Gojira no gyakushû (1955)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Motoyoshi Oda

Writers:

Shigeaki Hidaka (writer)
Shigeru Kayama (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

21 May 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Godzilla battles an irradiated Ankylosaur and destroys Osaka in the process.

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Godzilla | Pilot | Island | Fishing

Cast

Hiroshi Koizumi	...	Shoichi Tsukioka
Setsuko Wakayama	...	Hidemi Yamaji
Minoru Chiaki	...	Kôji Kobayashi
Takashi Shimura	...	Kyohei Yamane-hakase
Masao Shimizu	...	Zoologist Dr. Tadokoro
Seijiro Onda	...	Captain Terasawa of Osaka Defense Corps
Sonosuke Sawamura	...	Hokkaido Branch Manager Shingo Shibeki
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Tajima, Member of Osaka Defense Corps
Mayuri Mokusho	...	Radio Operator Yasuko Inouye
Minosuke Yamada	...	Chief of Civil Defense
Yukio Kasama	...	Koehi Wamaji, President of the Fishery
Senkichi Omura	...	Small Escaped Convict
Ren Yamamoto	...	Commander of Landing Craft
Shin Otomo	...	Convict Leader
Takeo Oikawa	...	Osaka Municipal Police Commissioner
Shoichi Hirose	...	Convict
Junpei Natsuki	...	Escaped Convict
Katsumi Tezuka	...	Angirasu
Haruo Nakajima	...	Gojira
Marvin Miller	...	Narrator (voice: English version)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Toku Ihara	...	Policeman
Takuzo Kumagaya	...	Captain of Hokkai-maru (as Jirô Kumagai)
Hoshino Miyoko	...	Singer of cabaret
Tadao Nakamaru	...	Policeman
Hideo Shibuya	...	Visitor of cabaret
Sunagawa Shigemi	...	Visitor of cabaret
Masaaki Tachibana	...	Policeman
Shin Yoshida	...	Convict
Paul Frees	...	Voice (uncredited) (voice: English version)
Keye Luke	...	Hiroshi Koizumi (uncredited) (voice: English version)
George Takei	...	Voice (uncredited) (voice: English version)

Directed by
Motoyoshi Oda

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Shigeaki Hidaka		writer
Shigeru Kayama		novel "Gojira"
Takeo Murata		writer

Produced by
Edmund Goldman	....	producer
Paul Schreibman	....	producer
Tomoyuki Tanaka	....	producer

Original Music by
Masaru Satô

Cinematography by
Seiichi Endo

Film Editing by
Hugo Grimaldi
Kazuji Taira

Production Design by
Teruaki Abe
Takeo Kita

Production Management
Kazuo Baba	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eiji Iwaya	....	chief assistant director

Sound Department
Ichirô Minawa	....	sound re-recording mixer
Masanobu Miyazaki	....	sound recordist
Alvin Sarno	....	sound effects editor: US version

Special Effects by
Hiroshi Mukoyama	....	matte work
Eiji Tsuburaya	....	director of special effects
Akira Watanabe	....	special effects art director

Visual Effects by
Sadamasa Arikawa	....	special effects assistant camera (uncredited)
Edward Nassour	....	visual effects producer (uncredited)

Stunts
Haruo Nakajima	....	stunt choreographer

Camera and Electrical Department
Masayoshi Onuma	....	lighting technician

Music Department
Rex Lipton	....	music editor (US version)

Other crew
Paul Frees	....	voice dubbing: multiple characters (U.S. version)
Hugo Grimaldi	....	dubbing director (US version)

Production Companies

• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toho Company (1955) (worldwide) (all media)
• Les Films du Verseau (1957) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1959) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Eros Films (1960) (UK) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Astro Distribution (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Classic Media (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Filmax Home Video (video)
• Genius Products (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Kuk Dong
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sony BMG Music Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Video Treasures (1989) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Counterattack of the Monsters (USA) (promotional title)
Fire Monster
Gigantis
Gigantis the Fire Monster (USA)
Godzilla Raids Again (USA) (video title)
Godzilla's Counter Attack (International: English title) (literal title)
Gojira Strikes Again
Gojira's Counterattack
The Return of Godzilla
The Volcano Monster

Runtime:

82 min | USA:78 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf)

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

Special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya wanted the fight scenes filmed in slow motion, but a camera technician accidentally undercranked the camera instead of overcranking it, resulting in the action appearing faster than reality. Tsuburaya liked the effect, and decided to use it in the film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the shot where a few people are washed away in a flood in an underground-station, they appear to be transparent, as their images were apparently printed upon the background where the flood was actually filmed.

Quotes:

[last line; Japanese version]
Shoichi Tsukioka: Kobayashi... we beat Godzilla for you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gojira: Fainaru uôzu (2004)

Classic Japanese monster film

The Two pilots Kobayashi and Tsukioka must land on a remote Pacific Island and become witnesses of the fight between two giant monsters. After the battle, they both disappear into the ocean. Tsukioka informs scientists (including Dr. Yamane from the first "Godzilla" film) and the army about Godzilla and an unknown monster that looks like a prehistoric Ankylosaurus. The new monster therefor is named Angilas. Meanwhile, some bandits escape near Osaka and cause a car crash that is followed by large explosions. The fire attracts Godzilla to Osaka. The Japanese army tries to stop the monster using tanks, missiles and the air force. Then Angilas shows up too! The two monsters fight each other in the middle of the city in a brutal battle which is won by Godzilla. In order to stop him, the Osaka Defense Corps (and the two friends Kobayashi and Tsukioka) follow Godzilla to a snowy island near Hokkaido in northern Japan. Many pilots die in the final battle against the monster, as the army tries to cause an avalanche to bury Godzilla...

This is the little-known second film of the legendary Japanese Godzilla series, and the last that was filmed in black & white. It lacks, of course, most of the metaphoric meaning the first film had and is just a very entertaining, classic monster movie. The beautiful music score was composed by Masaru Satô, the favourite composer of Akira Kurosawa. It sounds a bit like a softer version of Akira Ifukube's great theme music for the first film. Like in the first "Godzilla", the black & white photography adds to the plausibility of the special effects, therefor they work really good most of the time. Probably the biggest problem with the effects is that the monsters move by far too fast in their fight scenes. But fortunately "Gojira no gyakushû" was the only Japanese monster movie ever to use this technique. Please note that this commentary is based on the original, uncut Japanese version of the film which really is the ONLY way to see it!! The American version is badly dubbed, has half of the movie cut out, inserts new scenes that don't make ANY sense, and has special effects footage stolen from other movies... it's just total crap. Everybody who is interested in seeing this film should look for the Japanese version, it's definitely worth the effort. Unfortunately, it is probably very hard to find. Despite the success of the film in Japan, the next "Godzilla" movie was not made for seven years.