Sunday, November 16, 2008

RODAN! The Flying Monster / Toho Japan - 1956 / Music by Akira Ifukube

WE'RE OFFICALLY BACK!!

So, then, why not start Rodan's Sunday Classics with... Ta Da... That's right!.. RODAN!! Original Japanese title is Sora no daikaijû Radon.

This movie aired regularly on local TV back in the late '50s and early '60s along with other Toho favorites GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS and GIGANTIS, THE FIRE MONSTER. The man behind the music tonight is the Godfather of Asian monster music. Case closed!

Mr. Ifukube, who died in 2006, has 268 composing credits starting in 1947 and ending in 1995! Now, that is productive!! So, here's our offering - RODAN! THE FLYING MONSTER...

SOUNDCLIP NOT AVAILABLE

The story starts in a some flooded mine in Japan, where giant prehistoric man-eating insects and other varmints are found alive, after the miners burrowed into an unknown cavern. People are discovered slaughtered, cut in half!! They also watch as a giant egg hatches a baby Rodan!

The Japanese Air Force eventually has to deal with a giant supersonic bird creature that has appeared mysteriously in the skies overhead! Wow, look at that maneuverability!! Oh, and, nice Sabre Jet model.

Rodan is pretty oblivious to anything humans can throw at it. Finally, another Rodan appears, a female, and their plans become clear... More baby Rodans!!!

The battles rage on and it looks like the humans are basically, you know, doomed!!

Leave it up to nature to do away with the creatures that are stuck in a world they don't belong! And, look at this, the Japanese people, after 2 atomic bombs, attacked by Godzilla, Gigantis, Rodan and others... They still have sympathy for the monsters because they have a pretty good understanding of what a tragedy really is!

One last note ~ we need to give Eegah!! another gold star for making sure that the train is back on the track!!

2 comments:

Prof. Grewbeard said...

did you know Rodan's Japanese name is...Radon? RIGHT ON!!! get it?...

Paul said...

Nice review, and Akira Ifukube did a nice job on this one for the soundtrack.

About the name of the monster, he was originally called Radon, probably as play on the actual flying reptile Pteranodon. Rodan/Radon later appeared in some Godzilla movies, but didn't look as good as in his/her original flick.

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