Uchu Daikaiju Dogora
Encyclopedia
Dogora or Dagora, the Space Monster, released in Japan as , is a tokusatsu
science fiction
film
produced and released by Toho Studios
in 1964. It was directed by the "Golden Duo" of director Ishirō Honda
and special-effects director Eiji Tsuburaya
.
The film is unusual for Toho's giant monster series in that the creature is non-anthropomorphic and not presented via suitmation.
, American International Television
bought the rights to Toho's international dub in 1965 for television syndication. Since the film wouldn't play in US theaters, AIP-TV left Toho's English dub intact and added a new Dagora, the Space Monster title card. Allegedly, the name of the monster was changed to "Dagora" so that audiences wouldn't think the monster was a dog. Beyond the removal of the opening credits, the film was unedited. This version played for many years on late night TV and was released on home video by Video Yesteryear
in 1983. The Media Blasters DVD uses the same dubbing featured in the AIP-TV version, but the edits are not retained.
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 ....
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
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 1964. It was directed by the "Golden Duo" of director Ishirō Honda
Ishiro Honda
Ishirō Honda , sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", was a Japanese film director...
and special-effects director Eiji Tsuburaya
Eiji Tsuburaya
was the Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla series...
.
Plot
Several satellites are destroyed and only a few days later, a group of diamond thieves find that the gems they stole suddenly disappear. The two incidents are linked as scientists discover giant jellyfish-like creatures, mutated from the high levels of radiation over Japan, are consuming all carbon based matter. The creatures start to attack civilian structures such as bridges and ships. The scientists must find a way to stop the creatures before it is too late.The film is unusual for Toho's giant monster series in that the creature is non-anthropomorphic and not presented via suitmation.
Cast
- Komai - Yosuke Natsuki
- Mark Jackson - Dan Yuma (Robert DunhamRobert DunhamRobert Dunham was an American actor, entrepreneur, writer, racecar driver, and a US Marine. He is probably best known for his role as Antonio, Emperor of Seatopia in Godzilla vs. Megalon ; Dunham's biggest role would be that of Mark Jackson in the Japanese film, Dogora and Captain Martin in The...
) - Dr. Munakata - Nobuo NakamuraNobuo Nakamurawas a Japanese actor, who made notable appearances in the films of Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu in the 1950s and 1960s. Perhaps his most famous roles were those of the callous deputy mayor in Kurosawa's Ikiru , and the hairdresser's henpecked husband in Ozu's Tokyo Story .Nakamura is famous for...
- Kirino - Hiroshi KoizumiHiroshi Koizumiis a Japanese actor. He was born in Japan. In a 1999 interview with Steve Ryfle, Koizumi laments that while he stated he has easy parts to play, he felt he could have done more in his performances...
- Masayo Kirino - Yoko Fujiyama
- Hamako - Akiko WakabayashiAkiko Wakabayashiis a Japanese actress, best known in English-speaking countries for her role as Bond girl, Aki in the 1967 James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. Before this, she had made many movies in her native Japan, especially Toho Studio's monster movies such as Dagora, the Space Monster and Ghidorah, the...
- Iwasa - Susumu FujitaSusumu Fujitawas a Japanese film and television actor. He played the lead role in Akira Kurosawa's first feature, Sanshiro Sugata, and appeared other Kurosawa film including The Men Who Tread On the Tiger's Tail and The Hidden Fortress . Later, he was a supporting actor in Ishirō Honda's Mothra vs...
- Boss - Seizaburou Kawazu
- Tada - Yoshifumi TajimaYoshifumi TajimaYoshifumi Tajima was an actor in Japanese Kaijū films, best known for his role as Kumayama in Mothra vs. Godzilla. He was born in Kobe, Japan.- Filmography :...
- Maki - Eisei Amamoto
- Sabu - Haruya Katou
- Chief - Jun Tazaki
- Nitta - Jun Funado
- Diamond robber - Nadao Kirino
- Diamond robber - Akira Wakamatsu
- Journalist - Hideo Shibuya
- Truck driver - Haruya Sakamoto
- Truck assistant - Yasuo Araki
- Chief - Yutaka Oka
- Driver - Tyoutarou Tougin
- Dr. Munakata's assistant - Kouji Iwamoto
English Version
As with its release of Attack of the Mushroom PeopleMatango
, also known as Matango, Fungus of Terror and Attack of the Mushroom People, is a 1963 Japanese tokusatsu movie. It was directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Takeshi Kimura based on the story "The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson , and had special...
, American International Television
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
bought the rights to Toho's international dub in 1965 for television syndication. Since the film wouldn't play in US theaters, AIP-TV left Toho's English dub intact and added a new Dagora, the Space Monster title card. Allegedly, the name of the monster was changed to "Dagora" so that audiences wouldn't think the monster was a dog. Beyond the removal of the opening credits, the film was unedited. This version played for many years on late night TV and was released on home video by Video Yesteryear
Video Yesteryear
Video Yesteryear of Sandy Hook, Connecticut was the largest catalog retailer of public domain films on VHS, Betamax, and 8mm film beginning in 1977. Originally known as Radiola from 1967, the company distributed old radio shows on LP records and audio cassettes....
in 1983. The Media Blasters DVD uses the same dubbing featured in the AIP-TV version, but the edits are not retained.
Credits
- Teruyoshi NakanoTeruyoshi Nakano, is a Japanese special effects director, most notable for his contributions to the Godzilla film series and other tokusatsu movies. Nakano was a special guest at G-Fest XI, where he was the recipient of the Mangled Skyscraper Award....
- Director of Optical Effects - Sadamasa Arikawa- Special Effects Cinematographer
- Takeo Kita- Special Effects Set Director
- Ken Sano- Assistant to the Director