Godzilla vs. Hedorah
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| Godzilla vs. Hedorah | |
|---|---|
 Japanese theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Yoshimitsu Banno |
| Produced by | Tomoyuki Tanaka |
| Written by | Yoshimitsu Banno Takeshi Kimura |
| Starring | Akira Yamauchi Toshie Kimura Hiroyuki Kawase Keiko Mari Toshio Shiba |
| Music by | Riichiro Manabe |
| Cinematography | Yoichi Manoda |
| Editing by | Yoshitami Kuroiwa |
| Distributed by | Toho |
| Running time | 87 min (USA) |
| Language | Japanese English |
| Preceded by | All Monsters Attack |
| Followed by | Godzilla vs. Gigan |
| IMDb profile | |
Godzilla vs. Hedorah (ゴジラ対ヘドラ Gojira tai Hedora?), also known as Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, is a 1971 film. Part of the Toho studio's Godzilla series, it was directed by Yoshimitsu Banno with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. The score was composed by Riichiro Manabe.
Hedorah was an alien lifeform that landed on Earth and began feeding on pollution. Thanks to his toxic nature, as well as his acidic, poisonous body, Hedorah very nearly put an end to Godzilla in their struggle. Godzilla finally put an end to Hedorah by completely drying him out using electrical generators set up by the military and his own radioactive breath. The movie contains several strange impressionistic animated scenes portraying the smog monster at his evil work.
On a side note, this was the first - and only - time we see Godzilla fly. He uses his atomic breath as jet propulsion. Banno reportedly added the scene to provide a light moment in what is otherwise a fairly dark movie compared to many of those which preceded it.
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[edit] Producer's reaction to the film
Tomoyuki Tanaka, who produced the first 22 Godzilla films, was in the hospital during the time the film was made. Upon recovery and actually seeing the film, it is said that he told the director of the film he ruined the Godzilla series and that he would never direct at Toho again. Although Banno's soon-to-be released work featuring the monster Deathla (Godzilla 3D to the MAX) may prove otherwise.
[edit] Trivia
Kenpachiro Satsuma was struck with appendicitis during the production. Doctors were forced to perform the appendectomy while he was still wearing the Hedora suit, due to the length of time it took to take off. During the operation, Satsuma learned that painkillers have no effect on him.[1]
[edit] Unproduced sequel
After Yoshimitsu Banno finished directing Godzilla vs. Hedorah, he begun work on creating another installment in the Godzilla series. Like his first Godzilla movie, Banno had wanted the next film to have a strong message against pollution. The initial idea was that a starfish living in the polluted seas mutates into a giant Monster and ends up fighting Godzilla. However, he scrapped this idea and wrote what was going to be Godzilla Vs. Hedorah 2. In it, Godzilla was to fight another Hedorah, this time in Africa. Due to Tomoyuki Tanaka's incident on the set of filming Hedorah (see above), this was never realized.
[edit] U.S. Versions
The film was released in April 1972 by American International Pictures under the titles Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster. There were several small alterations:
- Dialogue was dubbed to English.
- The infamous song "Save the Earth" (based on the song "Ka ei sei" in the original) was added.
This version was rated PG by the MPAA. A home video release of this version was cut to earn a G rating.
The AIP version has been replaced in the North American home video and television markets (including Sony's DVD) by Toho's 'International Version,' titled Godzilla vs. Hedorah. This version features a different English dub track that is considered inferior by many fans, and also lacks the "Save the Earth" song.
[edit] Box Office
In Japan, the film sold 1,740,000 tickets.
[edit] DVD Releases
Sony Pictures
- Released: October 19, 2004
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic
- Sound: Japanese (2.0), English (2.0)
- Supplements: Trailers for Kaena: The Prophecy, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra and Steamboy
- Region 1
DigitalDisc
Released: Unknown
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Sound: English Mono
Supplements: On Double Feature DVD with "Godzilla vs. Megalon"
Region 1
[edit] External links
Gojira's Sanctuary- Info and forums
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