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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
    San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen: One of the best Toho films
    When a world ending three headed monster by the name of Ghidorah arrives on earth chaos ensues!

    Godzilla, Rodan & Mothra are all on the scene but fighting one another. Can Mothra and the martians convince them to work together to fight this seemingly unstoppable force?

    So once again we have the grade A cheese, men in monster suits, stop motion animation, ridiculous fight scenes and terrible acting. And yet somehow/someway this is actually the best Toho film I've seen.

    It suffers with all the usual tropes and arguably the plot is even worse than usual but it works and makes for a fun monster epic.

    The Godzilla films are certainly niche and not for everyone but this is a fun little effort.

    The Good:

    By this point it's actually starting to feel like a franchise

    Builds up to a solid climax

    The Bad:

    Opening is really daft

    Some of the outfits are embarassingly bad

    Plot is a tad confuddled

    Godzilla moves like a teletubby

    Franchise is getting goofy

    Things I Learnt From This Movie:

    The mini martian ladies are growing on me

    Mid battle giant monsters often enjoy games of catch with boulders
    helpful•7
    0
    • Platypuschow
    • Jul 17, 2018

    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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