Tomei Ningen
Encyclopedia
is a black-and-white Japan
ese action
/ horror
film, originally released in 1954. Produced by the Toho
studio, the film is a loose adaption of the science fiction
novella entitled The Invisible Man
, written by British author H.G. Wells in 1897. The film was directed by Motoyoshi Oda
, and written by Hiroshi Beppu and Shigeaki Hidaka.
The two stories do not share many plot details, aside from the general premise of a man who can turn himself invisible
, but it was produced with the intent of adapting Wells' work. The film follows a circus clown and a gang, both of whom can become invisible due to ingesting a formula developed by the government during World War II
. The gang of criminals has been using their powers to wreak havoc and cause chaos throughout Japan, and the clown (portrayed by Seizaburô Kawazu) is the only one with the courage to stand up to them. Ultimately, he defeats them, but in doing so is forced to sacrifice his own life.
The character Invisible Man aka Takemitsu Nanjo is kaijin (怪人, literally "mysterious person", referring to roughly humanoid monsters) , a type of kaiju
.
The film was moderately successful, but was overshadowed by the huge crossover success of Godzilla
, earlier in 1954. It has never been released outside of Japan.
Special effects was made by Eiji Tsuburaya
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
/ horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
film, originally released in 1954. Produced by the Toho
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...
studio, the film is a loose adaption of the science fiction
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...
novella entitled The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man is a science fiction novella by H.G. Wells published in 1897. Wells' novel was originally serialised in Pearson's Weekly in 1897, and published as a novel the same year...
, written by British author H.G. Wells in 1897. The film was directed by Motoyoshi Oda
Motoyoshi Oda
Motoyoshi Oda was a Japanese film director.An English major who graduated from Waseda University, one of Japan's most prestigious, in 1935, Motoyoshi Oda was promptly accepted into the directors' program at Tokyo's P.C.L....
, and written by Hiroshi Beppu and Shigeaki Hidaka.
The two stories do not share many plot details, aside from the general premise of a man who can turn himself invisible
Invisibility
Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be invisible . The term is usually used as a fantasy/science fiction term, where objects are literally made unseeable by magical or technological means; however, its effects can also be seen in the real...
, but it was produced with the intent of adapting Wells' work. The film follows a circus clown and a gang, both of whom can become invisible due to ingesting a formula developed by the government during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The gang of criminals has been using their powers to wreak havoc and cause chaos throughout Japan, and the clown (portrayed by Seizaburô Kawazu) is the only one with the courage to stand up to them. Ultimately, he defeats them, but in doing so is forced to sacrifice his own life.
The character Invisible Man aka Takemitsu Nanjo is kaijin (怪人, literally "mysterious person", referring to roughly humanoid monsters) , a type of 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....
.
The film was moderately successful, but was overshadowed by the huge crossover success of Godzilla
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
, earlier in 1954. It has never been released outside of Japan.
Special effects was made by Eiji Tsuburaya
Eiji Tsuburaya
was the Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla series...
.
Cast
Actors in the film include:- Seizaburo Kozu as Invisible Man aka Takemitsu Nanjo
- Miki Sanjo as the singer
- Yoshio TsuchiyaYoshio Tsuchiyais a Japanese actor who has appeared in such films as Toshio Matsumoto's surreal masterpiece "Bara No Soretsu" and Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Red Beard, and Kihachi Okamoto's Kill!. He has a long-standing interest in UFOs and had written several books on the subject...
as young reporter - Minoru Takada as gang boss
- Keiko Kondo as the little girl Mariko
- Kamatari FujiwaraKamatari FujiwaraKamatari Fujiwara was a Japanese actor.Born in Tokyo, he was a long-time member of director Akira Kurosawa's stock company, making his first appearance in a Kurosawa film alongside Takashi Shimura in 1952's Ikiru. He continued to appear in Kurosawa's films until his death...
as Mariko's grandfather - Sonosuke Sawamura
- Shoichi HiroseShoichi Hirosewas a Japanese actor. He is probably best known for playing Godzilla's archenemy King Ghidorah and for being the actor inside the King Kong suit in King Kong vs...
- Fuyuki Murakami
- Yutaka Sada
- Akira Sera
- Yasuhisa Tsutsumi
- Shin Otomo
- 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...
- Kazuo Suzuki as the man in nightclub