Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1971)
"Gojira tai Hedorâ" (original title)

From Earth's pollution a new monster is spawned. Hedorah, the smog monster, destroys Japan and fights Godzilla while spewing his poisonous gas to further the damage.

Director:

Yoshimitsu Banno

Writers:

Yoshimitsu Banno, Takeshi Kimura

Stars:

Akira Yamauchi, Toshie Kimura, Hiroyuki Kawase

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Akira Yamauchi	...	Dr. Toru Yano
Toshie Kimura	...	Toshie Yano
Hiroyuki Kawase	...	Ken Yano
Toshio Shiba	...	Yukio Keuchi
Keiko Mari	...	Miki Fujiyama
Yoshio Yoshida	...	Gohei - a fisherman
Haruo Suzuki	...	JSDF Officer
Yoshio Katsube	...	JSDF Engineer
Susumu Okabe	...	Announcer A
Kentaro Watanabe	...	Announcer B
Wataru Ômae	...	Police Officer
Tadashi Okabe	...	Scientist
Shigeo Katô
Takuya Yuki	...	Correspondent
Eisaburo Komatsu	...	Non Commissioned Officer

Storyline

From Earth's pollution a new monster is spawned. Hedrah, the smog monster, destroys Japan and fights Godzilla while spewing his poisonous gas to further the damage.

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Plot Keywords:

monster | japanese | gojira | pollution | godzilla | 

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Taglines:

Our environment is doomed!

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Genres:

Horror | Music | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sci-fi monster violence and brief mild language

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

February 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster

Box Office

Budget:

JPY 90,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the films included in "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (and how they got that way)" by Harry Medved and Randy Lowell.

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Goofs

When the child notices Godzilla from far away on the roller coaster ride, it is clear that "Godzilla" in this case is just a badly drawn blotch of paint, which also appears to be far too dark for its supposed environment.

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Quotes

Dr. Yano: In each creature there's a weakness.
Ken Yano: Hedorah's only sludge... he can be dried.

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Crazy Credits

In AIP's American version of the film, the entire cast is mysteriously uncredited.

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Connections

Followed by Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

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Soundtracks

"Kaese! Taiyô wo"
("Return! The Sun")
Main Title Theme
Music by Riichirô Manabe
Lyrics by Yoshimitsu Banno
Sung by Keiko Mari, the Honey Knights and the Moon Drops

User Reviews

Craziest movie ever!

Something spooky is happening on the Japanese coast; pollution is killing the fish in the ocean, but it also gives life to a monstrous mutated fish-monster. A professor and his genius kid watch it's destructions on TV, and the kid remarks: "- Oh, that was a tadpole-monster." Japan and the entire world is soon threatened by the unearthly Creature, who's named Hedorah by the Professors kid.

At the same time a funky teenage assistant of the professor gets drunk at an absurdly psychadellic disco and has visions of all the party-people being mutated fish. Hedorah inhales polluted smoke from factory- chimneys and seem to get high, the kid is psychic and has visions of Godzilla coming to save the world, and the Professor is attacked by the Hedorah underwater and his face gets malformed. Godzilla and the "Smog Monster" (as it is sometimes referred to as) start fighting only 25 minutes into the movie. The Hedorah mutates from ocean- dweller, to reptile to flying creature, and experts conclude that "He" is probably from a distant Nebula in outer space. Scenes of havoc and the Professor's family is intercut with cartoon- style sequences with strong enviromental messages.

One scene has the Hedorah flying over a group of people working out, and they turn blue-faced and ultimately into gushy skeletons. A man at a construction site screams out (extremely) loud, and then falls to his death. Hedorah has the ability to corrode metal, and people on TV quarrel intensely on the fate of the planet. The Professors assistant knows the end is near, and has a hippie-styled party on top of a mountain; "- Let's have fun as we die!!" The party is interrupted by the space/pollution freak, and most of the kids are melted by its poisonous vomit/droppings when they try to set it on fire.

The Professor's kid has found the solution to defeat the grotesque beast: "- Dry it - it's only sludge!", and with the aid of the friendly Godzilla it finally works. Some scenes, as well as the sounds the Hedorah makes are beyond description; like the scene were it's covering Godzilla with its tons of toxic puke, and at the same time "laughing" diabolically. There are weird crosscutting throughout, the kid yells "Papa" alot and the groovy rock score helps to its remarkably insane mood. The PG- rating should be reconsidered. This one is too dark and demented in so many ways, I don't think a ten year- old should watch it. It's mad nightmarish, art-cinematic style could cause damage.

A TV- reporter calls the Hedorah "a freak organizm" - much like this movie itself.