Sora no daikaijû Radon (1956)

Country of Origin: Japan
Year of Production: 1956
Running Times: 70 min (USA - television)     72 mins (USA)     74 mins (USA)     82 mins
Format: Eastmancolor     35mm
Ratio: 1.37:1
Sound: Perspecta Stereo

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Toho
Producer: Tomoyuki Tanaka
US Version Producers: Frank King, Maurice King

SCRIPT
Script: Takeshi Kimura, Takeo Murata
US Version Script: David Duncan
Story: Ken Kuronuma

DIRECTION
Director: Ishirô Honda
1st Assistant Director: Jun Fukuda

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Isamu Ashida
Lab: Far East Laboratories, Tokyo, Japan; Technicolor (US release prints)

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editors: Robert S. Eisen, Koichi Iwashita

MUSIC
Music: Akira Ifukube

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Masanobu Miyazaki
Sound System: Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Director of Special Effects: Eiji Tsuburaya
Special Effects Art Director: Akira Watanabe

VISUAL EFFECTS
Special Effects Opticals: Hiroshi Mukoyama

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Tatsuo Kita

LOCATIONS
Locations: Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan; Mount Aso, Kyushu, Japan

CAST
Kenji Sawara (Shigeru Kamura)
Yumi Shirakawa (Kiyo)
Akihiko Hirata (Professor Kashiwagi)
Akio Kobori (Police Chief Nishimura)
Yasuko Nakata (female honeymooner)
Minosuke Yamada (colliery chief Osaki)
Yoshifumi Tajima (Izeki)
Kiyoharu Ohnaka (male honeymooner)

PLOT SUMMARY

When a mine shaft is sunk to record levels near the small town of Kitamatsu, a flood spells disaster. But worse is yet to come – the mining has freed a race of giant caterpillars which are soon on the rampage. But things get worse still with the discovery of a huge egg in a cavern, an egg that hatches into the flying reptile Rodan...

AVAILABILITY

Japan
Laserdisc Distributors: Toho Video (TLL-2388)

USA
Theatrical Distributors: DCA
Video Distributors: Filmax Home Video; Gateway Video; Paramount Home Video; Vestron Video; Video Treasures
Laserdisc Distributors: Vestron Video
DVD Distributors: Sony Music Video (LVD54624)

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Finland
Rating: K-16

Sweden
Rating: 15

TIMELINE

1956
December
26: Japan – theatrical release

1957
August
Day Unknown: USA – theatrical release

1958
May
19: Sweden – theatrical release

1960
November
9: Denmark – theatrical release

2002
September
17: USA - DVD release (Sony Music Video (LVD54624))

POSTER TAGS

Never a Horror Like It!

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Die Fliegenden Monster von Osaka - West German television title
Radon
Rodan
Rodan il mostro alato - Italian title
Rodan! the Flying Monster - US title
Rodan, tuntematon vihollinen - Finnish title
Rodan. Los hijos del volcán - Spanish title
Skräck över Japan - Swedish title

LINKS

SEQUELS
Kaijû daisenso (1965)
Gojira-Ebira-Mosura: Nankai no daiketto (1966)
Kaijûtô no kessen: Gojira no musuko (1967)
Kaijû sôshingeki (1968)
Gojira-Minira-Gabara: Oru kaijû daishingeki (1969)
Gojira tai Hedora (1971)
Chikyu kogeki meirei: Gojira tai Gaigan (1972)
Gojira tai Megaro (1973)
Ryusei Ningen Zon (1973)
Gojira tai Mekagojira (1974)
Mekagojira no gyakushu (1975)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Gojira Fuantajî ~SF Kôkyô Fuantajî~ (1984)
Invasion Earth: The Aliens Are Here (1988)

SEE ALSO
Blue Sunshine (1976)

KEYWORDS

aircraft, amnesia, bazookas, giant insects, giant monsters, meganulon, the military, miners, mine shafts, missiles, monsters, rodan, volcanos

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009