San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen (1964)

Director:

Ishirô Honda

Writer:

Shinichi Sekizawa (writer)

Release Date:

13 September 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Three-Headed Monster battles Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan for the world!

Plot:

After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.

Plot Keywords:

Rodan | Godzilla | Mothra | Princess | Monster

Cast

Yosuke Natsuki	...	Detective Shindo
Yuriko Hoshi	...	Naoko Shindo
Hiroshi Koizumi	...	Professor Miura
Akiko Wakabayashi	...	Mas Selina Salno, Princess of Sergina
Emi Ito	...	Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
Yûmi Ito	...	Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
Takashi Shimura	...	Dr. Tsukamoto
Akihiko Hirata	...	Chief Detective Okita
Hisaya Ito	...	Malmess, Chief Assassin
Minoru Takada	...	Prime Minister
Senshô Matsumoto	...	Alien Expert
Ikio Sawamura	...	Honest Fisherman
Kôzô Nomura	...	Geologist
Kenji Sahara	...	Editor in Chief Kanamaki
Susumu Kurobe	...	Moustachoied Assassin

Also Known As:

Earth's Greatest Battle (literal English title)
Ghidora, the Three-Headed Monster
Ghidrah
Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster (USA)
Gojira Mosura Kingu Gidora: Chikyu saidai no kessen (Japan) (reissue title)
Monster of Monsters: Ghidorah (International: English title)
The Biggest Battle on Earth
The Biggest Fight on Earth
The Greatest Battle on Earth
The Greatest Fight on Earth
Three Giant Monsters: The Greatest Battle on Earth (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

92 min | Japan:73 min (1971 reissue) | USA:85 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

Godzilla never uses his radioactive breath on Ghidorah in this film, only Rodan

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Rodan flies out of Mt. Aso, you hear Godzilla's roar instead of Rodan's.

Quotes:

Detective Shindo: Ahhh, these monsters are as stupid as human beings!

Movie Connections:

References Sora no daikaijû Radon (1956)

Enormously entertaining Godzilla movie-one of the best

Many fans of Japanese monster movies regard the late 50s/early 60s as the Golden Age,and they are generally right.There is a terrific feel to the Toho Studios films made in that period-imaginative,exciting,fun without generally descending into camp,a good stock company of actors,etc.This film,to call it by it's western name Ghidorah the 3 Headed Monster,is a direct sequel to Godzilla Vs Mothra,perhaps the apex of the Godzilla series.It is not as completely satisfying as the previous instalment but it is probably even more entertaining.

The build-up is somewhat muddled and lengthy,but the plot is just about intriguing enough to keep one ticking over until,after perhaps too long a wait,the monsters appear and the film really kicks into high gear.The appearance of Godzilla,the pterosaur-like Rodan,and the three headed dragon Ghidorah {surely Godzilla's greatest foe} are all well staged and effective,while Ghidorah's attack on Tokyo remains impressive and was often 're-used' in later films.The Godzilla/Rodan battle is just funny,as is the bit where Mothra tries to communicate with Godzilla and Rodan and get them to fight Ghidorah,a really wacky scene that could only exist in a Japnese monster movie, but the climactic fight,as the three Earth monsters Godzilla,Rodan and Mothra combine their strength against the alien creature is the most rousing climax of a Godzilla film,aided by Akira Ifikube's fantastic theme music.

As usual,the US version was altered and,once again,for the worst,although not as badly as King Kong Vs Godzilla.Still,scenes were cut and shifted about,tightening the pace of the first half and weakening continuity,and some of the music was replaced.Once again,to get a real appreciation of this tremendously enjoyable and exciting movie,you need to seek out the Japanese version.