Battle in Outer Space
Encyclopedia
Battle in Outer Space, released in Japan as is a tokusatsu
film
produced and released by Toho Studios
in Japan
in 1959, and distributed worldwide (sans Far East Territories) in 1960 by Columbia Pictures
. The screenplay was written by Shinichi Sekizawa
(from a story by Jojiro Okami) and was brought to the screen by Toho's well-known kaiju
eiga specialists, Ishirō Honda
, Eiji Tsuburaya
, Tomoyuki Tanaka
, and composer Akira Ifukube
.
Battle in Outer Space is a loose sequel to The Mysterians
(1957), jumping ahead several years to 1965, when Etsuko Shiraishi and Dr. Adachi, among others, are now heavily involved in the United Nations Space Research Center in Tokyo. Rather than have the Mysterians
return to Earth for this sequel, a new, more sinister race was created: The Natal, diminutive and aggressive beings who wield powerful anti-gravity
weapons and mind-control devices.
and opened in New York City on July 8, 1960 (premiering in San Francisco on August 23, 1960), and was packaged at the top of a double-feature with David Bradley
's low-budget space opera, 12 to the Moon and in other markets with The Electronic Monster.
New York Times
film critic Howard Thompson gave Battle in Outer Space a mixed, but generally positive review, stating, "The plot is absurd and is performed in dead earnest... some of the artwork is downright nifty, especially in the middle portion, when an earth rocket soars to the moon to destroy the palpitating missile base... the Japanese have opened a most amusing and beguiling bag of technical tricks, as death-dealing saucers whiz through the stratosphere... and the lunar landscape is just as pretty as it can be."
Boxoffice magazine rated the film much more highly, hailing it a "science-fiction adventure drama on a grand scale... and spectacular special effects... can be exploited to attract the youngsters and mature action fans in huge numbers. Like similar Japanese-made thrillers, 'Rodan', 'H-Man' and 'The Mysterians' (all produced by Toho), this can pay off boxoffice-wise if exhibitors stress the amazingly realistic trick photography of flying saucers, moon exploration and a full-scale attack on U.S. cities which results in skyscrapers being destroyed, etc..." and makes note of the film's "explosive action, of which there is plenty, particularly in the climatic battle..." Boxoffice also cited Shinichi Sekizawa's "imaginative screenplay."
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
produced and released by Toho Studios
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1959, and distributed worldwide (sans Far East Territories) in 1960 by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. The screenplay was written by Shinichi Sekizawa
Shinichi Sekizawa
was a Japanese screenwriter. His very first screenplay was for the Shintoho Studios film Fearful Attack of the Flying Saucers, which is now considered to be lost. He went on to script several films by Ishirō Honda, including several classic Godzilla films...
(from a story by Jojiro Okami) and was brought to the screen by Toho's well-known kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
eiga specialists, Ishirō Honda
Ishiro Honda
Ishirō Honda , sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", was a Japanese film director...
, Eiji Tsuburaya
Eiji Tsuburaya
was the Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla series...
, Tomoyuki Tanaka
Tomoyuki Tanaka
----Tomoyuki Tanaka was a Japanese film producer, most famous for creating the Godzilla series. He was born in Kashiwara, Osaka, Japan on April 26, 1910, and died in Tokyo on April 2, 1997. He died of a stroke at the age of 86....
, and composer Akira Ifukube
Akira Ifukube
was a Japanese composer of classical music and film scores, perhaps best known for his work on the soundtracks of the Godzilla movies by Toho.-Biography:...
.
Battle in Outer Space is a loose sequel to The Mysterians
The Mysterians
The Mysterians, released in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1957. It was directed by the "Golden Duo" of Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya . It is notable for being the first tokusatsu filmed in TohoScope and the first Toho film to use...
(1957), jumping ahead several years to 1965, when Etsuko Shiraishi and Dr. Adachi, among others, are now heavily involved in the United Nations Space Research Center in Tokyo. Rather than have the Mysterians
The Mysterians
The Mysterians, released in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1957. It was directed by the "Golden Duo" of Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya . It is notable for being the first tokusatsu filmed in TohoScope and the first Toho film to use...
return to Earth for this sequel, a new, more sinister race was created: The Natal, diminutive and aggressive beings who wield powerful anti-gravity
Anti-gravity
Anti-gravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to balancing the force of gravity with some other force, such as electromagnetism or aerodynamic lift...
weapons and mind-control devices.
Plot
After a series of mysterious and devastating incidents in Japan, Italy and Panama, the U.N. Space Research Center determines that a race of aggressive extraterrestrials, known as the Natal, are operating from an outpost on the Moon, and their aim to seize control of the Earth and enslave Mankind. The U.N. counterattacks the invaders by taking the battle to them, which severely damages the Natal's lunar stronghold. Back on Earth, the world prepares for a final conflict to decide the fate of the human race. New York, San Francisco and Tokyo are all razed in the conflagration. But, through sheer determination and the will to survive, the Natal are eventually defeated.U.S. release
Battle in Outer Space was released in America by Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
and opened in New York City on July 8, 1960 (premiering in San Francisco on August 23, 1960), and was packaged at the top of a double-feature with David Bradley
David Bradley (director)
David Shedd Bradley was an American motion picture director, actor, film collector, and university instructor....
's low-budget space opera, 12 to the Moon and in other markets with The Electronic Monster.
New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
film critic Howard Thompson gave Battle in Outer Space a mixed, but generally positive review, stating, "The plot is absurd and is performed in dead earnest... some of the artwork is downright nifty, especially in the middle portion, when an earth rocket soars to the moon to destroy the palpitating missile base... the Japanese have opened a most amusing and beguiling bag of technical tricks, as death-dealing saucers whiz through the stratosphere... and the lunar landscape is just as pretty as it can be."
Boxoffice magazine rated the film much more highly, hailing it a "science-fiction adventure drama on a grand scale... and spectacular special effects... can be exploited to attract the youngsters and mature action fans in huge numbers. Like similar Japanese-made thrillers, 'Rodan', 'H-Man' and 'The Mysterians' (all produced by Toho), this can pay off boxoffice-wise if exhibitors stress the amazingly realistic trick photography of flying saucers, moon exploration and a full-scale attack on U.S. cities which results in skyscrapers being destroyed, etc..." and makes note of the film's "explosive action, of which there is plenty, particularly in the climatic battle..." Boxoffice also cited Shinichi Sekizawa's "imaginative screenplay."
Cast
- Dr. Ichiro Katsumiya - Ryo IkebeRyō Ikebewas a Japanese actor. He graduated from Rikkyō University and originally wanted to be a screenwriter, but ended up debuting as an actor at Tōhō in 1941. He did not achieve popularity until starring in a series of youth films in the late 1940s...
- Etsuko Shiraishi - Kyoko Anzai
- Yuichi Iwamura - Yoshio TsuchiyaYoshio Tsuchiyais a Japanese actor who has appeared in such films as Toshio Matsumoto's surreal masterpiece "Bara No Soretsu" and Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Red Beard, and Kihachi Okamoto's Kill!. He has a long-standing interest in UFOs and had written several books on the subject...
- Commander of the Self-Defense Forces - Minoru Takada
- Kogure (Engineer), SPIP-1 Crew - Hisaya Ito
- Dr. Kenjiro Adachi - Koreya Senda
- Dr. Roger Richardson - Leonard Stanford
- Dr. Immelmann - Harold S. Conway
- Dr. Ahmed - George Wyman
- Silvia - Elise Richter
- Okada, SPIP-1 Crew - Nadao Kirino
- Captain of Space Fighter Squadron - Kozo Nomura
- Inspector Ariake, Secret Service - Fuyuki Murakami
- Railroad Track Inspector - Ikio Sawamura
- Lieutenant General - Jiro Kumagai
- Maritime Self Defense Forces General - Katsumi TezukaKatsumi Tezukais a Japanese actor. He is best known for playing monsters in several Toho science fiction and horror films directed by Ishirō Honda.-Films:* 1954 - Godzilla * 1955 - Godzilla Raids Again * 1956 - Rodan...
- Air Self Defense Forces General - Mitsuo Tsuda
- Adjutant - Tadashi Okabe
- Lieutenant Pearce, SPIP-1 Crew - Malcolm Pearce
- Araki, SPIP-1 Crew - Yasuo Araki
- Welch, SPIP-1 Crew - Leonard Welch
- Sato, SPIP-2 Crew - Koichi Sato
- SPIP-2 Crew - Rinsaku Ogata
- SPIP-2 Crew - Osman Yusef
- SPIP-2 Crew - Heinz Bodmer
- SPIP-2 Crew - Yutaka Oka
- JSS-3 Communications Officer - Kisao Hatamochi
- JSS-3 Crewmember - Yukihiko Gondo
- JSS-3 Crewmember - Yoshiyuki Uemura
- U.S. Army General - Ed Keane
- Mrs. Richardson - Dona Carlson
- Science Center Engineer - Shiniro Hirota
- Tokaido Express Train Engineer - Yasuhisa Tsutsumi
- Tokaido Express Train Pilot Engineer - Shigeo Kato
Production credits
- Executive Producer - Tomoyuki TanakaTomoyuki Tanaka----Tomoyuki Tanaka was a Japanese film producer, most famous for creating the Godzilla series. He was born in Kashiwara, Osaka, Japan on April 26, 1910, and died in Tokyo on April 2, 1997. He died of a stroke at the age of 86....
- Screenplay - Shinichi SekizawaShinichi Sekizawawas a Japanese screenwriter. His very first screenplay was for the Shintoho Studios film Fearful Attack of the Flying Saucers, which is now considered to be lost. He went on to script several films by Ishirō Honda, including several classic Godzilla films...
- Original Story - Jojiro Okami
- Director - Ishirō HondaIshiro HondaIshirō Honda , sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", was a Japanese film director...
- Visual Effects Director - Eiji TsuburayaEiji Tsuburayawas the Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla series...
- Cinematography - Hajime Koizumi
- Production Designer - Teruaki Abe
- Conceptual Designer - Shigeru Komatsuzaki (uncredited)
- Lighting - Rokuro Ishikawa
- Sound Recordist - Choshiro Mikami and Masanobu Miyazaki
- Music - Akira IfukubeAkira Ifukubewas a Japanese composer of classical music and film scores, perhaps best known for his work on the soundtracks of the Godzilla movies by Toho.-Biography:...
- Assistant Director - Koji Kajita
- Film Editor - Kazuji Taira
- Film Development - Far East Laboratories
- Production Manager - Yasuaki Sakamoto
- Still Photographer - Issei Tanaka
- Optical Photography - Hidesaburo Araki
- Visual Effects Photography - Sadamasa Arikawa
- Visual Effects Production Design - Akira WatanabeAkira WatanabeAkira Watanabe may refer to:*Akira Watanabe , 1978 motocross world champion*Akira Watanabe , Scout Association of Japan National President from 1974 to 2003...
- Visual Effects Lighting - Kuichiro Kishida
- Composites - Hiroshi Mukoyama
DVD release
Columbia TriStar (Sony)- Released: August 18, 2009
- Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic (2.35:1) Widescreen
- Special features: Audio commentary by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
- Sound: Japanese, English
- Region 1
- Note: Contains both original Japanese and English versions of the film; Only available as a triple feature with The H-ManThe H-ManThe H-Man, known in Japan as , is a tokusatsu film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1958. The film was made by Toho's legendary Godzilla directing/special effects/producing team of Ishirō Honda, Eiji Tsuburaya, and Tomoyuki Tanaka, and is considered part of Toho's "mutant trilogy," along...
and MothraMothra (film)is a 1961 Kaiju film from Toho Studios, directed by genre regular Ishirō Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the kaiju eiga debut of screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa, whose approach to the genre grew to prominence during the 1960s...
.