Mothra vs. Godzilla
Encyclopedia
is a 1964 science fiction
kaiju
film directed by Ishirō Honda
. It was the fourth film to be released in the Godzilla series
, produced by Toho Company Ltd.
It is the second film to feature Mothra
.
While Sakai and Junko try to ask Professor Miura, one of the scientists, questions about the egg, an entrepreneur of Happy Enterprises named Kumayama scurries the scientists off and explains that he bought the egg from the local villagers. Instead of letting scientists study the egg, Kumayama wants to make it into a large tourist attraction. Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura are disgusted and believe that Kumayama has no right to keep the egg.
While the three are discussing the egg at a hotel, they discover Kumayama checking in. Sakai wonders if somebody else may be working with Kumayama and investigates the matter. Kumayama meets with Jiro Torahata, the head of Happy Enterprises. As the two are discussing the billion-dollar tourist attraction the egg represents, two tiny twin girls known as the Shobijin, interrupt them. The Shobijin explain that they are from Infant Island and that the egg belongs to their god Mothra
, who lives there. Torahata and Kumayama ignore the girls' pleas and try to capture them. The Shobijin escape the room and meet with Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura outside the hotel. The girls beg them to bring the egg back too and the three promise to try as hard as they can to bring the egg back to Infant Island. The girls explain that if the egg is not returned, a larva will hatch and will cause destruction to its surroundings as it searches for food. When confronted by Sakai, Junko, and Miura, Kumayama offers to buy the Shobijin, disgusting Junko, Miura, and Sakai.
The Shobijin leave even though they could not get the egg back and thank Sakai, Junko, and Miura for their kindness. Sakai tries to write editorials but they fail due to lack of public interest. When the scale is found to be radioactive, the three test for radioactivity in an industrial area where it was found. The mutant dinosaur Godzilla
suddenly emerges out of Kurada Beach, where he had been blown ashore by the hurricane and buried under mud, and begins to attack Nagoya.
The editor of Sakai's newspaper believes that the military cannot do anything against Godzilla and discusses it with Sakai and Junko. Jiro, another reporter who loves to eat eggs, walks in and suggests that Mothra might be able to defeat Godzilla. Sakai and Junko are skeptical that the Shobijin would agree because atomic testing had destroyed most of their island, and they had failed to return the egg to them.
The two go to Infant Island anyway with Professor Miura. They are captured by the local villagers and are brought to the tribe’s chief. The three ask for assistance but, as expected, are refused because of the atomic testing and Japan's failure to return the egg.
The Shobijin are heard singing and everyone walks towards them. Sakai, Junko, and Miura ask the Shobijin for Mothra's assistance but they are also turned down. Junko then pleads to all the villagers that not everyone from Japan should be accused for what happened to their island. Godzilla is killing everyone and refusing their country assistance is wrong. Sakai then adds that "we're all human" and that everyone is connected and must help each other. Mothra's screech is soon heard and the Shobijin ask everyone to follow them. They convince Mothra to help Japan and the people that live in it, but the monstrous insect is old and weak. Even if Mothra defeats Godzilla, she will die.
The next day, Kumayama barges into Torahata's room and demands Torahata give him his money back that Torahata had recently swindled from Kumayama. They fight and eventually, Torahata is defeated by being punched in the mouth, and is bleeding. Kumayama crawls into Torahata's money cabinet and begins to steal the money from it. Torahata wakes up and sees Godzilla approaching the hotel. He then grabs a gun and shoots Kumayama in the head, killing him. Torahata is killed while escaping with his money when Godzilla destroys the hotel.
Godzilla walks towards the egg and tries to destroy it until Mothra shows up. The two fight a tough battle where Mothra seems to have the upper hand. While on the ground, Godzilla fires his atomic breath into Mothra's face and mortally injures her. Mothra dies with her wing resting on top of her egg while Godzilla walks away. The Shobijin then explain to Sakai, Junko, and Miura that the egg can be hatched today and begin to sing.
Meanwhile, the military tries to fight Godzilla by electrocuting him with "artificial lighting" but failed. Godzilla then melts the tanks with his atomic breath. The Shobijin continue singing and Mothra's egg finally hatches with not one, but two Mothra larvae. The larvae follow Godzilla to Iwa Island and use their silk spray on Godzilla to trap him, sending him into the sea. The Mothra larvae and the Shobijin celebrate and return to Infant Island.
in September 1964, and it opened in New York City
on November 25, 1964, retitled Godzilla vs. the Thing. Mothra's appearance was kept out of promotional material, which hinted that Godzilla's opponent would be a hideous tentacled creature and referred to it only as "The Thing". New York Times
film critic Eugene Archer reacted to the film and its title: "Well, there are three things, not counting the movie. One has wings and looks like a big bee. The other two are hatched from the first Thing's egg, after quite a bit of worshipful kootch dancing from a pair of foot-tall native goddesses...".
In video releases of the 1980s, the film was titled simply Godzilla vs. Mothra. However, Mothra is still repeatedly called "The Thing" in the film, confusing many film-goers who thought "The Thing" and "Mothra" were two separate monsters.
This is the first Showa Godzilla film to be nearly completely intact for American release (a very few small scenes were edited out). The first three Godzilla films were heavily edited.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
film directed by Ishirō Honda
Ishiro Honda
Ishirō Honda , sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", was a Japanese film director...
. It was the fourth film to be released in the Godzilla series
Godzilla (film series)
Original movie poster for [[Godzilla |Godzilla]].|thumb is a popular series of giant monster films featuring the character Godzilla. Starting in 1954, the Godzilla series has become one of the longest running film series in movie history....
, produced by Toho Company Ltd.
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
It is the second film to feature Mothra
Mothra
is a kaiju, a type of fictional monster who first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta...
.
Plot
News reporter Ichiro Sakai and photographer Junko Nakanishi take pictures of the wreckage caused by a typhoon, uncovering a large scale in the debris. Later that day a giant egg is discovered on the shore. The local villagers salvage it, and scientists come to study the egg.While Sakai and Junko try to ask Professor Miura, one of the scientists, questions about the egg, an entrepreneur of Happy Enterprises named Kumayama scurries the scientists off and explains that he bought the egg from the local villagers. Instead of letting scientists study the egg, Kumayama wants to make it into a large tourist attraction. Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura are disgusted and believe that Kumayama has no right to keep the egg.
While the three are discussing the egg at a hotel, they discover Kumayama checking in. Sakai wonders if somebody else may be working with Kumayama and investigates the matter. Kumayama meets with Jiro Torahata, the head of Happy Enterprises. As the two are discussing the billion-dollar tourist attraction the egg represents, two tiny twin girls known as the Shobijin, interrupt them. The Shobijin explain that they are from Infant Island and that the egg belongs to their god Mothra
Mothra
is a kaiju, a type of fictional monster who first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta...
, who lives there. Torahata and Kumayama ignore the girls' pleas and try to capture them. The Shobijin escape the room and meet with Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura outside the hotel. The girls beg them to bring the egg back too and the three promise to try as hard as they can to bring the egg back to Infant Island. The girls explain that if the egg is not returned, a larva will hatch and will cause destruction to its surroundings as it searches for food. When confronted by Sakai, Junko, and Miura, Kumayama offers to buy the Shobijin, disgusting Junko, Miura, and Sakai.
The Shobijin leave even though they could not get the egg back and thank Sakai, Junko, and Miura for their kindness. Sakai tries to write editorials but they fail due to lack of public interest. When the scale is found to be radioactive, the three test for radioactivity in an industrial area where it was found. The mutant dinosaur Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
suddenly emerges out of Kurada Beach, where he had been blown ashore by the hurricane and buried under mud, and begins to attack Nagoya.
The editor of Sakai's newspaper believes that the military cannot do anything against Godzilla and discusses it with Sakai and Junko. Jiro, another reporter who loves to eat eggs, walks in and suggests that Mothra might be able to defeat Godzilla. Sakai and Junko are skeptical that the Shobijin would agree because atomic testing had destroyed most of their island, and they had failed to return the egg to them.
The two go to Infant Island anyway with Professor Miura. They are captured by the local villagers and are brought to the tribe’s chief. The three ask for assistance but, as expected, are refused because of the atomic testing and Japan's failure to return the egg.
The Shobijin are heard singing and everyone walks towards them. Sakai, Junko, and Miura ask the Shobijin for Mothra's assistance but they are also turned down. Junko then pleads to all the villagers that not everyone from Japan should be accused for what happened to their island. Godzilla is killing everyone and refusing their country assistance is wrong. Sakai then adds that "we're all human" and that everyone is connected and must help each other. Mothra's screech is soon heard and the Shobijin ask everyone to follow them. They convince Mothra to help Japan and the people that live in it, but the monstrous insect is old and weak. Even if Mothra defeats Godzilla, she will die.
The next day, Kumayama barges into Torahata's room and demands Torahata give him his money back that Torahata had recently swindled from Kumayama. They fight and eventually, Torahata is defeated by being punched in the mouth, and is bleeding. Kumayama crawls into Torahata's money cabinet and begins to steal the money from it. Torahata wakes up and sees Godzilla approaching the hotel. He then grabs a gun and shoots Kumayama in the head, killing him. Torahata is killed while escaping with his money when Godzilla destroys the hotel.
Godzilla walks towards the egg and tries to destroy it until Mothra shows up. The two fight a tough battle where Mothra seems to have the upper hand. While on the ground, Godzilla fires his atomic breath into Mothra's face and mortally injures her. Mothra dies with her wing resting on top of her egg while Godzilla walks away. The Shobijin then explain to Sakai, Junko, and Miura that the egg can be hatched today and begin to sing.
Meanwhile, the military tries to fight Godzilla by electrocuting him with "artificial lighting" but failed. Godzilla then melts the tanks with his atomic breath. The Shobijin continue singing and Mothra's egg finally hatches with not one, but two Mothra larvae. The larvae follow Godzilla to Iwa Island and use their silk spray on Godzilla to trap him, sending him into the sea. The Mothra larvae and the Shobijin celebrate and return to Infant Island.
English version
American International Pictures originally released the film in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in September 1964, and it opened in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on November 25, 1964, retitled Godzilla vs. the Thing. Mothra's appearance was kept out of promotional material, which hinted that Godzilla's opponent would be a hideous tentacled creature and referred to it only as "The Thing". New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
film critic Eugene Archer reacted to the film and its title: "Well, there are three things, not counting the movie. One has wings and looks like a big bee. The other two are hatched from the first Thing's egg, after quite a bit of worshipful kootch dancing from a pair of foot-tall native goddesses...".
In video releases of the 1980s, the film was titled simply Godzilla vs. Mothra. However, Mothra is still repeatedly called "The Thing" in the film, confusing many film-goers who thought "The Thing" and "Mothra" were two separate monsters.
This is the first Showa Godzilla film to be nearly completely intact for American release (a very few small scenes were edited out). The first three Godzilla films were heavily edited.
Production
- The upper lip on the Godzilla suit in this film has a slight wobble. This was originally an accident; in the filming of a scene where Godzilla smashes into the Nagoya CastleNagoya Castleis a Japanese castle located in Nagoya, central Japan. During the Edo period, Nagoya Castle was the center of one of the most important castle towns in Japan—Nagoya-juku— and it included the most important stops along the Minoji, which linked the Tōkaidō with the Nakasendō.-History:In...
, the actor in the suit, Haruo NakajimaHaruo Nakajimais a famous Japanese actor. He is best known for playing Godzilla and is considered by many to be the best suit actor in the long history of the franchise...
, fell and the suit's head slammed into the castle, loosening the teeth. Special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya liked this so much that he wanted to keep the suit like that for a while.
- During Godzilla's initial assault on Iwa Island, composer Akira Ifukube originally did not want to use music for the sequence. However, Ishiro Honda disagreed and added music during post-production without the composer's knowledge. When Ifukube first saw the sequence in the finished film at its premiere, he turned to Honda and gave him a dirty look. It is the only recorded disagreement they have ever had in their professional careers.
- The claws on Godzilla's hands and feet were made out of FRPFibre-reinforced plasticFibre-reinforced plastic is a composite material made of a polymer matrix reinforced with fibres. The fibres are usually fibreglass, carbon, or aramid, while the polymer is usually an epoxy, vinylester or polyester thermosetting plastic...
for the first time in this film.
- Another highlight of the film is the "Frontier Missile" sequence, where Godzilla was being attacked on a beach by AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
battle cruisers. This scene was actually filmed exclusively for American International Pictures and included only in the American version. Part of the scene was featured briefly in the original Japanese trailer.
Titles
- Mothra vs. Godzilla - Toho's official English title. Classic MediaClassic MediaClassic Media, LLC, is an American production company and distributor of family programming. It was founded in 2000 by former Marvel Entertainment CEO Eric Ellenbogen and former Broadway Video executive John Engelman in hopes of acquiring mismanaged classic properties and giving exposure to...
used this title for their DVD release.
- Godzilla vs. the Thing - Original American title.
- Godzilla vs. Mothra - American TV and home video title.
- Godzilla Against Mothra - Japanese title translated.