Rodan (film)

It grossed an estimated $450,000 to $500,000 during its opening weekend at 79 theaters in the New York City metropolitan area. Several theatrical circuits, including RKO, announced that "Rodan" broke the records for a science-fiction film.fn|3

George Takei, better known as Lt. Hikaru Sulu in the original series, was one of the many voice actors employed for this film. The only other Kaiju film for which he performed voice work was "Godzilla Raids Again."

Classic Media's 2008 DVD release of "Rodan" (paired with "War of the Gargantuas") includes both the original Japanese version (with optional English subtitles) and the English-dubbed King Brothers version.

Changes to the Japanese version :
* Some of Akira Ifukube's music was replaced with stock music.
* A prologue showing footage of American nuclear tests was added.
* Extensive narration was added throughout the film.
* The scene where Professor Kashiwagi analyzes a photo of the yet-unnamed monster's wing was cut short. Kashiwagi matches the wing in the photo to that of a picture of a Pteranodon, which he truncates to "Radon" to name the monster.
*A scene of fighter jets taking off was added.
*The King Brothers changed the name of the city destroyed by Rodan from Fukuoka to Sasebo because the U.S.A. had a lot of diplomatic facilities there.

Cast

*Shigeru Kawamura　(coal mine shaft engineer) - Kenji Sahara
*Kiyo (coal mine shaft office worker) - Yumi Shirakawa
*Dr. Kyuuichirou Kashiwagi - Akihiko Hirata
*Nishimura (Police inspector) - Akio Kobori
*Izeki (Seibu Journalist) - Yoshifumi Tajima
*Oosaki (coal mine executive officer) - Minosuke Yamada
*Ishikawa (Earthquake Research Institute engineer) - Ren Imaizumi
*Earthquake Research Institute engineer - Saburou Kadowaki
*Minami - Fuyuki Murakami
*Journalist - Kouji Uno　
*Suda - Akio Kusama
*Hayama - Fumindo Matsuo
*Military Commander - Hideo Mihara
*Professor Isokawa - Mitsuo Matsumoto
*Minakami - Kiyoshi Takagi
*Gorou (Miner/Kiyo's　older brother) - Rinsaku Ogata
*Yoshizou (miner) - Jirou Suzukawa
*Tsunesan (miner) - Tateo Kawasaki
*Suteyan (miner) - Kanta Kisaragi
*Senkichi (miner) - Ichirou Nakaya
*Tahei (miner) - Keiji Sakakida
*Air Self-Defense Force commander - Hideo Mihara
*Self-Defense Force signaler - Yoshio Katsube
*Takeuchi (Air Self-Defense Force staff officer) - Mitsuo Tsuda
*Chief constable - Ichirou Chiba
*Tashiro (policeman) - Jirou Kumagai
*Nurse - Saeko Kuroiwa
*Female Honeymooner - Yasuko Nakata
*Male Honeymooner - Kiyoharu Oonaka
*Otami (Yoshizou's wife) - Kiyomi Ichinoya
*Radon - Haruo Nakajima,Katsumi Tezuka
*Meganuron - Haruo Nakajima (top), Katsumi Tezuka/Others (body)

Trivia

*Many promotional stills and posters for the film depicted a Rodan that looked radically different from the one in the actual movie. Rather than the appearance of a slightly larger, more upright version of the traditional Pterodactyl, this version bore more of a resemblance to the bird-like Azhdarchidae family.

*The giant insects featured in this film, the Meganula, would later go on to appear in the 2000 film Godzilla vs. Megaguirus.

*This film marks the only time in which Rodan is seen to emit a strange burst of concentrated gas from its mouth as a form of weapon. The inclusion of this seemingly tangential ability was most likely meant to answer the popularity of Godzilla's atomic heat ray.

Footnotes

* "Toho's Science-Fiction Team Completes Another Thriller; Tint Entitled 'The H-Man'" "Far East Film News" May 30, 1958, p.15.
* "Rodan" "Far East Film News" April 4, 1958, p.4.
* "Toho's 'Rodan' Hits Jackpot in New York" "Far East Film News" March 28, 1958, p.15.

External links

* [http://www.godzilla.stopklatka.pl/flyinge.htm "Rodan" multimedia]
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