Warning from Space
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| Warning from Space (Uchūjin Tokyo ni arawaru) | |
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 DVD cover for Warning from Space (1956) |
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| Directed by | Koji Shima |
| Produced by | Masaichi Nagata |
| Written by | Gentaro Nakajima (novel) Hideo Oguni (screenplay) Jay Cipes (English dialogue) Edward Palmer (English dialogue) |
| Starring | Keizo Kawasaki Toyomi Karita Bin Yagasawa Shozo Nanbu Bontarô Miyake Mieko Nagai Kiyoko Hirai Isao Yamagata |
| Music by | Seitaro Omori |
| Cinematography | Kimio Watanabe |
| Editing by | Toyo Suzuki |
| Distributed by | Daiei |
| Release date(s) | January 29, 1956  Japan |
| Running time | 88 min. (US version) |
| Language | Japanese |
| IMDb profile | |
Warning from Space or Mysterious Satellite (宇宙人東京に現わる Uchūjin Tokyo ni arawaru?, Spacemen Appear in Tokyo) is a 1956 science fiction tokusatsu film produced by Daiei, and the first Japanese science-fiction film produced in color. The plot of the American English-dubbed version is somewhat similar to Toho's later Gorath (妖星ゴラス Yosei Gorasu?) (1962), depicting a planet — "Planet 'R'" — on a collision course with Earth. Warning from Space has one-eyed, starfish-shaped aliens from the planet Paira who take on human forms to warn the earth about the impending disaster. In contrast to the usual anti-nuclear message of the Japanese science-fiction film genre, Warning from Space seemingly takes the position that nuclear weapons can be put to good use, as a means to prevent the collision with Planet 'R.'
The Pairan aliens were designed by prominent avant-garde artist, Taro Okamoto. Walt Lee reports that Gentaro Nakajima's novel, on which this film was based, was in turn based on the Japanese folktale Kaguya-hime. [1] However, it is difficult to see much connection between the film and the folktale.
Produced during the science-fiction boom following in the wake of the success of Toho's Godzilla (1954), Daiei had hoped to find a foreign market for Warning from Space.[2] The film played at the King Cinema in Rangoon in January 1958, earning 11,846 kyat during its first week. [3] However Daiei was unable to find an international distributor for the film until American International purchased it for U.S. TV about 1965.
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[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Lee, Walt (Compiler) (1974). Reference Guide to Fantastic Films: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Los Angeles: Chelsea Lee Books. ISBN 0-913974-04-8.
- ^ Shoemaker, Greg (1979). "Daiei: A History of the Greater Japan Motion Picture Company." The Japanese Fantasy Film Journal Number 12. p.14.
- ^ Far East Film News. January 17, 1958. p.21.
[edit] Cultural influence
The Star Conqueror, Starro, a villainous character of DC Comics that is a giant starfish like creature can be seen as an ironical twist in the concept of the pacific aliens from Paira. Possessing mind control abilities, Starro wishes to create "calm and order" by enslaving the psyches of another beings within a Group mind (science fiction).It was created in 1960 in the first apparition of the Justice League of America "So much so even that in 1956, in order to try and sucker potential viewers into seeing their new sci-fi disaster pic Warning From Space, they went so far as to create a promotional poster for the movie that included art of a giant starfish monster (that bares a striking resemblance to DC Comics’ Justice League villain Starro the Conqueror, who would be created four years later"[[1]]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Warning From Space at Digital Monster Island (Review of the DVD)
- Uchûjin Tokyo ni arawaru at the Internet Movie Database
- 宇宙人東京に現る (Uchūjin Tokyo ni arawaru) (Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
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