Bisexual chic and Mothra vs. Godzilla: Difference between pages

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{{otheruses4|the 1964 film|the 1992 film|Godzilla vs. Mothra}}
{{Bisexuality topics sidebar}}'''Bisexual chic''' is a phrase sometimes used to describe the public acknowledgement of [[bisexuality]] among various segments of society. In some cases the phrase can be considered pejorative, when used to trivialize or dismiss genuine feelings of same-sex attraction, especially if those expressing these thoughts continue to exhibit otherwise heteronormative behaviors.


{{Infobox_Film
One usage of the phrase describes increased public interest in bisexuality, or increased social acceptance of bisexuality. This usage is usually associated with a [[celebrity]] [[coming out]] as bisexual or being labeled as bisexual, or with a high-profile reference to bisexuality in [[popular culture]] media, like a cover article of a magazine.
|name =Mothra vs. Godzilla
|image =
|director =[[Ishirô Honda]]
|producer =[[Tomoyuki Tanaka (producer)|Tomoyuki Tanaka]], [[Sanezumi Fujimoto]]
|writer =[[Shinichi Sekizawa]]
|starring =[[Haruo Nakajima]]<br>[[Katsumi Tezuka]]<br>[[Akira Takarada]] <br> [[Yuriko Hoshi]] <br> [[Hiroshi Koizumi]] <br> [[Yu Fujiki]] <br> [[Emi Itō]] <br> [[Yumi Itō]] <br> [[Yoshifumi Tajima]] <br> [[Kenji Sahara]] <br> [[Jun Tazaki]]
|music =[[Akira Ifukube]]
|cinematography =[[Hajime Koizumi]]
|editor =[[Ryohei Fujii]]
|distributor =[[Toho]] <br> [[American International Pictures|AIP]] (USA)
|released =[[April 29]], [[1964]] <br> [[September 17]], 1964 (USA)
|runtime =88 min. 7 sec.(USA)
|runtime =88 min. 36 sec. (JAPAN)
|language =[[Japanese language|Japanese]]
|budget =
|amg_id =1:93411
|imdb_id =0058379
|preceded_by = ''[[Mothra (film)]]'' <br /> ''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla]]''
|followed_by = ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]''
|}}


{{nihongo|'''''Mothra vs. Godzilla'''''|モスラ対ゴジラ|Mosura tai Gojira}} (also known as '''Mothra Against Godzilla''', '''Godzilla vs. Mothra''', '''Godzilla vs. the Thing''', etc.) is a [[tokusatsu]] [[kaiju]] film, fourth in the [[Godzilla (film series)|Godzilla series]], produced by [[Toho|Toho Company Ltd.]] in 1964. The film was the product of the celebrated creative team of Shinichi Sekizawa (screenplay), Ishirô Honda (human drama), and [[Eiji Tsuburaya]] (special effects).
The other main usage describes a [[fad]]dish attention towards bisexuality. This usage is also limited in scope, as it fails to provide relevant content of what it means to be bisexual, to give context to the legitimacy of bisexuality as an orientation, and even to convey a full understanding of bisexuality.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/gayrights/story/0,12592,1115656,00.html US girls embrace gay passion fashion, The Observer, by Richard Luscombe, January 4, 2004]</ref>


==Origin of term==
==Plot==
The phrase came into usage in the 1970s, on the tail end of the [[hippie]] movement, which extolled [[free love]]. This era ushered in the emergence of [[glam rock]], and British artists like [[Elton John]] and [[David Bowie]]. In 1980, [[TIME Magazine]] referred to Bowie's persona [[Ziggy Stardust]] as "the orange-haired founder of bisexual chic."<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,920940-2,00.html Time magazine], Monday, Aug. 04, 1980</ref> A media-generated “wave” took place, focusing “on "bisexual chic" in the [[club scene]], and among celebrities such as Elton John, David Bowie and [[Patti Smith]].”<ref>''Bisexuality in the United States: A Social Science Reader''
by Paula Claire Rust, 2000, pg 538</ref> At the same time, bisexual groups formed in several large [[United States|US]] cities, heralding the birth of the modern bisexual [[civil rights]] and [[liberation movement]]s.<ref>[http://www.binetusa.org/bihistory2.html A Brief History of the Bisexual Movement]</ref>Musical acts such as [[Elton John]], [[Mick Jagger]], [[Lou Reed]] and the [[androgynous]] [[David Bowie]] made public their experiences with the same sex, as did celebrities like [[Marlon Brando]] and [[Gore Vidal]], [[Janis Joplin]] and [[Joan Baez]].


A news reporter named Sakai and his photographer Junko take pictures of the wreckage caused by a [[typhoon]]. Later on that day a [[Mothra|giant egg]] is discovered on the [[shore]]. The local villagers salvage it, and scientists come to study the egg.
The phrase can be used to imply someone is only pretending to be bisexual because it’s fashionable at the moment.<ref>[http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/BIB/bicent.htm San Francisco's Bisexual Center and the Emergence of a Bisexual Movement] by Jay P. Paul</ref> Alternatively, it can be used to assert that someone is free of taboos, experimental, in touch with both masculine and feminine aspects of themselves, and therefore potentially a better lover or even a better person.<ref>''Sex in Public: Australian Sexual Cultures'' by Jill Julius. Matthews; 1997, pg 75</ref>


While Sakai and Junko try to ask Professor Miura questions about the egg, an [[entrepreneur]] of Happy Enterprises named Kumayama scurries the scientists off and explains that he bought the egg from the local villagers. Instead of letting scientists study the egg, Kumayama wants to make it into a large [[tourist attraction]]. Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura are disgusted and believe that Kumayama has no right to keep the egg.
== Emergence of bisexual chic ==
Though the terminology is attributed to the 1970s, a former bisexual chic came about as early as the 1920s. In ''Vice Versa: Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life'', [[Marjorie Garber]] argues "the twenties has been linked to the popularization of [[Sigmund Freud|Freud]] (or "[[Freudianism]]"), the advent of World War I, and a general predilection for the daring and unconventional: [[bobbed hair]], short skirts, the rejection of [[Prohibition]] and [[Victorian morality|Victorian]] strictures." Examples of this include [[drag balls]], and the success of artists such as [[Ernest Hemingway]], [[D. H. Lawrence]], [[Virginia Woolf]], and [[Marlene Dietrich]]. <ref>{{cite book |author=Garber, Marjorie B. |authorlink=Marjorie Garber |title=Vice versa: bisexuality and the eroticism of everyday life |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |year=1995 |isbn=0-684-80308-9}}</ref>


While the three are discussing the egg at a hotel, they discover Kumayama checking in. Sakai wonders aloud if somebody else may be working with Kumayama and investigates the matter. Kumayama walks into Mr. Torahata's room, the head of Happy Enterprises. As the two are discussing the billion-dollar tourist attraction, two tiny twin girls, known as the Shojobin, interrupt them. The Shojobin explain that they are from "Infant Island" and that the egg belongs to their god [[Mothra]] who lives there. Torahata and Kumayama ignore the girls' pleas and try to capture them.
In 1972, the highly popular musical film ''[[Cabaret (film)|Cabaret]]'' featured a love triangle with a man and woman fighting for the same (male) lover. The author who inspired it, [[Christopher Isherwood]], was among the first openly [[homosexual]] celebrities.<ref>[http://www.glbtq.com/literature/isherwood_c.html Christopher Isherwood on GLBTQ.com]</ref> Later in the decade, the androgyny of [[glam rock]] and softening of male fashion in the [[disco]] movement allowed new recognition for bisexuality as a perceived form of sexual liberation.


The Shojobin escape the room and meet with Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura outside the hotel. The girls beg them to bring the egg back too and the three promise to try as hard as they can to bring the egg back to Infant Island. The girls explain that if the egg is not returned, a larva will hatch and will cause great destruction to its surroundings as it searches for food. Sakai tries to write editorials but "...public opinion is powerless against the law."
== Fading of bisexual chic in the 1980s ==
Bisexual chic fell out of popularity with the increasingly [[American conservatism|conservative]] culture that dominated the 1980s. As evidence of the [[AIDS]] epidemic surfaced in the media about [[homosexual]] men contracting a "strange new illness," promiscuous bisexuals were seen as likely carriers, and the fad waned.<ref>{{cite book |author=Garber, Marjorie B. |authorlink=Marjorie Garber |title=Vice versa: bisexuality and the eroticism of everyday life |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |year=1995 |isbn=0-684-80308-9}}</ref> As a result, many people who had declared themselves bisexual in the 1970s now retracted their comments. Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, [[David Bowie]] renounced their bisexuality in the 1980s.<ref>
{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=David|year=2000|origyear= |title=Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story |location=London |publisher=Virgin |page=401|isbn=075350457X}}</ref>


The girls soon leave and even though they could not get the egg back, they thanked Sakai, Junko, and Miura for their kindness. While the three are testing for radioactivity in an industrial area, [[Godzilla]] suddenly pops out of Kurada Beach, where he had been blown ashore by the storm and buried under mud, and begins to attack Nagoya.
== Reemergence of bisexual chic ==
In the early 1990s, another wave of '''bisexual chic''' began {{Fact|date=March 2008}}, again beginning in the celebrity world. This time, however, women were at the forefront of the trend. In [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]]'s infamous [[music video]] for "[[Justify My Love]]," she passionately kisses former [[Roxy Music]] model Amanda Cazalet (who is dressed as a man) and her male lover. Madonna also later released her provocative book ''[[Sex (book)|Sex]],'' as well as revealing her controversial "[[Erotica (song)|Erotica]]" music video that also featured same-sex contact. Openly bisexual comedian and rumored lover of Madonna, [[Sandra Bernhard]], was featured as a bisexual on the popular television sitcom ''[[Roseanne (TV series)|Roseanne]]'' amidst the trend. To illustrate the trend, Roseanne later found herself kissed by another woman and was "consoled" by Bernhard's character, bringing bisexuality to Middle America.


The editor of Sakai's newspaper believes that the military cannot do anything against Godzilla and discusses it with Sakai and Junko. Jiro, another reporter who loves to eat eggs, walks in and suggests that Mothra might be able to defeat Godzilla. Sakai and Junko are skeptical that the island would agree because atomic testing had destroyed most of their island, and they had failed to return the egg to them.
The willingness of [[heterosexual]] actors to engage in homosexual behavior for roles in film also fueled bisexual chic. The cult-classic ''[[My Own Private Idaho]]'' (which is often cited as providing [[River Phoenix]]'s most potent film role) was released in [[1991 in film|1991]] and saw Phoenix and [[Keanu Reeves]] as gay [[Male prostitute|hustlers]]. The controversial 1992 hit ''[[Basic Instinct]]'' featured a glamorous bisexual murderer played by [[Sharon Stone]].
The fashion industry was the next promoter of bisexual chic, when [[Calvin Klein]] and others began to generate homoerotic, lesbian chic, and otherwise sexually ambiguous images as advertisements for their consumers.


The two go to Infant Island anyway with Professor Miura. They are captured by the local villagers and are brought to the tribe’s chief. The three ask for assistance but, as expected, are turned down because of the atomic testing that destroyed their island, and Japan's failure to return the egg.
Popular culture saw a leaning towards the acceptance of [[gay rights]], fueled by celebrities, take effect during the 1990s. [[Ellen DeGeneres]], [[Melissa Etheridge]], [[k.d. lang]], [[Elton John]], [[Rupert Everett]] and others who identified as homosexuals, became enormously popular entertainers. Perhaps taking them as an example, bisexuals or [[bi-curious]] people began to be unafraid to announce their orientation. There was a sharp rise in [[coming out]], both among homosexuals and bisexuals {{Fact|date=March 2008}}. Soon, gays, lesbians and bisexuals were almost ubiquitous in the media, and Hollywood officially had taken the closet door off.
Even a star with a huge mainstream following, [[Janet Jackson]], recorded a [[cover version]] of [[Rod Stewart]]'s "[[Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)]]" in which she sings to a woman with whom she is about to engage in a ''[[ménage à trois]]'', saying, ''"This is just between me... and you... and you...."''
===Question of male bisexual chic===
In music, [[Michael Stipe]] of the wildly popular band [[R.E.M. (band)|R.E.M.]] alluded to his bisexual inclinations for the first time during this period. As well, [[Kurt Cobain]] of [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] said that he could possibly be bisexual in ''[[The Advocate]]'' during his brief but revolutionary career in the early nineties, as did his wife, [[Courtney Love]] of [[Hole (band)|Hole]]. Popular front man [[Billie Joe Armstrong]] for the California-based band [[Green Day]] made a profound statement about bisexuality when he came out in ''The Advocate'' on January 24, 1995.


The Shojobin are heard singing and everyone walks towards them. Sakai, Junko, and Miura ask the Shojobin for Mothra's assistance but they are also turned down. Junko then pleads to all the villagers that not everyone from Japan should be blamed for what happened to their island. Godzilla is killing everyone and refusing their country assistance Sakai then adds that "we're all human" and that everyone is connected and must help each other. Mothra's screech is soon heard and the Shojobin ask everyone to follow them. They convince Mothra to help Japan but the monster is weak. Even if the fight between Godzilla and the monster is over, the monster will have no power to return to the island.
== Bisexual chic in the 2000s ==


The next day, Kumayama barges into Torahata's room and demands Torahata to give him his money back that Torahata had recently swindled from Kumayama. The two get into a fistfight and Kumayama knocks Torahata down. Kumayama crawls into Torahata's money cabinet and begins to steal the money from it. Torahata wakes up and sees Godzilla approaching the hotel. He then grabs a gun and kills Kumayama. Torahata tries to escape with his money but Godzilla destroys the hotel, killing Torahata in the process.
In the 21st century, films alluding to bisexuality (or manifestations thereof) such as ''[[Kissing Jessica Stein]]'', ''[[Y tu mamá también]]'', ''[[Mulholland Drive (film)|Mulholland Drive]]'', ''[[Alexander (film)|Alexander]]'', ''[[Kinsey (film)|Kinsey]]'', and ''[[Brokeback Mountain]]'' are being distributed and received well. In 2005, [[Alex Kelly (The O.C.)|Alex Kelly]] featured on ''[[The O.C.]]'', was a high-visibility bisexual character on U.S. [[network television]], forming relationships with two of the show's main characters.


Godzilla walks towards the egg and tries to destroy it until Mothra shows up. The two fight a tough battle where Mothra seems to have the upper hand. While on the ground, Godzilla fires his atomic breath into Mothra's face and kills her. Mothra dies with her wing resting on top of her egg. Godzilla walks away. The Shojobin then explain to Sakai, Junko, and Miura that the egg can be hatched today. The tiny twins soon begin to sing.
In 2003, [[Britney Spears]] staged a kiss with [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] (who also kissed [[Christina Aguilera]] in the same performance) on an [[Madonna at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards|MTV Video Music Awards]] performance that would continue to fuel bisexual chic, and at the time many news and tabloid outsources referred to it as "lesbian chic", [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1477729/20030828/spears_britney.jhtml?headlines=true] [http://extratv.warnerbros.com/dailynews/extra/09_03/09_02c.html] since it was clear from her impending marriage to [[Kevin Federline]] that Spears was certainly not a [[monosexual]] lesbian. The kiss is seen as a publicity stunt but helped to fuel the ever-growing trend. In November 2006, [[Paris Hilton]] appeared in public with her hand on Spears' left breast.<ref>[http://www.playfuls.com/news_00001729_Britney_Spears_Groped_By_Paris_Hilton.html Playfuls.com - Play your life!<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref>


Meanwhile, the military tries to fight Godzilla by electrocuting him with "artificial lighting" but fail. The Shojobin continue singing and the monster egg finally hatches with not one, but two [[Mothra|Mothra larvae]]. The Mothra larvae follow Godzilla to Iwa Island and use their cocoon spray on Godzilla to wrap the mutant dinosaur up in a cocoon. Godzilla struggles as he becomes fully wrapped up and plunges into the ocean. The Mothra larvae celebrate and return to their island.
In 2006, actress and model [[Carmen Electra]] (who appeared in [[glam rock]]er [[Joan Jett]]'s music video, ''A.C.D.C.''), revealed that she had a childhood [[crush]] on Jett.<ref>[http://www.dotnewsmagazine.com/arts1.htm dotnewsmagazine.com<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref>


== Titles ==
In 2006, British sci-fi series ''[[Torchwood]]'' aired, which features amongst its cast at least three bisexual characters, with all of them described as bisexual by newspapers like ''[[The Sun]]''.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2001320029-2006430699,00.html
|title=Dr Ooh gets four gay pals
|accessdate=2006-10-06
|author=Sarah Nathan
|authorlink=
|coauthors=
|year=2006
|month=September
|publisher=The Sun
|quote=GAY Doctor Who star John Barrowman gets four BISEXUAL assistants in raunchy BBC3 spin-off Torchwood.
}}</ref> This has in turn led to more discussion of the nature of bisexuality across interview programs in Britain, notably ''[[Friday Night with Jonathan Ross]]'' and others.


*Godzilla Against Mothra (International)
The 2008 song "[[I Kissed a Girl]]" by [[Katy Perry]] received Billboard Top 40 success, having overtly bicurious tones. Also in 2008, popular actress [[Lindsay Lohan]] confirmed rumors that she was dating DJ [[Samantha Ronson]] after years of seeing men.
*Godzilla vs. the Thing (US Theatrical)
*Mothra Versus Godzilla (Translation of the Japanese Title)
*Godzilla vs. Mothra (US-Video and TV)
* Godzilla vs. the Giant Moth (UK Theatrical)
* Godzilla vs. the Moth Monster (Original UK Television Title)


==Distribution==<!-- This section is linked from [[Godzilla]] -->
According to surveys by the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|CDC]], a larger number of female college and high school students are experimenting with other women than ever before and, in a surprising twist, actually report being encouraged to do so by pop culture for the first time. Whether or not this change in popular culture is longstanding or, indeed, a simple trend remains to be seen[http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9358339].
American International Pictures originally released the film in the [[United States]] in September 1964, and it opened in [[New York City]] on [[November 25]], 1964. Retitled '''''Godzilla vs. the Thing''''', Mothra's appearance was kept out of promotional material, which hinted that Godzilla's opponent would be a hideous tentacled creature and referred to it only as "The Thing". ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' film critic Eugene Archer reacted to the film and its title: "Well, there are three things, not counting the movie. One has wings and looks like a big bee. The other two are hatched from the first Thing's egg, after quite a bit of worshipful kootch dancing from a pair of foot-tall native goddesses...".


In video releases of the 1980s, the film was titled simply '''''Godzilla vs. Mothra'''''. However, Mothra is still repeatedly called "The Thing" in the film, confusing many film-goers who thought "The Thing" and "Mothra" were two separate monsters.
==Criticisms of term==
Members of the [[bisexual community]]{{Who|date=September 2008}}, although usually in favor of bisexual visibility, see “bisexual chic” as an informal form of bisexual visibility that, while potentially helpful, glosses over issues of [[sexual health]] and [[orientation]], as well as [[self-determination]] and [[identity politics]].{{Fact|date=September 2008}}


This is the only Showa Godzilla film to be nearly completely intact for American release (a very few small unimportant scenes were editied out)
== See also ==
* [[myspace bisexual]]
* [[bisexual erasure]]
* [[Monosexism]]
* [[Sexual identity]]
* [[Sexual orientation]]
* [[Sexual preference]]


==References==
==Trivia==
{{Trivia|date=September 2007}}
<references />


* The upper lip on the Godzilla suit in this film has a slight wobble. This was originally an accident; in the filming of a scene where Godzilla smashes into the [[Nagoya Castle]], the actor in the suit ([[Haruo Nakajima]]) fell, and the suit's head slammed into the castle, loosening the teeth. Special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya liked this so much that he wanted to keep the suit like that for a while.
== Related reading ==


* The claw of Godzilla was made by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre-reinforced_plastic FRP] for the first time by this movie.
* Beemyn, Brett and Erich Steinman. ''Bisexual Men in Culture and Society'' (Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press, 2001).
* "The New Bisexuals." ''Time'', May 13, 1974.
* Reichert, Tom, Kevin R. Maly & Susan C. Zavoina. “Designed for (Male) Pleasure: The Myth of Lesbian Chic in Mainstream Advertising." Meta Carstarphen and Susan C. Zavoina (eds.), ''Sexual Rhetoric: Media Perspectives on Sexuality, Gender, and Identity'' (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999).
* Risman, Barbara and Pepper Schwartz. "After the Sexual Revolution: Gender Politics in Teen Dating," ''Contexts'' (Berkeley: U California Press, 2002).


* Another highlight of the film is the "Frontier Missile" sequence, where Godzilla was being attacked on a beach by [[United States|American]] battle cruisers. This scene was featured in American International Pictures' United States version, ''Godzilla vs. the Thing''. But this was actually a deleted scene in Japan (and not made exclusively for AIP, contrary to legend), and included only in prints outside Japan for international marketing. It was seen briefly in the original Japanese trailer. The reason for its deletion was that Japanese viewers, who were still sensitive after [[World War II]], were supposedly offended by seeing American missiles hit Japanese ground.
{{LGBT|history=yes|culture=yes|rights=yes}}


* This film marks the first appearance of [[Mothra]] in a Godzilla film. Mothra would go on to be Godzilla' most frequent kaiju co-star, appearing in [[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]], [[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]], [[Destroy All Monsters]], [[Godzilla vs. Mothra]], [[Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla]], [[GMK]], [[Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla]], [[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]], and [[Godzilla: Final Wars]].
[[Category:Sexual orientation and society]]
[[Category:Bisexuality]]


*Although not mentioned as such, this movie along with [[Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster]] are made as Godzilla's 10th anniversary.
[[cy:Chic deurywiol]]

*During Godzilla's initial assault on Iwa Island, composer Akira Ifukube originally wanted there to be no music. However, Ishiro Honda disagreed and added music during post-production and when Ifukube saw this at the film's premiere, he turned to face Honda behind him and gave him a dirty look. It's the only noted disagreement they've ever had in their professional careers.

==Box Office==

The film sold approximately 3,510,000 tickets in Japan.

===DVD Releases===

'''''Simitar Entertainment'''''

* '''Released''': May 6, 1998

* '''Aspect Ratios''': [[Widescreen]] (2.35:1) letterboxed; Full frame (1.33:1)

* '''Sound''': [[English language|English]] (1.0), English (5.1)

* '''Supplements''': Godzilla trailers; Godzilla art gallery; Trivia game; Film facts; [[DVD]]-ROM ([[screen savers]], printable art gallery, web access)

* All Regions

* '''Note''': Contains the U.S. release

'''''Sony Wonder (Classic Media)'''''

* '''Released''': September 17, 2002

* '''Aspect Ratio''': Full frame (1.33:1)

* '''Supplements''': ''Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters melee'' video game trailer

* Region 1

* '''Note''': Contains the U.S. release

'''''Sony Wonder (Classic Media)'''''

* '''Released''': November 7, 2006

* '''Aspect Ratio''': U.S. version - Widescreen (1.78:1; cropped from 2.35:1); Japanese version - Widescreen (2.35:1)

* '''Supplements''': Audio commentary by [[Steve Ryfle]] and [[Ed Godziszewski]], original Japanese theatrical trailer, poster slide-show, [[Akira Ifukube]] biography featurette

* Region 1

* '''Note''': Contains the U.S. and original Japanese versions.

==External links==
* {{imdb title|id=0058379|title= Mothra vs. Godzilla}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=godzilla_vs_mothra|title=Mothra vs. Godzilla}}
*[http://www.stomptokyo.com/movies/godzilla-vs-mothra-64.html Stomp Tokyo Review]
* {{cite web |url=http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1964/cn001100.htm|title=モスラ対ゴジラ (Mosura tai Gojira)|accessdate=2007-07-17|language=Japanese|publisher=[[Japanese Movie Database]]}}

{{Godzilla}}

[[Category:1964 films]]
[[Category:Japanese films]]
[[Category:Japanese-language films]]
[[Category:American International Pictures films]]
[[Category:Godzilla films]]
[[Category:Sequel films]]
[[Category:Mothra]]

[[de:Godzilla und die Urweltraupen]]
[[fr:Mothra contre Godzilla]]
[[it:Watang! Nel favoloso impero dei mostri]]
[[nl:Mothra vs. Godzilla]]
[[ja:モスラ対ゴジラ]]
[[no:Mothra vs. Godzilla]]
[[sv:Mothra vs. Godzilla]]

Revision as of 20:51, 10 October 2008

This article is about the 1964 film. For the 1992 film, see Godzilla vs. Mothra.
Mothra vs. Godzilla
Directed byIshirô Honda
Written byShinichi Sekizawa
Produced byTomoyuki Tanaka, Sanezumi Fujimoto
StarringHaruo Nakajima
Katsumi Tezuka
Akira Takarada
Yuriko Hoshi
Hiroshi Koizumi
Yu Fujiki
Emi Itō
Yumi Itō
Yoshifumi Tajima
Kenji Sahara
Jun Tazaki
CinematographyHajime Koizumi
Music byAkira Ifukube
Distributed byToho
AIP (USA)
Release dates
April 29, 1964
September 17, 1964 (USA)
Running time
88 min. 36 sec. (JAPAN)
LanguageJapanese

Mothra vs. Godzilla (モスラ対ゴジラ, Mosura tai Gojira) (also known as Mothra Against Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Mothra, Godzilla vs. the Thing, etc.) is a tokusatsu kaiju film, fourth in the Godzilla series, produced by Toho Company Ltd. in 1964. The film was the product of the celebrated creative team of Shinichi Sekizawa (screenplay), Ishirô Honda (human drama), and Eiji Tsuburaya (special effects).

Plot

A news reporter named Sakai and his photographer Junko take pictures of the wreckage caused by a typhoon. Later on that day a giant egg is discovered on the shore. The local villagers salvage it, and scientists come to study the egg.

While Sakai and Junko try to ask Professor Miura questions about the egg, an entrepreneur of Happy Enterprises named Kumayama scurries the scientists off and explains that he bought the egg from the local villagers. Instead of letting scientists study the egg, Kumayama wants to make it into a large tourist attraction. Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura are disgusted and believe that Kumayama has no right to keep the egg.

While the three are discussing the egg at a hotel, they discover Kumayama checking in. Sakai wonders aloud if somebody else may be working with Kumayama and investigates the matter. Kumayama walks into Mr. Torahata's room, the head of Happy Enterprises. As the two are discussing the billion-dollar tourist attraction, two tiny twin girls, known as the Shojobin, interrupt them. The Shojobin explain that they are from "Infant Island" and that the egg belongs to their god Mothra who lives there. Torahata and Kumayama ignore the girls' pleas and try to capture them.

The Shojobin escape the room and meet with Sakai, Junko, and Professor Miura outside the hotel. The girls beg them to bring the egg back too and the three promise to try as hard as they can to bring the egg back to Infant Island. The girls explain that if the egg is not returned, a larva will hatch and will cause great destruction to its surroundings as it searches for food. Sakai tries to write editorials but "...public opinion is powerless against the law."

The girls soon leave and even though they could not get the egg back, they thanked Sakai, Junko, and Miura for their kindness. While the three are testing for radioactivity in an industrial area, Godzilla suddenly pops out of Kurada Beach, where he had been blown ashore by the storm and buried under mud, and begins to attack Nagoya.

The editor of Sakai's newspaper believes that the military cannot do anything against Godzilla and discusses it with Sakai and Junko. Jiro, another reporter who loves to eat eggs, walks in and suggests that Mothra might be able to defeat Godzilla. Sakai and Junko are skeptical that the island would agree because atomic testing had destroyed most of their island, and they had failed to return the egg to them.

The two go to Infant Island anyway with Professor Miura. They are captured by the local villagers and are brought to the tribe’s chief. The three ask for assistance but, as expected, are turned down because of the atomic testing that destroyed their island, and Japan's failure to return the egg.

The Shojobin are heard singing and everyone walks towards them. Sakai, Junko, and Miura ask the Shojobin for Mothra's assistance but they are also turned down. Junko then pleads to all the villagers that not everyone from Japan should be blamed for what happened to their island. Godzilla is killing everyone and refusing their country assistance Sakai then adds that "we're all human" and that everyone is connected and must help each other. Mothra's screech is soon heard and the Shojobin ask everyone to follow them. They convince Mothra to help Japan but the monster is weak. Even if the fight between Godzilla and the monster is over, the monster will have no power to return to the island.

The next day, Kumayama barges into Torahata's room and demands Torahata to give him his money back that Torahata had recently swindled from Kumayama. The two get into a fistfight and Kumayama knocks Torahata down. Kumayama crawls into Torahata's money cabinet and begins to steal the money from it. Torahata wakes up and sees Godzilla approaching the hotel. He then grabs a gun and kills Kumayama. Torahata tries to escape with his money but Godzilla destroys the hotel, killing Torahata in the process.

Godzilla walks towards the egg and tries to destroy it until Mothra shows up. The two fight a tough battle where Mothra seems to have the upper hand. While on the ground, Godzilla fires his atomic breath into Mothra's face and kills her. Mothra dies with her wing resting on top of her egg. Godzilla walks away. The Shojobin then explain to Sakai, Junko, and Miura that the egg can be hatched today. The tiny twins soon begin to sing.

Meanwhile, the military tries to fight Godzilla by electrocuting him with "artificial lighting" but fail. The Shojobin continue singing and the monster egg finally hatches with not one, but two Mothra larvae. The Mothra larvae follow Godzilla to Iwa Island and use their cocoon spray on Godzilla to wrap the mutant dinosaur up in a cocoon. Godzilla struggles as he becomes fully wrapped up and plunges into the ocean. The Mothra larvae celebrate and return to their island.

Titles

  • Godzilla Against Mothra (International)
  • Godzilla vs. the Thing (US Theatrical)
  • Mothra Versus Godzilla (Translation of the Japanese Title)
  • Godzilla vs. Mothra (US-Video and TV)
  • Godzilla vs. the Giant Moth (UK Theatrical)
  • Godzilla vs. the Moth Monster (Original UK Television Title)

Distribution

American International Pictures originally released the film in the United States in September 1964, and it opened in New York City on November 25, 1964. Retitled Godzilla vs. the Thing, Mothra's appearance was kept out of promotional material, which hinted that Godzilla's opponent would be a hideous tentacled creature and referred to it only as "The Thing". New York Times film critic Eugene Archer reacted to the film and its title: "Well, there are three things, not counting the movie. One has wings and looks like a big bee. The other two are hatched from the first Thing's egg, after quite a bit of worshipful kootch dancing from a pair of foot-tall native goddesses...".

In video releases of the 1980s, the film was titled simply Godzilla vs. Mothra. However, Mothra is still repeatedly called "The Thing" in the film, confusing many film-goers who thought "The Thing" and "Mothra" were two separate monsters.

This is the only Showa Godzilla film to be nearly completely intact for American release (a very few small unimportant scenes were editied out)

Trivia

  • The upper lip on the Godzilla suit in this film has a slight wobble. This was originally an accident; in the filming of a scene where Godzilla smashes into the Nagoya Castle, the actor in the suit (Haruo Nakajima) fell, and the suit's head slammed into the castle, loosening the teeth. Special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya liked this so much that he wanted to keep the suit like that for a while.
  • The claw of Godzilla was made by FRP for the first time by this movie.
  • Another highlight of the film is the "Frontier Missile" sequence, where Godzilla was being attacked on a beach by American battle cruisers. This scene was featured in American International Pictures' United States version, Godzilla vs. the Thing. But this was actually a deleted scene in Japan (and not made exclusively for AIP, contrary to legend), and included only in prints outside Japan for international marketing. It was seen briefly in the original Japanese trailer. The reason for its deletion was that Japanese viewers, who were still sensitive after World War II, were supposedly offended by seeing American missiles hit Japanese ground.
  • During Godzilla's initial assault on Iwa Island, composer Akira Ifukube originally wanted there to be no music. However, Ishiro Honda disagreed and added music during post-production and when Ifukube saw this at the film's premiere, he turned to face Honda behind him and gave him a dirty look. It's the only noted disagreement they've ever had in their professional careers.

Box Office

The film sold approximately 3,510,000 tickets in Japan.

DVD Releases

Simitar Entertainment

  • Released: May 6, 1998
  • Aspect Ratios: Widescreen (2.35:1) letterboxed; Full frame (1.33:1)
  • Sound: English (1.0), English (5.1)
  • Supplements: Godzilla trailers; Godzilla art gallery; Trivia game; Film facts; DVD-ROM (screen savers, printable art gallery, web access)
  • All Regions
  • Note: Contains the U.S. release

Sony Wonder (Classic Media)

  • Released: September 17, 2002
  • Aspect Ratio: Full frame (1.33:1)
  • Supplements: Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters melee video game trailer
  • Region 1
  • Note: Contains the U.S. release

Sony Wonder (Classic Media)

  • Released: November 7, 2006
  • Aspect Ratio: U.S. version - Widescreen (1.78:1; cropped from 2.35:1); Japanese version - Widescreen (2.35:1)
  • Region 1
  • Note: Contains the U.S. and original Japanese versions.

External links

  • Mothra vs. Godzilla at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • Mothra vs. Godzilla at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Stomp Tokyo Review
  • "モスラ対ゴジラ (Mosura tai Gojira)" (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
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