I can think of no better way to start this blog than with a feature on Mothra. She is one of the most popular movie monsters of all time and arguably the most popular Arthropod to ever appear on film. While most remembered for her fight against Godzilla back in 1964, she actually has a lengthy resume that includes numerous Godzilla movies and even a handful of her own.
Mothra first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura and Yoshie Hotta. Not much is known about this novel other than the fact that it served as the basis of 1961's Mothra. An afternoon of searching the web for this book has led me to believe that no English translation exists and that it is extremely rare. Naturally, I'd be interested in reading the book or at least learning more about it, but I won't get my hopes up as chances seem pretty slim.
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| Original Japanese Movie Poster |
Mothra (1961)
Mothra saw her film debut in 1961 thanks to Toho Studios, the undisputed king of Kaiju (monster) films. The studio was enjoying the success of their Godzilla films and started churning out a steady stream of sequels and other kaiju movies at a pace that would remain strong for decades. Mothra was directed the legendary genre director Ishiro Honda with special effects being handled by Eiji Tsuburaya, both of whom had worked on the original Godzilla film along with many of its sequels.
The film centers around an expedition to Infant Island, a site used for atomic tests that was thought to be uninhabited. The expedition is led by capitalist Clark Nelson, who is joined by a team of scientists. Much to the surprise of the party, Infant Island is inhabited and the population does not appear to be suffering from radiation poisoning. Among the villagers on the island are two impossibly small women measuring just 12 inches tall. These two, referred to as The Shobijin (small beauties) in this film, would later appear alongside Mothra in nearly all of her film appearances.
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| The Shobijin |
The tiny women ask the party to spare their island in future atomic testing. Nelson and his colleagues agree to this and leave the island. Trading his team of scientists for a gang of henchmen, Nelson returns to the island and abducts the tiny duo with the intent of exploiting them for profit in a stage show. Luckily, the Shobijin and the other villagers on Infant Island have an ace up their sleeve: a giant, vengeful moth-god! After a bit of singing/praying, a large brown caterpillar begins to emerge from an egg on Infant Island.
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| Mothra (larva) |
While swimming towards Japan, the Mothra caterpillar destroys many boats and even a few airplanes. Once ashore in Japan, Mothra begins destroying all in its path and proceeds to spin a cocoon in the ruins of Tokyo tower. The military attempts to destroy the cocoon, but instead end up speeding up Mothra's metamorphosis. Mothra emerges from her cocoon as large colorful moth and destroys all surrounding resistance.
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| Mothra (adult) |
While Mothra is one of many monsters created by Toho, she stands apart from the others. Firstly, Mothra was not the antagonist of the film. Until Mothra, all of Toho's other kaiju films were horror movies in which the monsters (such as Godzilla or Rodan) served as the villains. In Mothra, the villain is a human character while Mothra is ultimately shown to be a hero by saving the Shobijin and returning them to Infant Island, while most of Toho's other kaiju are destroyed by human characters. Additionally, Mothra has a bit more of a personality thanks to her tiny interpreters. Their ability to communicate with Mothra allows for some understanding between her and the humans, which is something that Godzilla did not have.
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| Original US movie poster |
Mothra was a success in both Japan and the States where it was praised for its special effects and colorful sets. It wouldn't be long before Mothra made her way back into theaters to challenge the king of monsters himself.
To be continued.
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