''' N/A (4K Ultra HD) or A (Blu-ray)
*'''Discs:''' 1
*'''Audio:''' Japanese (1.0 Mono and 5.1 Surround)
*'''Subtitles:''' Japanese
*'''Special features:''' Audio commentary by [[Kenji Sahara]], 8mm behind-the-scenes footage, unused tokusatsu footage, "Mothra Attacks Tokyo" narrated [[Asahi Sonorama|Sonorama]] storybook, "The World of Godzilla Modeling", "Mothra vs. Godzilla Battle Sketch", Japanese teaser, textless teaser, Japanese trailer, textless trailer, Champion Festival teaser, Champion Festival trailer, new edition trailer, still gallery
*'''Notes''': Includes the [[Toho Champion Festival]] version. The 4K restoration of the film presented on these discs first aired on Japanese satellite TV in 2021.<ref name="nihon-eiga">[https://www.nihon-eiga.com/osusume/godzilla4K_2021/]</ref>
==Novelization==
==Novelization==
A novelization of ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' written by Takamasa Ueda was published by [[Kodansha]] in 1984. In the novelization, it is mentioned that there is a nuclear power plant on Iwa Island that has the potential to contaminate the majority of the Japanese archipelago if it is destroyed. There is a scene where the Chief Cabinet Secretary holds a press conference and warns people to evacuate.
A novelization of ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' written by Takamasa Ueda was published by [[Kodansha]] in 1984. In the novelization, it is mentioned that there is a nuclear power plant on Iwa Island that has the potential to contaminate the majority of the Japanese archipelago if it is destroyed. There is a scene where the Chief Cabinet Secretary holds a press conference and warns people to evacuate.
==Manga Adaptation==
==Manga adaptation==
A manga adaptation of the film illustrated by Fumio Hisamatsu was published in the May 1964 issue of the children's comic magazine ''Adventure King''.
A manga adaptation of the film illustrated by Fumio Hisamatsu was published in the May 1964 issue of the children's comic magazine ''Adventure King''.
==Videos==
==Videos==
===Trailers===
===Trailers===
{{Videos|
{{Videos|
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">lkcbIqr4vAc</youtube>|''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' Japanese trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">lRlttjvvvzE</youtube>|Japanese trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">VTRwOgkXE4k</youtube>|''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' American trailer}}
{{vid|<dailymotion dimensions="300x149">kjf1sf9fukcaVrzNGOH</dailymotion>|Textless trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">RRoULoXO_Wc</youtube>|''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' American TV trailer}}
{{vid|<dailymotion dimensions="300x149">k5bqhYjYkPERFZzIRav</dailymotion>|Japanese 1980 trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">fIQAy8sXj2Q</youtube>|''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' American TV spot}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">nNz3zIq2DBk</youtube>|Japanese teaser}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">RFDNj1nJdP8</youtube>|''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' German trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">CJlpnCfISNc</youtube>|Textless teaser}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">VTRwOgkXE4k</youtube>|U.S. ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">RRoULoXO_Wc</youtube>|U.S. ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' TV trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">fIQAy8sXj2Q</youtube>|U.S. ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' TV spot}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">m_GmkZWt_tg</youtube>|U.S. ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' radio spots}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">GISAE16jsE4</youtube>|West German ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'' trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">rPpkQNSsXTY</youtube>|Simitar ''Godzilla vs. Mothra'' VHS trailer}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">rPpkQNSsXTY</youtube>|Simitar ''Godzilla vs. Mothra'' VHS trailer}}
}}
}}
===Miscellaneous===
===Miscellaneous===
{{Videos|
{{Videos|
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">qxHbAl9qkoM</youtube>|Ken Films Super 8 digest version of ''Godzilla vs. The Thing''}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">qxHbAl9qkoM</youtube>|Ken Films Super 8 digest version of ''Godzilla vs. The Thing''}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">0sLqqd_Wk74</youtube>|Opening of the 1980 re-release}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">0sLqqd_Wk74</youtube>|Opening of the 1980 re-release}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">_-XN3q13DEI</youtube>|8mm footage by [[Tomoyuki Tanaka]] of the drama unit filming and Japanese moviegoers waiting in line for the film}}
}}
}}
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' was theatrically released in Japan as a double feature with ''Operation Anti Hell''.<ref>{{Cite book|title=[[Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works]]|date=28 September 2012|page=78|isbn=4864910138}}</ref>
*''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' was re-released in an abridged 74-minute version on December 19, 1970, as part of the Winter [[Toho Champion Festival]], alongside ''Attack No. 1: The Tearful World Championship'', ''The Fragile Planet'', and episode 1 of ''The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee''. As had been done with ''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla]]''{{'}}s reissue earlier the same year, the re-editing was carried out on the original camera negative of the film, resulting in home video releases of the uncut version being sourced from a lower quality duplicate element.
*The upper lip on the Godzilla [[MosuGoji|suit]] in this film has a slight wobble. This was originally an accident; during the filming of the scene where Godzilla smashes into the [[Nagoya Castle]], [[Haruo Nakajima]] fell and the suit's head slammed into the miniature, loosening the teeth and damaging the jaw. Special effects director [[Eiji Tsuburaya]] actually liked this effect and kept the suit like that for the rest of filming. The scene where Godzilla's head gets set on fire by a [[Curtiss C-46D]] bomb was also accidental, with Nakajima continuing to perform the scene as the script required.<ref name="davmil.org">[http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/nakajima.htm Haruo Nakajima Interview]</ref> By the next film, ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'', the suit's head had sustained so much damage that it had to be replaced.
*The upper lip on the Godzilla [[MosuGoji|suit]] in this film has a slight wobble. This was originally an accident; during the filming of the scene where Godzilla smashes into the [[Nagoya Castle]], [[Haruo Nakajima]] fell and the suit's head slammed into the miniature, loosening the teeth and damaging the jaw. Special effects director [[Eiji Tsuburaya]] actually liked this effect and kept the suit like that for the rest of filming. The scene where Godzilla's head gets set on fire by a [[Curtiss C-46D]] bomb was also accidental, with Nakajima continuing to perform the scene as the script required.<ref name="davmil.org">[http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/nakajima.htm Haruo Nakajima Interview]</ref> By the next film, ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'', the suit's head had sustained so much damage that it had to be replaced.
*The scene where the [[Frontier Missile Cruiser]]s were attacking Godzilla was featured in American International Pictures' version, ''Godzilla vs. The Thing''. This was actually a deleted scene in the Japanese version and not made exclusively for AIP, contrary to legend. It was seen briefly in the original Japanese trailer. The reason for its deletion was that Japanese viewers, who were still sensitive after World War II, were supposedly offended by seeing American missiles hit Japanese ground.
*''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' is one of only three Toho ''Godzilla'' movies to be released in Japanese and American theaters the same year, the others being ''[[Shin Godzilla]]'' and ''[[Godzilla Minus One]]''.
*''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' and ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' are the only Godzilla films to be released in Japan the same year.
*In the third episode of ''[[Godzilla Singular Point]]'', "[[Tigerish]]", a billboard in Nigashio City promotes Happy Enterprises. In the same episode, [[Mei Kamino]] meets [[Takehiro Kai]] at a Happy Enterprises amusement park.
*''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' is one of two Toho Godzilla movies to be released in Japanese and American theaters in the same year, the other being ''[[Shin Godzilla]]''.
==External links==
==External Links==
*[http://www.zomboscloset.com/zombos_closet_of_horror_b/2011/12/godzilla-vs-the-thing-pressbook.html AIP pressbook for ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'']
*[http://www.zomboscloset.com/zombos_closet_of_horror_b/2011/12/godzilla-vs-the-thing-pressbook.html AIP pressbook for ''Godzilla vs. The Thing'']
*[http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=3256003 Comprehensive list of changes between the Japanese and American versions of the film]
*[http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=3256003 Comprehensive list of changes between the Japanese and American versions of the film]
*[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xwynxh_godzilla-vs-the-thing-frontier-missile-comparison_shortfilms Additional footage from the Frontier Missile scene only present in the German version of the film]
*[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xwynxh_godzilla-vs-the-thing-frontier-missile-comparison_shortfilms Additional footage from the Frontier Missile Cruiser scene only present in the West German version of the film]
==Notes==
{{Notelist|lower-alpha}}
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Mothra vs. Godzilla}}
{{Mothra vs. Godzilla}}
{{Kaiju Movies}}
{{Kaiju Movies|tab=Godzilla}}
{{Comments}}
{{Comments|scroll=yes}}
{{Era|TOH|SHO|FIL|GOD|MOT|IJNKK}}
{{Era|TOH|SHO|FIL|GOD|MOT|IJNKK}}
[[de:Godzilla und die Urweltraupen]]
[[de:Godzilla und die Urweltraupen]]
[[es:Mothra vs. Godzilla]]
[[es:Mothra vs. Godzilla]]
<seo metakeywords="mothra vs godzilla, wikizilla, 1964, wiki, film, movie, godzilla vs. the thing"/>
[[Category:Films]]
[[Category:Films]]
[[Category:Showa Series]]
[[Category:Showa Series]]

Latest revision as of 20:05, 14 February 2024

Article.png
Image gallery for Mothra vs. Godzilla
Credits for Mothra vs. Godzilla
Mothra vs. Godzilla soundtrack


Godzilla films
King Kong vs. Godzilla
Mothra vs. Godzilla
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Mothra films
Mothra (1961)
Mothra vs. Godzilla
Godzilla vs. Mothra
Mothra vs. Godzilla
The Japanese poster for Mothra vs. Godzilla
Alternate titles
Flagicon United States.png Godzilla vs. The Thing (1964)
See alternate titles
Directed by Ishiro Honda
Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka[a]
Written by Shinichi Sekizawa
Music by Akira Ifukube
Special
effects by
Eiji Tsuburaya
Distributor TohoJP, AIPUS[1]
Rating TV-14US, 12UK, X (U.S. cut)UK
Distributor rentals ¥1.55 billion (1980)[2]
Running time 89 minutesJP
(1 hour, 29 minutes)
88 minutesUS
(1 hour, 28 minutes)
74 minutesTCF
(1 hour, 14 minutes)
Aspect ratio 2.35:1
Rate this film!
4.41
(87 votes)

A massive Mach 3 moth! The heavy missile tank Godzilla! The sky, sea, and land quake in the fierce battle of the century (マッハ3の巨蛾か!ミサイル重戦車のゴジラか!空・海・陸を揺がす世紀の激斗)
„ 

— Japanese tagline

Nothing like this ever on the screen!
What is it... how much terror can you stand?
SEE the armies of the world destroyed! SEE the BIRTH of the world's most terrifying monster! SEE the war of the GIANTS!
„ 

— American taglines

Mothra vs. Godzilla (モスラ対ゴジラ,   Mosura tai Gojira) is a 1964 tokusatsu kaiju film directed by Ishiro Honda and written by Shinichi Sekizawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by Toho, it is the fourth installment in the Godzilla series as well as the Showa series. It stars Akira Takarada, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Yu Fujiki, Kenji Sahara, Jun Tazaki, and Yoshibumi Tajima, with The Peanuts singing duo of Emi and Yumi Ito as the Shobijin. The film was released to Japanese theaters on April 29, 1964.[3] American International Pictures released an edited English-language version of the film, originally titled Godzilla vs. The Thing, to American theaters on November 25, 1964.

Mothra vs. Godzilla marks the first crossover between two of Toho's own monsters: their flagship character Godzilla and the giant moth deity Mothra, introduced three years prior in her own film. When Mothra's egg washes ashore in Japan following a typhoon, greedy businessmen Kumayama and Jiro Torahata claim it as their own property and plan to exploit it for revenue. To make matters worse, Godzilla reemerges and begins rampaging across Japan, making his way straight for the egg. It is up to Ichiro Sakai, Junko Nakanishi, and Shunsuke Miura to travel to Infant Island and plead with the dying Mothra to return to Japan and battle Godzilla to save both her offspring and the millions of innocent people threatened by Godzilla's rampage. Mothra vs. Godzilla was immediately followed by a direct sequel, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, later the same year.

Plot

In the wake of the powerful Typhoon No. 8 in Japan's Chūbu region, a news reporter named Ichiro Sakai and his photographer Junko Nakanishi take pictures of the wreckage of an industrialization project at Kurata Beach and discover a bizarre, iridescent object of undetermined origin. Later on that day, a giant egg is discovered on the shore of the fishing village Shizunoura. The local villagers salvage it and a scientific investigation of the egg proceeds.

While Sakai and Junko attempt to question Professor Miura about the egg, entrepreneur Kumayama, president of Happy Enterprises, scurries the scientific party off, explaining that he bought the egg from the locals. Instead of letting scientists study the egg freely, Kumayama intends to make it into a large tourist attraction. Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura are disgusted and believe that Kumayama has no right to keep the egg.

While the three are discussing the egg at the Hamakaze Hotel, they notice Kumayama checking in. Sakai suspects somebody else may be working with Kumayama and investigates the matter. Kumayama enters the room of Jiro Torahata, his affluent, well-connected financier. As the two are discussing the plans for the billion-dollar tourist attraction, two tiny twin girls, known as the Shobijin, interrupt them. The Shobijin assert that the egg belongs to them and implore for its return. Torahata and Kumayama ignore the girls' pleas and try to capture them.

The Shobijin escape the room and meet with Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura outside the hotel, explaining that they are from Infant Island and the egg is that of a monstrous deity named Mothra who lives there. The girls beg them to bring the egg back too, and the three promise to try as hard as they can to return the egg to Infant Island. The girls explain that if the egg is not returned, a larva will hatch and will cause great destruction to its surroundings. The trio attempt to appeal with Happy Enterprises directly, but Kumayama and Torahata refuse and even make an offer to buy the Shobijin from them, appalling the three who promptly leave the negotiations.

Distraught at society's indifference, the girls leave with Mothra, and even though they could not get the egg back, they thank Sakai, Junko, and Miura for their kindness. Sakai writes editorials, but finds his words both meaningless against Happy Enterprises' legal precedents and a further source of publicity for them. As Happy Enterprises finishes the construction of and activates its colossal incubator for the egg, Kumayama, who still hasn't paid the villagers for the egg or the land he is utilizing, asks Torahata for further finances to fulfill his contract to them, who agrees on the condition that Kumayama uses the egg as the collateral for the loan, to which Kumayama reluctantly agrees. Miura calls Sakai and Junko to his laboratory to decontaminate them from residual radiation and explains the strange object the duo discovered at Kurata Beach is highly radioactive. As the trio return to the industrialization construction area to find the source of the radioactivity, Godzilla suddenly emerges from the reclaimed land and attacks Yokkaichi and Nagoya.

Sakai's editor Maruta believes that the government alone should not be responsible for defending against Godzilla and discusses alternatives with Sakai, Junko, and Miura. Nakamura, another reporter who loves to eat eggs, overhears and suggests that Mothra might be able to defeat Godzilla. Dismissive at first, Maruta concedes, but Junko and Miura are skeptical that the Infant Islanders would agree because atomic testing had all but destroyed their home, and Japan had failed to return the egg to them.

The trio go to Infant Island anyway. They are captured by the islanders and are brought before the tribe’s chief. The three ask for assistance but, as expected, Infant Island has no more trust or faith in the outside world for the reasons that Junko and Miura suspected. Sakai, Junko, and Miura ask the Shobijin for Mothra's assistance but they are also turned down. Junko pleads that not everyone from Japan should be blamed for what happened to their island. She argues that Godzilla is killing both good and bad people in Japan, but that all people have a right to live. Sakai appeals that even though humanity grows more numerous and disparate, with dedication, the world can be made free of distrust and held grudges. Agreeing with these entreaties, they convince Mothra to help Japan, but the divine creature is old and weak. Although Mothra will fight Godzilla, she will have no power to return to the island, but will be reborn when the egg hatches.

A broke and furious Kumayama barges into Torahata's room, demanding reimbursement for his losses in their lopsided business venture. As Torahata coldly tells him that he should've used better judgement, the two get into a brawl and Kumayama downs Torahata, leaving him to loot Torahata's cabinet filled with cash. Torahata dazedly sees Godzilla approaching. Grabbing a gun from his drawer, he kills Kumayama and tries to escape with his money, but Godzilla destroys the Hamakaze Hotel, crushing the greedy Torahata to death.

Godzilla advances on the egg, intending to destroy it, but Mothra arrives and intercepts him. The two behemoths fight a determined battle where Mothra gains the upper hand with her hurricane winds and her final weapon, a deadly poisonous powder. Violently thrashing on the ground, Godzilla blindly fires his atomic breath, eventually landing a hit on Mothra that badly burns one of her wings. Mothra knocks Godzilla off of a cliff and flies to her egg, where nestling it under her massive wing, she dies. A defeated Godzilla walks away. The Shobijin reassure Sakai, Junko, and Miura that Mothra will live again, and the party leaves for the egg in order for the Shobijin to begin their song of prayer.

Meanwhile, the JSDF attempt two different operations to corral Godzilla and kill him by electrocuting him with 30 million volt artificial lightning generators, but fail. With no recourse, the JSDF withdraw and Godzilla destroys the village of Shizunoura. The Shobijin and the Infant Islanders conclude their prayer and the monster egg finally hatches, with not one, but two Mothra larvae emerging. Nakamura arrives to inform the trio Godzilla is heading for Iwa Island, where schoolteacher Ms. Kobayashi and her class are still stranded, and the party departs to mount a search and rescue operation with the authorities. The Mothra larvae pursue Godzilla to Iwa Island and battle their mother's killer, taking advantage of their small size and the island's rocky terrain to avoid Godzilla's heat rays. The party arrives and escorts Kobayashi and the children safely away from the combat. As the larvae use their silk to encase the massive reptile in a cocoon, Godzilla struggles helplessly as he becomes fully enveloped in the webbing and plunges into the ocean. Victorious, the twin Mothras with Shobijin in tow depart for Infant Island, sending their goodbyes. Nakamura had hoped to at least formally thank them, but Sakai and Miura believe the only way to do so is to better society and create a world based on mutual respect and understanding.

Staff

Main article: Mothra vs. Godzilla/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.

  • Akira Takarada   as   Ichiro "Ichi" Sakai, Maicho Shimbun reporter
  • Yuriko Hoshi   as   Junko Nakanishi, Maicho Shimbun photographer
  • Hiroshi Koizumi   as   Professor Shunsuke Miura, Kyonan University zoologist
  • Yu Fujiki   as   Jiro Nakamura, Maicho Shimbun reporter
  • Kenji Sahara   as   Jiro Torahata
  • Emi Ito and Yumi Ito   as   Shobijin
  • Jun Tazaki   as   Maruta, Maicho Shimbun social affairs department editor
  • Yoshibumi Tajima   as   Kumayama, president of Happy Enterprises
  • Kenzo Tabu   as   prefectural assembly member
  • Yutaka Sada   as   school principal
  • Akira Tani   as   Amimoto, head villager of Shizunoura
  • Susumu Fujita   as   head of JSDF task force
  • Ikio Sawamura   as   Shinto priest
  • Ren Yamamoto   as   sailor at dock
  • Kozo Nomura   as   JSDF member
  • Yasuhisa Tsutsumi   as   police officer at dock
  • Mitsuo Tsuda   as   JSDF officer
  • Shin Otomo   as   police chief
  • Senkichi Omura   as   Shizunoura fisherman
  • Yoshio Kosugi   as   Infant Island chief
  • Miki Yashiro   as   Ms. Kobayashi, teacher at Iwa Island Branch School
  • Koji Iwamoto   as   Shizunoura fisherman
  • Terumi Oka   as   Hamakaze Hotel waitress
  • Wataru Omae   as   Happy Enterprises employee
  • Shiro Tsuchiya, Takuzo Kumagai, Koji Uno, Yutaka Nakayama   as   Shizunoura fishermen
  • Toshihiko Furuta, Hideo Shibuya, Koji Uruki, Ken Echigo   as   reporters
  • Yukihiko Gondo, Koichi Sato   as   Happy Enterprises employees
  • Hiroshi Akitsu   as   Shizunoura fisherman
  • Tadashi Okabe, Haruya Sakamoto, Seishiro Kuno   as   JSDF members
  • Hiroshi Takagi   as   Happy Enterprises employee
  • Keisuke Yamada   as   police chief
  • Shinjiro Hirota   as   Happy Enterprises employee
  • Shigemi Sunagawa   as   fisherman
  • Ikuo Kawamura   as   transport aircraft pilot
  • Rinsaku Ogata   as   transport aircraft operations assistant
  • Haruo Suzuki   as   JSDF correspondent
  • Asunaro Theatrical Company   as   students of Iwa Island Branch School
  • Haruo Nakajima, Katsumi Tezuka   as   Godzilla

Godzilla vs. The Thing

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

  • Harold Conway   as   weapons expert on Frontier Missile Cruiser
  • Ralph Jesser   as   U.S. Navy sailor
  • Osman Yusuf   as   journalist
  • Bernard Grant   as   Ichiro Sakai (voice)
  • Paulette Rubenstein, Terry Van Tell   as   Shobijin (voices)
  • Larry Robinson   as   Jiro Nakamura (voice) / journalist (voice)
  • Bret Morrison   as   Kumayama (voice)[1]
  • Jack Curtis   as   Jiro Torahata (voice)
  • Earl Hammond   as   head of JSDF Task Force (voice)
  • Peter Fernandez   as   villager / JSDF correspondent (voice)[1]


Appearances

Monsters

Weapons, vehicles, and races

Gallery

Main article: Mothra vs. Godzilla/Gallery.

Soundtrack

Main article: Mothra vs. Godzilla/Soundtrack.

Alternate titles

  • Godzilla Against Mothra (English Japanese poster title; original international title)
  • Godzilla vs. The Thing (United States; United Kingdom)
  • Godzilla vs. Mothra (Singapore; revised U.S. title)
  • Godzilla Against Mothra (Godzilla contra Mothra; Mexico)
  • Mothra Against Godzilla (Mothra contre Godzilla; France; Mothra Contra Godzilla; Portugal)
  • Godzilla Against "The Thing" (Godzilla contre "La Chose"; French Belgium; Godzilla tegen "Het Ding"; Dutch Belgium)
  • Godzilla and the Prehistoric Caterpillars (Godzilla und die Urweltraupen; West Germany)
  • Godzilla Against the Monsters (Godzilla contra los monstruos; Spain)
  • Godzilla and the Mothra Challenge (Godzilla i el Repte de Mothra; Spain (Catalonia))
  • Watang! In the Fabulous Empire of Monsters (Watang! Nel favoloso impero dei mostri; Italy)
  • Mothra Meets Godzilla (Mothra möter Godzilla; Sweden)
  • Panic in Tokyo: Godzilla and Monster Mothra (Paniek in Tokyo Godzilla en het monster van Mothra; Netherlands)
  • Godzilla Against the Sacred Island (Godzilla Contra a Ilha Sagrada; Brazil)
  • Mothra Fights Dinosaur (魔斯拉鬥恐龍 Mósīlā dòu Kǒnglóng; Taiwan)
  • Strong Godzilla (Ofjarl Godzilla; Iceland)
  • Godzilla Unexpected Beast (Godzilla Beklenmeyen Canavar; Turkey)
  • Fuji Yama Operation (Επιχείρησις Φούτζι Γιάμα Epiheirisis Fuji Yama; Greece)

Theatrical releases

View all posters for the film here.

  • Japan - April 29, 1964[3]   [view poster]Japanese 1964 poster; December 19, 1970 (Toho Champion Festival);   [view poster]Japanese 1970 poster; March 15, 1980   [view poster]Japanese 1980 poster
  • United States - November 25, 1964   [view poster]poster
  • Canada - September 30, 1964
  • Portugal - October 4, 1964
  • Sweden - 1964
  • Thailand - 1964
  • Belgium - 1965
  • United Kingdom - 1965
  • Iceland - July 2, 1965   [view poster]Icelandic poster
  • Mexico - 1966
  • Spain - February 27, 1967   [view poster]Spanish poster
  • Pakistan - 1967   [view poster]Pakistani poster
  • Brazil - 1968
  • Italy - 1970   [view poster]Italian poster
  • Belgium - 1971   [view poster]Belgian poster
  • West Germany - 1974   [view poster]German poster
  • Taiwan - October 23, 1967
  • France - February 1, 1995   [view poster]French poster
  • Lebanon   [view poster]Lebanese poster

Foreign releases

U.S. release

U.S. Godzilla vs. The Thing poster

American International Pictures originally released Mothra vs. Godzilla in the United States under the title Godzilla vs. The Thing in September of 1964, and it opened in New York City on November 25, 1964. Mothra's appearance was kept out of promotional material, which hinted that Godzilla's opponent would be a hideous tentacled creature, and she was referred to only as "The Thing." Even the trailers omitted the Mothra imago and only briefly showed the larvae. Dialogue was dubbed in New York at Titra Sound Studios and several alterations and deletions were made in AIP's version:

  • Altered: Throughout the film in Titra's dubbing, characters alternatively refer to Mothra generically as "The Thing", in keeping with AIP's re-titling and marketing.
  • Deleted: The discordant opening notes of Akira Ifukube's main title have no picture equivalent and were jettisoned.
  • Altered: The film's soundtrack begins with Godzilla's leitmotif from the main title over 12 seconds of black before the title sequence over Typhoon No. 8 seen in the Japanese version begins.
  • Deleted: An establishing shot of a placard announcing the completion of the Kurata coastal reclamation project during the typhoon.
  • Altered: Newspaper headlines announcing the discovery of the egg at Shizunoura and subsequent investigation by Professor Miura were given newly lensed English equivalents.
  • Deleted: Establishing shots of placards pertaining to the construction of the Shizunoura Happy Center.
  • Deleted: A brief sequence showing a street side news stand and superimposed newspaper headlines detailing the conflict between Sakai's editorials and Happy Enterprises' counterstatements, and Kumayama and his associates on a float announcing the grand opening of the Shizunoura Happy Center to the public.
  • Deleted: The head of the anti-Godzilla task force announcing the emergency deployment of western, central, and eastern JSDF forces and their strategy to divert Godzilla to the coast to minimize collateral damage. A correspondent enters the war room with a report on Godzilla's eastward movement from Nagoya.
  • Added: The most notable difference between Mothra vs. Godzilla and Godzilla vs. The Thing is a drama and effects sequence that was shot by Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya's teams, yet does not appear in the Japanese version. After Godzilla attacks Nagoya, American Frontier Missile Cruisers fruitlessly bombard him, marking the first occasion the United States battled the monster. Harold Conway and Osman Yusuf, two foreign actors who were staples in Toho films at the time, appear in this sequence.
  • Altered: AIP added louder Hollywood explosion sound effects to the above sequence as well as Godzilla's battles with the JSDF as sweetening.
  • Deleted: Three short stanzas from the Shobijin's song "Sacred Springs" were removed.
  • Deleted: The Shobijin elaborating further that the small oasis they occupy is the only resource left to sustain the life of the islanders.
  • Deleted: Kumayama collapsing on the floor with a visible bullet wound on his head.
  • Altered: Part of the shot of Godzilla approaching the hotel was cut and then placed where the footage of Kumayama collapsing had previously occupied.
  • Deleted: Part of a longer shot of the Shobijin curtsying as they are reunited with Sakai, Junko, and Miura as the adult Mothra battles Godzilla.
  • Deleted: The ending sequence was re-edited to remove the party's final musings and goodbyes; they now simply wave to the Mothra larvae and the Shobijin.
  • Altered: Instead of a superimposed end title as in the Japanese version, after a shot of the departing Mothra larvae fades to black, a simple title reading "An American International Picture" appears.

New York Times film critic Eugene Archer reacted to the film and its title: "Well, there are three things, not counting the movie. One has wings and looks like a big bee. The other two are hatched from the first Thing's egg, after quite a bit of worshipful kootch dancing from a pair of foot-tall native goddesses..."

By the 1980s, Henry G. Saperstein's UPA, who originally sold the picture to American International, had bought back the American distribution rights. In UPA's home video releases and broadcast syndication beginning in the late-1980s, the film was retitled Godzilla vs. Mothra. However, as Mothra is still repeatedly called "The Thing" in the dub, this confused many viewers who thought "The Thing" and "Mothra" were two separate monsters. Because of this, when TriStar released Godzilla vs. Mothra in the U.S., they re-titled it Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth so that it would not be confused with this film. Despite this, Peter Bollinger's cover artwork for Simitar Entertainment's VHS and DVD release of the older film continues to be erroneously used to represent the newer film on streaming services and even on Sony Pictures' official website.

United Kingdom release

UK Godzilla vs. The Thing poster

Warner-Pathe brought Godzilla vs. The Thing to UK theaters in 1965, as part of a double feature with The Time Travelers.[4] It received an X rating from the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC), preventing children under 16 from seeing it. Sony released the Japanese version of the film on Blu-ray in 2019 as part of the The Criterion Collection's Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975 box set. The BBFC gave this version a 12 rating for "moderate bloody images."[5]

West German release

Godzilla vs. The Thing was released in West Germany by Gloria Film under the title Godzilla und die Urweltraupen (lit. "Godzilla and the Prehistoric Caterpillars") on April 15, 1974, with dubbing duties undertaken by SL Film Synchron GmbH in Berlin. Visuals such as the credits and newspaper insets were rendered in German accordingly. The dubbing itself contains a major post-production error during the reel containing the battle between Godzilla and the adult Mothra, the music and effects being entirely out of sync with the visuals, possibly stemming from a lack of understanding of the proper reel and segment structure of the American International version, as it appears dubbing track elements were conformed to the reel structure of Toho's version. Presentations of the West German release on home video in contemporary Germany have been reconstructions created from various sources, as a complete copy or duplication element of the theatrical release appears to be lost or misplaced.

Box office

When Mothra vs. Godzilla was re-released in 1980 alongside Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur, the films earned ¥1.55 billion in distributor rentals, placing them eighth among the highest-grossing Japanese films of that year.[2]

Reception

Mothra vs. Godzilla is often considered by both fans and critics alike as being one of the best in the Showa series of Godzilla films.

Video releases

Simitar DVD (1998)[6]

  • Region: 1
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: English (2.0 Mono, 5.1 Surround)
  • Subtitles: None
  • Special features: Optional 1.33:1 presentation (cropped), Simitar-produced trailers for the company's kaiju releases, art gallery, trivia game
  • Notes: Out of print.

Studio Canal DVD (2001)

  • Region: 2
  • Audio: French (2.0 Mono)
  • Notes: Out of print.

Classic Media DVD (2002)[7]

  • Region: 1
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: English (2.0 Mono, 5.1 Surround)
  • Subtitles: None
  • Special features: Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee trailer
  • Notes: Cropped 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Out of print.

Siren Visual Entertainment DVD (2003)

  • Region: 4
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: English (2.0 Mono)
  • Subtitles: None
  • Special features: None
  • Notes: Cropped 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Transfer derived from a flat 16mm print. Packaged with Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster (same disc). Out of print.

Toho DVD (2003)

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese (1.0 and 5.1)
  • Subtitles: Japanese
  • Special features: Audio commentary by Kenji Sahara, theatrical trailer, 75-minute reissue edit from 1980, 8mm version of Mothra, "Mothra Attacks Tokyo" narrated storybook

Marketing Film DVD (2004)

  • Region: 2
  • Audio: German

Classic Media DVD (2006)[8]

  • Region: 1
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese (2.0 Mono), English (2.0 Mono)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Special features: Audio commentary for Godzilla vs. The Thing by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski, Akira Ifukube featurette (13 minutes), poster slideshow
  • Notes: Godzilla vs. The Thing has a cropped 1:78:1 aspect ratio. It also features the original "Godzilla vs. The Thing" title card in place of the "Godzilla vs. Mothra" card used in previous releases. Reissued in 2012; both releases are out of print.

Madman DVD (2006)

  • Region: 4

Toho Blu-ray (2010)

  • Region: A/1
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Special features: Audio commentary by Kenji Sahara, theatrical trailer, 1980 reissue cut, 8mm promotional footage for Mothra, "Mothra Attacks Tokyo" narrated Sonorama storybook, interview with Yuji Sakai, behind the scenes photo gallery, storyboards gallery

The Criterion Collection Blu-ray (2019) [Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975]

Toho 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray (October 25, 2023)[10]

  • Region: N/A (4K Ultra HD) or A (Blu-ray)
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese (1.0 Mono and 5.1 Surround)
  • Subtitles: Japanese
  • Special features: Audio commentary by Kenji Sahara, 8mm behind-the-scenes footage, unused tokusatsu footage, "Mothra Attacks Tokyo" narrated Sonorama storybook, "The World of Godzilla Modeling", "Mothra vs. Godzilla Battle Sketch", Japanese teaser, textless teaser, Japanese trailer, textless trailer, Champion Festival teaser, Champion Festival trailer, new edition trailer, still gallery
  • Notes: Includes the Toho Champion Festival version. The 4K restoration of the film presented on these discs first aired on Japanese satellite TV in 2021.[11]

Novelization

A novelization of Mothra vs. Godzilla written by Takamasa Ueda was published by Kodansha in 1984. In the novelization, it is mentioned that there is a nuclear power plant on Iwa Island that has the potential to contaminate the majority of the Japanese archipelago if it is destroyed. There is a scene where the Chief Cabinet Secretary holds a press conference and warns people to evacuate.

Manga adaptation

A manga adaptation of the film illustrated by Fumio Hisamatsu was published in the May 1964 issue of the children's comic magazine Adventure King.

Videos

Trailers

Japanese trailer
Textless trailer
Japanese 1980 trailer
Japanese teaser
Textless teaser
U.S. Godzilla vs. The Thing trailer
U.S. Godzilla vs. The Thing TV trailer
U.S. Godzilla vs. The Thing TV spot
U.S. Godzilla vs. The Thing radio spots
West German Godzilla vs. The Thing trailer
Simitar Godzilla vs. Mothra VHS trailer

Miscellaneous

Ken Films Super 8 digest version of Godzilla vs. The Thing
Opening of the 1980 re-release
8mm footage by Tomoyuki Tanaka of the drama unit filming and Japanese moviegoers waiting in line for the film

Trivia

  • Mothra vs. Godzilla was theatrically released in Japan as a double feature with Operation Anti Hell.[12]
  • Mothra vs. Godzilla was re-released in an abridged 74-minute version on December 19, 1970, as part of the Winter Toho Champion Festival, alongside Attack No. 1: The Tearful World Championship, The Fragile Planet, and episode 1 of The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee. As had been done with King Kong vs. Godzilla's reissue earlier the same year, the re-editing was carried out on the original camera negative of the film, resulting in home video releases of the uncut version being sourced from a lower quality duplicate element.
  • The upper lip on the Godzilla suit in this film has a slight wobble. This was originally an accident; during the filming of the scene where Godzilla smashes into the Nagoya Castle, Haruo Nakajima fell and the suit's head slammed into the miniature, loosening the teeth and damaging the jaw. Special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya actually liked this effect and kept the suit like that for the rest of filming. The scene where Godzilla's head gets set on fire by a Curtiss C-46D bomb was also accidental, with Nakajima continuing to perform the scene as the script required.[13] By the next film, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, the suit's head had sustained so much damage that it had to be replaced.
  • Mothra vs. Godzilla is one of only three Toho Godzilla movies to be released in Japanese and American theaters the same year, the others being Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One.
  • In the third episode of Godzilla Singular Point, "Tigerish", a billboard in Nigashio City promotes Happy Enterprises. In the same episode, Mei Kamino meets Takehiro Kai at a Happy Enterprises amusement park.

External links

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 The American version of the film additionally credits Sanezumi Fujimoto as an executive producer, which has been repeated in American sources including Japan's Favorite Mon-Star and A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series. However, neither the film's Japanese version nor any press materials from Toho make mention of Fujimoto.

References

This is a list of references for Mothra vs. Godzilla. 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 Craig, Rob (2019). American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 169. ISBN 9781476666310.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Past Box Office-Topping Films: 1980 (January-December)". Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  3. 3.0 3.1 モスラ対ゴジラ|ゴジラ 東宝公式サイト (official Godzilla.jp page)
  4. Monsters From An Unknown Culture: Godzilla (and friends) in Britain 1957-1980 by Sim Branaghan – Part 1
  5. "Mothra Vs. Godzilla". BBFC. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  6. Amazon.com: Godzilla Vs Mothra (1964)
  7. Amazon.com: Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964)
  8. Amazon.com: MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA (1964)
  9. Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 | The Criterion Collection
  10. Sato, Toshiaki (18 July 2022). "7 "Godzilla" works released in 4K remastered UHD for 3 consecutive months!". Note.
  11. [1]
  12. Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works. 28 September 2012. p. 78. ISBN 4864910138.
  13. Haruo Nakajima Interview

Comments

Showing 85 comments. When commenting, please remain respectful of other users, stay on topic, and avoid role-playing and excessive punctuation. Comments which violate these guidelines may be removed by administrators.

Loading comments...
Era Icon - Toho.png
Era Icon - Showa.png
Movie
Era Icon - Godzilla.png
Era Icon - Mothra.png
Era Icon - Skeleturtle.png