Half Human (1955)
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Is it a demon or a primitive man? A horrible giant beastman with superhuman strength, it's the Snowman! (魔か原始人か?怪力と戦慄の巨獣人、これが雪男だ!)
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— Tagline |
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Ah! A moment of fright! The giant beastman Snowman suddenly stamps through the snow of the Alps, approaching humanity! (あッ!驚愕の一瞬!忽然アルプスの雪を蹴って巨獣人雪男人間に迫る!)
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— Tagline |
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1400 POUNDS OF FROZEN FURY that moves like man! HALF-MAN, HALF-BEAST but ALL MONSTER!
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— American tagline |
Half Human (獣人雪男 is a Jūjin Yuki Otoko, lit. Monster Snowman)1955 tokusatsu kaiju film produced by Toho. It was released to Japanese theaters on August 14, 1955, and to American theaters on May 17, 1957.
Plot
“I knew that『plot』wasn't up to much.” This plot synopsis is missing or incomplete. Please help by editing this section. |
To be added.
Staff
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Ishiro Honda
- Written by Takeo Murata and Shigeru Kayama
- Produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka
- Music by Masaru Sato
- Cinematography by Tadashi Iimura
- Edited by Shûichi Anbara
- Production Design by Tatsuo Kita
- Assistant Directing by Kihachi Okamoto
- Special Effects by Eiji Tsuburaya and Akira Watanabe
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Akira Takarada as Takeshi Iijima, alpine club member
- Akemi Negishi as Chika, villager
- Momoko Kochi as Machiko Takeno, Iijima's lover
- Nobuo Nakamura as Professor Koizumi
- Sachio Sakai as Nakata, alpine club member
- Kuninori Kodo as Tribal Chief
- Yoshio Kosugi as Oba, animal broker
- Akira Tani as Chubby Thug, Oba's men
- Kenji Kasahara as Shinsuke Takeno, Machiko's younger brother
- Senkichi Omura as Villager
- Toshitsugu Suzuki as Kurihara, alpine club member (as Koji Suzuki)
- Ren Yamamoto as Shinagawa, alpine club member
- Akira Sera as Matsui, hotelier
- Yasuhisa Tsutsumi as Kodama, reporter
- Tadashi Okabe as Takeno, Machiko' older brother
- Etsuro Saijo as Mountain guide
- Kamayuki Tsubono as Mountain guide
- Akira Yamada as Kaji, alpine club member
- Shoichi Hirose as Mountain Searcher
- Yutaka Nakayama as Thug, Oba's men
- Ichiro Chiba as Chief policeman
- Kihachi Okamoto as Mountain Searcher
- Takuzo Kumagai as Policeman (as Jiro Kumagai)
- Haruo Nakajima as Mountain Searcher
- Shigeo Kato as Villager
- Akio Kusama as Villager
- Rinsaku Ogata as Mountain guide
- Keiichiro Katsumoto as Villager
- Koichi Sato
- Kazuo Fukuda
- Hiroshi Akitsu as Stationmaster
- Kyoko Ozawa as Villager
- Fuminori Ohashi as Snowman
- Takashi Ito as Snowman's Child
- Akira Kitchoji as Villager (as Hikaru Kitchoji)
- Yasumasa Onishi as Thug, Oba's men (as Yasuo Onishi)
- Ryutaro Amami as Mountain searcher
- Kenzo Echigo as Mountain searcher
- Kazuo Hinata as Station employee
- Tsurue Ichimanji as Villager
- Toku Ihara as Mountain searcher
- Kawamata Kiichi as Mountain searcher
- Eisuke Nakanishi as Mountain searcher
- Shigemi Sunagawa as Policeman
- Jiro Suzukawa as Mountain searcher
- Masaaki Tachibana as Mountain searcher
- Hideo Otsuka as Mountain searcher
Appearances
Monsters
Gallery
- Main article: Half Human/Gallery.
Soundtrack
- Main article: Half Human (Soundtrack).
Alternate Titles
- Snowman (International Title)
- Monster Snowman (Literal Japanese Title)
- Beast Man Snowman (Alternate Translation)
- Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman (Alternate American Title)
Theatrical Releases
- Japan - August 14, 1955
- United States - May 17, 1957
- England - 1957
- Sweden - July 10, 1958
U.S. Release
In 1958, DCA acquired the rights to distribute Half Human in the United States in a double-bill with Monster from Green Hell. Like what had been done with Godzilla and would later be done with Varan, the American version of the film added in newly-filmed scenes with western actors. The American version of Half Human removes several of the human scenes from the Japanese cut and replaces them with new footage featuring John Carradine, Robert Karnes, Russell Thorson, and Morris Ankrum where the baby Snowman is being dissected. Carradine's doctor character acts as a narrator who tells the events of the film through a flashback, similar to Raymond Burr's role as Steve Martin in Godzilla, King of the Monsters! None of the Japanese characters are dubbed. Unlike the American edit of Godzilla, the American version of this film was not well received and its edits have been widely criticized.
Due to Toho's self-imposed ban on its own cut of the film, the American edit of Half Human remains the only version of the film to be legitimately available on home video around the world.
Video Releases
Rhino Home Video VHS (1990)[1]
- Audio: English
Englewood Entetainment VHS (1998)[2]
- Audio: English
Videos
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Trivia
- In Japan, this film has been removed from circulation due to the original version depicting the inhabitants of the remote village similar to the Ainu people as being deformed from generations of inbreeding as well as showing backwards and violent behavior. However, no such reference is made in the film's dialogue, but for this reason broadcasters and media publishing companies have refrained from showing it.
- Toho prepared a VHS release of Half Human in 1994 or 1995, but ultimately declined to sell it.[3] Bootlegs of this tape, which include a timecode on the top of the frame, are the only way to see the Japanese version of the film.
- Half Human was the first non-Godzilla kaiju film produced by Toho, as well as the first film Ishiro Honda directed following Godzilla.
External Links
References
This is a list of references for Half Human. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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