Thursday, June 30, 2011

40 Years of "Godzilla vs. Hedorah": The Men Who Played Godzilla and Hedorah

by Armand Vaquer

Above, Kenpachiro Satsuma (Hedorah) and Haruo Nakajima (Godzilla) take a break during the filming of "Godzilla vs. Hedorah." This still was signed by both actors. From the personal collection of Armand Vaquer.

As posted previously, July marks 40 years since the release of Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) in Japan.

I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the two men who gave it their all in their portrayals of Godzilla and his foe, Hedorah.

Above, Kenpachiro Satsuma (left) and Haruo Nakajima share a laugh in Hollywood 29 years after making "Godzilla vs. Hedorah." Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I had the good fortune to first meet Kenpachiro Satsuma (Hedorah) and Haruo Nakajima (Godzilla) at G-FEST 2000 in Hollywood. Since then, I have gotten to know Mr. Nakajima well and attended a dinner party in the Nakano section of Tokyo with Mr. Satsuma in 2001, following the premiere of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Both men are some of the nicest people I've ever met in show business.

Satsuma played Hedorah and other monsters before he took over the Godzilla role in 1984 in Return of Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzilla 1985). His stint as Godzilla ended with Godzilla vs. Destoroyah in 1995.

Above, the Bandai Hedorah toy I bought during my 2007 Japan vacation.

Nakajima's appearance of Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Hedorah was second to the last before his retirement from the role. He began his run as Godzilla in the original 1954 feature. His last appearance as Godzilla was in the following year's Godzilla vs. Gigan. Nakajima published an autobiography of his life and career in Japan last year. He is now a spry 82-year-old.

A tip of the cap to both men and domo arigato gozaimasu!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

40 Years of "Godzilla vs. Hedorah"

by Armand Vaquer


Seven years ago, the 50th anniversary of Godzilla (1954) was celebrated.

Part of that celebration included the DVD release by Columbia-TriStar Home Entertainment of Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), along with several other Godzilla movies.

Suddenly, next month marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Godzilla vs. Hedorah in Japan on July 24, 1971. It was released the following year in the United States as Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster.

This is the famous (or infamous, depending upon one's point-of-view) movie in which Godzilla curls up his tail and uses his atomic breath as a rocket engine to fly (!) after Hedorah. Director Yoshimitsu Bannai added the flying scenes to "lighten up" an otherwise dark movie. This was Banno's message movie on pollution.

Right, Yoshimitsu Banno at a dinner party in Roppongi, Tokyo in 2004. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The movie is quirky in other ways besides the flying sequences. It also contains animated sequences whose intent was to drive home the dangers of pollution along with strange music motifs and bizarre editing.

Tomoyuki Tanaka, the producer of the Godzilla series, was in the hospital at the time Hedorah was made. When he finally saw the finished movie, he reportedly said that Banno ruined the Godzilla series and was determined to never allow Banno to direct another Godzilla movie. This may or may not be a true story. Banno refuted this at G-FEST a few years ago.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah has risen in G-fandom's esteem over the years. The U.S. version (Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster) was featured in the 1978 book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time.

To this day, Godzilla vs. Hedorah remains an odd entry in the entire series of Godzilla movies. At least one can't say it's dull.

Happy 40th anniversary!

About That Poster...

by Armand Vaquer



Avery Guerra, who has been a good source for "inside" information on the Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. Godzilla movie project, has this to say about the Godzilla 2012 poster:

I'll squash this before it get's any further. The poster and website are fake. They're just some elaborate prank, fan made, and nothing more. I've checked with a source close to the production and have now had this debunked. I'm sure we'll probably be seeing more such hoaxes up until the time L.P. decides to start releasing materials.


I had my doubts on the poster, but I figured I'd put it out there for everyone to see. At least it got the message boards buzzing for a little while.

Looks like we'll have to wait for the real thing.

New Japanese GODZILLA Video And Manga Bonanza!

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Youtube / Godzilla Gao

You really have to give these (unknown) Japanese Godzilla fans alot of credit. Not only have they built an exact replica of the Godzilla suit from "Mothra vs Godzilla" (Godzilla vs The Thing) but they also run a very cool G site called "Godzilla Gao" and ink a very cool G themed manga (comic) called "Monster's Territory".

Wew! That's some real devotion to the "King of Monsters" there.

Now their website is all in Japanese so I really couldn't find out very much about them, but from what English text the group posted along with their latest video, which is great by the way, I gather that they have been working on their Godzilla suit for 11 years.

11 years!

Well from the video it looks like it's completed and it looks really spot on to the one worn by Haruo Nakajima in the film. The group has also created a really cool King Ghidorah puppet for Big G to interact with.

My advice. Legendary Pictures outta give these guys a look up.

I'm just saying.

Here is the video, plus some older ones of the Godzilla suit being worked on:







Here are a couple of pages from "Monster's Territory":


Here is the link to their site:

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Godzilla 2012 Poster: Real or Fake?

by Armand Vaquer

Things have been quiet on the Legendary Pictures/Warner Brothers Godzilla project lately.

I received this in an email today. This is the first I've seen of it, so I can't say if this is authentic or not.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Get All 100 GODZILLA KINGDOM OF MONSTERS Variant Covers In One Special Issue

Source: IDW Publishing

This August, you will be able to own all 100 covers from IDW’s unprecedented promotion. All proceeds will be donated to the International Medical Corps for tsunami relief in Japan.

Pre-order your copy today! Diamond order code: JUN11 0450.

Godzilla Charity Book

Godzilla: 100 Cover Charity Spectacular

Alex Ross, Eric Powell, Various (a) • Matt Frank (c)

This March, IDW unleashed an unprecedented promotion in the direct comics market. A chance for retailers to have their stores smashed by Godzilla! When count was done, there 100 covers of this landmark issue. Now, it’s a chance to own all the covers, and for a good cause! IDW will be donating all proceeds from this one-of-a-kind one-shot to the International Medical Corps for tsunami relief in Japan.

*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.

FC • 100 pages • $7.99

Godzilla Gangsters and Goliaths #1 San Diego Comic Con Variant

Source: Entertainment Earth

Order Your Copy Of Godzilla Gangsters and Goliaths #1 Here For Only $3.99!

Godzilla Gangsters and Goliaths #1 SDCC 2011 Exclusive:

Godzilla should have gotten his 4-day passes earlier before they sold out!
Godzilla crashes the SDCC party!
Limited edition!

Exclusive original cover with Godzilla attacking the San Diego Convention Center! Join Detective Makoto Sato as he travels to Monster Island and faces extinction from both gangsters and goliaths. His survival depends on his wit and the help of some unusual friends. Limited edition of only 5,000 copies.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Tokyo-Edo Radio Project Interview

by Armand Vaquer



A 45-minute interview with Hans Karlsson of the Tokyo-Edo Radio Project has been completed. The interview tonight was intended as a preliminary "warm-up" interview, subject to approval by the heads of the project (with the broadcast interview to be done later). However, Karlsson did indicate that tonight's interview may be edited/condensed for broadcast. They will let me know what they decide to do in any case, and I will pass the word.

The interview focused on The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan, the locations/landmarks used in various movies as well as a discussion on how Godzilla, Gamera and other Japanese monsters became popular in Western countries.

We went into detail on the Americanized Godzilla, King of the Monsters! and its importance in making the Godzilla character popular in countries outside of Japan. We also discussed how Raymond Burr was directed by Terry Morse at Visual Drama studios in Los Angeles and that a plaque now marks the site's historical significance.

I had fun with the interview.
"LEGENDARY PICTURES TO DEVELOP AND PRODUCE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE BASED ON TOHO COMPANY’S ICONIC MONSTER, GODZILLA

Burbank, CA – March 29, 2010 – Legendary Pictures announced today that they will develop and produce a new film based on Toho Company’s famed GODZILLA character. Through the terms of the agreement, Legendary Pictures has acquired the rights to produce a movie inspired by Toho’s Godzilla, a franchise the Japanese company created and has nurtured for over fifty years.

Toho’s GODZILLA franchise boasts one of the most widely recognized film creatures worldwide, resulting in a series of books, television programs, video games and more than 25 films worldwide. Legendary intends to approach the film and its characters in the most authentic manner possible. The company will, in the near future, announce a filmmaker to helm the film for an intended 2012 release. The film will fall under the company’s co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros. Toho will distribute the film in Japan."

"Godzilla" is coming back -- this time, with Legendary Pictures taking the lead, co-producing and co-financing with Warner Bros. for release in 2012.

Legendary announced Monday it had obtained rights to the iconic monster character from Japan's Toho Co., which has overseen more than 25 "Godzilla" films. Toho will release the pic in Japan.

Legendary said it's planning to announce a director shortly.

In addition to Legendary, producers on the new film will be Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Brian Rogers. Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira and Doug Davison will exec produce.

"Godzilla is one of the world's most powerful pop culture icons, and we at Legendary are thrilled to be able to create a modern epic based on this long-loved Toho franchise," said Thomas Tull, Chairman and CEO of Legendary. "Our plans are to produce the Godzilla that we, as fans, would want to see. We intend to do justice to those essential elements that have allowed this character to remain as pop-culturally relevant for as long as it has."

Legendary noted the film will fall under its co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros. Legendary's productions with Warners have included "The Dark Knight," "300" and "The Hangover."

Speculation about a new "Godzilla" has been active since last summer. The Bloody Disgusting web site reported in August that the project was in development.