Rodan (1956) (Review)

aka Sora no daikaijû Radon

Ishiro Honda and his crew from Gojira returned with another giant monster film after the mediocre results from another director on its sequel. More of a mystery movie than its predecessors, Rodan is a very different beast that features a more human driven storyline. You won’t find Godzilla in this movie, but Rodan did go on to costar with the more famous beast in multiple films after his destructive debut.

When the hastily put together Godzilla Raids Again disappointed, Toho came up with a new monster tale that kept the kaiju genre going. Better effects and the use of color injected life into the story about a mutated pteranodon and a group of coal miners. Succeeding at the box office in Japan, Radon winged its way over the Pacific as Rodan in the American edit a few years later. Both edits will be covered in this review, so let’s get going!

The movie opens with colorful credits accompanied by sinister music which is immediately identifiable as being in the same style as Gojira’s. Sure enough Akira Ifukube composed the score and it sets the tone for the entire film. Once the lengthy credits end we are introduced to the main setting of Mount Aso in Japan.

A mining community is starting its day with another shift of workers making their way into the mine. Harsh words exchanged between two miners escalates into a brawl between the two men, Goro and Yoshizo. Having been separated by their coworkers, the fight ends inconclusively before all head deep into the bowels of the earth to search for “black diamond.”

Later at the engineer’s office, we are introduced to our main protagonist, Shigeru Kawamura (Keni Sawara). A discussion of global warming melting the polar ice and endangering the world is interrupted by dire news – one of the tunnels has flooded. This is impossible according to the engineers, but that’s experts for you.

Of course when Shigeru arrives on the scene he finds a tunnel filled with water and further bad news that two miners are missing. I wonder which two? Yep, it’s the feuding ones and only one is found. The fact that Yoshizo is found floating face down and has been killed with something like a very sharp sword is a wee bit suspicious.

For some reason Shigeru is upset that the still missing Goro is considered a murderer and we soon learn why. His girlfriend Kiyo (Yumi Shirakawa) is the accused man’s sister. She is understandably worried, but her lover reassures her that there is no way Goro would kill another.

The police and other residents of the mining town disagree with that assessment. A search for Goro in the mines results in more deaths, though we the audience get an important clue the characters do not. That would be a strange repetitive sound that is not human in the least.

When Shigeru goes to see his girl, he ends up passing the widow of the slain miner out for revenge against Riyo. Since a family member’s shame is the family’s shame, the accusations have the woman at her breaking point. Our hero shows he’s a stand up guy once again when he comforts her with surety that things will be straightened out.

The first fifteen to twenty minutes of the movie is more the crime noire genre than I expected, so I wondered when we’d see some monster action. This isn’t really a complaint, because the human drama is actually well written and acted. In fact, this story could have been written as a tale of murder and been highly entertaining.

However, I have to say the first appearance by a monster is very surprising and placed for maximum effect. A bear sized insect suddenly attacks Riyo’s house and at last the real story gets underway. With everyone on alert for a serial killer, the response to the critter showing up is immediate. That’s a nice switch for a monster movie of any type.

Civil patrol volunteers and police officers combine to chase the creature across coal piles in an exciting and very well shot night scene. More casualties are inflicted by the insect before retreating into the mine. Since pistols are useless it is time for the army to be called out!

Things don’t go so well once combat is joined underground and only quick thinking by our hero saves the day. Actually, he only saves it for a few minutes before being trapped in a cave in. With him disposed of, it is time for that immortal staple of B-movies, the know it all scientist, to be brought in.

If he looks familiar, that’s because he was in many Toho science fiction movies. Akihiko Hirata played Dr. Serizawa in Gojira and this time he plays a biology professor who gets to name the overgrown bugs when he isn’t being an authority on everything. Noting they look like gigantic dragonfly nymphs, Prof. Kashiwagi gives them the moniker of meganulon. At least he didn’t name them after himself, like most real life biologists would.

I have to wonder if meganulons were inspired by 1954’s Them! which was quite a hit. The parallels are striking in that you have a giant insect with prominent eyes accompanied by an eerie sound every time they are on screen. Also, there is a lot of underground tunnel action -- plus the initial mystery plot is somewhat similar. Just a thought.

Eiji Tsuburaya’s special effects crew really pulled out all the stops on this movie, from believable mine tunnel sets to collapsing hills in miniature. One of the most unpraised effects is the art of matte paintings, not to mention the painted backdrops used for sets. When the script calls for a reawakening volcano causing the earth to move, Tsuburaya and his staff created some very impressive work to give a sense of danger. Remember, this was the middle 1950’s long before computer generated effects were even contemplated.

Out of all this mess stumbles a lone figure – Shigeru! He’s been missing for a long time, so it is a shock when he is found. Unfortunately, he can’t remember what happened. Worse, he can’t remember anyone or anything thanks to physical and possible psychological trauma. Once again, human drama takes over while Riyo tends to him.

Apparently, giant killer insects and a potential volcanic eruption weren’t enough trouble to deal with so now the area develops a U.F.O. problem. In a nice composited shot, we get to see JASDF (Japanese Air Self Defense Force) F-86F Sabres at a real base in the background. Those were brand spanking new in 1956 and Japan’s first combat jet fighter. This would be the first appearance of real JASDF Sabres in one of Toho’s monster movies; all the previous ones were models base on speculative service.

An attempted interception of a supersonic “flying saucer” goes about as well as you’d expect. Fears of a foreign aircraft or something extraterrestrial are considered as more sightings are made throughout Asia. Where Tokyo was affected by Godzilla, this film makes it clear that whatever menace is out there also threatens Beijing, Manila, and Okinawa.  A mystery of how the object can get from one place to the next so quickly begins too.

With a bevy of mysteries established, it is about time to get some answers. An accidental form of shock therapy by Riyo triggers some important memories of Shigeru’s. Don’t worry, despite the screen capture we aren’t talking about One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest kind of therapy.

Though the story the young engineer relates could well merit such treatments in response. It involves a gigantic cave, meganulons in large numbers, and the mother of all Easter eggs. Even after seeing the giant bugs, everyone is skeptical and further investigation is required.

You will witness the amazing power of a room sized computer calculating dimensions! You will witness the incredible ability to identify a dinosaur from a drawing! You will witness traditional Japanese name contraction!

Okay, I should explain the last part. In the original Japanese cut, the hatchling is identified as being a pteranodon. Often longer names or multiword titles will be contracted into something more easily said. In this case, pteranodon becomes Radon. So what’s with the film being called “Rodan”? Supposedly there was a possible copyright or trademark infringement involving “Radon” so the King Brothers swapped the vowels around for the U.S. version.

Enough with the word madness; back to the monster madness!

After a tragic pair of deaths, clues lead the government officials, professor, and engineer to the source of all the strange goings on. That source turns out to be Rodan of course. Just one teensy problem. He’s no longer a hatchling and has a 270ft wingspan while weighing in at a svelte 100 tons.

55 minutes into the movie and we finally get a clear look at the title monster. That has to be a record. It’s even longer when you realize that the film is only 82 minutes long. Still, it is quite the entrance and the deadly shockwave of the creature flying is well illustrated by what happens to the jeep. Rodan also sounds like a jet turbine when he flies and for some reason that reminds me of the jet airliner in Airplane! flying along with a radial engine sound.

The JASDF arrives on the scene rather quickly in a bid to stop the monster from wreaking havoc. Footage of real life USAF Sabres is intercut with models and a fuselage mockup unconvincingly composited against moving sky footage. The best thing about all this? None of the markings match up properly across any of this and especially with the earlier footage of real JASDF F-86s.

I may mock the sloppiness of matching everything up, but I have to admit the aerial combat is pretty thrilling given the age of the film. Unlike the Godzilla films before it, the Sabres actually do some damage and even force Rodan down briefly. By the way, that’s Haruo Nakajima in the monster suit – the original Godzilla himself.

Can Japan stop the flying reptile from destroying a major city? Will the volcano erupt and destroy the mining operation? Will Shigeru man up and marry Riyo?

You’ll have to see the film to find out. Or read my spoilers section.

U.S Version Differences

When the King Brothers brought the film over, they commissioned a quick dub into English. If you’ve seen Godzilla Raids Again in English, you’ll recognize many of the same voices including Keye Luke and George Takei of Star Trek fame. Like that movie, Luke is employed to dub the main lead and also narrate.

At a full ten minutes shorter, this is the film most of us in America remember from childhood. Despite cutting a lot of time, more stock footage is inserted at the beginning. Government documentary films of the first hydrogen bomb tests open the movie along with bombastic narration. Additional footage of USAF Sabres is spliced in and I got the feeling the Kings would have replaced even more if they had the time.

Key moments are heavily edited to either tone down the horror or change the story. The death of the young couple at the mountain is shortened considerably and the big twist reveal is negated by showing it right off the bat. Expect to see footage repeated as well. Rodan is also given a much more impressive 500ft wingspan in the dialogue.

The basics of the story remain intact, yet it feels like a much lesser movie viewed after the original.

Thoughts

Rodan is an interesting kaiju film and belongs to the early era of sincere seriousness in the genre. I remember it being a bit serious from my youth and it is a deadly serious drama. While I like it a great deal, it does suffer from not having a single cohesive theme. Where Gojira was an allegory for both World War II and the terror of the atom bomb, Rodan has only passing concern with such things and seems to be more about man versus nature. But even that is half hearted.

For the first two thirds of the movie it is a ripping good yarn. While much of the action is saved for the final half hour, it seems like the story petered out before deciding it should just end. In fact, the big finale is very anticlimactic plus drawn out for far too long. This is the only area where the U.S. edit is an improvement. Well, it would have been except for the heavy handed English narration driving the point home with a pile driver.

One place the movie excelled at was the miniatures work, but only occasionally. Yes, you will see wires in multiple scenes. Back in the day, film reels wore out with use and that often erased the wires. Thanks to full restoration and the higher quality of DVDs and BDs these kinds of things are very visible on HDTVs. So some forgiveness is required and the miniature buildings seen here are superior to later kaiju films.

Rodan is not rated in either version. Kids should be able to handle it, though little ones will find the meganulons very scary. There was one instance of scatological profanity in the subtitled original and none in the American version.

If you like Godzilla or Gamera flicks, you’ll like this one too. It is also of historical interest for being an early Japanese color film. I recommend it to B-movie and monster movie buffs.

Technical

The DVD I own is the ClassicMedia edition put out with War of the Gargantuas in the same case. Fortunately, they are contained on separate discs rather than jammed onto one.

The Japanese original film is presented in 4:3 ratio and features gorgeous restored video. The colors are vibrant and the picture is sharp. Some hairs are present at the bottom of the screen during monster scenes and a few others. I suspect they were present on the original masters given the working environment at Toho.

Sadly, the American version is nowhere near the quality of the Japanese. Presented in a cropped 16:9 from the original 4:3 it sacrifices chunks of the top and bottom to create a widescreen image. Colors are washed out and the video shows a lot of dirt.

Both Dolby Digital mono soundtracks are clear and sound very good.

There is only one extra on the disc, but it is worth the cost of the set alone. It is a documentary called Bringing Godzilla Down to Size written by Ed Godziszweski and Steve Ryfle, the men responsible for commentaries on other Toho monster movies put out by ClassicMedia.

Over an hour in length, it is an affectionate look at the special effects men and suit actors who worked on the Godzilla films over the decades. Featuring interviews with those who worked on the movies or their sons, it covers a lot of ground. Of course things start with a biography and reminiscences of Eiji Tsuburaya, aka The Old Man, who directed the monster battles and oversaw the effects. He is rightfully called the father of Japanese special effects and you’ll learn why.

 

We also get to hear about and from Yasuyuki Inoue, his assistant and chief designer. He went from being a furniture designer to a prop designer all due to a bento meal in an interesting story. He and three other generations of effects artists even recreate an effect on camera during the documentary.

As much fun as the entire documentary is, the highlight for me is the gathering of three generations of Godzilla suit actors to talk about their experiences. Each had their own distinctive way of moving and ideas about the monster, so it was great fun to see them walk down a sidewalk together while in character. The common trait they share is that of having a strong personality –- which is not something I would have expected of a rubber suit actor.

Everything from set destruction to nearly dying while filming is discussed and I have to say I’ll never make fun of that profession again after watching this. It was a brutal job requiring immense strength and stamina, plus a certain stubbornness needed to act through all that latex. Make no mistake about it, they consider themselves actors and threw themselves into their parts.

The entire thing is an immense blast.

BEWARE! HERE BE SPOILERS!!!

 

 

 

 

The high speed winds generated by Rodan’s passing does hurricane force damage to the buildings and vehicles in Kyushu. In my opinion, it is some of the finest miniature work done in any of Toho’s monster movies.

Alas, I cannot say the same about the suit. While much better looking than later incarnations of Rodan, it is too rubbery. Yes, I know that sounds ridiculous when describing a rubber costume, but the wings and neck are a little too flexible. 

On the left is a shot that looks great except for a couple of problem: the afore mentioned neck and conspicuous wires. The shot on the right is much more effective though the tanks are a little too clean and shiny. Doesn’t the beast look more like a European dragon than a pteranodon?

This was the best effects scene in the movie and all done with miniatures. Giant flapping wings flip the tanker truck into the building and ignites in flames. We get to see the store burn over time in cuts back to it and it looks very convincing.

The surprise appearance of the second Rodan ends the battle in Kyushu. This was the big twist hinted at earlier in the movie with the U.F.O. sightings. In the American edit, they rearranged footage so that both monsters popped out of the cave during the first full reveal.

Why? I have no idea.

The mandatory city burning after a rampage shot established in Gojira and Godzilla Raids Again is much shorter in this movie. Despite being in color, it isn’t as stunning as the B&W efforts.

The Sikorsky H-5 didn’t see service with the Japanese, but was a common sight during the Korean War. It’s a simple model used, but I think it was the first depiction of a helicopter in a kaiju movie.

As final battles go, this one dragged on far too long. Endless bombarding by tank and rocket launcher hammers the cave where the Rodans live. What was annoying was the monsters didn’t even put up a fight!

Shelling triggers the eruption of the volcano, driving the reptiles out. The effects are pretty good here starting with the initial explosion. I’m very curious to know how they did the lava flows because they appear to actually be on fire.

It is a pitiable end for the two Rodans. They emerge out of the caves and fail to fly off to safety. Instead one inhales too much smoke and falls to the ground. Riyo is horrified by this and Shigeru looks a bit disturbed by it too.

With one Rodan dead and burning, its mate refuses to leave and self immolates in a scene that goes on for far too long. I’m assuming it must be the female, because the creature dies the death of an opera diva including a dramatic final pop up. All in all it is a depressing ending for the man eating monsters.

The military contingent pretty much says “good job” and packs it in while the stunned civilians watch the death throes of the Rodans. Honda was a pacifist and I had to wonder if this was a jab at the JSDF or soldiers in general. It struck an odd note.

Oh and Shigeru never even proposes to Riyo.