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IMDbPro

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

Original title: San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen
  • 19641964
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
7K
YOUR RATING
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
Home Video Trailer from Good Times Ent
Play trailer1:41
1 Video
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureFantasy
A detective is assigned to protect a princess who prophecies the Earth's end with the arrival of a powerful space monster. Mothra and her fairies must persuade Godzilla and Rodan to set asid... Read allA detective is assigned to protect a princess who prophecies the Earth's end with the arrival of a powerful space monster. Mothra and her fairies must persuade Godzilla and Rodan to set aside their differences or face the invader alone.A detective is assigned to protect a princess who prophecies the Earth's end with the arrival of a powerful space monster. Mothra and her fairies must persuade Godzilla and Rodan to set aside their differences or face the invader alone.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Ishirô Honda
  • Writer
    • Shin'ichi Sekizawa
  • Stars
    • Yôsuke Natsuki
    • Yuriko Hoshi
    • Hiroshi Koizumi
  • Director
    • Ishirô Honda
  • Writer
    • Shin'ichi Sekizawa
  • Stars
    • Yôsuke Natsuki
    • Yuriko Hoshi
    • Hiroshi Koizumi
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 78User reviews
    • 64Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster
    Trailer 1:41
    Watch Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster

    Photos114

    Grande120 x 160 cm
    Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
    Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
    Yuriko Hoshi in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
    Hisaya Itô in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
    Yôsuke Natsuki in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
    Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
    Hisaya Itô in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
    Akiko Wakabayashi in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
    Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, and Yôsuke Natsuki in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
    Yuriko Hoshi and Hiroshi Koizumi in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
    Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Yôsuke Natsuki
    Yôsuke Natsuki
    • Detective Shindo
    Yuriko Hoshi
    Yuriko Hoshi
    • Naoko Shindo
    Hiroshi Koizumi
    Hiroshi Koizumi
    • Professor Miura
    Akiko Wakabayashi
    Akiko Wakabayashi
    • Princess Selina Salno of Sergina
    Emi Itô
    • Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
    Yumi Itô
    Yumi Itô
    • Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
    Takashi Shimura
    Takashi Shimura
    • Dr. Tsukamoto
    Akihiko Hirata
    Akihiko Hirata
    • Chief Detective Okita
    Hisaya Itô
    Hisaya Itô
    • Malmess, Chief Assassin
    Minoru Takada
    • Prime Minister
    Someshô Matsumoto
    Someshô Matsumoto
    • Alien Expert
    Ikio Sawamura
    Ikio Sawamura
    • Honest Fisherman
    Kôzô Nomura
    • Geologist
    Kenji Sahara
    Kenji Sahara
    • Editor in Chief Kanamaki
    Susumu Kurobe
    Susumu Kurobe
    • Moustachoied Assassin
    Tôru Ibuki
    • Short-Tie Assassin
    Kazuo Suzuki
    Kazuo Suzuki
    • Showoff Door-Opener Assassin
    Haruya Katô
    • Journalist
    • Director
      • Ishirô Honda
    • Writer
      • Shin'ichi Sekizawa
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film is noted for beginning the gradual transition of Godzilla's character away from his villainous roots, and idea from producer Tomoyuki Tanaka. While screenwriter Shin'ichi Sekizawa and special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya aided this change by humanizing the monsters and adding more comedy to their antics, director Ishirô Honda opposed it. He was hesitant with the famous monster talk scene but was unable to dispute the studio mandates from Toho. Nevertheless, Honda was troubled by the direction Toho was forcing the series to take, mentioning, "I am concerned that we are drifting toward taking the easy route, believing a silly story line is OK, though it might be mocked by adults simply because the film is made for children. Kids will not tolerate nonsense." Tanaka would come to regret his decision, which he described as a mistake.
    • Goofs
      When the assassins' 1960 Mercedes 220 S is crushed by the landslide, it changes to a 1963 Toyopet Tiara for the shot of Malmess extracting himself from the wreck.
    • Quotes

      [as Mothra converses with Godzilla and Rodan]

      Naoko Shindo: Mothra's talking to them. What do you think she's saying?

      Detective Shindo: How would I know? I don't speak monster!

      [Everyone turns to the fairies]

      Professor Miura: What's she saying?

      Shobijin, Shobijin: She's trying to persuade them, but they're not convinced. "Let's stop fighting each other. Let's join forces and protect the Earth from King Ghidorah."

      Naoko Shindo: Do Godzilla and Rodan agree?

      Shobijin, Shobijin: No, they say they don't care. They say it's none of their business.

      Professor Miura: Damn them!

      Detective Shindo: Those bastards!

      Shobijin, Shobijin: Godzilla's saying, "We have no reason to help humans. Humans are always bullying us." Rodan says he agrees.

    • Alternate versions
      In the Japanese version, Shindo fires back at Malmess and his thugs in Princess Salno's hotel room. However, the American version deletes Shindo's return of fire.
    • Connections
      Edited into Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

    User reviews78

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Entertaining, but has it's flaws
    Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster has been considered a classic by many kaiju fans, and for good reason: introducing Godzilla's arch nemesis, the titular monster King Ghidorah. And while it is overall an entertaining flick, it does have it's flaws. The story is rather simple: Godzilla, Rodan, and Ghidorah all show up at the same time, and Mothra has to convince Godzilla and Rodan to fight Ghidorah with her. It's pretty simple stuff and works effectively. One of the categories where it faults, though, is the characters. While they're likable enough that you're not bored, they're not really particularly memorable or interesting either. They're one-dimensional but the plot happening with them is interesting enough that it keeps you invested during the human scenes. King Ghidorah looks great, Mothra Larva is an improvement over her previous appearance, and Godzilla looks good too, but Rodan's design is a downgrade from his debut film, but he still looks fine, and the overly dopey look has yet to come. Godzilla's character ark occurs here, where he goes from destroyer to defender, though the reason why he decides to help against Ghidorah after refusing several times is questionable. He just sees Mothra get blasted and suddenly decides to help. The same is true for Rodan, and even more questionable, is what exactly this Rodan is. In the original Rodan, there were two: a male and a female. Both were killed. Then one Rodan comes out of the same mountain in this movie, and it's supposedly a male. Did the male regenerate? Did the male actually not die? Is this they're unknown offspring? It's unknown even to this very day, not even official Toho books ever really clarify. While it's nice to see Rodan appear in a Godzilla movie, this is rather jarring. The special effects, while quite a bit looks impressive considering the especially big time constraints, it does falter quite a bit during the Godzilla and Rodan fight, especially with the cringey puppetry. Despite this, the fights are entertaining, with Godzilla and Rodan's fight still being a joy to watch, and having quite a few memorable moments. And of course, the final battle with all four monsters is also quite entertaining, even more so, and the special effects in that scene are a big improvement, and everywhere else they are consistently well-done. Akira Ifukube once again delivers the goods with this film's soundtrack; his music sours. It's no wonder many of it is still used and remembered today. Overall, Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster is a flawed movie, but it's positives outweigh the negatives and is an enjoyable and memorable entry in the franchise. It's not one of the best, but it's far, far from the worst.
    helpful•5
    0
    • tyrantlizardthad
    • Apr 27, 2019

    FAQ3

    • Was King Ghidorah meant to symbolize the Soviet Union and China?
    • How long did the Mount Fuji set take to be completed.

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 13, 1965 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster
    • Filming locations
      • Tokyo, Japan
    • Production company
      • Toho Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 25 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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