At long last! Sony will release its box set Icons of Sci-Fi: Toho Collection on August 18, 2009, containing the following three films:
Battle in Outer Space
Mothra
The H Man.
Includes both the original Japanese-language Toho films, as well as the original dubbed and edited US versions from Columbia. Commentary, trailers, anamorphic, etc.
Titles not available separately. SRP is $24.99.
Great news for fans of Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya!
Hey hobnob. Where have you been hiding yourself! Now this is excellent news!
And of course, the key for me was the original dubbed and edited U.S. versions all in tacked (and with commentaries to boot!). To hell with international or brand new dubs!
BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE was and still is one of the most visually striking of all of Toho's f/x movies. Yeah, there is a story in there somewhere, but it is the look of it all (specifically the moon scenes) and Tsuburaya’s effects that are the real star of this movie.
Hey, great to see you again, too, Big G! And you're the first person to respond to any of my (basically identical) posts, on this site or those for Mothra and The H Man, about this news.
In fact, just moments ago I received an email from Amazon confirming the estimated delivery date in late August or early September.
We had this big discussion over on Mothra about the dubbed versions to be used. There weren't any international dubs done back then (apparently not till 1965), but there was the threat of "new" dubs with probably tacky American voices instead of the Japanese-accented actors used in the originals. The information I read was that they would use the original Columbia releases, including, as I wrote, the cuts and "accented" dubs. But of course I can't guarantee that these will in fact be used, as reported. Looks promising, but we'll have to wait till late August to be sure. However, I share your dub preferences!
I do like the Japanese versions better. They do make much more sense, The H Man especially.
Everything okay with you, old friend?
Hi hobnob. Yes everything OK with me. Thanks!
Out of curiosity, I just now went to the MOTHRA boards and saw that whole discussion regarding the DVD release and the dubs. The thought that MOTHRA was going to contain a new dub like they did with THE MYSTERIANS - too frightening! I really don't think it will come to that with these Toho / Columbia releases.
Looking forward to the Japanese versions as well, and with BATTLE, finally we will get to see it in glorious widescreen! (Heck, I just may now go out and buy a huge flat screen! ). The commentaries are a nice feature, though not necessarily the most important things to have.
No, my understanding is that this release will be more like the Classic Media releases of Gojira/Godzilla and the rest, with the original Japanese versions plus the original American dubbed releases. But I guess we won't be sure until they arrive...I hope we're not in for a disappointment!
As you know, I already have all three films in their original Toho releases, and seeing them in widescreen (besides the other advantages) is definitely a must. Uchu daisenso -- "The Great Space War" -- is certainly better when seen as it was released in Japan in 1959 (plus subtitles, of course). I think, though I may be mistaken, that alone of these three films it was not cut for American release, or if so, not significantly. Mothra/Mosura was cut by about 10 minutes, and The H Man/Bijo to ekitainingen by about 9. Cutting didn't have too much effect on the former film, but H, which was not only cut but partially rearranged for the American release, and given a "monster" title in place of the more "love-oriented" Japanese title ("Beauty and the Liquid Man"), makes much more sense in its original form than the hacked-up US version. But this is one reason I want the original dubs -- they have a certain cinematic history, while having bland dubs of the exact same film seems utterly pointless -- and boring! -- to me. (Not to mention stupid, if as would be probable they'd do the dubbing using standard American voices, which in these circumstances sound ludicrous.)
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I have the Japanese MOSURA and it was interesting to see the cut 10 minutes. You have now wetted my appetite for Japanese version of THE H-MAN and it will be nice to hear Akihiko Hirata in his own voice, instead of that Paul Frees (not that Frees did a bad job though ).
But Yumi Shirakawa was really singing in English -- well, she wasn't singing, just mouthing the words to an actual sung-in-English song, in the Japanese original of The H Man, as seen in the US version. Two songs, in fact.
You can hear the real Akihiko Hirata in Sora no daikaiju Radon (Rodan) as well as in Gojira (Godzilla, King of the Monsters).
Once you catch the timbre of Paul Frees's voice, it's astounding how many voices you can pick out that he's doing in so many movies -- including such disparate films as Gigi, In Cold Blood, The Time Machine, Operation Petticoat, hundreds of them. And of course you can see him in a number of films, mostly from the 50s, such as The Thing From Another World, The Big Sky, The War of the Worlds, Suddenly and many others. I always thought he looked like Richard Nixon as they both appeared in the early 50s.
But Yumi Shirakawa was really singing in English -- well, she wasn't singing, just mouthing the words to an actual sung-in-English song, in the Japanese original of The H Man, as seen in the US version. Two songs, in fact.
That I did not know! Of course, if you've ever seen Kurosawa's HIGH AND LOW, you can hear that very song in the background when the police are trailing the bad guy.
Frees looking like Nixon. Hah! Never saw that one! Who knows, maybe Paul could have done a Nixon imitation. I can just hear "You don't have Nixon to kick around anymore" but with a Frees sound!
I'll have to watch High and Low again -- I didn't catch that song in that film, but then when I last saw it it had been years since I'd seen The H Man and wouldn't have remembered it anyway. I suppose they used it for the same reason the studios always used to use the same songs in the backgrounds of their own films -- Toho owned the rights and had to find other films to use it in. On the surface, The H Man would certainly seem to be the last film to utilize a romantic pop song. Actually, I thought both songs were rather good, kind of haunting. Not to mention the strippers in the movie -- also quite an unexpected touch for a Japanese sci-fi film from the late 50s!
Paul Frees could do so many other voices, I wonder whether he could do a Nixon imitation? In later years his facial resemblance to Tricky D. faded, but if you see any of these films in which he appeared in the early 50s, see if he doesn't remind you a little bit of RN -- not dead ringers, but there is a resemblance.
Hey, I’ve done a Nixon imitation myself, albeit rather badly! (Just hold up both arms, do the peace sign and state “I’m not a crook”! )
In the shameful plug department, Criterion just released a new version of HIGH AND LOW. While they sometimes change the wording on some of the old subtitles (which I sometimes do not like), the print looks better than ever.
In regards to the these Toho / Columbia releases, I wonder if MOTHRA will have the Columbia logo at the beginning just like BATTLE and THE H-MAN. The old VHS I have skips right to the title!
No, that wasn't a peace sign, as far as Nixon was concerned -- that was the older V-for-Victory sign. Plus you have to make sure your suit jacket shoulders bunch up a lot when you raise your arms.
I haven't seen the new, improved Criterion H&L yet. I agree, I find some of their new subtitles not as good as the earlier version (I'm thinking here of Seven Samurai). I wonder why they didn't title the film in English under its literal translation, Heaven and Hell. That's a better title, I think, although I suppose the "high and low" referred to could imply the kind of search they're conducting for the kid -- looking for him "high and low".
My VHS of Mothra has the Columbia logo...as far as I remember! Assuming these really do turn out to be the old Columbia releases (as we currently understand, but that could prove mistaken), I should think they would have the Columbia logos. Although...back in early VHS days, many Columbia films were released with the "modern" (1980s) Columbia logo spliced in in place of the original logo used on the particular film. I remember that afflicted such films as The Bridge on the River Kwai and It Came From Beneath the Sea. On their tape of The Guns of Navarone, they substituted a "Columbia Home Video logo" for the original one. That tape was awful -- it was time compressed from 157 to 145 minutes and looked it, and while of course nothing was letterboxed back then, instead of at least pan-and-scanning, they just stuck the recording camera in the middle of the frame, losing anything going on outside that narrow aspect, which meant missing quite a lot. Morons. Things are much better on that score these days.
I really want these "original US dubs" along with the actual Japanese originals...which means with the Columbia logos, the same dubbing, and the same edited versions. But so far every Columbia release includes its original logo, so I assume these will too, if indeed they're the originals. After all, they're being released by Columbia's owners, Sony.
Well, I went back to check on my MOTHRA VHS (from Goodtimes Home Video), and indeed the Columbia logo is missing! It will be interesting to see how it turns out (and hopefully, they won’t insert a modern day Columbia / Sony logo, like the ones you mentioned).
No, that wasn't a peace sign, as far as Nixon was concerned -- that was the older V-for-Victory sign. Plus you have to make sure your suit jacket shoulders bunch up a lot when you raise your arms.
Actually, you are right on all accounts! It is funny how we keep doing this. This thread is about the BATLLE IN OUTER SPACE DVD (and including THE H-MAN and MOTHRA), but somehow, we’ve seguayed this to Richard Nixon!
Ah, you've explained The Mystery of the Missing Logo, Mr. Erle Stanley Gardner: your tape was from Good Times. A dreadful, rip-off outfit which I think (hope? pray?) has met its demise and is residing in the lower echelons of video hell.
All their stuff was basically cheap bootlegs. The real Mothra tape was indeed from Columbia Home Video (the one shown on the main page here). That one has the studio logo.
Battle in Outer Space -- Uchu Daisenso; Mothra -- Mosura; The H Man -- Bijo to ekitainigen; Richard Nixon -- Godzilla vs. The Slime Monster. What's the diff?
Sure enough, I have THE H-MAN DVD with the logo, and this one was from Columbia Home Video.
Richard Nixon -- Godzilla vs. The Slime Monster. What's the diff?
Uhmm! I'm going to tell my Republican-leaning boss what you said! (Though truthfully, he doesn’t want to admit he's Republican these days! )
Many of my best friends are Republicans, and they aren't too eager to reveal it either!
How did we get to this state talking about Battle in Outer Space???!!!
See you in a few days. Have to check out my moon base. Is it 1965 yet?
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