| Rodan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Credits | |
| Title: | Rodan |
| Genres: | Sci-fi Horror |
| Directed by: | Ishirô Honda |
| Written by: | Takeshi Kimura Ken Kuronuma Takeo Murata David Duncan [1] |
| Produced by: | Tomoyuki Tanaka Frank King [1] Maurice King [1] |
| Music by: | Akira Ifukube |
| Cinematography: | Isamu Ashida |
| Edited by: | Kôichi Iwashita Robert S. Eisen [1] |
| Production | |
| Distributed by: | Toho Company, Ltd. |
| Released: | December 26th, 1956 |
| Rating: | Unrated |
| Running time: | 74 min. |
| Country: | Japan |
| Language: | Japanese |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | — |
| Next: | — |
Rodan, also known in the United States as Rodan! The Flying Monster!, is a Japanese feature film of the science fiction genre. It is classified as a Tokusatsu of the daikaiju ("giant monster") subgenre. It was directed by Ishirô Honda with a script written by Takeshi Kimura and Takeo Murata based on a story treatment by Ken Kuronuma. In the U.S. version of the film, dialogue sequences were re-written by David Duncan. The movie was produced by Toho Co., Ltd. and premiered in Japan on December 26th, 1956. It was released in the United States on August 6th, 1957. The film introduces the giant flying monster Rodan, who will go on to become a recurring staple in the Godzilla film series by Toho.
Plot[]
Cast[]
Main cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Kenji Sahara | Shigeru Kawamura |
| Yumi Shirakawa | Kiyo, Shigeru's lover |
| Akihiko Hirata | Professor Kyuichiro Kashiwagi |
| Akio Kobori | Police Chief Nishimura |
| Yasuko Nakada | Female honeymooner |
| Minosuke Yamada | Colliery chief Osaki |
| Yoshifumi Tajima | Izeki, reporter of Seibu Nippou |
| Kiyoharu Onaka | Male honeymooner |
Supporting cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ichiro Chiba | Chief of police station |
| Mike Daneen | American soldier typing |
| Tsurue Ichimanji | Haru, Kiyo's neighbor |
| Saburô Iketani | News reader |
| Saburô Kadowaki | Sunagawa's colleague |
| Tateo Kawasaki | Tsuesan, miner |
| Kanta Kisaragi | Suteyan, miner |
| Takuzo Kumagai | Police Tashiro |
| Saeko Kuroiwa | Nurse |
| Tsuruko Mano | Osumi, Kiyo's neighbor |
| Mitsuo Matsumoto | Professor Isokawa |
| Hideo Mihara | Commander of JASDF |
| Jun'ichiro Mukai | Military officer |
| Toshiko Nakano | Kiyo's neighbor |
| Rinsaku Ogata | Goro, Kiyo's older brother |
| Keiji Sakakida | Tahei, miner |
| Yasuhiro Shiegenobu | Sabu, miner |
| Junnosuke Suda | Coroner |
| Shigemi Sunagawa | F-86F pilot |
| Jirô Suzukawa | Yoshizo, miner |
| Masaaki Tachibana | Policeman |
| Bontarô Taira | Laborer |
| Kiyoshi Takagi | Doctor Minakami |
| Kamayuki Tsubono | Policeman of the crime laboratory |
| Mitsuo Tsuda | Staff officer Takeuchi |
| Akira Yamada | Radio operator on jeep |
Uncredited cast[]
Note: The following is taken from the full credits list for this entry on IMDB. As it is a website with user-submitted information, some of the data listed here, including character names may be inaccurate.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Hideo Unagami | Unknown |
| Paul Frees | Police Chief Nishimura (voice) |
| Art Gilmore | Narrator |
| Shôichi Hirose | F-86F pilot |
| Ren Imaizumi | Engineer Sunagawa |
| Keiichirô Katsumoto | Employee of the coal mine |
| Keye Luke | Shigeru (voice) |
| Fuyuki Murakami | Professor Minami |
| Haruo Nakajima | Radon |
| Ichirô Nakatani | Senkichi |
| Yutaka Oka | Kitahara, F-86F pilot |
| Tadashi Okabe | Journalist |
| George Takei | Professor Kashiwagi (voice) |
| Katsumi Tezuka | Hotel manager |
| Yasuhisa Tsutsumi | Imamura, F-86F pilot |
| Kôji Uno | Reporter |
| James Yagi | Voice |
| Ren Yamamoto | Soldier in jeep |
Appearances[]
Characters
Locations
Items
Organizations
Miscellaneous
Notes[]
- The original Japanese title for the film is Sora no daikaijû Radon. It is also called 空の大怪獣 ラドン, which translates as Radon, Giant Monster of the Sky.
- In U.S. releases of the film, the title is Rodan! The Flying Monster!.
- Rodan is the first and, to date, only film in it's respective solo series.
- Rodan is the first movie in the Godzilla film series that was shot in color.
- In the United States, Rodan grossed $500,000 at the box office over its opening weekend on August 6th-August 9th, 1957. [2]
Fun Facts[]
- The man behind the wings and pointy head is actor Haruo Nakajima. Haruo is also known for wearing the Godzilla costume in most of the Shōwa period Godzilla films of this era.
Recommendations[]
Giant monster films
Godzilla films
Other Kaiju
See also[]
External Links[]
Gallery[]
References[]
Keywords[]
1950s; Giant animal; Giant monster; Insects; Japan; Kitamatsu; Kumamoto Prefecture; Kyushu; Miner; Mount Aso; Nagasaki; Nagasaki Prefecture; Rodan