The Mysterians (1957)

Shortly after a giant robot destroys a village, aliens from outer space arrive offering friendship. Will the people of Earth tie these two events together?

Director:

Ishirô Honda

Writers:

Takeshi Kimura, Jôjirô Okami (story)

Stars:

Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Momoko Kôchi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kenji Sahara	...	Joji Atsumi
Yumi Shirakawa	...	Etsuko Shiraishi
Momoko Kôchi	...	Hiroko Iwamoto
Akihiko Hirata	...	Ryoichi Shiraishi
Takashi Shimura	...	Dr. Tanjiro Adachi
Susumu Fujita	...	Gen. Morita
Hisaya Itô	...	Capt. Seki
Yoshio Kosugi	...	Cmdr. Sugimoto
Fuyuki Murakami	...	Dr. Nobu Kawanami
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Leader of the Mysterians
Minosuke Yamada	...	Hamamoto - Secretary of Defense
Tetsu Nakamura	...	Dr. Koda
Heihachirô Ôkawa	...	Person at Board Meeting
Takeo Oikawa	...	Announcer on TV
Haruya Katô	...	Doomed Villager

Storyline

Aliens arrive on Earth and ask permission to be given a certain tract of land for their people to live on. But when they are discovered to be invaders, responsible for the giant robot that is destroying cities, the armed forces attempt to stop them with every weapon available.

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Plot Keywords:

running for one's life | army | helicopter | psychotronic film | giant robot | 

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Taglines:

The greatest science-fiction picture ever conceived by the mind of man!

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Genres:

Action | Family | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-Y7

Did You Know?

Trivia

Martin Scorsese has expressed admiration for the imagination of this film and other Toho science fiction films when he wrote the forward to the director's biography.

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Goofs

One of the bicyclist firefighters has a very southern-US accent, when the on-screen actors are obviously Japanese. This occurs is the second English dubbed version done for U.S. DVD release, not the version shown in U.S. theaters starting in 1959.

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Quotes

Dr. Tanjiro Adachi: Strange things are happening behind the moon!

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Alternate Versions

Scenes deleted from the American version:

• During the final assault on the Mysterian Dome, a second Mogera tunnels up beneath a Markolite cannon causeing the weapon to crash down on the mecha, takeing out both machines.
• When the Mysterians summon up a tidal wave, a shot of the wave swamping another Markolite cannon is excised. This leaves only one Markolite remaining on the battlefeild. The American version gives the impression that there are two.
• After the Mysterians are defeated there is brief shot of retreating saucers returning to the satelite station.
• The final shot in the film is of the American satelite in orbit above the earth. In the distance we can see the Mysterian satelite station recedeing into deep space.

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Connections

Referenced in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

User Reviews

Dumb - loads of fun

Just saw the subbed, widescreen version of this Nipponese classic from 1957. OK, there was no characterisation to speak of. The "hero" and his professor mentor (played by Takashi Shimura, leader of the samurai in SEVEN SAMURAI, by the way) are just cardboard cut-outs serving the relentless, by-the-numbers plot. But the real star of this is the quaint-as-all-get-out vintage special effects.

The Toho spfx team were the best. Take a good look at the miniature work in the spectacular flooding scene. This is way better than similar miniature flooding scenes in the far bigger budgeted and later SUPERMAN THE MOVIE (1978), one of the last films to use traditional miniature work.

But you just got to love these Mysterians in their elegant colour-coded costumes, and the great design of the alien burrowing machine engine room.

So ... not a great deal of sense but a real visual treat. Switch off your brain, sit back and enjoy this madcap, popcorn fest for what it is. Fab, gear and groovy entertainment.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

15 May 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Mysterians

Box Office

Gross USA:

$975,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 70 min (1978 Toho Champion Festival)

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording) Mono (US prints)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1