1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind production of My 2 00:00:05,519 --> 00:00:15,239 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey, welcome to Weird House Cinema. This is 3 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,639 Speaker 1: Rob Lamb and I'm Joe McCormick, and it's Godzilla time 4 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: on the podcast. But maybe a Godzilla you're a little 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: bit less familiar with one that was new to me 6 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:26,640 Speaker 1: as of this week. Today we are doing the Godzilla 7 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: picture that was too hot for Toho, the Godzilla film 8 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: that is too radical, it's too dangerous, it must be stopped. 9 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 1: It's Godzilla versus headera. Yes, Godzilla versus Headera. One I 10 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 1: had never seen before. And I think you know, I've 11 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: seen a fair number of Godzilla films over time, and 12 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: I think I tend to have I tend to have 13 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: watched the ones that were either on TBS back in 14 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:52,480 Speaker 1: the day they would show them in like the Afternoon 15 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: when I was a kid, or ones that were featured 16 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: on Mystery Science Theater three thousand later on. But there, there, 17 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: of course have been at tons of Godzilla films over 18 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: the years, and this is one that simply fell through 19 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: the cracks for me. I did not I did not 20 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: know it existed until this week when you said, Hey, 21 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: why don't we do a Kaiju movie. Why don't we 22 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: do either this one or that one? And I looked 23 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: and I saw, well, it looks like Godzilla versus Hetera 24 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:17,839 Speaker 1: is available on HBO Max as part of the Turner 25 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: Classic Films selection. There. Well, let's do that one. It's 26 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: the easiest one for me to to see. And I'm 27 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: so glad I did the other option we were looking at. 28 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:28,000 Speaker 1: It's funny because the two movies have a kind of 29 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: similar premise. The other one we were looking at was 30 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: The Space Amiba, which does not have Godzilla in it. 31 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: It's a kaiju movie about an alien microbe that lands 32 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: on an island in the South Pacific and there it 33 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 1: transforms uh some examples of local wildlife into giant monsters. 34 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: I think it makes a big squid and a big 35 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: crab and one other thing I don't recall. Um. But 36 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: in this movie we also have an alien microbe I think, 37 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: coming from a gaseous nebula or a speculated by one 38 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: character later on, from a planet covered in sludge sludge 39 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: like planet, dark sludgy planet, dark sludgy planet that has 40 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: come to Earth. And whereas many aliens would say take 41 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: me to your leader, this one says take me to 42 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: your smoke stacks. I need to get high. Take me 43 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:14,119 Speaker 1: to your pollution. Yes, And then the one character even says, 44 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: wasn't this good? It can eat up all our pollution, 45 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: Like no, it's just too destructive, that's right. Yeah, So 46 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: this is a pollution monster that huffs airborne particulates straight 47 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,239 Speaker 1: out of smoke stacks. He is a brimstone beast from 48 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 1: space that exudes sulfurous gas and acid and poison and 49 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: uh and and his bad news all around. Yeah. So 50 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: one thing about this film is this, first of all, 51 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: this film is very much a Kaiju versus film. So 52 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: he is going to largely hit the same plot points 53 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:50,519 Speaker 1: you're familiar with. Some new creature presents a threat to 54 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: humanity and established veteran in this case, Godzilla shows up 55 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: to battle it. Human characters watch on his battle proceeds. Um, 56 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: you know that you're you're guy. Monster is gonna be 57 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: on the ropes for a little bit, but it's gonna 58 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 1: have a big comeback and eventually win the day. So 59 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 1: God Deliversus Hetera is going to give you all of 60 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: those points. But there's so much additional weirdness here. There's 61 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 1: so much visual flare in this film, I feel like 62 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: it really stands apart from pretty much all the other 63 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: Kaiju films that I've seen. I'm actually I seriously entertained 64 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: putting it above Shin Godzilla is my favorite Godzilla movie. 65 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:28,920 Speaker 1: I was thinking about the same thing. This is a 66 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: new favorite for me, definitely my top three now um 67 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: and much like you, I also have Shinn Godzilla near 68 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: the top of the heap. But mainly it's the reason 69 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: I was so enthralled by this movie was its novelty. 70 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: Having seen many Kaiju movies, it has a lot of 71 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: the familiar elements, and in fact, I would say the 72 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 1: familiar elements are actually the weakest part of this movie 73 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: as far as the big monster meet Slam goes. I mean, 74 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: there is a you know, extended thirty minute beat down 75 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: at the end of the movie that is Okay, it's 76 00:03:58,000 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: not one of the best, but it's also not one 77 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: of the worst. But it is the other elements of 78 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: this movie that really make it an absolute standout, without 79 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: a doubt, the most bizarre Godzilla movie I've ever seen. 80 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: Uh in that this movie believes it is art, yes, absolutely, no, no, yeah, 81 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 1: no question about this. It thinks it's art and it's 82 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 1: making a statement and maybe it's going to change the world. Yeah, 83 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 1: it's it's probably the best example of an avant garde 84 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: Godzilla film, and that's one of the reasons that why 85 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: it's so watchable. It's also one of the reasons that 86 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:34,039 Speaker 1: uh that that it's director was criticized back in the day, 87 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:37,600 Speaker 1: and indeed never directed another Godzilla film. You'll see his 88 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: directorial credit I and IMDb for some other Godzilla films 89 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,279 Speaker 1: with us because they utilized a footage from previous films 90 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:48,039 Speaker 1: in those those pictures. That's right. So the director was 91 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 1: Yoshimitsu Bano and uh and you will frequently see references 92 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: to this as the movie that ended his Godzilla career. 93 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: You know, he could have gone on to do all 94 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:00,600 Speaker 1: kinds of Godzilla stuff, but like I said to the beginning, 95 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: this was just too hot for Toho. It was too weird, 96 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:06,359 Speaker 1: it was too radical, it was rock in the boat. 97 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: You can't make movies like this, man, Yeah, exactly. There 98 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: are a lot of stories about how producer Tomoyuki Tanaka 99 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 1: responded to this. There's at least one story in which 100 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 1: he said, you've ruined Godzilla. Uh, And there was a 101 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 1: lot of anger, and I was there's a lot of 102 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: There's a great blog post about this from Patrick Galvin 103 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,720 Speaker 1: at Toho Kingdom dot com. You can look it up. 104 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: He has a Yoshimitsu Bano in Memorium post that goes 105 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 1: through a lot of this and talks about his his achievements, 106 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:39,719 Speaker 1: his uh you know what he gave the Godzilla UM franchise, 107 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 1: but then also how it was received at the time. 108 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 1: UH So, yeah, this is this is a movie that 109 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:47,040 Speaker 1: was maybe ahead of its time, and I think stands 110 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 1: the test of time because it is doing things differently. 111 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: So what is it doing differently? I could list a 112 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: number of things. One thing I will say is the 113 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: esthetic differences. It's much more free form than any other 114 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: Godzilla movie I've ever seen in that it uh it 115 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: inserts things that are outside the normal stream of plot development. 116 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: So it has musical numbers. It has animated segments there. 117 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: They're short, but there's several of them throughout the movie, 118 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: and there they were some of my favorite parts because 119 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: they're beautiful animation. It's almost like a Godzilla movie with 120 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: elements of like the Yellow Submarine movie and uh and 121 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:27,000 Speaker 1: other sort of late sixties psychedelic films that involved a 122 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: lot of uh, exciting visuals with abstract colors and dancing 123 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: in a club. Yeah. And also yeah, there's also a 124 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:38,599 Speaker 1: huge cultural element to this as well. There's a there's 125 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:41,040 Speaker 1: a sense of the youth movement and the youth culture 126 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:45,000 Speaker 1: and and and and and their rise and their importance 127 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:47,360 Speaker 1: and and their part in the fight. Generally, in a 128 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,040 Speaker 1: kaiju movie, who do you see fighting the kaiju? Who's 129 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: raising arms against the kaiju? It is the military, right, 130 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: the authorities? Yeah? Yeah, and in this we see the 131 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 1: authorities playing a part but also failing in ways, and 132 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,720 Speaker 1: it's the youth who are who are leading the charge 133 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: at one point. Yes, in this movie. Ultimately, I think 134 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:09,480 Speaker 1: the authorities are portrayed as almost entirely incompetent, that like, 135 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 1: they are not the ones preserving order. Ultimately, it's Godzilla 136 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: who's the one who is preserving order and Godzilla. Um. 137 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: I was trying to think about what Godzilla represents in 138 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: this movie, because I think you can make a case 139 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: that a lot of the Godzilla films have a um 140 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:28,840 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, it's it's hard to say they 141 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 1: have a very clear message, but to the extent that 142 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 1: there is a message in them, it's a kind of 143 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:37,920 Speaker 1: vague environmental one. It's, you know that we have done 144 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 1: things to the earth, and in doing things to the earth, 145 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 1: through maybe weapons testing or industry, we have upset the 146 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: natural order and we have unleashed forces that are beyond 147 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: our control. But like I said, uh, I think that 148 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: that critique is in most Godzilla movies very buried under 149 00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: the surface, very vague. In this movie it's the opposite. 150 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 1: It it's not only overt, it's extremely over there, screaming 151 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: in your face with an environmental message. Yeah. Yeah, they 152 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 1: definitely lean into the idea that Godzilla is is not 153 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: only it's not just a big monster for kids, so 154 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:17,320 Speaker 1: they acknowledge that, but he is also something of an 155 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 1: embodiment of the nation's or a cultures will you know, 156 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: Like like Godzilla represents, uh in a sense, humanity struggle 157 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:31,560 Speaker 1: against pollution, against destructive elements of of the world, and 158 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:34,679 Speaker 1: the question of can Godzilla defeat this enemy is ultimately 159 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 1: a question of whether we can, whether we have the 160 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 1: public will to confront it. That's another transition I would say. Originally, 161 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: Godzilla is sort of the manifestation of of us having 162 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 1: unleashed forces beyond our control by our upsetting of the 163 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: natural order. In this movie, he is the thing that 164 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: fights back against the monster created by industrial pollution. Yeah, 165 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 1: not a question. I don't know if you know the 166 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 1: answer to this. One of the fun things we see 167 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 1: with the Godzilla arc is that in the very first 168 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 1: Toho Godzilla movie, Godzilla is the antagonist of the film, like, 169 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:12,280 Speaker 1: you know, this is a dangerous, scary, dark monster that 170 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: that that brings great destruction. But by the later films, 171 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: Godzilla is often sort of the hero of the film, 172 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:22,080 Speaker 1: is portrayed as a force who is inherently dangerous, but 173 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:25,080 Speaker 1: which ultimately fights against a force that is even more 174 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: threatening or even more malevolent. And that's the case in 175 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 1: this movie. So I wonder, like, how exactly does that 176 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: arc develop? And is that the case for other movies, 177 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: Like I've watched some of the Gammera movies where you know, 178 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: Gammera is doing the same thing Godzilla is doing in 179 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 1: the In the later movies, Gammera is good and he's 180 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:45,400 Speaker 1: fighting against the bad monsters. Was that always the case 181 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:48,840 Speaker 1: with Gammera or did Gamera start as bad like Godzilla did? 182 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:53,079 Speaker 1: If memory serves Gammera follow the exact same track Gammera 183 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:54,680 Speaker 1: in the first film as a threat that has to 184 00:09:54,679 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 1: be overcome and launched into space. I think ultimately and 185 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 1: this would be This would be for a more in 186 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 1: depth discussion later, perhaps drawing on the work of people 187 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:05,719 Speaker 1: who have maybe thought longer and harder about this than 188 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:07,880 Speaker 1: we have. But I imagine there is there are a 189 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:11,160 Speaker 1: lot of comparisons to be made with the way deities 190 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:15,200 Speaker 1: change over time. Uh, you know, we can. I don't 191 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:18,199 Speaker 1: know if it would be the exact same trajectory or 192 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:20,600 Speaker 1: would be kind of an inverse trajectory in some cases. 193 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 1: But uh, I wonder how you know, in a loose 194 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 1: sense anyway, Godzilla is a deity. He exists not in 195 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:33,560 Speaker 1: the the the mythic realm of you know, like the 196 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:36,240 Speaker 1: ancient world or even modern religion. But he's in the 197 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 1: film myth world and and is therefore not quite the 198 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 1: same as our traditional ideas of deity, but perhaps subject 199 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: to some of the same changes in the way we 200 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: perceive him. Well, maybe before we go on any further, 201 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:52,200 Speaker 1: we should hit some trailer audio. All right, let's have it. 202 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:56,119 Speaker 1: This I believe is from the English trailer for Godzilla 203 00:10:56,240 --> 00:11:03,400 Speaker 1: Versus to Become the most fearful mennace that ever threatened mankind, 204 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: growing ever more deadly un smug. Only one pos dares 205 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:17,559 Speaker 1: stand up lords overpowering evil. Nothing men can do can 206 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:25,959 Speaker 1: stop the smug Monster and Godzilla save the earth from 207 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:43,240 Speaker 1: this mastodon of destruction. All right? Sounds good to me 208 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 1: and and we we should, of course, note that in 209 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 1: the US, this I think, was originally released as Godzilla 210 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:52,840 Speaker 1: Versus the Smog Monster. Yeah, that's right, though from what 211 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: I understand in the movie, the monster is not made 212 00:11:55,720 --> 00:12:00,199 Speaker 1: of smog. The monster is made mostly of why are 213 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 1: born pollutants and then comes out onto land to huff 214 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:06,440 Speaker 1: the smog. Yeah, he's made out of like sludge and 215 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:10,880 Speaker 1: minerals and all. Um A quick quick bit of trivia. Uh. 216 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: In Germany, this film was released as Frankenstein's Battle against 217 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:18,480 Speaker 1: the Devil's Monster. That doesn't make any sense? Um. I 218 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 1: was this was new to me, but apparently uh. In 219 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 1: the German release of Godzilla films, it was often explained 220 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 1: that Dr Victor Frankenstein created the monsters that Godzilla fights, uh, 221 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 1: and it just had to do with with how they 222 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 1: were releasing them at the time. So he had multiple 223 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 1: Toho films Tohoe did some Frankenstein films about Jenking Giant 224 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 1: Frankenstein's and uh, and I checked, It's okay if I 225 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 1: called them Frankenstein's. I checked with the Frankenstein's monster on this. 226 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:48,560 Speaker 1: But but this sort of set the precedent for how 227 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 1: you would release a big monster movie in Germany. Yeah. 228 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 1: I remember reading a few weeks ago about a movie 229 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 1: I've never heard of before. That is it is directly 230 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:02,560 Speaker 1: a Frankenstein Kaischen, not just called Frankenstein. It's like about 231 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:06,040 Speaker 1: now that I'm about to say this, this really sounds wrong, 232 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 1: but I think what it is is a Nazi scientist 233 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:15,080 Speaker 1: takes Frankenstein's brain to Japan for study and there it 234 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: gets uh it somehow gets turned into a giant monster. Yep. 235 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:23,679 Speaker 1: I believe that's right, Okay, strange or maybe we'll come 236 00:13:23,679 --> 00:13:26,520 Speaker 1: back to it. We're talking about doing some Frankenstein films eventually. 237 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 1: All right, I guess we should come back to talk 238 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,319 Speaker 1: about the director of Godzilla versus Hetera, who was again 239 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 1: Yoshi Mitsu Bano. Yes, um director, also co writer. He 240 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:39,920 Speaker 1: lived one through two thousand and seventeen. This was his 241 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:42,920 Speaker 1: first and only Godzilla movie. Um again you'll see him 242 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 1: credited on the Gigan and the Megalon movies, but that's 243 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 1: just because they utilize older footage. He previously served as 244 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:52,320 Speaker 1: assistant director and second assistant director on some really notable 245 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 1: A Kira Kurosawa pictures, including Throne of Blood in nineteen 246 00:13:56,559 --> 00:14:00,600 Speaker 1: fifty seven. That's that wonderful Samurai Macbeth movie, and also 247 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 1: The Hidden Fortress, in which I think is often cited 248 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:08,440 Speaker 1: as one of George Lucas's influences in UM the creation 249 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:11,760 Speaker 1: of the original Star Wars picture, both great films. Yes, 250 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:14,079 Speaker 1: I've also read that Banno was was very much a 251 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:16,600 Speaker 1: part of the Toho film system. So he came up 252 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,479 Speaker 1: in Toho and he stowed it under several notable Toho directors. 253 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: I believe his grip on this film is strong, because 254 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: unlike some other Kaiju films, this is one in which 255 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:30,760 Speaker 1: I detect not just a Toho House style, but I 256 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 1: feel a really strong, bold, individual director's vision guiding the 257 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:40,480 Speaker 1: whole thing. Yes, that absolutely, and I think it's why 258 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:42,840 Speaker 1: at the time there seems to have been tensioned with 259 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:47,440 Speaker 1: producer Tanaka over this UM. It seems like he he 260 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 1: fell out of good graces with Toho and ultimately went 261 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 1: on to be more of a producer. He was but 262 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:55,520 Speaker 1: was EP on the two thousand fourteen American Godzilla movie, 263 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:58,640 Speaker 1: and I believe he's credited even though he's occurred after 264 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 1: his death. I think he's credited on Godzilla, King of 265 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 1: the Monsters from and Godzilla Versus Kong. But yeah, I 266 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:09,240 Speaker 1: think this is the reason why he was controversial at 267 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:12,200 Speaker 1: the time but is memorable today. You know, there have 268 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:14,480 Speaker 1: been so many Godzilla films, how many of them are 269 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:17,920 Speaker 1: really worth looking up and seeing if you're not a completist, 270 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 1: I would say this is one that's worth going back 271 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:23,360 Speaker 1: and seeing. Yes, totally. Uh. And it's different than a 272 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:25,080 Speaker 1: lot of the other best ones because I would say 273 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 1: a lot of the other best Godzilla movies, apart from 274 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:30,280 Speaker 1: the first one, the first one is very dark and gloomy. 275 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:32,800 Speaker 1: A lot of the other best ones are very bright 276 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 1: and lively and sort of fast moving and fun. This 277 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:41,359 Speaker 1: one is also overall dark and gloomy, but it's excellently 278 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:44,800 Speaker 1: dark and gloomy. Yeah, yeah, alright. So there was another 279 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 1: writer on this, u Takeishi Kimura, who lived through a 280 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:52,400 Speaker 1: studio writer for Toho. He was involved in more than 281 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: thirty films, including some really notable ones including Rodan the Mysteriens. 282 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:02,040 Speaker 1: Oh he was he was the fer of Matango. Allegedly 283 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: he believed this was his finest work, and it is 284 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 1: a fine work. We may have to come back to Mettango. 285 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 1: This is about an island where where a fungal infection 286 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 1: turns humans into um my conned uh mutations. It's it's 287 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 1: pretty fabulous, so yes, Metango is worth checking out. Kimura 288 00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 1: also worked on Frankenstein Versus Beragon. This was a giant 289 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:27,280 Speaker 1: Frankenstein movie from from Toto, The War of the Gargantuans, 290 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 1: King Kong Escapes Destroy All Monsters and uh. And of 291 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: course this wonderful Godzilla film Takeshi Kimura. Is interesting because 292 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,479 Speaker 1: I was finding a lot of very tantalizing biographical details 293 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:43,760 Speaker 1: about him online, but not in very solid looking sources. 294 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 1: That and I couldn't find them backed up anywhere that 295 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 1: looked more solid. So so frustratingly, I can't report a 296 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,080 Speaker 1: lot about him with confidence. But if, for example, some 297 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: of the like user submitted biographies I found of him 298 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 1: on various sites have any truth to them, uh, he 299 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,480 Speaker 1: was a strange and interesting figure. He was allegedly known 300 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:05,440 Speaker 1: for writing Tohoe monster movies with a more gloomy outlook 301 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 1: and and serious political themes, as opposed to the happy 302 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:13,359 Speaker 1: golokie beat downs of other you know repeat Kaiju screenwriters. Well, 303 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:15,399 Speaker 1: and as we turned to the cast here, let's go 304 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:17,000 Speaker 1: right to the beat down. We're gonna talk about the 305 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:20,160 Speaker 1: human characters played by human actors, but let's start with 306 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,480 Speaker 1: the monsters. Oh yeah, So here's something about this movie. 307 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: Despite the fact that it has a much darker tone, 308 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:30,080 Speaker 1: the Godzilla in this movie is kind of sassy. I 309 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: really detect a sense of humor in Godzilla's gestures and 310 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:36,440 Speaker 1: expressions in this film. There's even a really funny moment 311 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 1: later on where the military is trying to do something 312 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:44,440 Speaker 1: to defeat the opposing monster and fails, and Godzilla does 313 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,119 Speaker 1: almost kind of a shrug, like, oh boy, do I 314 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:50,200 Speaker 1: have to do everything myself? Yeah? Yeah, there's a little 315 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:51,600 Speaker 1: bit of sass. He's a he's a bit of a 316 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 1: showboat at times. I mean, he's on the ropes a 317 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:56,639 Speaker 1: lot in this but he but he does. He shows 318 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:58,520 Speaker 1: he's a little bit of a showboat in a few scenes. 319 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:01,680 Speaker 1: And he also takes some really inventive bumps, like he'll 320 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:03,919 Speaker 1: get shot with a laser and do a complete front flip. 321 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 1: So there are times like that where I was really 322 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:10,160 Speaker 1: admiring the performance. And indeed the performer here is Haruo 323 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:16,440 Speaker 1: Nakajima who lived nineteen sev He is uh is kind 324 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:19,240 Speaker 1: of an all star of the of the Godzilla franchise. 325 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:22,720 Speaker 1: He played Godzilla in twelve consecutive films. He was also 326 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:25,680 Speaker 1: in Mathra and the War of the Gargantua's uh as 327 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:29,000 Speaker 1: as All, as well as Akira Kua SAWA's Seven Samurai 328 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:31,879 Speaker 1: uh Most people forget that in the original cut of 329 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:35,400 Speaker 1: that the Seven Samurai Battle the Giant Monster. No, not 330 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,679 Speaker 1: not really, but he played a non monster in that. 331 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:42,160 Speaker 1: But generally he's considered a legend of the rubber Monster suit, 332 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: the rubber Suit actor par excellence. I haven't seen Mosra 333 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 1: in a long time, but I remember that one. This 334 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:50,199 Speaker 1: is known for being one of the best of the 335 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: meat slams. It's like a really great monster throwdown. Now, 336 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:59,960 Speaker 1: the enemy in this cetera is played by uh Kimpachiro Satsuma, 337 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:02,840 Speaker 1: who was born in seven and as of this recording 338 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:06,119 Speaker 1: is is still alive. Um And while he plays Godzilla's 339 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 1: enemy in this picture. Satsuma would go on to play 340 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 1: the King of Monsters himself after Nakajima retired, so Satsuma 341 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:19,160 Speaker 1: served as Godzilla um from through. Seeing those dates though, 342 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:23,120 Speaker 1: did make me a little bit sag with sadness as 343 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:27,560 Speaker 1: I imagine the transition from Godzilla and and his monster 344 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 1: enemies being a person in a suit to being a 345 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:33,440 Speaker 1: c G. I creation, M. Yeah, I mean, you gotta 346 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:35,520 Speaker 1: love love the suit and you know there there. I 347 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:37,960 Speaker 1: think there's been a whole documentaries about about what was 348 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:43,240 Speaker 1: required of these gentlemen because these were very physical performances. 349 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,680 Speaker 1: They involve suits that were often not very well ventilated, 350 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: and you're, you know, you're you're sweating profusely inside them. 351 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:53,399 Speaker 1: And as we mentioned, like with Godzilla, there's a certain 352 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:56,119 Speaker 1: it's not just a stammer around and smash a building. 353 00:19:56,119 --> 00:20:00,640 Speaker 1: There's a certain physicality to the performance that really shines through. Uh. 354 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:04,720 Speaker 1: You have to betray more than just brute lizard strength 355 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:07,800 Speaker 1: or anything like that. There is a character there that 356 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:18,320 Speaker 1: the actor is portraying. All right, well, let's get into 357 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:20,639 Speaker 1: the human characters. Now. Most most of these characters are 358 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:22,760 Speaker 1: going to be members of the Yanno family, the Yano 359 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:26,920 Speaker 1: family being the key family of humans. And um, let's 360 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:30,640 Speaker 1: start with the child the boy. Uh. This is um 361 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:34,960 Speaker 1: Hiroyuki Kawasi playing Kenyano and he was This actor was 362 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,520 Speaker 1: born in nineteen sixty four. Child actor was also uh. 363 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,840 Speaker 1: I think he showed up in ninety three's Godzilla versus 364 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:45,520 Speaker 1: Megalon as well, and he wasn't in much, but he 365 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:51,000 Speaker 1: was in a TV series called Sorrow Sorrow Nu Guandan, 366 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:54,280 Speaker 1: which I believe is Army of the Apes uh if 367 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: you translated. Uh. This was eventually cut and released as 368 00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:00,760 Speaker 1: a film in the US by Sandy Frank as Time 369 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:04,399 Speaker 1: of the APESCE Theater three thousand. Viewers will be familiar 370 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:07,840 Speaker 1: with this film, um, which is a lot of fun. 371 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:10,879 Speaker 1: But i've i've I have never had the chance to 372 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:13,800 Speaker 1: watch the original TV series, but there's a lot of 373 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:17,040 Speaker 1: it and it has huge fans in Japan. Uh people 374 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:19,040 Speaker 1: still follow it, and it seems like there's a lot 375 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:20,480 Speaker 1: more like well, what you see in Time of the 376 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:24,000 Speaker 1: Apes is very much a compressed uh plot line. There's 377 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,919 Speaker 1: apparently a lot more going on. There's a robot in it. Uh. 378 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:29,040 Speaker 1: I would love to know more and I'd love to 379 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 1: hear from anyone who's watched it in full. I don't 380 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:34,680 Speaker 1: think it's been really widely available on DVD or Blu 381 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:38,560 Speaker 1: ray or even uh like you know, streaming services outside 382 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:41,240 Speaker 1: of Japan. Now, Rob, I have a Kaiju question. Maybe 383 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:43,840 Speaker 1: you can shed some light on this for me. In 384 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:47,960 Speaker 1: Godzilla versus Hetera, this young boy Ken has a kind 385 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:52,480 Speaker 1: of psychic connection with the monsters. He has apocalyptic visions 386 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:56,400 Speaker 1: of the small creature Hetera, and he has uh and 387 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: he he sort of has omens about when Godzilla will 388 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,080 Speaker 1: pere to save the day. So and and this is 389 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:05,159 Speaker 1: not the only film where there is some kind of 390 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:09,879 Speaker 1: psychic or at least emotional bond between the Kaiju monster 391 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:12,000 Speaker 1: and a young child. It's often true in like the 392 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:15,720 Speaker 1: Gammera movies. And do you know, is there a reason 393 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 1: for this recurring theme. I don't know. It's it's one 394 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:22,439 Speaker 1: of those things that is often with Gammer's Like Gammer 395 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:24,240 Speaker 1: is a friend of children, you know, there there is 396 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 1: this innate connection. I don't think I have personally seen 397 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:30,440 Speaker 1: a Kaiju film other than this one where it's described 398 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:34,120 Speaker 1: as an overt you know, psychic link, a telepathic link 399 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:37,040 Speaker 1: between monster and child, like there's some sort of sacred 400 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: bond there. I feel like it's something, And I could 401 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: be wrong on this, because I'm not a Kaiju movie 402 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:45,920 Speaker 1: expert or a Godzilla expert or anything, but I feel 403 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:50,320 Speaker 1: like this. In this case, our screenwriters said, well, obviously 404 00:22:50,359 --> 00:22:53,159 Speaker 1: there's this link is here. Let's actually explain what it 405 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:55,479 Speaker 1: is a bit to a certain extent while still retaining 406 00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 1: its mystery. Okay, okay, I mean, maybe it could just 407 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,640 Speaker 1: be that you need to have some kind of demonstration 408 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:04,880 Speaker 1: of an emotional connection between the monster and the human characters. 409 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:07,520 Speaker 1: And maybe it's just natural to assume that only a 410 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:10,600 Speaker 1: child has the moral purity to to have that connection 411 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 1: with the big beast. Now, if we do go back 412 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:15,639 Speaker 1: to that idea of Godzilla's an actual deity, it is 413 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:18,960 Speaker 1: interesting the use of in this film. I don't know 414 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:21,960 Speaker 1: if you notice some of these details, but first of all, 415 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:26,080 Speaker 1: the boy Ken he has toy Godzilla's and he has 416 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:29,359 Speaker 1: something like a Godzilla shrine set up, and this is 417 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 1: kind of lightly juxtaposed with the casual use of of 418 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:38,560 Speaker 1: tiny um amulets and uh and you know, visions of 419 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:40,919 Speaker 1: I think like the like the Buddha that are arranged 420 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:44,480 Speaker 1: around the television sets and other scenes. Yes, yes, so 421 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:46,040 Speaker 1: I don't know how much what they're how much they're 422 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,399 Speaker 1: really trying to say with that, but I feel like 423 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 1: if one wants to really chew on the matter, you 424 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:53,800 Speaker 1: can definitely start making those connections. I love the fact 425 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:56,119 Speaker 1: that Ken is playing with Godzilla dolls in this movie 426 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:58,720 Speaker 1: because it's like that scene in Halloween three where Tom 427 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:01,080 Speaker 1: Atkins is sitting at the bar and he's watching the 428 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 1: first Halloween movie on a TV. That's pretty good. All right, 429 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:08,080 Speaker 1: Let's move on to some of these other human characters. 430 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:13,000 Speaker 1: Um So, the matriarch of the Yano family is um 431 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:17,199 Speaker 1: Is Toshi Yano, played by Toshi Kimura. She acted in 432 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:19,560 Speaker 1: such pictures as sort of The Beast, Revenge and The 433 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:25,280 Speaker 1: Three Outlaws Samurai and then Akira Yamauchi plays Dr Toru Yano, 434 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:29,920 Speaker 1: the patriarch of the family. He lived through nine. This 435 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:32,320 Speaker 1: seems to be his biggest role, but he was He 436 00:24:32,359 --> 00:24:34,919 Speaker 1: also had had a part in Lone Wolf and cub 437 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:38,880 Speaker 1: Baby cart in the Land of Demons from one um 438 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:41,120 Speaker 1: This This is of course a classic of the genre 439 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: and was also a major inspiration on the Mandalorian TV series. 440 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,359 Speaker 1: So he plays the scientist character. Usually in these movies 441 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:50,920 Speaker 1: you need at least one scientist character who's there to 442 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:53,399 Speaker 1: to figure out the nature of of the new threat. 443 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:56,360 Speaker 1: And so he's some kind of biologist who has an 444 00:24:56,359 --> 00:24:59,159 Speaker 1: early encounter with the head or a beast in the 445 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:02,640 Speaker 1: water and ends up like with a big sulfuric acid 446 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:05,840 Speaker 1: burn on his face. And there's a very funny scene 447 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:07,800 Speaker 1: later on where he's, you know, he's trying to solve 448 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:11,240 Speaker 1: the problem and uh, he's lying awake and his wife 449 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:13,400 Speaker 1: comes in and says something like she's like, stop thinking 450 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:16,920 Speaker 1: about hetera and go to bed. Yeah. He spends a 451 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:19,760 Speaker 1: lot of the picture kind of bedridden and recovering from 452 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:23,520 Speaker 1: his injuries. Yeah, all right there. Well, also have a 453 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,520 Speaker 1: couple of characters who are not members of the Yano 454 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:30,080 Speaker 1: family but are very close with them. The first of 455 00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:36,480 Speaker 1: all is the character Yukio Kuchi played by uh Toshio Shiba, 456 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:38,920 Speaker 1: and this is the the the youth with the really 457 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:43,560 Speaker 1: captivating eyes. I think Yukio is supposed to be Toshi's brother, 458 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:48,439 Speaker 1: the okay Kin's mother's brother, so ken Ken's uncle. Okay, 459 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:50,520 Speaker 1: all right, that was that was kind of lost on me, 460 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:53,480 Speaker 1: I guess, But otherwise he's He's just like a young 461 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:55,680 Speaker 1: guy who hangs out with the family and then later 462 00:25:55,800 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 1: goes to a psychedelic nightclub. Uh. So Shiba had a 463 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:04,160 Speaker 1: long TV and film career, including the nineteen seventy one 464 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,520 Speaker 1: Kaiju movie Mirror Man. Uh and I think he's still active. 465 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:11,760 Speaker 1: He was born in n he has amazingly distinctive eyes. 466 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,719 Speaker 1: He's one of those people who, uh, You've probably had 467 00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 1: this experience before where I saw him and I was like, oh, 468 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:21,119 Speaker 1: he looks so familiar. What have I seen him in before? 469 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:23,920 Speaker 1: And I looked and I couldn't find anything. So I 470 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:26,720 Speaker 1: think maybe I've never seen him in anything before. He 471 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:32,320 Speaker 1: just has such a distinctive look that that he seemed familiar. Yeah, same, 472 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:35,840 Speaker 1: all right. And then we also have a character by 473 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 1: the name of Miki Fuji no Miya uh this uh 474 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:43,240 Speaker 1: play played by the singer Kiki Omari. This is I 475 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:45,720 Speaker 1: think her only film role, but she does seem to 476 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:49,640 Speaker 1: have had a much richer career as a singer. Um 477 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:51,520 Speaker 1: and it looks like she's still active, at least on 478 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:54,280 Speaker 1: Japanese language social media. She seems to have a following 479 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:57,680 Speaker 1: as being I mean, it's kind of like I guess cinematically, 480 00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:00,080 Speaker 1: it's kind of like having been a Bond girl if 481 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: you were a Godzilla girl. I think there's actually a 482 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:06,320 Speaker 1: documentary about like Godzilla Girls, and she's featured in it. 483 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:09,000 Speaker 1: She has a fabulous musical number in this There are 484 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:12,600 Speaker 1: multiple musical numbers in this movie. Actually, yeah, but she 485 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:15,439 Speaker 1: has a lot of style. She brings a style and 486 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:18,240 Speaker 1: hit nous to the film that that certainly stands the 487 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:20,560 Speaker 1: test of time. And finally, I'm going to mention the 488 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 1: composer is Richiro Manabi who he has a hundred and 489 00:27:26,359 --> 00:27:28,680 Speaker 1: fourteen score credits on IMDb. I'm not I'm not sure 490 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:31,280 Speaker 1: if he's responsible though for the opening music. I guess 491 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:33,040 Speaker 1: he is. Well, we'll get to that in a minute. 492 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:36,360 Speaker 1: But has really really nice opening music, a really nice 493 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:40,280 Speaker 1: theme song they keep really returning to. It's really nice. 494 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:44,680 Speaker 1: It's just great. I did read that Guy Henrick did 495 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:47,840 Speaker 1: the lyrics for the English version. I have not heard 496 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:49,840 Speaker 1: that because the version we watched is the one on 497 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:54,600 Speaker 1: HBO Max that's up there with the TCM collection um 498 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,440 Speaker 1: and it is. It is in the original Japanese with subtitles. 499 00:27:57,440 --> 00:27:59,919 Speaker 1: But I guess there was an English language version of it, 500 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 1: like they dubbed it for releasing the States, and Himrik 501 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:05,520 Speaker 1: is the guy who did a lot of lyrics for 502 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:08,160 Speaker 1: beach movies back in the day, stuff like Beach Blanket 503 00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:12,480 Speaker 1: Bingo and Muscle Beach Party. So I'm just gonna guess here, 504 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:16,159 Speaker 1: but I'm I'm guessing that his lyrics did not retain 505 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:20,080 Speaker 1: the strong and dire environmental message that we find in 506 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:25,119 Speaker 1: the the actual Japanese lyrics. Maybe not the beach movies, 507 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:28,639 Speaker 1: the bikini movie that the peak of human artistic achievement. 508 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:31,720 Speaker 1: All right, well, let's let's get into the plot a 509 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 1: bit here. All right. Well, one thing this movie really 510 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:37,159 Speaker 1: does is it sticks to its themes. It hits you 511 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:39,240 Speaker 1: right with them at the outset, and then it does 512 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:42,920 Speaker 1: not give up. So you start with, of course, as always, 513 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:46,360 Speaker 1: the classic glorious Toho logo, and then very first thing 514 00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:52,680 Speaker 1: you see smokestacks, billowing clouds of soot, rushing water slicked 515 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:56,240 Speaker 1: with oil and green foam. The message is clear, the 516 00:28:56,280 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 1: earth is disgusting, the earth is just ruined. And then 517 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:04,000 Speaker 1: and then you see water and what's this? What's coming 518 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:07,960 Speaker 1: out of the water? Is it a slimy, cancerous garbage 519 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:11,240 Speaker 1: bag with red crocodile eyes boiling up to the surface. 520 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:15,240 Speaker 1: That's right, you see Hetera poking up out of the 521 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,720 Speaker 1: water right at the top. Just no waiting at all. 522 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:22,400 Speaker 1: Now you don't see all of them, no, no, much 523 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:24,800 Speaker 1: like a crocodile like looking up over the top of 524 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:26,840 Speaker 1: the water. You just see a kind of the pebbled 525 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:29,920 Speaker 1: surface of the top of his head and the eyes 526 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:33,160 Speaker 1: looking out there. And he has these vertically oriented red 527 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,800 Speaker 1: eyes that are very very prominently featured throughout this movie 528 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:40,160 Speaker 1: in fact, and eyes somehow seemed to be a theme 529 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:44,320 Speaker 1: of the film because remember, like his eyes or his power, 530 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:48,000 Speaker 1: Godzilla partially defeats him by pulling his eyes out and 531 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 1: electrocuting them. But as soon as you see Hetera title card, 532 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:56,480 Speaker 1: Godzilla versus Hetera, and then bam straight to a James 533 00:29:56,520 --> 00:30:01,000 Speaker 1: Bond style musical introduction. Amazing. And and when I say 534 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:03,280 Speaker 1: James Bond style, I really mean it, as in, there's 535 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:06,800 Speaker 1: like a glamorous singer doing a theme song for the 536 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:11,800 Speaker 1: movie over over colorful abstract backgrounds, just like in a 537 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:15,200 Speaker 1: in a James Bond title sequence. Yeah. This this track, 538 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:18,440 Speaker 1: by the way, is called give Back the Sun exclamation point, 539 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:21,840 Speaker 1: and you can find this on whatever you're you're streaming music, 540 00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:24,400 Speaker 1: side of choice happens to be. I'll also try to 541 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:27,800 Speaker 1: include this embedded on the blog post for this episode 542 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:30,320 Speaker 1: at Samuda music dot Com. I had one of those 543 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:32,840 Speaker 1: moments where I was watching this by myself, but I 544 00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:34,960 Speaker 1: just wanted to be looking around to find somebody else 545 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:36,760 Speaker 1: in the room, like are you seeing this? Are you 546 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:40,560 Speaker 1: seeing the same thing I'm seeing? The song is is tremendous. 547 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:42,959 Speaker 1: I loved it, Yeah, but I mean because the lyrics 548 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:45,719 Speaker 1: are are so solid and gloomy and and it's and 549 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 1: it's it's an interesting juxtaposition between the tone of the 550 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:52,560 Speaker 1: lyrics and the the style of the song. But then yeah, 551 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:55,320 Speaker 1: that we have this um you know this fabulous uh 552 00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 1: you know splash of color behind her um as she's 553 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:03,440 Speaker 1: singing of this is this bond sense of of of 554 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:05,640 Speaker 1: wonder and it's kind of I guess the stuff behind 555 00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:07,480 Speaker 1: her too with a kind of like oil lights. It's 556 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 1: like the the Joshua Light Show, that stuff you've see 557 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:13,920 Speaker 1: in a lot of like psychedelic performances. Uh So it's 558 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 1: we have a strong opening with with psychedelia and um 559 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:22,920 Speaker 1: in music and fashion, but then also scenes of sludge 560 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:25,640 Speaker 1: and pollution. And and I have to say we in 561 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:27,520 Speaker 1: in the movie Frog. When we talked about Frogs in 562 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:30,000 Speaker 1: a previous episode of Weird House, we talked about the 563 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 1: problem of creating fake looking garbage, fake looking pollution. Uh. 564 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:37,000 Speaker 1: And I feel like this movie nails its pollution. The 565 00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:41,280 Speaker 1: pollution looks real and yet has a surreal quality to 566 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:45,800 Speaker 1: it that feels like it is it is art. It's disgusting. Yeah. 567 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:47,920 Speaker 1: And the oh, the lyrics of the song, it's all 568 00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:51,600 Speaker 1: like the birds and the fish they are all dead. Uh. 569 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:54,200 Speaker 1: It's the you know, the gold Finger song, but it's 570 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:56,800 Speaker 1: about pollution. And there's a great part where in the 571 00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:03,720 Speaker 1: verse she's just listing off names of chemicals. She's singing mercury, cobalt, cadmium, 572 00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:07,920 Speaker 1: All life is gone. The fields and the mountains are silent. Uh. 573 00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:11,480 Speaker 1: And there's like green bubbles in the background and uh. 574 00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:13,960 Speaker 1: And then and then when she gets to the line, 575 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:17,160 Speaker 1: there's no one left on earth. This also ties back 576 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:20,200 Speaker 1: to our discussion from frogs, because what is the single 577 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:24,200 Speaker 1: piece of garbage or litter that conveys squalor better than 578 00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 1: anything else. It is a discarded doll And what do 579 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:30,920 Speaker 1: you see here? Floating in the oil in the trash. 580 00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:35,240 Speaker 1: It is a filthy discarded doll, or maybe it's a mannequin, 581 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 1: but it's a it's a doll mannequin humanoid shape. Yeah, 582 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:42,760 Speaker 1: it's perfectly the plastic likeness of the human form discarded 583 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:47,880 Speaker 1: in the plastic strewn, polluted mess. Uh. The the this 584 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:52,240 Speaker 1: this this patina that encompasses our culture. Oh and there's 585 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 1: a grandfather clock floating in the muck. That's pretty great. 586 00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:59,240 Speaker 1: So good. So this movie really comes out strong. A 587 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:01,960 Speaker 1: lot of Kaiju movies are just about like it doesn't 588 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:03,880 Speaker 1: even like you just want to skip to the big 589 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:06,880 Speaker 1: battle at the end, like the big battle in the 590 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:09,800 Speaker 1: destruction and the monster beat down, that's all the matters. 591 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:13,320 Speaker 1: Usually in this film, everything else is done to such 592 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 1: a high level. Uh. I feel like you'd be hard 593 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:19,480 Speaker 1: pressed to find a Godzilla movie or any Kaiju movie 594 00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:22,480 Speaker 1: that is more interesting in its scenes that are not 595 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:25,800 Speaker 1: about monsters battling. I totally agree. In fact, it was 596 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:28,360 Speaker 1: inverted for me. The only time in this movie that 597 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:30,560 Speaker 1: I did start to get a little board was during 598 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:34,160 Speaker 1: the big monster fight towards the end, which which does 599 00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:36,520 Speaker 1: go on a bit long. But I'm not even sure, 600 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:39,240 Speaker 1: that's a an appropriate criticism for me to make of 601 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:41,600 Speaker 1: a giant monster movie. But I do just want to 602 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:44,920 Speaker 1: reiterate one more time. You are correct. This movie passes 603 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:47,920 Speaker 1: the fake garbage test. It's not like in Frogs, like 604 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:50,680 Speaker 1: where you're seeing discarded beer cans that look like somebody 605 00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:54,000 Speaker 1: just strank them. Yeah. But from here we go straight 606 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:56,920 Speaker 1: into the action, and it is what we mentioned before, 607 00:33:57,200 --> 00:34:01,280 Speaker 1: a young boy playing with Godzilla dolls. There's actually pretty 608 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 1: interesting framing in this scene. As we've said many times, 609 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:07,920 Speaker 1: this is a visually interesting movie. It's got a well, uh, 610 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:09,759 Speaker 1: you know, it's got a good sense of mis on 611 00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:14,160 Speaker 1: send to be pretentious about it. Interesting photography, interesting framing. 612 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:18,440 Speaker 1: So this boy is playing with Godzilla dolls on an idyllic, 613 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:24,200 Speaker 1: grassy hillside that overlooks a vast urban landscape that's just 614 00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:28,319 Speaker 1: covered with smoke stacks, like a valley of thorns. But 615 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:31,960 Speaker 1: he's got this Godzilla shrine and is surrounded by flowers 616 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:34,879 Speaker 1: and and it's beautiful. Uh. And and here we get 617 00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:37,279 Speaker 1: to meet the main human characters, the members of the 618 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:39,799 Speaker 1: boy's family. The boy, of course, is Ken, and we 619 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:43,480 Speaker 1: meet his father, Dr. Tooru Yano, who's a marine biologist, 620 00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:48,319 Speaker 1: his mother, Toshi, his his uncle or friend Yukio, I 621 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:52,160 Speaker 1: think his uncle and uh and and Ken and Yukio 622 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:54,399 Speaker 1: are talking at the beginning of Yukio is like, hey, 623 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:58,239 Speaker 1: is Godzilla your favorite? And Kin says, yes, he's a superman. 624 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:01,719 Speaker 1: Is he a man? I don't know. I mean, I 625 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,680 Speaker 1: guess you could certainly say he is super compared to man. Yeah. 626 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:08,960 Speaker 1: But anyway, they're hanging around when their unusual fish guy 627 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:11,400 Speaker 1: shows up. There's this guy named Mr go Hey and 628 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:14,040 Speaker 1: as soon as he arrives there, they're like, oh, hello, 629 00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:16,759 Speaker 1: have you brought us another unusual fish? So I think 630 00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:19,399 Speaker 1: it's because the father is a marine biologist that they've 631 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:22,560 Speaker 1: got to go to guy for unusual fish. Yeah, and 632 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:24,960 Speaker 1: and uh and and indeed the father what he has 633 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:29,440 Speaker 1: various um jars of strange specimens that he's collected lining 634 00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:32,640 Speaker 1: the wall. Great set. Yeah, And so Mr go Hey 635 00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:36,680 Speaker 1: brings in the specimen, which looks like a gigantic tadpole. 636 00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:40,360 Speaker 1: It's like a fist sized tadpole. But they conclude that 637 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:43,560 Speaker 1: it cannot be a tadpole because Mr go Hey caught 638 00:35:43,600 --> 00:35:47,239 Speaker 1: it at the prime spot for shrimp fishing in Saruga 639 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:50,600 Speaker 1: Bay and do tadpoles live in the ocean? Uh? The 640 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:54,200 Speaker 1: father says no, they do not, and Mr go Hey notes, 641 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:57,520 Speaker 1: you know, Saruga Bay is getting really really bad, Like 642 00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:00,920 Speaker 1: he didn't catch a single shrimp there this time, and 643 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:03,920 Speaker 1: it's almost as if the world is sort of is failing, 644 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:06,839 Speaker 1: is giving out on them. And then meanwhile, once again, 645 00:36:06,880 --> 00:36:09,319 Speaker 1: this movie does not make you wait on developing things. 646 00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:13,280 Speaker 1: The family starts watching reports on TV about a giant 647 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:16,400 Speaker 1: creature that's breaking up ships in in Saruga Bay, Like 648 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:19,560 Speaker 1: oil tankers are coming into the bay and they're crashing 649 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:22,520 Speaker 1: into each other and then getting snapped in half, almost 650 00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:24,840 Speaker 1: as if something is wanting to like drink the oil 651 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:27,360 Speaker 1: out of the boats. Yeah. The pacing in the film 652 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:30,560 Speaker 1: is excellent leading up to full monster reveal. Yeah, and 653 00:36:30,600 --> 00:36:34,400 Speaker 1: so of course it's investigation time. The scientist and the 654 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:37,680 Speaker 1: scientist father and Ken have to go into the bay 655 00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:40,080 Speaker 1: and and see what's going on. So Ken hangs out 656 00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:42,759 Speaker 1: on the rocks by the shore while Dr Yano goes 657 00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:45,279 Speaker 1: into the water to see what's up, and we get 658 00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:47,879 Speaker 1: to see some underwater sequences. They're one of the things 659 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:49,600 Speaker 1: I loved. I didn't know what to make of this 660 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:52,840 Speaker 1: there's a piece of trash sunk to the bottom of 661 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:57,319 Speaker 1: Saruga Bay that looks like an artificial swan. Okay, it's 662 00:36:57,360 --> 00:37:00,719 Speaker 1: just there. I Meanwhile, Ken up on the rocks is 663 00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:04,320 Speaker 1: like prying up muscles and he discovers that they're empty 664 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:07,160 Speaker 1: and the crabs are bleached and dead. So it's just 665 00:37:07,239 --> 00:37:10,279 Speaker 1: this place has been ruined by pollution. Everything is dead. 666 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:13,640 Speaker 1: It almost reminded me of the recent uh episodes we 667 00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:16,759 Speaker 1: did about marine mucilage. Yeah, but here I think we 668 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:20,399 Speaker 1: get our first vision of Hetera. In fact, well it's 669 00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:23,840 Speaker 1: a it's a combination scene because Hetera actually does appear 670 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:28,440 Speaker 1: in one form, but also Ken is having visions of 671 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:31,920 Speaker 1: Hetera that seemed to go beyond what Hetera is actually 672 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:36,279 Speaker 1: doing in this scene. Did you understand it the same way? Um? Well, 673 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:37,719 Speaker 1: there was a lot coming at me at this point. 674 00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:40,279 Speaker 1: I think I was just like generally geeking out at 675 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:44,160 Speaker 1: at how terrific this was visually. But the yeah, like 676 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:47,880 Speaker 1: the father that the doctor is having his own encounter 677 00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:51,040 Speaker 1: under underwater, and then Kim is encountering all this stuff 678 00:37:51,080 --> 00:37:55,200 Speaker 1: above the water. Um, yeah, it's it's and is this 679 00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:58,439 Speaker 1: when we start getting the cartoons? No, that's not yet, 680 00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:03,200 Speaker 1: not yet. This finishes with like Ken being confronted by Hetera, 681 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:05,680 Speaker 1: and Hetera like flies over him and he reaches up 682 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:08,440 Speaker 1: with a knife, and and like, yes, part of it. Yes, 683 00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:10,399 Speaker 1: it is the Free Willie moment. It's like the moment 684 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:12,919 Speaker 1: in Free Willy, except imagine that instead of it being 685 00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:16,279 Speaker 1: an orca, it was a sludge monster. And instead of 686 00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:20,399 Speaker 1: touching the creature, you were driving a knife up into 687 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:23,800 Speaker 1: a sledge belly. That's literally what happens, and it's terrific. 688 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:28,040 Speaker 1: Ken does a really great sledge belly slicing and uh. 689 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:31,280 Speaker 1: And meanwhile Dr Yano down in the water is severely 690 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:33,239 Speaker 1: burned and when so we go back to the house 691 00:38:33,239 --> 00:38:35,440 Speaker 1: and he's got bandages all over his face. He has 692 00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:38,440 Speaker 1: been attacked, and we learned a number of things. We 693 00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:41,080 Speaker 1: learned that Hetera he's already got a name. Now he's 694 00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:44,080 Speaker 1: named after a type of sludge called Hetero. I don't 695 00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:46,759 Speaker 1: know what hetero means, but yes. Soon after this we 696 00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:50,680 Speaker 1: we get our first cartoon sequence, which these cartoons are 697 00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:54,960 Speaker 1: absolutely wonderful. This one was labeled Happy Hetera uh, and 698 00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:57,640 Speaker 1: it very much reminds me of the animation style of 699 00:38:57,719 --> 00:39:01,359 Speaker 1: the Blue Meanies and the Yellow Submarine movie. Yeah, there's 700 00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:03,879 Speaker 1: a real sense of weirdness and whimsy to them. Uh 701 00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:06,120 Speaker 1: and and it's it's just fab I wish there were 702 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:10,320 Speaker 1: actually more animated sequences in this film because they just 703 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:13,160 Speaker 1: do a great job of breaking up the pacing um 704 00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:16,320 Speaker 1: and uh and and just you know, upping the visual 705 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:27,520 Speaker 1: pizzazz of the whole feature. Now, like the last episode, 706 00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:29,840 Speaker 1: I don't think from here I'm going to do a complete, 707 00:39:29,840 --> 00:39:32,600 Speaker 1: like scene by scene breakdown of the whole movie, but 708 00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:35,719 Speaker 1: just maybe wanted to focus on some things that caught 709 00:39:35,719 --> 00:39:38,279 Speaker 1: our attention as we as we went through, because you know, 710 00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:41,040 Speaker 1: this is a Kaiju movie. You can probably guess basically 711 00:39:41,080 --> 00:39:45,120 Speaker 1: the structure it takes. The head remonster becomes increasingly menacing, 712 00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:49,560 Speaker 1: attacks the city until eventually Godzilla appears to fight it off, 713 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:52,239 Speaker 1: and then it comes back even stronger, and now it 714 00:39:52,239 --> 00:39:54,520 Speaker 1: looks like Godzilla and the people are in trouble. But 715 00:39:54,560 --> 00:39:57,480 Speaker 1: then Godzilla and the people come up with ways of 716 00:39:57,520 --> 00:40:00,680 Speaker 1: fighting back, and you know, it's pretty standard. Yeah, there's 717 00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:03,360 Speaker 1: gonna be some buildings screwed up, there's gonna be some 718 00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:07,520 Speaker 1: sort of large scale technological approach to fighting the monster, 719 00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:10,239 Speaker 1: with mixed results. All that stuff is in play, you 720 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:13,680 Speaker 1: will not be surprised by anything that actually happens from 721 00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:17,480 Speaker 1: a plot standpoint for the most part. But some of 722 00:40:17,520 --> 00:40:21,360 Speaker 1: the specific choices they make are still amazing. One of 723 00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:23,120 Speaker 1: the main ones I would say is in the first 724 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:25,840 Speaker 1: big hetera attack scene where he comes out of the 725 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:28,360 Speaker 1: water and he attacks the lane. He comes out of 726 00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:31,200 Speaker 1: the water to huff smoke stacks. But the way they 727 00:40:31,239 --> 00:40:35,400 Speaker 1: set that scene up is that, uh, we see I 728 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:37,720 Speaker 1: think U k O is there at the nightclub scene, 729 00:40:37,760 --> 00:40:40,480 Speaker 1: isn't he Yes, he is, He's he seems to be 730 00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:42,680 Speaker 1: having I don't know he is the scene where he's 731 00:40:42,719 --> 00:40:44,759 Speaker 1: drinking like he's just down some sort of cocktail or 732 00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:47,279 Speaker 1: some sort of alcohol in the rocks and then he 733 00:40:47,360 --> 00:40:49,759 Speaker 1: kind of looks at the glass like he's he's having 734 00:40:49,920 --> 00:40:52,520 Speaker 1: mixed thoughts about what he just drank. He has a 735 00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:56,120 Speaker 1: love hate relationship with this cocktail, and he's he's dressed 736 00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:58,640 Speaker 1: in this really cool outfit. He's got his wonderful Um 737 00:40:58,680 --> 00:41:02,440 Speaker 1: colorful Um shirt on and this weird tie that absolutely love. 738 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:06,480 Speaker 1: And meanwhile the nightclub itself is just amazing. You've got 739 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:10,520 Speaker 1: more Joshua light show stuff going on behind them. You've 740 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:13,759 Speaker 1: got this. You've got Kikiomari doing some sort of a 741 00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:17,839 Speaker 1: performance and she's wearing this weird Naiad costume with like 742 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:22,840 Speaker 1: a nautical details on it. It's it's very psychedelic. I 743 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:26,080 Speaker 1: it's it's just a really cool nightclub sequence. You watch 744 00:41:26,160 --> 00:41:28,760 Speaker 1: it and you want to be there. Yeah, love, love, 745 00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:32,240 Speaker 1: love the sequence. It's it's so strange and it's so good. 746 00:41:32,400 --> 00:41:35,239 Speaker 1: And uh, and I think there in a way we're 747 00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:38,760 Speaker 1: prising the song from the opening, or at least playing 748 00:41:38,760 --> 00:41:41,799 Speaker 1: on variations of it, because both of them have that 749 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:44,360 Speaker 1: phrase they keep saying, give it back. I think means 750 00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:48,240 Speaker 1: like give give the natural resources back to the earth. Um. 751 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:51,080 Speaker 1: But it's so strange because from there we go from 752 00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:54,880 Speaker 1: the song and the nightclub to, first of all, a 753 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:58,200 Speaker 1: header up prank call to the police station. Did you 754 00:41:58,280 --> 00:42:01,120 Speaker 1: understand this? Um? I don't. I don't think I quite 755 00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:02,839 Speaker 1: got to say. This was a section with film where 756 00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:04,680 Speaker 1: I started watching it with my son too, so I 757 00:42:04,719 --> 00:42:07,279 Speaker 1: might have been slightly distracted as we we talked about 758 00:42:07,320 --> 00:42:10,279 Speaker 1: what was going on on screen. And then so you 759 00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:14,080 Speaker 1: see a police officer answered the phone and say like hello, 760 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:16,920 Speaker 1: who is it? And then he's like, uh, that's ridiculous. 761 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:21,279 Speaker 1: Hetera is a sea monster. So somebody's calling and saying 762 00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:24,160 Speaker 1: their Heatera maybe or maybe they're just reporting. They're like, hey, 763 00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:25,920 Speaker 1: Hero is attacking the city, and they're like, no, no, 764 00:42:26,120 --> 00:42:28,360 Speaker 1: it can't be. That could be to the sea, because 765 00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:30,560 Speaker 1: one of the themes here is that Hero is going 766 00:42:30,600 --> 00:42:35,279 Speaker 1: through a transformation. He's going from um an aquatic form 767 00:42:35,320 --> 00:42:39,240 Speaker 1: to a quadrupedal form. Ultimately he goes through a flying 768 00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:44,120 Speaker 1: phase and then into a bipedal form for the final fight, 769 00:42:44,200 --> 00:42:46,680 Speaker 1: though he also backtracks to a flying form a little 770 00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:48,799 Speaker 1: bit at will. I think you're right that that must 771 00:42:48,840 --> 00:42:50,960 Speaker 1: be how to understand it, because my version didn't make 772 00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:52,759 Speaker 1: any sense. I was like, what's with this prank call? 773 00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:56,040 Speaker 1: But yeah, no, I think he's saying, somebody reports Heatera 774 00:42:56,160 --> 00:42:58,640 Speaker 1: being on land and he's like, no, no, that can't 775 00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:01,160 Speaker 1: be because Heatera is in the law her. But what 776 00:43:01,200 --> 00:43:04,680 Speaker 1: does Hetera do once Hetera comes on land? Just slips 777 00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:07,160 Speaker 1: its mouth right over the top of the smoke stack 778 00:43:07,239 --> 00:43:12,719 Speaker 1: and starts huffing the gas yeah and um and of 779 00:43:12,719 --> 00:43:15,680 Speaker 1: course in all of this, Hetera is also emitting like 780 00:43:15,719 --> 00:43:20,000 Speaker 1: sulfuric acid clouds and um. Either at this point or 781 00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:22,680 Speaker 1: very Shortly afterwards, we start seeing scenes of it just 782 00:43:22,719 --> 00:43:27,919 Speaker 1: like obliterating crowds, like turning people to skeletons in the street. Yes, yes, 783 00:43:28,239 --> 00:43:32,360 Speaker 1: like people literally just turned into piles of bones. Yeah. 784 00:43:32,400 --> 00:43:36,240 Speaker 1: But we also watch Hetera, like Heatera has these tumor 785 00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:39,719 Speaker 1: looking things, these bumps all over its body. Should we 786 00:43:39,760 --> 00:43:42,719 Speaker 1: describe can we describe Hetera? I don't even know how 787 00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:44,840 Speaker 1: to say what Hetera looks like. Hetera looks like a 788 00:43:44,920 --> 00:43:50,960 Speaker 1: big ball of garbage with with like trailing slime tentacles 789 00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:54,799 Speaker 1: that has these vertically oriented red eyes. Yeah, and he's 790 00:43:54,880 --> 00:43:58,719 Speaker 1: kind of glistening, kind of sparkling, and it's it's really 791 00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:02,719 Speaker 1: quite a vicious and effective monster costume, because if you 792 00:44:02,760 --> 00:44:05,160 Speaker 1: see enough Kaiju films, you realize there are only so 793 00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:07,400 Speaker 1: many things you can really do with a with a 794 00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:10,680 Speaker 1: human in a suit. Uh. For or and or the 795 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:15,160 Speaker 1: use of puppetry and their their limitations on in both areas, uh. 796 00:44:15,200 --> 00:44:17,160 Speaker 1: And I feel like they did a great job with 797 00:44:17,160 --> 00:44:20,400 Speaker 1: this costume and that it's clearly built around a bipedal 798 00:44:20,480 --> 00:44:23,360 Speaker 1: human performer. Uh, And yet it does have that feel 799 00:44:23,480 --> 00:44:26,319 Speaker 1: of some sort of amorphous sludge monster. Yeah. So this 800 00:44:26,400 --> 00:44:29,120 Speaker 1: horrible thing is attacking the city. What's going to happen? 801 00:44:29,239 --> 00:44:31,799 Speaker 1: Is Godzilla going to come and save the day. Well, 802 00:44:31,840 --> 00:44:33,960 Speaker 1: we had a hint earlier that he would because I 803 00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:37,200 Speaker 1: think was it that Ken was writing an essay for 804 00:44:37,320 --> 00:44:41,400 Speaker 1: school when when he said, like, I think this is 805 00:44:41,400 --> 00:44:43,040 Speaker 1: what it is. Ken is writing an essay for the 806 00:44:43,040 --> 00:44:45,200 Speaker 1: second grade for a second grade class, and it says 807 00:44:45,239 --> 00:44:48,480 Speaker 1: something like, you know, the water is polluted with with 808 00:44:48,560 --> 00:44:51,399 Speaker 1: cadmium and mercury and all this, and then it ends 809 00:44:51,400 --> 00:44:53,719 Speaker 1: with saying, I bet Godzilla would be mad if he 810 00:44:53,760 --> 00:44:56,800 Speaker 1: saw this. Yes, And then eventually he has like a 811 00:44:56,800 --> 00:45:00,399 Speaker 1: a visual hallucination, like a vision a prop to see 812 00:45:00,520 --> 00:45:03,160 Speaker 1: and he's like, Godzilla is coming, Godzilla is coming to 813 00:45:03,160 --> 00:45:07,400 Speaker 1: clear this up. That's right? And then what's that? It is? Godzilla? 814 00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:11,360 Speaker 1: Godzilla coming over the horizon and Godzilla and and hetera 815 00:45:11,440 --> 00:45:15,040 Speaker 1: throw down. They have a great fight, a great fight 816 00:45:15,120 --> 00:45:20,080 Speaker 1: with very weird energy, unlike any other fight I can 817 00:45:20,120 --> 00:45:22,840 Speaker 1: think of from a from a Godzilla movie that I 818 00:45:22,880 --> 00:45:27,640 Speaker 1: recall because it's a fight with basically no music and 819 00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:30,200 Speaker 1: very little sound effects. The fight later in the movie 820 00:45:30,239 --> 00:45:34,160 Speaker 1: has a lot more of the Godzilla squealing sound this one. 821 00:45:34,239 --> 00:45:37,319 Speaker 1: There are long stretches where it's very quiet, this kind 822 00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:41,080 Speaker 1: of low anticipatory rumble as the two monsters just kind 823 00:45:41,080 --> 00:45:45,080 Speaker 1: of regard one another and stand there swaying in the darkness. 824 00:45:45,200 --> 00:45:49,319 Speaker 1: It's it's very unusual, very effective. Yeah. I also like 825 00:45:49,360 --> 00:45:51,640 Speaker 1: how some of these five, maybe all of the fight scenes, 826 00:45:51,680 --> 00:45:53,560 Speaker 1: but some of the key fight scenes take place in 827 00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:55,960 Speaker 1: like a great field like it. It feels like a 828 00:45:56,160 --> 00:45:59,840 Speaker 1: like a battle field, um, instead of it being in 829 00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:01,680 Speaker 1: I don't know, a lot. A lot of Kaiju movies 830 00:46:01,680 --> 00:46:04,040 Speaker 1: they end up taking place on a model city or 831 00:46:04,080 --> 00:46:06,120 Speaker 1: around a model city, and I don't know, this one 832 00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:09,520 Speaker 1: just just had a different feel to it. Yeah, two monsters, 833 00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:13,879 Speaker 1: they're like like engines, idoling almost. Yeah, And I should say, 834 00:46:13,880 --> 00:46:16,320 Speaker 1: all this is going on the fight is is sizing 835 00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:19,480 Speaker 1: up between them while they're while Yuko is still in 836 00:46:19,480 --> 00:46:22,719 Speaker 1: the nightclub, and he's starting to have hallucinations of all 837 00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:25,600 Speaker 1: the dancers in the club wearing fish masks, which was 838 00:46:25,920 --> 00:46:29,840 Speaker 1: just so it's one of multiple parts of this movie 839 00:46:29,920 --> 00:46:33,520 Speaker 1: that reminded me of The wicker Man. So they're they're 840 00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:35,920 Speaker 1: fish masks here. But then later on in the movie, 841 00:46:35,920 --> 00:46:39,279 Speaker 1: all the young people they decided like, well, Heatera is here, 842 00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:41,640 Speaker 1: and you know, the earth is so polluted. We're basically 843 00:46:41,680 --> 00:46:44,640 Speaker 1: near the end of human civilization anyway, So let's just 844 00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:47,279 Speaker 1: go have a big Wickerman party on Mount Fuji, which 845 00:46:47,320 --> 00:46:48,920 Speaker 1: is exactly what they do. They go up and that 846 00:46:49,280 --> 00:46:51,800 Speaker 1: they do a summer ile kind of thing. Yeah, it's 847 00:46:51,480 --> 00:46:53,560 Speaker 1: a it's a it's kind of a somber affair. They're 848 00:46:53,640 --> 00:46:56,640 Speaker 1: kind of I guess morning, but also ultimately bringing the 849 00:46:56,680 --> 00:47:01,560 Speaker 1: fight to Hedra that the military has has mostly failed, UH, 850 00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:04,520 Speaker 1: and it's up to the youth to to raise their 851 00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:08,560 Speaker 1: voices in song and then ultimately like throwing torches at 852 00:47:08,640 --> 00:47:12,719 Speaker 1: Hetera as he advances. It's it's pretty stirring because it 853 00:47:13,080 --> 00:47:15,600 Speaker 1: you know, it's it's it's about the youth culture. And 854 00:47:15,600 --> 00:47:18,800 Speaker 1: then there's this other UH and their role in perhaps 855 00:47:18,840 --> 00:47:21,960 Speaker 1: fighting these important battles of the future, you know, certainly 856 00:47:21,960 --> 00:47:26,120 Speaker 1: and environmentally, but it but also you have these sequences 857 00:47:26,120 --> 00:47:28,840 Speaker 1: in this whole sequence, you see these kind of ghostly 858 00:47:28,920 --> 00:47:32,279 Speaker 1: looking old people watching on from the shadows with kind 859 00:47:32,280 --> 00:47:35,279 Speaker 1: of somber looks on their faces. Oh yeah, that was 860 00:47:35,320 --> 00:47:37,080 Speaker 1: one of the strangest things to me. I didn't know 861 00:47:37,120 --> 00:47:38,960 Speaker 1: what to make of that. I thought maybe I had 862 00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:41,520 Speaker 1: missed a scene explaining what was going on there or something. 863 00:47:41,520 --> 00:47:44,720 Speaker 1: But while there is this Mount Fuji young people Wickerman 864 00:47:44,840 --> 00:47:47,800 Speaker 1: party and they're out playing guitars and dancing in the field, 865 00:47:48,239 --> 00:47:51,239 Speaker 1: there are these like ghastly people of the wheat who 866 00:47:51,320 --> 00:47:55,560 Speaker 1: are just standing behind these tall grassy stalks with these gray, 867 00:47:55,600 --> 00:48:00,920 Speaker 1: impassive faces and just watching. Yeah. I it reminded me 868 00:48:00,960 --> 00:48:03,200 Speaker 1: a lot. This movie reminded me a lot in general 869 00:48:03,239 --> 00:48:06,719 Speaker 1: of some of the works of Miyazaki um because he 870 00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:08,920 Speaker 1: has a lot of environmental themes in his work, but 871 00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:12,279 Speaker 1: also there are he does deal with these kind of 872 00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:17,399 Speaker 1: generational um conflicts as well. Uh. And I feel like, 873 00:48:17,719 --> 00:48:19,160 Speaker 1: and I could be could be wrong in this, but 874 00:48:19,200 --> 00:48:23,360 Speaker 1: I feel like that's the territory that that this director 875 00:48:23,680 --> 00:48:26,600 Speaker 1: was getting into with Godzilla versus hetera, at least just 876 00:48:26,640 --> 00:48:31,040 Speaker 1: a flash of it. There's this this idea of generational conflict, uh, 877 00:48:31,239 --> 00:48:36,560 Speaker 1: concerning the confrontation of in this case, environmental issues. So 878 00:48:36,600 --> 00:48:39,040 Speaker 1: maybe it's like the gray people of the weed are 879 00:48:39,120 --> 00:48:42,279 Speaker 1: kind of like, uh, the adults and spirited away who 880 00:48:42,320 --> 00:48:44,160 Speaker 1: can't see the magic and are just sitting at the 881 00:48:44,160 --> 00:48:48,440 Speaker 1: food stall, stuffing their faces until they turn into pigs. Yeah. Yeah, perhaps, 882 00:48:48,719 --> 00:48:51,920 Speaker 1: but of course eventually it's it's all about Godzilla and 883 00:48:51,960 --> 00:48:54,760 Speaker 1: had a battling each other. And boy did they battle. 884 00:48:54,800 --> 00:48:58,120 Speaker 1: They battle. They battle a lot. They've had a hard there. 885 00:48:58,800 --> 00:49:01,719 Speaker 1: Godzillas on the ropes they or comebacks. And then uh 886 00:49:01,800 --> 00:49:06,440 Speaker 1: and and there's a sequence where where there's also flying 887 00:49:06,480 --> 00:49:09,960 Speaker 1: like Heatera goes into a flying form, drops Godzilla onto 888 00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:12,600 Speaker 1: the side of a mountain, and then Godzilla falls into 889 00:49:12,600 --> 00:49:15,160 Speaker 1: a hole. And then then then Hetera is going to 890 00:49:15,239 --> 00:49:19,120 Speaker 1: like sludge flood the hole. It gets it gets really 891 00:49:19,239 --> 00:49:22,520 Speaker 1: intense there. Yeah, horrible. Is so that it's a part 892 00:49:22,560 --> 00:49:25,480 Speaker 1: where you think Godzilla is maybe gonna die, like Heatera 893 00:49:25,560 --> 00:49:30,239 Speaker 1: throws him into an open grave of toxic sewage. Yeah. Oh, 894 00:49:30,320 --> 00:49:32,200 Speaker 1: and then but the flying heater is not the only 895 00:49:32,200 --> 00:49:34,160 Speaker 1: one to fly. Godzilla flies in this And I don't 896 00:49:34,160 --> 00:49:37,000 Speaker 1: think i'd seen this before. I started shouting when I 897 00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:40,640 Speaker 1: saw it. Godzilla like balls up basically like I was 898 00:49:40,640 --> 00:49:42,680 Speaker 1: gonna say, he tucks his tail. That makes it sound 899 00:49:42,680 --> 00:49:44,960 Speaker 1: like he's ashamed. He's not. He like balls up into 900 00:49:44,960 --> 00:49:47,600 Speaker 1: an almost kind of fetal position and then kind of 901 00:49:47,680 --> 00:49:50,960 Speaker 1: hurt like blows out the radiation breath like a jet pack. 902 00:49:51,040 --> 00:49:55,200 Speaker 1: Exhaust trail and flies. Yeah. I I thought I'd seen 903 00:49:55,239 --> 00:49:57,640 Speaker 1: all Godzilla's tricks before, but this is my first time 904 00:49:57,680 --> 00:50:00,279 Speaker 1: seeing this. I'm curious if this ever came him up 905 00:50:00,320 --> 00:50:03,200 Speaker 1: again in another Godzilla film, or if they decided not to. 906 00:50:03,280 --> 00:50:05,560 Speaker 1: I mean, I thought it would look it fit perfectly 907 00:50:05,560 --> 00:50:10,239 Speaker 1: in this film. I'm not sure if other Godzilla directors 908 00:50:10,239 --> 00:50:12,799 Speaker 1: would have liked it. Yeah, I mean, if Godzilla can fly, 909 00:50:12,960 --> 00:50:15,279 Speaker 1: that kind of changes the whole equation. I'm sure there 910 00:50:15,280 --> 00:50:17,560 Speaker 1: have been other movies where he flies. I have a 911 00:50:17,640 --> 00:50:20,840 Speaker 1: vague tingling recollection that that happens in something else, but 912 00:50:20,880 --> 00:50:24,439 Speaker 1: it's certainly not all of them now Ultimately there it's 913 00:50:24,520 --> 00:50:28,120 Speaker 1: one of those sequences where it involves the human characters 914 00:50:28,200 --> 00:50:31,280 Speaker 1: trying to set some kind of technological trap for the monster. 915 00:50:31,440 --> 00:50:36,440 Speaker 1: They're trying to electrocute Hetera because the scientists character figures 916 00:50:36,440 --> 00:50:39,880 Speaker 1: out that electricity drives out the sludge and this is 917 00:50:39,920 --> 00:50:41,959 Speaker 1: the only way it can be defeated. And if they're 918 00:50:41,960 --> 00:50:45,359 Speaker 1: not able to defeat it with these big electrodes, uh, 919 00:50:45,400 --> 00:50:48,240 Speaker 1: then it will get too big for even Godzilla to handle, 920 00:50:48,280 --> 00:50:51,560 Speaker 1: and then it will just take over the world. Right also, oxygen, 921 00:50:51,600 --> 00:50:54,399 Speaker 1: so they bombit with oxygen from helicopters a little bit. 922 00:50:54,520 --> 00:50:57,759 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, I remember that. But like we were saying, ultimately, 923 00:50:57,800 --> 00:51:00,560 Speaker 1: the military is not very good at uphold they're part 924 00:51:00,560 --> 00:51:02,759 Speaker 1: of the deal, and Godzilla kind of has to do 925 00:51:02,840 --> 00:51:06,360 Speaker 1: everything for them, and Godzilla like size and shrugs his shoulders, 926 00:51:06,440 --> 00:51:11,800 Speaker 1: like really, guys. But but eventually Godzilla pairs his radiation 927 00:51:11,880 --> 00:51:16,040 Speaker 1: radiation breath with the giant electrodes, and of course you 928 00:51:16,080 --> 00:51:18,279 Speaker 1: know who wins in the end, but you know, it's 929 00:51:18,360 --> 00:51:20,719 Speaker 1: not hard to guess. But uh, there's a lot of 930 00:51:20,760 --> 00:51:22,880 Speaker 1: great stuff along the way. One of my favorite parts 931 00:51:22,920 --> 00:51:26,600 Speaker 1: was when Godzilla it almost seems like the good guys 932 00:51:26,640 --> 00:51:29,799 Speaker 1: think they have defeated the monster like twice already, but 933 00:51:29,880 --> 00:51:33,520 Speaker 1: it keeps coming back, and so Godzilla, having defeated it 934 00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:37,640 Speaker 1: another time, starts sort of reaching into the sludge corpse 935 00:51:37,719 --> 00:51:40,839 Speaker 1: body and just like ripping out guts and throwing them 936 00:51:40,840 --> 00:51:43,280 Speaker 1: all over the place, like you know, you get some guts, 937 00:51:43,320 --> 00:51:46,480 Speaker 1: and you get some guts, and all the bits of 938 00:51:46,560 --> 00:51:49,520 Speaker 1: guts all dry out in the electric field, and and 939 00:51:49,600 --> 00:51:52,480 Speaker 1: I thought that part was great. Yeah, just breath blast 940 00:51:52,560 --> 00:51:55,000 Speaker 1: the whole field afterwards, and then it's done. So I 941 00:51:55,000 --> 00:51:56,640 Speaker 1: don't know, if you notice the same thing I did. 942 00:51:56,760 --> 00:52:00,400 Speaker 1: It's possible I'm mistaken about this. But did the movie 943 00:52:00,680 --> 00:52:05,200 Speaker 1: show a very brief flash of that that famous woodblock 944 00:52:05,360 --> 00:52:08,719 Speaker 1: the great Wave off Kinagaua for a second at the end? 945 00:52:09,120 --> 00:52:12,280 Speaker 1: It did? And then I think it had it added 946 00:52:12,280 --> 00:52:15,640 Speaker 1: the text like will it happen again? Yeah, So I wondered, 947 00:52:15,760 --> 00:52:17,960 Speaker 1: did you know what to make of that? Like why 948 00:52:18,000 --> 00:52:20,799 Speaker 1: the great wave? In particular? I believe this is a 949 00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:22,200 Speaker 1: This is a piece of art we've discussed in the 950 00:52:22,200 --> 00:52:23,920 Speaker 1: show before. We think we talked about it on a 951 00:52:23,960 --> 00:52:27,840 Speaker 1: stuff to Well your Mind episode about rogue waves, because 952 00:52:27,840 --> 00:52:31,120 Speaker 1: but I believe to depict a rogue wave right right? Um? 953 00:52:32,080 --> 00:52:33,799 Speaker 1: And uh I was. I was looking up for like 954 00:52:33,840 --> 00:52:37,200 Speaker 1: a nice concise description of what this what this picture is, 955 00:52:37,200 --> 00:52:40,279 Speaker 1: and what it perhaps means. And I found one at 956 00:52:40,320 --> 00:52:44,000 Speaker 1: the Yale University Art Gallery. Um, and this is this 957 00:52:44,080 --> 00:52:46,800 Speaker 1: is what they they have written there. Quote. At first glance, 958 00:52:46,880 --> 00:52:49,920 Speaker 1: snow capped Mount Fuji looks calm in the background of 959 00:52:50,040 --> 00:52:53,200 Speaker 1: this print, far from the boats and towering waves, But 960 00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:55,720 Speaker 1: the mountain is slightly obscured by a boat whose sharp, 961 00:52:55,800 --> 00:52:58,879 Speaker 1: sickle like tip threatens to lop off Mount Fujie's peak, 962 00:52:59,360 --> 00:53:03,040 Speaker 1: and recent scholars suggests that this print has political implications. 963 00:53:03,400 --> 00:53:06,560 Speaker 1: Mount Fuji, a symbol of Japan, is menaced by boats 964 00:53:06,600 --> 00:53:09,920 Speaker 1: and overpowering waves, both of which may imply a fear 965 00:53:09,920 --> 00:53:14,520 Speaker 1: of foreign powers encroaching on Japanese shores. Indeed, in eighteen 966 00:53:14,760 --> 00:53:17,720 Speaker 1: fifty three, roughly twenty years after this print was made, 967 00:53:17,920 --> 00:53:21,440 Speaker 1: the American commodore Matthew Perry led a United States Navy 968 00:53:21,480 --> 00:53:25,600 Speaker 1: fleet into the Tokyo Harbor and forcibly open Japan to trade. 969 00:53:26,080 --> 00:53:29,640 Speaker 1: So I think we might interpret this as as is, 970 00:53:29,680 --> 00:53:33,200 Speaker 1: meaning like pollution is the next great wave, or it 971 00:53:33,280 --> 00:53:37,320 Speaker 1: is the current great wave, and it is threatening Japan, 972 00:53:37,920 --> 00:53:40,759 Speaker 1: and and you know, can we stop it? Can we 973 00:53:40,920 --> 00:53:43,080 Speaker 1: rise up against? Like what is our what what is 974 00:53:43,120 --> 00:53:47,279 Speaker 1: our resolve against this threat? And god Zilla himself embodies 975 00:53:47,320 --> 00:53:50,399 Speaker 1: that resolve. Yeah, I believe so. By the way, there 976 00:53:50,440 --> 00:53:53,400 Speaker 1: are multiple versions. You know, this is a very popular 977 00:53:53,440 --> 00:53:57,080 Speaker 1: piece of art, so there's been various reinterpretations and parodies 978 00:53:57,120 --> 00:53:59,520 Speaker 1: of it over time. If you just do a quick 979 00:53:59,800 --> 00:54:02,080 Speaker 1: goal image search for the Great Wave off kind of 980 00:54:02,120 --> 00:54:07,160 Speaker 1: Gawa Godzilla, you will find depictions of Godzilla battling the wave. Literally, 981 00:54:07,640 --> 00:54:11,959 Speaker 1: um depictions of Godzilla as the Wave. It's pretty fun. 982 00:54:13,040 --> 00:54:16,759 Speaker 1: That's good, all right? Well should we wrap it up there? Yeah, 983 00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:19,440 Speaker 1: let's go ahead and close the book on this one. Now. 984 00:54:19,680 --> 00:54:23,200 Speaker 1: If you're wondering, though, where can I watch Godzilla Versus Hetera? Uh? 985 00:54:23,320 --> 00:54:25,759 Speaker 1: If you if you subscribe to HBO Max, you can 986 00:54:25,800 --> 00:54:28,919 Speaker 1: find it in the TCM collection there, which is where 987 00:54:28,920 --> 00:54:32,200 Speaker 1: we watched it in really just glorious quality. But you 988 00:54:32,239 --> 00:54:35,160 Speaker 1: can also pick it up in various other formats including 989 00:54:35,160 --> 00:54:37,840 Speaker 1: Blu ray and if you want to go for something special, uh, 990 00:54:37,960 --> 00:54:40,200 Speaker 1: pick up pick it up as part of the Criterion 991 00:54:40,280 --> 00:54:47,200 Speaker 1: Collection box set Godzilla the Showa era Films through. So yes, 992 00:54:47,600 --> 00:54:51,520 Speaker 1: I think this marks the first weird house cinema film 993 00:54:51,560 --> 00:54:55,200 Speaker 1: that is also in the Criterion Collection. Oh, I'm not 994 00:54:55,320 --> 00:55:00,080 Speaker 1: so sure about that. Didn't there a criterion of Split Second? What? 995 00:55:00,080 --> 00:55:04,600 Speaker 1: What about Robot Shocks? Not yet? Used to believe? I 996 00:55:04,640 --> 00:55:06,440 Speaker 1: think that I could be right. I think this is 997 00:55:06,440 --> 00:55:08,480 Speaker 1: their first Criterion colley because I don't think Mad Love 998 00:55:08,560 --> 00:55:11,840 Speaker 1: is in the Criterion Collection and transfers to Return of 999 00:55:11,920 --> 00:55:15,759 Speaker 1: Jack Death not yet, not yet? All right, Well, I 1000 00:55:15,800 --> 00:55:18,400 Speaker 1: gotta say honestly, this is one of the most enjoyable 1001 00:55:18,400 --> 00:55:22,160 Speaker 1: Godzilla movies I've ever seen. It's it's kind of notorious. Actually, 1002 00:55:22,520 --> 00:55:25,240 Speaker 1: if you look at you know, lists of people ranking 1003 00:55:25,280 --> 00:55:28,000 Speaker 1: the best Godzilla films, it does not usually make the 1004 00:55:28,040 --> 00:55:30,319 Speaker 1: top tier, but I disagree. I would put it right 1005 00:55:30,400 --> 00:55:33,160 Speaker 1: up there with the best. Yeah, it's pleasant to watch, 1006 00:55:33,200 --> 00:55:35,399 Speaker 1: So if you if you're looking for a Godzilla film, 1007 00:55:36,040 --> 00:55:38,960 Speaker 1: give this one your consideration. Alright, so we're wrapping it 1008 00:55:39,080 --> 00:55:41,640 Speaker 1: up here. As always, you can catch Weird House Cinema 1009 00:55:41,680 --> 00:55:45,680 Speaker 1: every Friday, and the Stuff to Blow your Mind podcast feed. 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