Mosura tai Gojira (1964)

Director:

Ishirô Honda

Writer:

Shinichi Sekizawa (writer)

Release Date:

17 September 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Nothing Like This Ever On the Screen!

Plot:

A greedy developer unwittingly hatches a gigantic baby moth upon Tokyo, while Godzilla strikes once again.

Plot Keywords:

Egg | Godzilla | Moth | Twins | Reporter

Cast

Akira Takarada	...	News Reporter Ichiro Sakai
Yuriko Hoshi	...	News Photographer Junko 'Yoka' Nakanishi
Hiroshi Koizumi	...	Prof. Miura
Yû Fujiki	...	Reporter Jiro Nakamura (with egg and frying pan)
Emi Ito	...	Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
Yûmi Ito	...	Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
Yoshifumi Tajima	...	Kumayama
Kenji Sahara	...	Banzo Torahata - U.S.:Shiro Torahata
Jun Tazaki	...	Editor Arota
Kenzo Tabu	...	Mayor
Yutaka Sada	...	Old Man
Akira Tani	...	Village Headman
Susumu Fujita	...	General
Ikio Sawamura	...	Priest
Ren Yamamoto	...	Sailor
Yoshio Kosugi	...	Chief of Infant Island
Toshihiko Furuta	...	Soldier
Katsumi Tezuka	...	Soldier
Yasuhisa Tsutsumi	...	Longshoreman
Kôzô Nomura	...	Soldier
Seishirô Kuno	...	Aide
Shin Ôtomo	...	Police Officer
Senkichi Ômura	...	Villager
Hironobu Wakamoto	...	Villager
Wataru Ômae	...	Islander
Kôji Uno	...	Journalist
Yutaka Nakayama	...	Islander
Tadashi Okabe	...	Soldier
Miki Yashiro	...	Schoolteacher
Haruo Nakajima	...	Gojira
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kôji Uruki
Harold Conway	...	Weapon's Expert on US Ship (uncredited)
Osman Yusuf	...	Missile Surveyor on US Ship (uncredited)

Directed by
Ishirô Honda

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Shinichi Sekizawa		writer

Produced by
Sanezumi Fujimoto	....	executive producer
Tomoyuki Tanaka	....	producer

Original Music by
Akira Ifukube

Cinematography by
Hajime Koizumi

Film Editing by
Ryohei Fujii

Production Design by
Takeo Kita

Production Management
Boku Morimoto	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Koji Kajita	....	chief assistant director

Sound Department
Hiroshi Mukoyama	....	sound mixer
Sadamasa Nishimoto	....	sound effects editor
Hisashi Shimonaga	....	sound effects
Hisashi Shimonaga	....	sound technician
Fumio Yanoguchi	....	recording director

Special Effects by
Hiroshi Mukoyama	....	special effects opticals
Teruyoshi Nakano	....	assistant director of special effects
Teizo Toshimitsu	....	special effects suit designer
Eiji Tsuburaya	....	director of special effects
Akira Watanabe	....	art director of special effects

Visual Effects by
Sadamasa Arikawa	....	director of special effects photography
Kuichiro Kishida	....	special effects lighting
Yukio Manoda	....	optical photographer
Minoru Nakano	....	optical effects animation
Yoshiyuki Tokumasa	....	optical photography
Sokei Tomioka	....	special effects cameraman

Stunts
Haruo Nakajima	....	stunt choreographer

Camera and Electrical Department
Shoshichi Kojima	....	lighting technician

Production Companies

• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toho Company (1964) (worldwide) (all media)
• American International Pictures (AIP) (1964) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Astro Distribution (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Classic Media (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Genius Products (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Kuk Dong
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2008) (Japan) (TV)
• Paramount Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Simitar Video (1998) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Simitar Video (1999) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Sony BMG Music Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Music (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Gekidan Asunaro  extras
• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

Godzilla Against Mothra (Japan: English title)
Godzilla Fights the Giant Moth
Godzilla vs. Mothra
Godzilla vs. the Giant Moth
Godzilla vs. the Thing (USA)
Mothra vs. Godzilla (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

Germany:87 min | USA:89 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12 (nf)

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

With this film, the name of Mothra's island changes from "Beiru" to "Infant Island".

Goofs:

Plot holes: The corporates couldn't possibly have built that huge facility to house the Mothra egg in under one night, yet this is what the movie suggests.

Quotes:

News Reporter Ichiro Sakai: Listen, when the girls came to us, we did nothing to help them, so why would they help us?
Editor Arota: Look, you three are the only ones who can talk to the girls. We need help or everything will get trampled. Godzilla will crush our entire nation!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Gojira: Fainaru uôzu (2004)

Soundtrack:

The Song of Mothra

hey, not too bad

I grew up on the fancier Godzilla flicks of the 1980s and 90s, so it took me a while to accept the flabby-faced, goofy-lookin' Godzilla of the 1960s. Even in his first appearance, the big G looked a lot more convincing, and menacing, than he is here. This film, like the one that preceded it, is part of a downward trend in the series' production values. It certainly is tough to take seriously.

But...so flippin' what? Despite screamingly obvious flaws, this flick is a blast. The surprisingly rich storyline involves corporate greed, nuclear testing, and totally bizarre mysticism. The science fiction and fantasy elements blend well, and it's fascinating as always to get the occasional insight into Japanese culture.

The acting is obviously good, even in the dubbed version, and some of the directing isn't bad (although Honda did a much better job on the first film - perhaps he had less money for this one). The fights are a bit silly, of course, but there is the occasional thrilling moment, such as when Godzilla's head gets set on fire, and when he melts a whole mess of nicely detailed model tanks. Ifkube's dramatic score elevates the film considerably, except of course when he gets into wailing horns turf, which is when I always reach for the "volume down" button.

If you can't stand the cheese, stay out of Godzilla's way. If you can, there's some fun to be had here.