Space Amoeba
Space Amoeba | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ishirō Honda |
Screenplay by | Ei Ogawa[1] |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Narrated by | Ichiro Murakoshi |
Cinematography | Taiichi Kankura[1] |
Edited by | Masahisa Himi[1] |
Music by | Akira Ifukube[1] |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Toho |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes[2] |
Country | Japan |
Language | Japanese |
Space Amoeba (ゲゾラ・ガニメ・カメーバ 決戦! 南海の大怪獣, Gezora, Ganime, Kamēba: Kessen! Nankai no Daikaijū, lit. 'Gezora, Ganimes, and Kamoebas: Decisive Battle! Giant Monsters of the South Seas') is a 1970 Japanese
Space Amoeba tells the story of
Plot
The Helios 7 space probe is sent on a mission to study the planet Jupiter. While on its outward journey to the gas giant, the probe is overtaken by the Space Amoeba, an amorphous parasitic extraterrestrial. The probe returns to Earth and crashes into the South Pacific, where the Amoeba leaves the device and inhabits the body of a cuttlefish, causing it to mutate into what is called "Gezora". The tentacled kaiju begins attacking ships and islands in the area.
A photographer named Kudo and his entourage land on Selgio Island for a
Later, the Space Amoeba possesses a stone crab, mutating it into "Ganimes" and attacks the surrounding islands. Luckily the humans manage to lure Ganimes into a pit and destroy it with explosives. The Amoeba survives a second time and flees into the surrounding jungles, plotting its revenge.
The Space Amoeba decides to control two Earth creatures this time: another Ganimes and a mata mata named "Kamoebas". The two monsters raid the human camp. Luckily Kudo realizes the two monsters' weakness: supersonic waves. By releasing a storm of bats, the Amoeba loses control of its creations. Ganimes and Kamoebas, no longer under control, go berserk and begin to battle one another. The humans, using more explosives, cause the volcano to erupt, engulfing the Space Amoeba and the two monsters.
Cast
- Akira Kubo as Taro Kudo[2]
- Atsuko Takahashi as Ayako Hoshino
- Yukiko Kobayashi as Saki
- Kenji Sahara as Makoto Obata
- Yoshio Tsuchiya as Dr. Kyouichi Miya
- Yu Fujikias the promotion division manager
- Noritake Saito as Rico
- Yuko Sugihara as Stewardess
- Sachio Sakai as the magazine editor
- Chotaro Togin as Engineer Yokoyama
- Wataru Omae as Sakura
- Haruo Nakajima as Gezora / Ganimes
- Haruyoshi Nakamura as Kamoebas
- Ichiro Murakoshias Space Amoeba
- Tetsu Nakamura as supplicator Ombo
Production
Writing
Ei Ogawa wrote the original script for this film in 1966 as a proposed joint production between Toho and UPA, under the title Great Monster Assault (怪獣大襲撃, Kaiju Daishūgeki). This script was considerably more ambitious than the finished product, featuring alien monsters invading the Earth and submerging entire continents. Production on the film did not begin until three years later in 1969, when the project first appeared on Toho's production lineup, still under its original title. Ogawa's script was heavily altered, removing the global scope of the original story and moving the setting entirely to the fictional South Seas island of Sergio Island. Producer Fumio Tanaka later said he believed the film went through three drafts, and stated that the original draft featured the alien invaders being attacked with nuclear weapons. Despite his failing health, Toho's longtime special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya expressed his desire to be involved with the production and as such was to be credited as the film's special effects supervisor, while his former pupil Sadamasa Arikawa acted as the director of special effects. However, Tsuburaya died just two days after the start of filming on January 25, 1970, and is only credited in early promotional materials for the film. Toho rejected a proposal by some staff members to dedicate the film to Eiji Tsuburaya. Arikawa was especially angered, refusing to talk about the film later in his life.
Filming
The film's script was finalized in January, and shooting began that same month. Assistant director
Space Amoeba was the last science-fiction film made under Toho's studio system. Facing declining profits, Toho took several steps to reduce the power of labor unions: establishing a subsidiary called Toho Eizo to specialize in tokusatsu films, releasing most of its actors from their contracts, and dissolving Tsuburaya's special effects department. It would also be Honda's last film under contract with Toho, although he returned in 1975 to direct Terror of Mechagodzilla.
Release
Space Amoeba was released in Japan on 1 August 1970 where it was distributed by Toho.[2] The film was released theatrically in the United States as Yog: Monster From Space in 1971.[2] The film was distributed by American International Pictures with an English-language dub and had a running time of 81 minutes.[2]
The film was released to home video in 2006 as Space Amoeba in its Japanese language with English subtitles.[2]
See also
References
Footnotes
Sources
- Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. ISBN 978-1461673743.
External links
- Space Amoeba at IMDb
- Space Amoeba at tohokingdom.com