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Jun Tazaki
, born Minoru Tanaka, was a Japanese actor best known for his various roles in kaiju films produced by Toho, often portraying scientists or military personnel. Career Tanaka began his career as a traveling stage actor in the 1930s, performing under both his birth name and various stage names. In 1950, he changed his name to Jun Tazaki when he appeared in Shintoho's film '' Sasameyuki''. After initially holding only small film roles, Tazaki gradually gained popularity and began playing larger roles in films produced by Toho in the 1960s. Akira Kurosawa frequently cast Tazaki in his films, but Ishirō Honda also considered him a favorite. Toho's science fiction films, particularly those directed by Honda, featured him throughout the 1960s as an authority figure with a moustache. As well as playing stern but benevolent father figures, Tazaki played villains with a ruthless streak. His defining role came in Honda's '' Atragon'', in which he portrayed the embittered World War II ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaiju
is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monsters. The ''kaiju'' genre is a subgenre of ''tokusatsu'' entertainment. The 1954 film '' Godzilla'' is commonly regarded as the first ''kaiju'' film. ''Kaiju'' characters are often somewhat metaphorical in nature; Godzilla, for example, serves as a metaphor for nuclear weapons, reflecting the fears of post-war Japan following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the '' Lucky Dragon 5'' incident. Other notable examples of ''kaiju'' characters include Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah and Gamera. Etymology The Japanese word ''kaijū'' originally referred to monsters and creatures from ancient Japanese legends; it earlier appeared in the Chinese ''Classic of Mountains and Seas''. After ''sakoku'' had ended and Japan was opened ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gorath
is a 1962 Japanese epic science fiction disaster film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Based on an idea by Jojiro Okami, the film is about mankind's efforts to move Earth out of its orbit to prevent it from colliding with a runaway white dwarf star. The film was extensively edited for its American release. Plot On September 29, 1979, the Interstellar Exploration Agency launches a Japanese rocket ship, the ''JX-1 Hawk'', into space on a nine-month journey to investigate Saturn. At its conclusion, however, the crew is given a new mission after scientists discover a runaway star, which the International Astronomical Union nicknamed "Gorath", is somehow running amok. Upon encountering and while investigating Gorath's rapid movement through the Solar System, the ''JX-1 Hawk'' crew discover it is smaller than Earth, yet has 6,000 times its gravity. They manage to transmit their data back to Earth before an enormous gravity well destroys the sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Destroy All Monsters
is a 1968 Japanese Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Co., Ltd, is the ninth film in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise, and features eleven monster characters, including Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah, Anguirus, and Minilla. The film stars Akira Kubo, Jun Tazaki, Yukiko Kobayashi and Yoshio Tsuchiya. In the film, humans have achieved world peace by the year 1999, and various giant monsters are confined to an area known as Monsterland and Monster Island, Monsterland. The monsters are freed from the area and are Mind control, mind-controlled by aliens known as Kilaaks, who send them to attack major cities. When the monsters are freed from the Kilaaks' influence, the aliens send King Ghidorah to challenge the other monsters. ''Destroy All Monsters'' was released theatrically in Japan on August 1, 1968. The film was released by American Internation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan's Longest Day
is a 1967 Japanese war film directed by Kihachi Okamoto. The subject of the majority of the movie is the period between noon on August 14, 1945 and noon on August 15, 1945, when Emperor Hirohito's decision to surrender to the Allies in World War II was broadcast to the Japanese people, and the attempted coup d'état to prevent that from happening. Film historian Joseph L. Anderson describes the film as "a meticulous reconstruction of the day Japan surrendered and thus ended the Pacific War. Cast Production According to Okamoto, Masaki Kobayashi was originally supposed to direct ''Japan's Longest Day'' but didn't want to, so co-producer Sanezumi Fujimoto suggested that Okamoto direct it. Okamoto believes that this film and his subsequent film '' The Human Bullet'' (1968) are expressions of his anti-war feelings. ''Japan's Longest Day'' portrays the actual people who were able to remain above the fighting, but did fight with each other, while ''The Human Bullet'' is a sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Godzilla Vs
is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film ''Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produced by Toho, four American films and numerous video games, novels, comic books and television shows. Godzilla has been dubbed the "King of the Monsters", a phrase first used in ''Godzilla, King of the Monsters!'' (1956)'','' the Americanized version of the original film. Godzilla is an enormous, destructive, prehistoric sea monster awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation. With the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the '' Lucky Dragon 5'' incident still fresh in the Japanese consciousness, Godzilla was conceived as a metaphor for nuclear weapons. Others have suggested that Godzilla is a metaphor for the United States, a giant beast woken from its slumber which then takes terrible vengeance on Japan. As the film series exp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
War Of The Gargantuas
is a 1966 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Referred by film historian Stuart Galbraith IV as a "quasi–sequel" to '' Frankenstein vs. Baragon'', the film was a Japanese-American co-production; it was the third and final collaboration between Toho Co., Ltd and Henry G. Saperstein. The film stars Russ Tamblyn, Kumi Mizuno and Kenji Sahara, with Yû Sekida as Sanda and Haruo Nakajima as Gaira. In the film, scientists investigate the sudden appearance of two giant hairy humanoid monsters that culminates in a battle in Tokyo. The script's final draft was submitted in April 1966. Tab Hunter was originally hired by Saperstein, choosing to replace Nick Adams. However, Hunter was replaced by Tamblyn during pre-production. Honda's contract was not renewed and had to seek employment by speaking to Tanaka on a film-by-film basis. Honda, Saperstein, and chief assistant Seiji Tani noted that Tamblyn was difficult to work with. Tamblyn did ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Invasion Of Astro-Monster
is a 1965 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the sixth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise and Shōwa period. The film was a Japanese-American co-production; it was the second collaboration between Toho Co., Ltd. and UPA. The film stars Akira Takarada, Nick Adams, Kumi Mizuno, Akira Kubo, and Yoshio Tsuchiya, with Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla, Masaki Shinohara as Rodan, and Shoichi Hirose as King Ghidorah. In the film, aliens plead with humanity to borrow Godzilla and Rodan to defeat King Ghidorah, only to betray the humans and unleash the monsters on the Earth. ''Invasion of Astro-Monster'' was theatrically released in Japan on December 19, 1965. It was followed by a theatrical release in the United States on July 29, 1970 by Maron Films as ''Monster Zero'', on a double bill with ''The War of the Gargantuas''. The film was followed by ''Ebirah, Horror of the Deep'', released on December 17, 1966. Plot In the year 196X ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frankenstein Conquers The World
is a 1965 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film stars Nick Adams, Kumi Mizuno and Tadao Takashima, with Koji Furuhata as Frankenstein and Haruo Nakajima as Baragon. An international co-production of Japan and the United States; it was the first collaboration between Toho Co., Ltd and Henry G. Saperstein. In the film, scientists investigate the origins of a mysterious boy and his resistance to radiation that makes him grow to monstrous size, while a second monster ravages the countryside. ''Frankenstein vs. Baragon'' was theatrically released in Japan on August 8, 1965, followed by a theatrical release in the United States on July 8, 1966 by American International Pictures under the title ''Frankenstein Conquers the World''. The film was followed by ''The War of the Gargantuas'', released on July 31, 1966. Plot During World War II in Nazi Germany, Nazi officers confiscate the living heart of the Frankenstein Monster from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kwaidan (film)
is a 1964 Japanese anthology horror film directed by Masaki Kobayashi. It is based on stories from Lafcadio Hearn's collections of Japanese folk tales, mainly '' Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things'' (1904), for which it is named. The film consists of four separate and unrelated stories. ''Kwaidan'' is an archaic transliteration of the term , meaning "ghost story". Receiving critical acclaim, the film won the Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Plot "The Black Hair" was adapted from "The Reconciliation", which appeared in Hearn's collection ''Shadowings'' (1900). An impoverished swordsman in Kyoto divorces his wife, a weaver, and leaves her for a woman of a wealthy family to attain greater social status. However, despite his new wealthy status, the swordsman's second marriage proves to be unhappy. His new wife is shown to be callous and selfish. The swordsman regrets leavin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dogora
is a 1964 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Studios, the film stars Yosuke Natsuki, Nobuo Nakamura, Hiroshi Koizumi, and Akiko Wakabayashi, along with American actor Robert Dunham. The film tells the story of a huge jellyfish-like carbon-eating creature from space that attacks Japan. ''Dogora'' was released theatrically in Japan on August 11, 1964. It was released directly to television in the United States in 1966 by American International Television, under the title ''Dagora, the Space Monster''. Plot When several TV satellites launched by the Electric Wave Laboratory go missing above Japan, people later discover that they collided with unidentified protoplasmic "space cells" of unknown origin. Meanwhile, Inspector Komai's investigation of unexplained disappearances of diamonds across the globe leads him to the crystallographer Dr. Munakata. While tracking down self-proclaimed diamo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mothra Vs
is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that first appeared in the 1961 film '' Mothra'', produced and distributed by Toho Studios. Mothra has appeared in several Toho ''tokusatsu'' films, most often as a recurring character in the ''Godzilla'' franchise. She is typically portrayed as a colossal sentient larva (caterpillar) or imago, accompanied by two miniature fairies speaking on her behalf. Unlike other Toho monsters, Mothra is a largely heroic character, having been variously portrayed as a protector of her own island culture,'' Mothra'' (1961). Directed by Ishirō Honda. Toho the Earth'' Godzilla vs. Mothra'' (1992). Directed by Takao Okawara. Toho and Japan.'' Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'' (2001). Directed by Shusuke Kaneko. Toho. Mothra's design is influenced by silk worms, their imagos, and those of giant silk moths in the family Saturniidae. The character is often depicted hatching offspring (in some cases, twins) when approaching ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
High And Low (1963 Film)
is a 1963 Japanese police procedural crime film directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai and Kyōko Kagawa. The film is loosely based on the 1959 novel '' King's Ransom'' by Ed McBain (Evan Hunter). Plot A wealthy executive named Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune) is in a struggle to gain control of a company called National Shoes. One faction wants the company to make cheap, low quality shoes for the impulse market as opposed to the sturdy and high quality shoes currently being produced. Gondo believes that the long-term future of the company will be best served by well made shoes with modern styling, though this plan is unpopular because it means lower profits in the short term. He has secretly set up a leveraged buyout to gain control of the company, mortgaging all he has. Just as he is about to put his plan into action, he receives a phone call from someone claiming to have kidnapped his son, Jun. Gondo is prepared to pay the ransom, but the call is dis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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