Kairyu daikessen (1966)

Director:

Tetsuya Yamauchi

Writers:

Masaru Igami (writer)
Mokuami Kawatake (story)

Release Date:

5 March 1966 (Japan)

Genre:

Fantasy

Plot:

In ancient Japan, a good lord is killed and his throne is taken by the trecherous Yuki Daijo and his wizard friend Oroki-maru...

Plot Keywords:

Magic | Japan | Toad | Ninja | Sword Fight

Cast

Hiroki Matsukata	...	Ikazuchi-Maru / Jiraiya
Tomoko Ogawa	...	Sunate
Ryutaro Otomo	...	Orochi-Maru
Bin Amatsu	...	Daijô Yûki
Nobuo Kaneko	...	Dôjin Hiki
Sen Hara	...	Spider woman
Kensaku Hara	...	Zenbei
Masataka Iwao	...	Kido
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Seizo Fukumoto	...	Ninja
Akira Shioji

Also Known As:

Battle of the Dragons (International: English title) (literal title)
Froggo and Droggo (USA) (promotional title)
Grand Duel in Magic (USA) (promotional title)
Ninja Apocalypse
The Magic Serpent (USA)

Runtime:

94 min | USA:86 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Toei Company

Trivia:

It has long been suggested that this film was one of George Lucas' inspirations for the Star Wars series.

Movie Connections:

References Gojira (1954)

Soundtrack:

Susume! Jiraiya

The Magic Dragon...has a moral?

Thoroughly enjoyable fantasy film. The special effects are par for the era and the budget, but watch it for the storyline, which is strong and consistently interesting all the way through. The heavy use of magic and surrealistic plot twists (the hero gets beheaded and then puts his head nonchalantly right back on again later!) sets this one apart from the usual "giant monster" movie. Plot, pacing, and characterization are above average for this type of movie, and elevate it from being just another kaiju film into a truly enjoyable fantasy.

One of the more interesting things about this movie is that it apparently has a moral. The hero values honor above all else, and honors his obligations to his family, his friends, and his kingdom. Of course, in this case, sometimes one's honor requires one to turn into a giant fire-breathing frog, but still!

There are some elements in this movie that do remind me of Star Wars: A New Hope, as others noted, but I am not sure whether this means that Lucas drew from this film or not. I suspect he didn't. The plot (young man with special powers avenges his parents and saves his kingdom by battling an evil sorcerer) is fairly common. But still and all, who knows? George Lucas drew on a lot of movies to create "Star Wars" and I wouldn't be terribly surprised if this movie had a little something to do with his work. However, "The Magic Serpent" deserves to be appreciated on its own.

I would love to see a better print of this movie with a better transfer to DVD, but from what I understand this movie is quite rare in the United States, and due to its lack of popularity, it's not likely to get the remastering/rerelease treatment. So get it when you can and enjoy.