Ido zero daisakusen (1969)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Ishirô Honda

Writers:

Warren Lewis (additional dialogue)
Shinichi Sekizawa (writer)

Release Date:

26 July 1969 (Japan)

Genre:

Family | Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Fantasy

Tagline:

Discover the incredible world of tomorrow... 15 miles straight down at LATITUDE ZERO

Plot Keywords:

Transplantation | Giant Bat | Condor | Utopia | Diamond

Cast

Joseph Cotten	...	Capt. Craig McKenzie / Cmdr. Glenn McKenzie
Cesar Romero	...	Dr. Malic / Lt. Hastings
Akira Takarada	...	Dr. Ken Tashiro
Masumi Okada	...	Dr. Jules Masson
Richard Jaeckel	...	Perry Lawton
Patricia Medina	...	Lucretia
Tetsu Nakamura	...	Dr. Okada
Mari Nakayama	...	Tsuruko Okada
Akihiko Hirata	...	Dr. Sugata
Wataru Omae	...	Advisor
Hikaru Kuroki	...	Capt. Kroiga
Linda Haynes	...	Dr. Anne Barton
Susumu Kurobe	...	Chin
Burr Middleton	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Haruo Nakajima	...	Flying Lion / Giant Rat

Also Known As:

Atragon II (International: English title)
Ido 0 daisakusen (Japan) (alternative spelling)
Kaitei Daisenso - Ido Zero Daisakusen
Latitude Zero (USA)
Latitude Zero Military Tactics
Latitude Zero: Big Military Operation

Runtime:

Japan:89 min | USA:105 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | USA:G

Company:

Ambassador Productions

Trivia:

After years of being dubbed, Akira Takarada and Akihiko Hirata are heard using their own voices to speak English in this film.

Goofs:

Continuity: The bat creatures' arms are connected to their wings. However in some shots (usually the ones require them to pick up or push someone) their arms and wings are suddenly separate appendages.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wakusei daisenso (1977)

Underrated Classic

This is one of the finest of the non-Godzilla epics by Ishiro Honda and Toho. It definitely has all the elements that make for a great film great story, great action and an interesting twist at the end. What really stands out is the fact that Honda pretty much took a near impossible situation in working with several American actors who didn't speak Japanese and was able to do a decent job in directing them. However, the thing that really was interesting about this film was the fact that this film marks what probably is the first and only time that Akira Takarada and the late, great Akihiko Hirata are heard speaking English with their own voices after years of being dubbed. This film is definitely one of the finest to come from Toho.