Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) Mosura tai Gojira (original title)

Director:

Ishirô Honda

Writer:

Shinichi Sekizawa

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 | Mothra | Japan | Godzilla | 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 Itô	...	Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
Yûmi Itô	...	Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
Yoshifumi Tajima	...	Kumayama
Kenji Sahara	...	Banzo Torahata - U.S.:Shiro Torahata
Jun Tazaki	...	Editor Arota
Kenzô 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

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

Other Companies

• Gekidan Asunaro  extras
• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

"Mosura tai Gojira" - Japan (original title)
"Godzilla Against Mothra" - Japan (English title)
"Godzilla vs. the Thing" - USA (alternative 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:

The Torada Beach sequence, in which Godzilla is attacked by the U.S. Navy, was shot by Toho for the U.S. release. It is one of the few examples where footage of Godzilla was shot outdoors, away from the controlled environment of the studio.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the Twin Faeries run to persuade Mothra to fight, they run between two rocks. When the humans run between these two rocks, their feet touch the ground. The Faeries are at least 3 or 4 inches above the ground (which you notice later when the humans follow behind them).

Quotes:

[the reporters and the scientist are trying to persuade the executives of Happy Enterprises to give up the giant egg]
News Photographer Junko 'Yoka' Nakanishi:You should return the egg to its rightful owner.
Kumayama:You keep saying about the 'rightful owner.' Is the rightful owner's name written on that egg?
Reporter Jiro Nakamura:No, but it's pretty clear it's Mothra's egg.
Kumayama:[shocked; looks at his partner] Mothra?
Banzo Torahata - U.S.:Shiro Torahata:[scoffs at this] Hmmph. Are you saying you have power of attorney from Mothra? Kumayama, it's no use talking with them. Ask them to leave.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King (2011) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Mahala Mothra

First Great Godzilla Sequel

Widely considered by many fans as the best of all Godzilla sequels, Mothra vs. Godzilla is pure nostalgic popcorn entertainment. Made long before the days of CGI, Mothra vs. Godzilla hearkens back to a time when stunt men in rubber monster suits stomped on miniature buildings, wrecking havoc on the big screen while audiences watched in awe. More enjoyable than Godzilla Raids Again and King Kong vs. Godzilla, Mothra vs. Godzilla was a welcome return to form. It also shows for the first time since the 1954 original just how indestructible the charcoal gray beast is. The Japanese military (with help from the US navy in the American version) try everything from bombs, missiles, tanks, and electricity to stop Godzilla. Of course, none of these methods work so its up to Mothra to save the day.

The American cut is actually pretty faithful to the Japanese original. Very little was edited out, but for marketing reasons the title was changed to Godzilla vs. The Thing. This was a silly marketing ploy to spark audience interest as to who the mysterious "thing" was. Both versions are presented on this DVD. A sequel, Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster, soon followed.