Rodan (1956)

A large mining accident sets loose prehistoric Insects and giant pterosaur's on Japan.

Director:

Ishirô Honda

Writers:

David Duncan (english version), Takeshi Kimura

Stars:

Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Akihiko Hirata

Cast

Credited cast:
Kenji Sahara	...	Shigeru Kawamura, colliery engineer (as Kenji Sawara)
Yumi Shirakawa	...	Kiyo, Shigeru's lover
Akihiko Hirata	...	Professor Kyuichiro Kashiwagi (biology)
Akio Kobori	...	Police Chief Nishimura
Yasuko Nakada	...	Female Honeymooner
Minosuke Yamada	...	Colliery Chief Osaki
Yoshifumi Tajima	...	Izeki, reporter of Seibu Nippou
Kiyoharu Onaka	...	Male Honeymooner, Sunagawa's friend (as Kiyoharu Ohnaka)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ichirô Chiba	...	Chief of police station
Mike Daneen	...	American Soldier Typing
Tsurue Ichimanji	...	Haru, Kiyo's neighbor (as Tazue Ichimanji)
Saburô Iketani	...	News Reader
Saburô Kadowaki	...	Sunagawa's colleague
Tateo Kawasaki	...	Tsunesan, miner
Kanta Kisaragi	...	Suteyan, miner

Storyline

In the Japanese mining village of Kitamatsu, miners ares starting to disappear deep inside shaft number 8. Some of the men sent to investigate are killed but one who has managed to escape brings back a tale of a giant insect. Soon, the giant prehistoric insects are attacking the village. Not long after, something traveling faster than the speed of sound is found flying in the sky. It is Rodan, a giant flying prehistoric reptile that has come to life. It spreads terror throughout Japan and is seemingly invincible to any weapon they may throw at it.

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Plot Keywords:

rodan | kaiju | tokusatsu | japan | monster | 

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Taglines:

Most horrifying hell creature that ever menaced all mankind!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese Mandarin Tagalog

Release Date:

6 August 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rodan

Filming Locations:

Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$500,000, 6 August 1957

Gross USA:

$500,000, 6 August 1957

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Film (Eiga) Co. Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min 70 min (16 mm television syndication prints) 72 min (English dubbed)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The King Brothers attempted to add footage of American Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ships firing their main guns and anti-aircraft batteries at the Rodans (the Kings had switched the city from Fukuoka, which had no naval facilities, to Sasebo, which had them). The brothers wanted footage of joint American-Japanese naval gunfire exercises, but the Pentagon refused, to avoid the Soviets seeing training techniques. A year later, in 1957 with The Mysterians (1957), the Pentagon would freely offer stock footage for public relations purposes.

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Goofs

After the bridge scene, there is a brief shot of the flying Rodan where the monster can be seen casting shadows onto the painted sky background.

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Crazy Credits

In the U.S. version, special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya's name is misspelled "Eiji Tsuburya."

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Alternate Versions

In the original version, the news reporter is only talking about the sightings of the "mysterious UFO". However, in the American version it is edited to sound like he is talking about not only the UFO but the pending eruption of Mt. Aso/Mt. Toya.

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Connections

Followed by Destroy All Monsters (1968)

User Reviews

Fantastic!

The first of the Toho "Dai Kaiju" series in colour and some of Eiji Tsuburaya's best special effects. Although shorn to a miserly 69 minutes of the original Japanese footage (plus nearly 4 minutes of actual H-Bomb test footage stuck to the beginning by the American distributors, The King Brothers) it is a fabulously made picture.

Coal miners discover gigantic insects, known as Meganurons in the original version, which attack the local village. As if that were not bad enough a monstrous flying reptile soon hatches from an egg which has also been unearthed. Rodan's appearance is a "good news/bad news" thing because he eats the giant insects, but he also causes more damage than they ever could have!

The King Brothers, who would also give us GORGO a few years later, saved money by simply repeating certain scenes and "flopping" the image on the screen so it would look (slightly) different. Rodan and its mate appear out of the same crater in the American version. In the original version the second Rodan appears with no explanation as the first one is destroying the city of Sasebo. The narration probably saved time and allowed them to use less of the Japanese footage but having seen the original version I prefer the visual aspects of it (the end sequence is just as poignant and memorable without any dialogue).

Lovers of dubbed movies will recognise the voices of Paul Frees and Marvin Miller doing almost every voice in the picture! Keye Luke, a former Number One Son in Charlie Chan movies, provides the voice of the hero and a teenaged George Takei (later Mr. Sulu on "Star Trek") can be heard also. Look carefully during the destruction of the city and you will notice one building, a camera company, is called "The Tsuburaya Company"!

In todays genres where every movie is over-laden with CGI people should pause long enough to watch this movie and see what could be done with miniatures, imagination, and heart. Eiji Tsuburaya really loved the genre and gave his best to every assignment but THIS will always be one of his best.

Oh and about the monsters name. It was originally RADON but a British toy company had a doll on the market with that name so when the movie went abroad they simply switched the vowels in the monster's name and Radon became Rodan.