Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

For the discussion of Toho produced and distributed films or shows released before 1980.
User avatar
Mr_Goji_and_Watch
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2711
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2016 4:34 pm
Location: キノプレックス
Contact:

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by Mr_Goji_and_Watch »

AFAIK there's no complete footage of the missile sequence in the correct aspect ratio out there. They are either cropped, blown up to 1.85:1, or missing frames. It'd be hard to cut it into the Japanese cut while maintaining consistency when it comes to video quality.
Last edited by Mr_Goji_and_Watch on Tue Jan 08, 2019 9:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Moogabunga wrote:Ive said it before and I'll gladly say it again, this is going to be the best Godzilla film ever and more importantly, its going to be the film that truly makes Godzilla mainstream (and cool)
SoggyNoodles2016 wrote:I'm glad to be a fake fan.

User avatar
KaijuCanuck
Futurian
Posts: 3451
Joined: Wed Jun 21, 2017 4:12 pm
Location: The Milky Way

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by KaijuCanuck »

Mr_Goji_and_Watch wrote:AFAIK there's no complete footage of the missile sequence in the correct aspect ratio out there. They are either cropped, blown up to 1.85:1, or missing frames. It'd be hard to cut it into the Japanese cut while maintaining consistency when it comes to video quality.
That’s fine, I don’t care. I just like when the missiles go boom. Zarm, will they still go boom?
Last edited by KaijuCanuck on Tue Jan 08, 2019 9:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Image

User avatar
Zarm
E.S.P.Spy
Posts: 4973
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2016 3:21 pm
Location: USA, East Coast
Contact:

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by Zarm »

KaijuCanuck wrote:
Mr_Goji_and_Watch wrote:AFAIK there's no complete footage of the missile sequence in the correct aspect ratio out there. They are either cropped, blown up to 1.85:1, or missing frames. It'd be hard to cut it into the Japanese cut while maintaining consistency when it comes to video quality.
That’s fine, I don’t care. I just like when the missiles go boom. Zarm, will they still go boom?

They do. And some digital restoration work, based on omgitsgodzilla's work, has the aspect at least matching to the rest of the film...
KaijuCanuck wrote:It’s part of my secret plan to create a fifth column in the US, pre-emoting our glorious conquest and the creation of the Canadian Empire, upon which the sun will consistently set after less than eight hours of daylight. :ninja:
The grace of God is a greater gift than we can truly fathom; undeserved mercy is a kindness humbling in its sheer scope.

The Zone Fighter campaign is complete, with all episodes subtitled! PM me if you need a link location.

Maranatha!

GojiDog
G-Grasper
Posts: 1223
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:16 pm

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by GojiDog »

One thing I associate with this film is that one of if not the first online movie review I ever read was Stomp Tokyo's review of this film (Yeah, StompTokyo...remember that site?).

Actually, I found the link to the old review! http://www.stomptokyo.com/movies/godzil ... ra-64.html

There was a line in there about the beginning of the movie where the egg washed ashore and was sold to Kumayama.

"The local fisherman sell it to a huge company (which we will call ConHugeCo, because we can't remember the real name). ConHugeCo then puts the egg on display, two bits a gander. This may be the most realistic thing ever to happen in a Godzilla movie"

I don't know why, but as a youngster, that line cracked me up.
White Male Genocide is necessary.

Kill all white men.

User avatar
Dr. Professor
Futurian
Posts: 3575
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 5:37 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by Dr. Professor »

GojiDog wrote:Yeah, StompTokyo...remember that site?
Shit, dude. You just brought me back lmao. Back when I was a little kid I used to rip the internet apart looking for Godzilla content, and of course, Stomp Tokyo was one of the sites I found. I had no interest in reading the reviews so I would just look at all the pictures and read the captions. :lol: Berry's Temple of Godzilla was another site that I would go on constantly.
Resized Image
(Art by Lisa Naffziger)

Co-host (Nick) of G-Force: A Kaiju Podcast
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

RIP Evan A. Baker :serizawa:

User avatar
LSD Jellyfish
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 14254
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2015 11:57 pm

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Okay, just rewatched this one, and I feel good because some things finally make sense.

When I was younger I never understood how or why, Godzilla randomly appeared from out of the ground. Really what happened was that the big storm in the beginning flooded a huge area and most likely brought in Godzilla who was resting after his fight with Kong. The area he was in was flooded until it was pumped out and he was covered in layers of mud.

Anyways, another really solid showa entry. I do enjoy how Godzilla destroys a bunch of famous landmarks in Nagoya, although I couldn’t help but want some more random destruction. I do also like how the main cast has a good role in convincing Mothra and infant Island to stop Godzilla. In a roundabout way it reminds me of Emiko trying to persuade Serizawa to use the oxygen destroyer.

-Godzilla again is really just called an atomic monster in the film.

-It states that Mothra laid the egg underground and it grew. There was sortve a meme on here a whiles back about how Mothra laid such a big egg.

-I’ve also really grown to appreciate the two Mothra fights but I wish they were a tad longer.

-Are the electricity towers that shoot beams the first real “super sci-fi weapons” in the Godzilla series? Obviously we had ridiculous ideas prior to this, like the pit from KKVG, and we’ve had electric towers prior. This felt like the first film to introduce stuff like that that would soon become common like the maser cannon.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

User avatar
Terasawa
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5841
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:06 am

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by Terasawa »

Is this the only time after Raids Again that Tsuburaya's crew used the undercranked camera method to make the monster fights appear faster than they were? It's used much better here than in GRA (where they apparently stumbled upon it accidentally) but it still doesn't quite work all of the time.
寺沢. He/him/his, etc.

User avatar
LSD Jellyfish
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 14254
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2015 11:57 pm

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Terasawa wrote:Is this the only time after Raids Again that Tsuburaya's crew used the undercranked camera method to make the monster fights appear faster than they were? It's used much better here than in GRA (where they apparently stumbled upon it accidentally) but it still doesn't quite work all of the time.
I’m pretty sure. They use it with Mothra’s imago form I guess to make it seem quicker and the flight more realistic. I have to say it works well, at least for this specific monster.

I watched KKVG today and that was clear of that. Pretty sure it’s not used in sequels either. I have a sneaking suspicion maybe it’s used for Mothra in EHOTD. I’ll keep an eye out.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

User avatar
Zarm
E.S.P.Spy
Posts: 4973
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2016 3:21 pm
Location: USA, East Coast
Contact:

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by Zarm »

LSD Jellyfish wrote: -Are the electricity towers that shoot beams the first real “super sci-fi weapons” in the Godzilla series? Obviously we had ridiculous ideas prior to this, like the pit from KKVG, and we’ve had electric towers prior. This felt like the first film to introduce stuff like that that would soon become common like the maser cannon.
Not counting the Oxygen Destroyer, and looking strictly at Godzilla films only, yes. But the Mothra standalone film did have the atomic heat rays a few years before this.
KaijuCanuck wrote:It’s part of my secret plan to create a fifth column in the US, pre-emoting our glorious conquest and the creation of the Canadian Empire, upon which the sun will consistently set after less than eight hours of daylight. :ninja:
The grace of God is a greater gift than we can truly fathom; undeserved mercy is a kindness humbling in its sheer scope.

The Zone Fighter campaign is complete, with all episodes subtitled! PM me if you need a link location.

Maranatha!

User avatar
LSD Jellyfish
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 14254
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2015 11:57 pm

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Zarm wrote:
LSD Jellyfish wrote: -Are the electricity towers that shoot beams the first real “super sci-fi weapons” in the Godzilla series? Obviously we had ridiculous ideas prior to this, like the pit from KKVG, and we’ve had electric towers prior. This felt like the first film to introduce stuff like that that would soon become common like the maser cannon.
Not counting the Oxygen Destroyer, and looking strictly at Godzilla films only, yes. But the Mothra standalone film did have the atomic heat rays a few years before this.
Hmm yeah. I didn’t include the oxygen destroyer because it’s a relatively simple thing, a small little chemically made substance. Like an atomic bomb, it looks like something that could exist within the real world. Giant controlled lightning towers, at that scale, are absolutely nuts.

It’s also worth noting that the lighting towers in this film, have roughly the power of 20-30 million volts. For reference, as the towers in KKVG, that annoyed Godzilla, were one million. Presumably the towers in 54 were much less then that. So we do know, that after a certain voltage, electricity is actually effective at dealing damage to Godzilla.

Edit: This film also takes place in a vague version of Mothra 1961’s continuity. Infant Island is a place on the map, and no one questions who or what Mothra is when the name is mentioned. To be clear, I’m not saying that the exact events, or Mothra film took place exactly in the same continuity, but similar to other films perhaps a vague slightly altered version.
Last edited by LSD Jellyfish on Sun Mar 31, 2019 11:39 am, edited 2 times in total.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

User avatar
GodzillaRangerPrime
JXSDF Technician
Posts: 1104
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:02 pm
Location: Avengers Tower

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by GodzillaRangerPrime »

The scenes of Godzilla walking through the industrial areas and Osaka are quintessential Godzilla
Chris55 wrote:
Underworld54 wrote:
GalacticPetey wrote:They're not half-assing the Star Wars movies.
I very much consider TFA to be half-assed. What a generic film which only fed on nostalgia, it brought nothing new to the table.
That's not true. C3PO had a red arm.

User avatar
Ivo-goji
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2818
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2016 8:54 am

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by Ivo-goji »

LSD Jellyfish wrote:To be clear, I’m not saying that the exact events, or Mothra film took place exactly in the same continuity, but similar to other films perhaps a vague slightly altered version.
The intent is clearly that it's a sequel to the first Mothra movie. Other than Mothra being a different size, there really isn't any reason to suppose some other "version" of it happened instead.
Resized Image
Kaiju-King42 wrote: Welcome to Toho Kingdom, where every conceivable opinion, no matter how outlandish or unpopular, is a possibility among the population.

User avatar
Rody
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5577
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 11:55 am

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by Rody »

I revisited this one last night, via the Criterion disc. It's still one of the best, and likely still my most favorite.
One thing I noticed, which I hadn't considered before, is how Mothra's battle with Godzilla kind of parallels our protagonists' quest, while being part of the same cycle. The first battle with Godzilla fails, like the first attempt to return the egg; but the second battle succeeds, like the appeal to Mothra itself, and sets the stage for further good deeds. Good may not triumph over evil initially, but it DOES ultimately triumph through perseverance.

User avatar
KingKaiju
Futurian
Posts: 3013
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:31 pm

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by KingKaiju »

I don't know why this popped in my head, but I recall once reading somewhere that in one of the early drafts of this script, instead of the egg, it was supposed to be a beaten up Godzilla washing ashore (implying that he got pretty badly beaten up against Kong). Can anyone confirm this, and point me to where I can read up on this?
Image

User avatar
UltramanGoji
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 17719
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 11:40 am

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by UltramanGoji »

KingKaiju wrote:I don't know why this popped in my head, but I recall once reading somewhere that in one of the early drafts of this script, instead of the egg, it was supposed to be a beaten up Godzilla washing ashore (implying that he got pretty badly beaten up against Kong). Can anyone confirm this, and point me to where I can read up on this?
Main site has an entry on it.

https://www.tohokingdom.com/cutting_roo ... la_1st.htm
Image

User avatar
KingKaiju
Futurian
Posts: 3013
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:31 pm

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by KingKaiju »

UltramanGoji wrote:
KingKaiju wrote:I don't know why this popped in my head, but I recall once reading somewhere that in one of the early drafts of this script, instead of the egg, it was supposed to be a beaten up Godzilla washing ashore (implying that he got pretty badly beaten up against Kong). Can anyone confirm this, and point me to where I can read up on this?
Main site has an entry on it.

https://www.tohokingdom.com/cutting_roo ... la_1st.htm
Awesome! Thanks!
Image

User avatar
Voyager
Keizer
Posts: 7828
Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2019 12:34 pm
Location: On a boat

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by Voyager »

My favourite movie of all time w/ Empire Strikes Back.
Best Godzilla Movie (barring 54).
Such a classic, with timeless effects, a perfect score, phenomenal story, beautiful theme, the whole package.
Image
For Emperor and Empire!

User avatar
Major sssspielberg!
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2226
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2017 7:48 am

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

VoyagerGoji wrote:My favourite movie of all time w/ Empire Strikes Back.
Best Godzilla Movie (barring 54).
Such a classic, with timeless effects, a perfect score, phenomenal story, beautiful theme, the whole package.
And a Skeleturtle. Can't forget my boi now.
Kaltes-Herzeleid wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 9:44 am I love Final Wars. I praise Final Wars. Simple as.

User avatar
Voyager
Keizer
Posts: 7828
Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2019 12:34 pm
Location: On a boat

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by Voyager »

Major sssspielberg! wrote:
VoyagerGoji wrote:My favourite movie of all time w/ Empire Strikes Back.
Best Godzilla Movie (barring 54).
Such a classic, with timeless effects, a perfect score, phenomenal story, beautiful theme, the whole package.
And a Skeleturtle. Can't forget my boi now.
Of course!
Image
For Emperor and Empire!

User avatar
Kaltes-Herzeleid
JXSDF Technician
Posts: 1086
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2014 11:07 pm
Location: The Great Tomb of Nazarick

Re: Talkback Thread #4: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Post by Kaltes-Herzeleid »

KingKaiju wrote:I don't know why this popped in my head, but I recall once reading somewhere that in one of the early drafts of this script, instead of the egg, it was supposed to be a beaten up Godzilla washing ashore (implying that he got pretty badly beaten up against Kong). Can anyone confirm this, and point me to where I can read up on this?
The thought of Godzilla washing up ashore like is a pretty grim idea. More morbid for businessmen to try and exploit a presumably dead creature than an egg.
Resized Image

Post Reply