The Human Vapor (1960)
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- This page is for the film and stage production. For the titular kaijin, see Human Vapor. For the television series, see Human Vapor (series).
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The folly of science creates a monster of love. Ghastly! Incredible! Fascinating!
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— International taglines |
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Half man...half beast! Born of woman Re-created by outer space! - Yet, loves like a man!
Half human! Half beast! It destroys! It kills! Is he man or astro-man? |
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— American tagline |
The Human Vapor (ガス人間㐧1号[a] Gasu Ningen Daiichigō, lit. "The First Gas Man") is a 1960 tokusatsu science fiction film directed by Ishiro Honda and written by Takeshi Kimura based on a story by John Meredyth Lucas, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by Toho, it is considered to be the third film in the studio's Transforming Human Series, after The H-Man and The Secret of the Telegian. It stars Tatsuya Mihashi, Kaoru Yachigusa, Keiko Sada, Hisaya Ito, Yoshibumi Tajima, Yoshio Kosugi, and Fuyuki Murakami. The film was released to Japanese theaters by Toho on December 11, 1960. Brenco Pictures Corporation released an edited English-dubbed version of the film to American theaters on May 20, 1964.
Though a planned sequel fell through, the film has gone on to be adapted into a stageplay in 2009 and an eight-episode series on Netflix in 2026.
Plot
A bank robber strikes a Tokyo bank in broad daylight, the safe appearing to open on its own for the criminal. Assistant Inspector Kenji Okamoto and two police officers catch up with his getaway vehicle, but find no trace of him after he drives it off the road. Searching the grounds of the nearest house, Okamoto finds a Nihon-buyō dancer, Fujichiyo Kasuga, performing inside while wearing an oni mask. She and her drummer, Jiya, report having seen no one.
Meeting with his girlfriend, reporter Kyoko Kono, in a restaurant, Okamoto remarks that the robber seemed to vanish into thin air. After teasing him for his remarks about Fujichiyo's beauty, she asks him about the getaway car, which seems to yield little information: no footprints were found around it and all of the fingerprints belonged to bank employees. She suspects an inside job, but he's skeptical.
Despite heavy security, the robber enters a vault in Nakano unseen, then kills a bank employee and a guard after triggering an alarm, proving to be impervious to bullets. When Okamoto arrives as part of the police response, he finds the bank employee lying inside a gate locked by the very key he carried. A spare key is quickly delivered from another branch, allowing the police to examine the man. Curiously, they find his key still in his pocket, leaving the robber's means of entry and escape a mystery.
Ikeda, Kyoko's editor, asks her to write a story about the police not having any leads, though she's confident that Okamoto is onto something. They meet later that day, and he asks her what she knows about Fujichiyo. She replies that the dancer is from an incredibly wealthy family and critically acclaimed, despite currently living humbly and reclusively. Dashing off, Kyoko asks her paper's research department to look into the dancer.
The slain man's autopsy report fails to determine the cause of his asphyxiation, only that something became stuck in his windpipe. Okamoto tells Sergeant Tabata that he suspects Fujichiyo's involvement, the robberies a means to restore her dance school to its former glory. Tabata is dismissive, but Okamoto nonetheless returns to the countryside to question her. Kyoko startles him by creeping up from behind him in her car, aiming to conduct her own interview with the dancer, then drives off after he admonishes her to stay out of his case. She finds a sparkling new car outside of the house, despite Jiya having told Okamoto that they don't own one. Fujichiyo tells Kyoko that she plans to decide on a date for her next performance within the next few days. The title is to be Vapor, after a "supportive demon". Okamoto can only watch as her driver takes her away, though Kyoko quickly finds him and they follow the car. She shares what she learned, noting the great cost of holding a recital. Okamoto warns her that the case isn't a normal one, given the criminal's intelligence and ruthlessness. She responds that given how dismissive his superiors have been, it's best for them to work together.
Fujichiyo's car stops at a library, where a librarian, Mizuno, retrieves a book of Utamaro paintings for her. Mizuno tells Okamoto that Fujichiyo often spends long hours there reading about Noh and kabuki. Okamoto spies on her in the reading room, then follows her car again with Kyoko when she departs. Her next stop is the home of a fellow performer, who she offers an exorbitant sum.
Okamoto explains to Tabata that the performance's cost is far too high for Fujichiyo to afford on her own. Her benefactor, however, remains anonymous. Tabata encourages him to keep going. Soon after, Kyoko receives a call at work from the bank robber, who names the time and place he'll strike again tomorrow. He encourages the paper to warn the bank so the employees can stay out of harm's way. Okamoto is part of the police detail guarding the safe, but two apparent robbers who arrive at the bank just before the announced time are arrested upstairs before they can fire a shot.
Faced with the recording, one of the men confesses, though he says he lost all the money he stole gambling. Okamoto, however, believes the case wrapped up too neatly. After tracing one of the stolen bills to Fujichiyo, the police search her home during one of her practices and bring her to headquarters after Okamoto finds an envelope stuffed with money. She refuses to name the source of the money, adding that she'll accept any charge if her silence is a crime.
Mizuno calmly enters the offices of Kyoko's paper and announces that while the men who were arrested did rob one bank, they aren't responsible for the robberies they're accused of: he is. He departs for the police station to give his confession and encourages the journalists to follow him, which they do in droves. Okamoto recognizes him, and he admits that he gave Fujichiyo the stolen money that day. He also asks that they take him to the second bank he robbed so he can demonstrate how he did it. He asks them to open the safe there, saying it was already open when he arrived. The police quietly draw their guns as Mizuno tells them to step back—and he suddenly transforms into a gas, his clothes collapsing to the ground. Okamoto fires, but to no effect, and the officers can only watch as he suffocates the bank president. Still in his gaseous form, he finishes opening the safe and removes a stack of bills, then throws them and suffocates one of the detectives. His disembodied voice laughs and tells them that Fujichiyo is not guilty and must be released.
The press quickly learns of Mizuno's impossible feats, dubbing him the Human Vapor, but Fujichiyo still refuses to give a statement. The police resolve to release her in the hopes that Mizuno will meet her, giving them a chance to arrest him. Though no one is sure how they would accomplish such a thing, their scientists are trying to find out. Mizuno suddenly appears at headquarters, declaring that as he is no longer a human being, he is not subject to their laws. Okamoto retorts that he has no right to love Fujichiyo either. Mizuno replies that it's up to her, but falls silent when Okamoto asks if she knows what he's become. The police lock the exits and Okamoto tries shooting Mizuno before he can transform, but he remains unharmed and escapes through the cracks in the door. Reporters flock to the sound of gunshots and hear Mizuno declare that he'll release Fujichiyo himself so she can carry out her performance. He suffocates both of the officers guarding her and, returning to his human form, unlocks her cell. She refuses to leave with him, saying that she'll become guilty if she does so. He sets the rest of the prisoners free instead. Jiya lingers, asking if she's been mistreated, and agrees to remain in the jail with her. Chaos ensues as the police push back the escapees and photographers snap pictures. Mizuno promises to release them again every night until Fujichiyo is freed.
To the paper's frustration, the police refuse to release any more information about the case. Kyoko comes up with the idea of interviewing the Human Vapor himself, given his previous interest in using them to broadcast information. Ikeda agrees to publicly request that he speak with her, noting in his message that the public's fear of him is affecting Fujichiyo's career. Mizuno promptly calls the next day to arrange a meeting with Ikeda, chief editor Tobe, and one of Kyoko's colleagues. Though they promise him they haven't informed the police of his location, a squad car immediately pulls up outside. He dismisses rumors that he's an alien, explaining that he became the Human Vapor through the work of biology professor Dr. Kyugo Sano, who he claims died by suicide last year.
Mizuno elaborates that he once flew fighter jets for the JSDF until he developed lung cancer. Friendless and bored of his work at the library, he was receptive when Sano offered to hire him as a pilot for Japan's space program. The scientist promised to change his body into a form that could withstand the Sun's intense rays even in space. He met Sano at his laboratory, and after signing a contract, allowed the scientist to inject him with a sleeping drug. Sano promised that once the procedure was complete, he'd be able to survive falling off a building. The biologist ushered him into a massive chamber and, after strapping him onto an operating table, exposed him to a strange red light. Mizuno soon lost consciousness, remaining asleep in the chamber for ten days. At the end of the process, Sano was terrified to witness Mizuno's body turn to gas and reform outside of the chamber. Mizuno pursued Sano through his laboratory; as he choked the scientist, he alluded to other failed experiments, enraging the Human Vapor, who suffocated him. Outside, he soon concluded that Sano was successful from a certain perspective, as Mizuno had become all but invincible and spared any other men from reckless experimentation.
Mizuno confirms to the journalists that he loved Fujichiyo before he became the Human Vapor and gave her the money so she could perform again and lift her spirits. Okamoto barges in, backed by soldiers, but the Human Vapor again proves impervious to their weapons and escapes unharmed out the window.
The police ask Fujichiyo to help them draw out the Human Vapor, as understanding his biology could be a great benefit for humanity. Bitterly remarking that she has no choice if she wants to be released, Fujichiyo agrees. She refuses to speak to the reporters gathered outside the station before her car takes her away.
The performer Fujichiyo first reached out to tells her that her troupe wants to withdraw and she should postpone the performance. Sounding detached, she brushes aside his concerns. Okamoto and another detective, concealed in the grass, watch him leave. Mizuno then arrives with a clap of thunder. He announces that the recital is ready and will be her grandest performance. She's aghast that he would sacrifice others for her benefit, but he declares he would do so to anyone who stood in his way. He wonders if other people in her life would have done the same for her if they obtained his same abilities, and implores her to take advantage of the situation to achieve global fame. After another declaration of devotion, she buries her head in his shoulder, and he holds her.
Okamoto and Tabata meet with police scientists at Dr. Sano's laboratory. One scientist questions whether it would be better to let Mizuno just enjoy Fujichiyo’s performance, especially given his importance to science, but Okamoto believes the Human Vapor is too volatile and unpredictable to be allowed to live. The scientist suggests an explosion of UM gas, which is largely undetectable, but must be set off in an enclosed area to be effective. They reluctantly land on the theater where Fujichiyo is to perform as the ideal spot.
Fujichiyo's performance, now called Demon of Emotion, sells out, and she remains determined to take the stage on schedule despite Kyoko informing her of the police's intent to arrest Mizuno there and the violence that might come of it. Kyoko adds that the audience will only be interested in Mizuno, not her artistry; Fujichiyo comments that she must really love Okamoto. She confesses that she returns Mizuno's love for her, and wants him to be present for her final performance.
Soldiers, police, and firefighters surround the theater. As Okamoto declines to explain to the reporters how he plans to capture Mizuno, Kyoko breaks away from the group and dashes into the theater. He catches up with her inside, where they find Fujichiyo performing for an audience of one: Mizuno. More people break through the police cordon to join him, though no one dares to sit in front of him. They all watch in silence, Okamoto grabbing Kyoko's camera after she snaps a photo. The police confront the difficult task of getting everyone but Mizuno, performers and audience, out of the theater before detonating the gas. Hecklers start to jeer, demanding that the Human Vapor do something, and fail to recognize him at first when he stands up. When he announces who he is, one tries to grab him, then reels back in terror as he starts to transform. The crowd rushes for the exits as Mizuno knocks the man unconscious. Kyoko tries to convince the dancer to leave as well, but she responds that she hasn't finished her final dance. Jiya asks to stay with her to the end as well.
Tabata, though aware Okamoto is still inside, reluctantly gives the order to begin filling the theater with gas. Okamoto and Kyoko leave with the unconscious man at Mizuno's behest as Fujichiyo resumes dancing. Okamoto reaches Tabata and reports that Fujichiyo and Jiya stayed behind. Believing they'll never have a better chance to kill Mizuno, Tabata nonetheless resolves that the operation will continue. Fujichiyo changes into her oni mask as the gas finishes filling the theater. Tabata grimly throws the switch, but the gas fails to explode: someone has cut the wires.
Mizuno applauds rapturously as Fujichiyo concludes her performance, and she steps off the stage to embrace him. He declares that they can't be stopped. With tears in her eyes, she holds up a lighter behind his back and ignites it. The gas detonates instantly, setting the theater ablaze. From outside, Kyoko and Okamoto watch the Human Vapor, gas swirling around his suit, crawl out of the theater. As he dies, he returns to a solid state.
Staff
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Ishiro Honda
- Written by Takeshi Kimura
- Based on a story by John Meredyth Lucas
- Executive producer Tomoyuki Tanaka
- Music by Kunio Miyauchi
- Cinematography by Hajime Koizumi
- Edited by Kazuji Taira
- Production design by Kiyoshi Shimizu
- First assistant director Koji Kajita
- Director of special effects Eiji Tsuburaya
- First assistant director of special effects Masakatsu Asai (uncredited)
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Tatsuya Mihashi as Assistant Inspector Kenji Okamoto
- Kaoru Yachigusa as Fujichiyo Kasuga
- Yoshio Tsuchiya as Mizuno, the Human Vapor
- Keiko Sada as Kyoko Kono
- Hisaya Ito as Dr. Tamiya
- Yoshibumi Tajima as Sergeant Tabata
- Yoshio Kosugi as Detective Inao
- Fuyuki Murakami as Dr. Kyugo Sano
- Bokuzen Hidari as Jiya
- Takamaru Sasaki as police chief
- Minosuke Yamada as Official Hayama
- Tatsuo Matsumura as Editor Ikeda
- Yoyo Miyata as bank manager
- Ko Mishima as Detective Fujita
- Kozo Nomura as Kawasaki
- Ren Yamamoto as Nomura, robber
- Somesho Matsumoto as Fujichiyo's teacher
- Yasuhisa Tsutsumi as police officer
- Akira Yamada as man in the library
- Shoichi Hirose as guard
- Tetsu Nakamura as Tobe, journalist
- Toki Shiozawa as Satoyo, wife
- Jiro Kumagai as Kajimoto
- Kamayuki Tsubono as Policeman Ozaki
- Rinsaku Ogata as Policeman Nakatani
- Keiji Sakakida as guard
- Yutaka Oka as audience member
- Keisuke Yamada as police chief
- Yukihiko Gondo as detective
- Akio Kusama as police chief
- Mitsuo Matsumoto as Kamata
- Koichi Sato as audience member
- Hiroshi Akitsu as librarian
- Hideo Shibuya as bank clerk
- Masaaki Tachibana as reporter
- Tadahiko Kuroda as audience member
- Minoru Ito as reporter
- Wataru Omae as reporter
- Ko Hayami as Fujichiyo's driver
- Jiro Suzukawa as deceased bank clerk
- Shinjiro Hirota as man in jail
- Kazuo Imai as reporter (uncredited)
- Takashi Narita as audience member (uncredited)
- Akijiro Mitsu as detective (uncredited)
- Haruo Nakajima as bank patron with black glasses (uncredited)
- Hiroko Terasawa
- Yoshishiro Fujita
- Shotaro Kashiwa
- Kojuro Kineya
- Kyutaro Yoshimura
- Katsushiro Kineya
- Wakisuke Kineya
- Kazushi Kineya
- Kazusaburo Kineya
- Kazunosuke Kineya
- Nobuhide Hosei
- Kishiro Katata
- Kisaburo Katata
- Kisaku Katata
- Hiroshi Fukuhara
English dub
- James Hong as Mizuno, the Human Vapor[1]
Appearances
Monsters
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Weapons, vehicles, and races
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Gallery
- Main article: The Human Vapor/Gallery.
Soundtrack
- Main article: The Human Vapor/Soundtrack.
Alternate titles
- The First Gas Man (literal Japanese title)
- The Human Vapour (international title)
- A Cloud of Terror (Una nube di terrore; Italy)
- The Secret of the Gas Man (O Segredo do Homem Gasoso; Brazil)
Theatrical releases
- Japan - December 11, 1960 [view poster]
- Thailand - 1962
- United States - November 27, 1963 (exclusive showing) / May 20, 1964 [view poster]
Foreign releases
U.S. release
The Human Vapor was released theatrically on the West Coast of the United States in 1964 by Brenco Pictures Corporation as a package with Gorath. The two films were later released more widely in the U.S. starting in the late 1960s. The U.S. version re-structured the film from a police procedural to a narrative focused around, and narrated by, Mizuno. It contains innumerable edits; stock footage and outtakes from the 1955 Samuel Fuller film noir House of Bamboo, which was shot entirely in Japan; and music and effects alterations, including the replacement of Kunio Miyauchi's score with music from Paul Sawtell's score for The Fly (1958), Hugo Friedhofer's score for The Barbarian and the Geisha, and Leigh Harline's score for House of Bamboo. The Human Vapor, along with The Last War and Gorath, is part of the Samuel Goldwyn film library owned by MGM. Although previously available on VHS and Betamax, none of the films have received DVD or Blu-ray releases in the United States. The Japanese version of The Human Vapor is available to stream on Flixfling.
United Kingdom release
Iver Film Services released The Human Vapor to VHS in the UK in December 1981. The U.S. edit, including English dubbing, was used for this release.[2]
Italian release
The U.S. edit of The Human Vapor was re-edited and released to television in Italy as Una nube di terrore (A Cloud of Terror). Changes include the reinserting of Kunio Miyauchi's score and a newspaper insert from the original Japanese version, credited to Cinefonico Palatino.[3][4] Sinister Film released The Human Vapor on DVD in 2011 with Japanese and Italian audio tracks, though the back cover lists only the Japanese version's longer runtime.[5]
Stage adaptation
Toho produced a stage adaptation of The Human Vapor in October 2009, with a cast that included Kumi Mizuno.[6] NHK broadcast a recording of the play on February 26, 2010,[7] a short clip of which is available on YouTube.[8] A full recording of the broadcast has yet to surface.
Unmade sequel
- Main article: Frankenstein vs. The Human Vapor.
After The Human Vapor proved a box office success in both Japan and the United States, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka began to plan for a sequel entitled Frankenstein vs. The Human Vapor. The sequel's premise would revolve around Mizuno, having actually survived the film's climax, seeking out Frankenstein's monster in order to find the secret of his immortality and use it to revive his love interest, who perished in the climax. However, the film never came to pass, although Frankenstein's monster would later appear in Toho's Frankenstein vs. Baragon in 1965.
Video releases
DVD Toho DVD (2002)
- Region: 2
- Discs: 1
- Audio: Japanese (Mono, 5.1)
- Subtitles: Japanese
- Special features: Isolated score, audio commentary by actress Kaoru Yachigusa, Japanese theatrical trailer, still galleries of publicity materials, Toho sci-fi props, and actors
TOHO Visual Entertainment Blu-ray (Novmeber 24, 2021) [Transforming Human Series][9]
- Region: A
- Discs: 2
- Audio: Japanese (Mono, 5.1, isolated score)
- Subtitles: Japanese
- Special features: Audio commentaries for The H-Man (Kenji Sahara), The Secret of the Telegian (Tadao Nakamaru), and The Human Vapor (Kaoru Yachigusa)
- Notes: Packaged with Invisible Man, The H-Man, and The Secret of the Telegian.
Videos
Trailers
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Miscellaneous
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Trivia
- The surf rock band Man or Astro-man? is likely named after one of Brenco Pictures' taglines for The Human Vapor.
- In 2009, the film ranked 65th in Kinema Junpo's list of the 200 best Japanese films of all time.[10]
External links
Notes
- ↑ While The Human Vapor's Japanese title was originally written using the irregular kanji 㐧 (dai; "number"), it is commonly substituted for the synonymous 第 (dai) in modern media, such as in the title of its 2009 stage adaptation or on its Japanese streaming listings. Furthermore, while the film's posters and screenplay write its title with the kanji 一 (ichi; "one"), most other sources including the film's title card and promotional materials use the numeral 1.
References
This is a list of references for The Human Vapor. 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]
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