Frankenstein Conquers the World
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| Frankenstein Conquers the World | |
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 Theatrical poster for Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965) |
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| Directed by | Ishirō Honda |
| Produced by | Tomoyuki Tanaka |
| Written by | Reuben Bercovitch Takeshi Kimura |
| Starring | Nick Adams Tadao Takashima Kumi Mizuno |
| Music by | Akira Ifukube |
| Cinematography | Hajime Koizumi |
| Editing by | Ryohei Fujii |
| Distributed by | Toho Universal Studios (USA) |
| Release date(s) | August 8, 1965 July 8, 1966 (USA) |
| Running time | 93 min. 87 min. (USA) |
| Language | Japanese |
| Followed by | War of the Gargantuas, Destroy All Monsters |
| IMDb profile | |
Frankenstein Conquers the World, released in Japan as Frankenstein tai Chitei Kaijū (フランケンシュタイン対地底怪獣? lit "Frankenstein versus Subterranean Monster") and Toho's official English title is Frankenstein vs. Baragon, is a tokusatsu kaiju/horror film produced in 1965 by Toho Company Ltd.. This film features a Japanized version of the Frankenstein Monster, who becomes giant-sized to fight a giant subterranean monster, Baragon.
This was also the first of three Toho-produced films to star Hollywood actor Nick Adams, who starred in two other films: Monster Zero and The Killing Bottle. While American critics usually look down at the late actor's appearances in these films, American tokusatsu fans still think Adams to be the best, most charismatic foreign actor to appear in any Japanese genre film.
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[edit] Synopsis
The prologue is set in World War II, circa 1945. Nazis break into the laboratory of Dr. Reisendorf and confiscate the heart of the Frankenstein Monster, which he was busy experimenting on. The Nazis travel by submarine to the Pacific. The Allied Forces then bomb their submarine, but not before the Nazis pass the heart (contained in a locked chest) to the Imperial Japanese Navy, who take it back to Hiroshima to be experimented on. But just as they were about to begin, Hiroshima was bombed by the Allied Forces, and the heart was lost . . .
20 years later, a savage boy runs rampant in the streets of Hiroshima, catching and devouring small animals such as dogs and rabbits. This comes to the attention of American scientist Dr. James Bowen and his assistants Sueko Togami and Ken'ichiro Kawaji, who investigate, and find him hiding in a cave on a beach, where a mob of outraged villagers had almost caught him. While the strange boy catches media attention and is taken care of by the scientists, another astounding event evades the public's eye . . .
The Former Naval Captain Kawai, who brought the Frankenstein heart to Japan in WWII, was working in an oil factory in Akita Prefecture, when a sudden earthquake shakes the factory and collapses a tower, beneath which he saw the ghastly face of a giant floppy-eared reptile with a glowing horn.
Meanwhile, Dr. Bowen and the scientists find that the strange boy is growing due to intake of protein. Afraid of his strength, the scientists lock and chain the boy in a jail cell, and Sueko, who really cares for him, feeds him some protein food to sustain him. Meanwhile, Dr. Bowen is visited by Kawai, who tells him that the boy could have been mutated from the heart of the Frankenstein Monster, as the boy was seen in Hiroshima more than once before. At Bowen's advice, Dr. Kawaji confers with the aging Dr. Reisendorf in Frankfurt. Reisendorf tells Kawaji of the story of the Frankenstein Monster, and noted of his virtual immortality, due to the intake of protein. He is recommended to cut off the monster's arm or leg, and a new one would grow back. When relating this to his fellow scientists upon his return to Japan, Sueko strongly objects to this method, fearing that nothing may grow back. Even when Bowen suggests that they wait a little longer to think it over, Kawaji tenaciously attempts to sever one of the now-gigantic monster's limbs. He is interrupted by a TV crew, who Kawaji allows to film the monster, whom they enrage by shining bright studio lights at his face. The monster, heretofore known as "Frankenstein," breaks loose and is on the run from the Japanese police. He even has a tender encounter with Sueko on the balcony of her apartment before he has to run away . . .
While Frankenstein is on the run, he travels around to many places, from Okayama (where he eats more animals) to Mount Ibuki, where his primitive childlike activities (throwing trees at birds and trying to trap a wild boar) end in disaster.
But unbeknownst to Bowen and the scientists, Baragon, the monster Kawai saw earlier, goes on a rampage. Tunneling under the earth, he pops out and ravages villages, eating people and animals, and leaving destruction in his wake. People believe this to be Frankenstein's doing, and the misunderstood monster is wrongly hunted down by the military, narrowly escaping. Before Bowen and his assistants have no choice but to dismiss Frankenstein, Kawai returns to tell them that Frankenstein may not be responsible for the disasters; It could be the monster (Baragon) he saw in Akita! He tries to convince the authorities, but to no avail. Kawaji still wishes the scientists luck in finding Frankenstein.
Bowen, Sueko and Kawaji then form a search party and venture into the forest land they believe Frankenstein to be hiding. But Kawaji, to the shock of Bowen and Sueko, then proclaims to kill him, believing that Frankenstein could be dangerous by nature, and not even Sueko could possibly tame him! He intends to blind him with chemical grenades and capture him to recover his heart and brain. Kawaji presses on to find Frankenstein, and instead finds Baragon! Kawaji and Bowen try in vain to stop the monster with the grenades, but it is about to eat Sueko, until Frankenstein comes to the rescue! The cataclysmic battle between the two giant monsters then begins . . .
[edit] Trivia
- The US version has extended footage not seen in the Japanese version. One was in the scene when a giant-sized Frankenstein bursts through a wall, escaping the prison building. The rubble falls on a military soldier, who Frankenstein almost steps on, to his own shock. Shortly later, after his encounter with Sueko on the balcony of her apartment, Frankenstein is chased by a police car, which accidentally overturns, and he lifts the car and hurls it onto the street before running away. This was because Henry G. Saperstein, the US co-producer, wanted a more aggressive monster.
- There was an alternate ending not used in either version, but included as an extra in Toho's video releases. After Frankenstein finally kills Baragon, Oodako (the giant octopus) emerges from the sea and grabs him with its tentacles. Frankenstein, exhausted from his fight with Baragon, loses the struggle and both he and Oodako at last fall into the sea. The rest of the ending (Bowen, Sueko and Kawaji reflecting on the situation, and the closing shot of the forest on fire) is the same. This was the ending Henry G. Saperstein wanted, but Ishiro Honda didn't like it. Saperstein eventually agreed and used the regular ending (Frankenstein and the dead Baragon are both swallowed by an underground cave-in) instead.
[edit] Parallels to the Source Material
There are many references to the 1931 Frankenstein film adaptation, which is no doubt the most iconic representation of the monster featured in the famous book by Mary Shelley.
- In general, the monster is referred to by the name of his creator ("Frankenstein"), as opposed to "The Frankenstein Monster" (which Dr. Bowen did refer to him as once in this film).
- The look of the monster is similar to the "flathead" Frankenstein Monster designed by master makeup artist Jack Pierce.
- The mob of people chasing the monster on the beach is similar to the mob of villagers chasing the monster.
- Kawaji occasionally acts as the Fritz character from the 1931 film, when he plots something against the creature against Dr. Bowen's orders or unbeknownst to him.
- Frankenstein accidentally kills a soldier, whose tank fell into a pit which was meant for a wild boar he was going to catch and eat. The monster acts in remorse and runs away. This is similar to the scene in the 1931 film, when the monster befriends a little girl; they both throw flowers into a lake, but the monster unwittingly throws the girl into the lake, drowning her. With remorse, the monster runs away. By the same token, the monster Baragon killed many people, and Frankenstein wrongly gets the blame, as nobody is yet aware of Baragon.
- The fire in the forest (when Frankenstein fights with Baragon), being similar to the fire on the windmill, on which Dr. Frankenstein confronts the creature at the end of said film.
[edit] The Sequel
- The sequel to this film is War of the Gargantuas (titled Furankenshutain no Kaijû: Sanda tai Gaira in Japan). In said film, pieces of Frankenstein's cells mutate into two giant humanoid monsters: Sanda (the Brown Gargantua) and Gaira (the Green Gargantua). The former is a beneviolent and peace-loving creature, the latter is murderous and savage.
- However, United Productions of America, the US coproducers, obscured all references to Frankenstein in the American version. Probably because the two monsters could not be recognized as "Frankenstein" monsters. However, reference is made to a severed hand.
- Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka had originally commissioned a film called Frankenstein Vs. the Human Vapor (フランケンシュタイン対ガス人間 - Furankenshutain tai Gasu Ningen), with a draft written by Kimura. This also follows up with The Human Vapor (1960), as Mizuno finds the Frankenstein Monster's body, and revives him, so that he can help him use the Frankenstein formula to revive his beloved girlfriend Fujichiyo (who died at the end of said film). This was also supposed to be Toho's co-feature with the Japanese release of My Fair Lady.
[edit] Credits
[edit] Staff
- Producers: Tomoyuki Tanaka, Henry G. Saperstein
- Director: Ishiro Honda
- Special Effects Director: Eiji Tsuburaya
- Writer: Takeshi Kimura
- Music: Akira Ifukube
[edit] Cast
- Dr. James Bowen: Nick Adams
- Dr. Ken'ichiro Kawaji: Tadao Takashima
- Dr. Sueko Togami: Kumi Mizuno
- Captain Kawai: Yoshio Tsuchiya
- Hiroshima Hospital Surgeon: Takashi Shimura
- Dr. Reisendorf: Peter Mann
- Tazuko Toi: Keiko Sawai
- Residential Landlord: Ikio Sawamura
- TV Director: Haruya Kato
- Okayama Police Chief: Jun Tazaki
- Okayama Assistant Inspector: Kenji Sahara
- Osaka Policeman A: Susumu Fujita
- Osaka Policeman B: Hisaya Ito
- Tunnel Worker: Shoichi Hirose
[edit] Monsters
- Frankenstein: Koji Furuhata
- Frankenstein (young): Sumio Nakao
- Baragon: Haruo Nakajima
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
Famous Monsters of Filmland. June 1966 (#39). Cover, and p.10-24. (pictures & plot summary)
