As I promised in last week’s article, before we dive into the next proper film in the Godzilla saga I will make a small detour to today’s film. Toho made many monster movies over the years and while they may not hold the same appeal as the King of the Monsters, they still are an important part of Toho’s long lasting filmography and should be examined for what they brought to the table. This is the Toho monster classic, 1956’s Rodan!
Introduction & Pre-Production
The script for Rodan was written by Ken Kuronuma, the pen name of one Michio Soda. In addition to this film he was the writer behind 1958’s Varan the Unbelievable as well as several Japanese television dramas. The man cited the original Godzilla film as a source of inspiration for the formation of the Rodan script as he sought to create a film similar in nature. Much like Godzilla, Rodan would go on to popular acclaim, both domestically in Japan as well as in the United States. And once again, in a similar fashion as the original Godzilla film, Rodan had the involvement of Ishiro Honda and Akira Ifukube who were responsible for film direction and score composition respectively.
So while the film was written by a relative newcomer to the cinema scene it still had the pedigree that one would associate with a Toho production. The film is also significant among Toho’s film productions for the fact that it was the first of their films shot in color. Rodan starred Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, and Akihiko Hirata along with Haruo Nakajima as the man in the Rodan suit. The film was released in Japanese theaters on December 26, 1956 whilst the American version was released in 1957 from King Brothers Productions under the name Rodan: The Flying Monster.
Synopsis & Writing
Within the depths of a small mine in Japan several miners have gone missingin the aftermath of a huge cave in. During the cave in several massive prehistoric insects known as Meganuron were released, and they end up going on a rampage across Japan. But this is only the beginning of Japan’s woes as a new terror makes itself known in the stratosphere. No one is safe from it, no man, machine, or livestock is safe from Rodan’s clutches.
Many monster movies past and present often treat the reveal of their titular monster with the reverence it is due and thus we go a long time without seeing them, so as to build up their presence and anticipation, but also for budgetary reasons. But a good story hides that aspect with clever and engaging writing. The opening act of the film has excellent pacing since despite the lack of Rodan within the film’s first act we have enough action and intrigue through the involvements of the Meganuron that honestly could have been the focus of its own film under different circumstances. And jumping ahead we will see these insects again in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus as well as a brief appearance in the Netflix animated series Godzilla Singular Point. These insects merely serve as our opening act and make their exit as soon as our leading Pteranodon enters the picture.
Naturally, as a monster movie made in the ‘50s and directed by Honda we have plenty of commentary and subtext on the use of nuclear arms. As in-narrative it is surmised by scientists that Rodan and Meganurons were awakened by you-guessed it, nuclear testing. Rodan, like many of Honda’s other films, manages to walk that balance very well, of managing its deeper themes while not coming off as preaching since the film is meant to entertain first and foremost.
Presentation & Localization
Like many other Toho productions, primary shots of Rodan are represented by a man in a rubber suit, which looks quite good for the time of release. But given the more aerial nature of being a Pteranodon, all shots of Rodan when he isn’t on the ground are of a model suspended by wires. Even in the ‘50s I don’t see any obvious shots where we see the wires suspending the Rodan model as Honda knows how to shoot his films. Similarly, the Meganuron’s are a combination of motor driven puppets as well as more traditionally scaled puppets.
Given that this was Toho’s first film to be shot entirely in color there is a whole new level of detail within this production, and that will continue to be the case going forward. When it comes to the changes made for the American cut, Rodan didn’t have all that much changed. The dubbing is passable for the era with over four voice over actors who provided eight or nine different voices per actor. Among those actors was a young George Takei who would go on to be involved with the English dub for Godzilla Raids Again. All recording for the English version of the film was handled at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio in California.
The English version of the film was the subject of an extensive advertising campaign and the film grossed $500,000 during its opening weekend in New York. The film also was the highest grossing science fiction film of the year in 1957. The Japanese version of the film also saw a second theatrical run in 1982 as a part of Toho’s 50th anniversary. Both versions of the film enjoyed an extended healthy life on home video release, and like many of Toho’s classic films it is offered for free today on several streaming services. Rodan was made on a budget of 200 million yen and grossed 143 million yen theatrically. These figures don’t include its western theatrical run. The film did receive glowing praise and would go on to become a cult classic in both Japan and worldwide. More often than not, Toho’s classic films have made their money back through home video sales over the decades, and Rodan was no exception.
Conclusion
Despite the lack of follow up solo films for Rodan, he would go on to be a classic and beloved staple of Toho’s filmography, so much so that he would be featured in a number of Godzilla films over the years. Even western produced films such as Legendary Picture’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters included him, albeit in a lesser capacity. His inclusion still shows the impact that the Pteranodon had an impact on the fandom’s hearts and I’m happy to recognize it. Rodan is a strong film that I can recommend to any fan of Toho or anyone else who enjoys monster movies! See you next week when we cover Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster!
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