Killer Whale (1962)
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The Whale God (1962)
Killer Whale (1962)
Killer Whale (鯨神 Kujira Gami, lit. "The Whale God") is a 1962 tokusatsu kaiju film directed by Tokuzo Tanaka and written by Kaneto Shindo based on Koichiro Uno's 1961 novel The Whale God, with special effects by Toru Matoba. Produced by Daiei's Tokyo Studio, the company released it to Japanese theaters on July 15, 1962, and it was given limited screenings in Hawaii later that year. It would not become legally available in the U.S. again until 2023, when SRS Cinema brought it to Blu-ray and VHS.
Plot
For decades, Wadaura, a Japanese fishing village, has been terrorized by a giant, seemingly immortal North Pacific right whale which they have named Shatsu the "Whale God." Shaki, the current patriarch of his family, vows to kill the whale and seek vengeance for his father, grandfather, and brother's deaths at its hands. The elder of the village proclaims that the first man to kill Shatsu will be given his land, his title, and his daughter Toyo's hand in marriage. Kishu, a wandering drifter, also pledges to kill the whale.
The next morning, Shaki is awakened by his sister Yuki, who tells him he has been sleeping for two days, tossing and turning the whole time. She also informs him that her fiancée Kasuke has arrived to speak with him. He tells Shaki that he is leaving to become a doctor in Nagasaki, saying the village has gone mad trying to kill the Whale God and begs for him to leave it alone. Shaki refuses, likening his conflict to a duel which he must win.
Shaki visits the village elder, who tells him that he is now the chief spearfisher, after his father and grandfather before him, and that he must train for the Whale God's return in the spring. After he leaves, Toyo refuses to marry Shaki, saying his profession is not dignified and that she doesn't want to be a trophy. The elder assures her that Shaki's mission is futile and he won't return, but the elder vows to see the Whale God dead, even if it means the destruction of the village.
Shaki meets with his lover Ei by the shore. She tells him that Toyo will be his bride, but Shaki's only interest is in killing the Whale God. Ei tries to get Shaki to abandon the hunt, but he continues to refuse. As she chases after him, she is grabbed by Kishu from behind a rock, who savagely kidnaps and assaults her. Kishu trails Shaki to the town tavern and intimidates him, but Shaki refuses to fight, claiming his only enemy is the Whale God.
The next day, Shaki is interrupted during his training by Yuki, who informs him that their mother is dying. Racing home, Shaki lies by his mother's bedside. She tells him with her dying breath to live life with purpose until his death. Time passes and Kasuke returns to give his condolences to Shaki, who hasn't left the house since his mother's passing. Shaki begs Kasuke to take Yuki with him back to Nagasaki, saying the he can give her the happy life she deserves.
Shaki leaves town to visit his father, grandfather, and brother's grave, asking for guidance in taking down the Whale God. As he walks down the beach, he discovers Ei collapsed under a hut as she goes into labor. Ei gives birth to a baby boy and Shaki claims it as his own to protect Ei from scorn. She worries that this will prevent Shaki from marrying Toyo, but Shaki doesn't care, claiming the Whale God is still his priority. As they lay in bed, Ei tearfully reveals that she tried to kill the baby before it was born, but Shaki tells her that he loves her and that the baby will grow up to be the heir to his family. Ei begs Shaki to stay with her and live a long, fulfilling life, but Shaki continues to seek the Whale God.
The next morning, Shaki visits the village elder and claims to be the father of Ei's child. The elder is shocked that Shaki doesn't want to marry Toyo or become the next elder; Shaki claims killing the whale is the only reward he needs. Shaki and Ei take the baby to the town priest to be baptized, running into Kishu outside the temple. He balks at the child and claims whalers don't need sons. As he leaves, Toyo arrives and asks to speak with Shaki. She tells him he is breaking the promise her father made and asks him why he has married Ei. Shaki refuses to answer and Toyo storms off.
Shaki visits Yohei, a family friend in a nearby tavern outside of Wadaura, who had a traumatic encounter with the Whale God. Shaki asks him how to capture the Whale God, but Yohei tells him that it is pointless and that his pride will be his downfall.
The village receives a telegram from the Setozakiura Whalers League, informing them that Shatsu has returned. The elder gathers Wadaura's fishermen and claims they will be on the lookout, riding off to capture Shatsu in the morning when it passes through their waters. As Shaki prays to his family's grave once more, he is confronted by Kishu, who claims that he is throwing his life away by not accepting the title of elder and Toyo's hand in marriage. Kishu claims he will be the one to kill Shatsu and that he will sell Toyo to a brothel once he has his way with her. Shaki calls out Kishu's evil behavior and the two begin fighting. The brawl ends in a stalemate and Kishu declares the hunt for the Whale God will determine the winner, which Shaki agrees to.
The next morning, the Wadaura fishermen perform a ritual dance and begin their hunt for Shatsu. After some time spent on the water, they encounter its spout and pursue it, casting their nets onto it in the process. The fishermen struggle to keep hold of the beast with their harpoons as it continues to dive to try and shake them off. Dozens more harpoons are thrown into the whale as it capsizes a few of the men's boats. Seeing the whale injured, Kishu leaps into the water against the village elder's wishes and swims after the whale. Shaki tries to follow but is stopped by the elder. Kishu climbs aboard the whale and attempts to kill it with a harpoon, but the whale dives under the water and he is drowned as he holds on. When the whale resurfaces, Shaki leaps after it, climbing aboard and stabbing it in the blowhole with a knife. The whale dives again and Shaki goes under with it, but he resurfaces unscathed. After an exhaustive fight, Shatsu succumbs to its wounds and dies as Shaki faints in exhaustion.
The village elder and the remaining fishermen bring Shaki back to Wadaura, where he is awoken by the elder, Ei, and the village priest. The elder tells Shaki that they hauled the whale onto the beach and slaughtered it, leaving only the head intact. Shaki demands to be taken to it, but the priest and elder refuse, telling him his limbs are broken and that he is dying. Shaki begs them to fulfill his wish and they eventually relent. As they bring him to the beach in an open coffin, Shaki requests to be left alone with the whale's head. Ei stays behind and watches as Shaki commends the whale for putting up a good fight. In tears, Ei reveals to the dying Shaki that Kishu is their baby's real father, but Shaki reveals in turn that he already knew; Kishu's impulsive leap after the whale was meant to weaken it for Shaki, sacrificing himself in the process. Shaki tells Ei to forgive Kishu and that the child, no matter what, is still theirs.
As Ei leaves Shaki, he is visited by the village elder and Toyo, who tell him they have sent for a doctor in Nagasaki. The elder tells Shaki that he will be marrying Toyo tomorrow and inheriting his estate and name. Shaki refuses, claiming his wife is Ei and asks Toyo why she would marry him if they didn't truly love each other. She tells him that he killed the Whale God and must marry her as his prize. The elder claims he has nothing left to live for now that the Whale God is dead.
As they too leave, Shaki commends Kishu on their victory and says they will see each other soon. Shaki peacefully passes away on the beach, proclaiming that he will now become the Whale God in death.
Staff
- Main article: Killer Whale (film)/Credits.
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka
- Written by Kaneto Shindo
- Based on the novel by Koichiro Uno
- Executive producer Masaichi Nagata
- Planned by Osamu Yoneta, Yuichiro Takeya
- Music by Akira Ifukube
- Cinematography by Setsuo Kobayashi
- Edited by Tatsuji Nakashizu
- Production design by Shigeo Mano
- First assistant director Bainari Nakamura
- Directors of special effects Chikara Komatsubara, Toru Matoba
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Katsu Shintaro as Kishu
- Kojiro Hongo as Shaki
- Fujimura Shiho as Ei
- Reiko Fujiwara as Okoma
- Michiko Takano as Yuki
- Takemura Yosuke as Kasuke
- Kyoko Enami as Toyo
- Koji Fujiyama as Shaki's brother
- Chieko Murata as Shaki's mother
- Koh Sugita as Shaki's father
- Kikuko Tachibana as Shaki's grandmother
- Kanji Kawara as Shaki's grandfather
- Takashi Shimura as village elder
- Chikara Hashimoto as bearded villager
- Kichijiro Ueda
- Bontaro Miake
- Jutaro Hojo
- Osamu Abe
- Kenichi Miyajima
- Kanji Kawahara
- William Hughes
- Masatoki Sasaki
- Kazuo Mori
- Junko Ichijo
- Etsuko Fuji
- Masako Kato
- Michiko Masugi
Appearances
Monsters |
Gallery
- Main article: Killer Whale (film)/Gallery.
Alternate titles
- The Whale God (literal Japanese title)
- Kujira Gami (English title on Kadokawa DVD cover)
Video releases
Kadokawa DVD (2006/2014)
- Region: 2
- Discs: 1
- Audio: Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0)
- Subtitles: Japanese
- Special features: Audio commentary (seemingly the 2014 release only), theatrical trailer, cast and crew profiles, photo gallery
SRS Cinema Blu-ray/DVD (2023/TBA)[1]
- Region: A (Blu-ray); to be announced (DVD, 1 guaranteed)
- Discs: 1
- Audio: Japanese
- Subtitles: English
- Special features: "Godzilla & Moby Dick" essay by Henning Strauss; "Whales in Japanese Folklore" essay by Eugene Alejandro; "Kaiju United Speaks" featurette (1:32); trailers for Killer Whale (2:50), Day of Destruction (1:24), Konga TNT (1:02), Nezura 1964 (1:02), Raiga: God of the Monsters (1:05), Reigo: King of the Sea Monsters (1:01), The iDol (1:28), Attack of the Giant Teacher (1:20), Uktena: The Horned Monstrosity (1:20), War of the God Monsters (1:05), Zillafoot (0:49), and Dragon Lizard Lord Super Monsters and Hammer of Draco (2:32)
- Notes: Sold with an optional limited-edition slipcover.
SRS Cinema VHS (2023)
- Tapes: 1
- Audio: Japanese
- Subtitles: English
Videos
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References
This is a list of references for Killer Whale (film). 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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