San Daikaiju Chikyu Saidai no Kessen (1964)/Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1965), Part 2: Synopsis
Reverend MattSynopsis
Godzilla decided to get fancy with his breath ray, forming it into Japanese characters, but Rodan was unimpressed!
The film begins as these things usually do: with the introduction of the main characters. We start with Naoko (Yuriko Hoshi), a reporter putting together a series called “Mystery in the 20th Century.” She is interviewing some UFO enthusiasts with telescopes, who blame her nonbeliever brainwaves for the fact that the UFOs aren’t showing up right then. (A remarkably accurate portrayal of the thought processes of the more New Age UFOlogists, by the way.) Meanwhile, her brother, Shindo (Yosuke Natsuki), is assigned by his boss, Okita (Akihiko Hirata), to guard Princess Salno (Akihiko Hirata) of Selgina. The Princess is to be arriving incognito, as there is fear of a plot to assassinate her. We then see her on her plane; she sees a flashing light out of the window, and hears a voice suggesting that she “Stand up. You must stand up. You must leave here. Run. Run.” Apparently not one to argue, she steps calmly out of her airborne plane, with that stiff sort of walk that says “I’m hypnotized.” The plane then blows right on up. Finally, we meet Dr. Murai (Hiroshi Koizumi), a geologist, who is studying a strange, almost egg-shaped meteorite with odd magnetic qualities; it has recently come down in the mountainous Kurobe region.
The nobility of Selgina liked to keep their servants in their place via humiliating neckwear
Shindo hears of Salno’s apparent death, and laments that such a pretty girl should be a victim of politics. Naoko hears of a ‘prophetess’ in Ueno Park; investigating, she finds a woman in a big, thick coat and hat, being heckled for her message of doom, and also claiming to be a Venusian. Zooming in on her face, we see that she is not a Venusian at all, no, but rather Princess Salno, who seems to be confused. Events begin to revolve around her nevertheless, but not before a quick segue to a TV show, “Where Are They Now,” on which the Shobijin – the two tiny women who work for Mothra – are appearing. Shindo recognizes Salno’s picture in the paper; Malness (Hasaya Ito) and some other evil persons from Selgina, having seen the same picture, arrive in Japan to kill her. Even Murai, who is in contact with Naoko regarding the meteorite, takes the time to scoff. Undaunted, the Princess goes to Mt. Aso, there to prophesy that Rodan shall rise from his burial place therein. Rodan obligingly does so. Salno then appears on a boat disembarking for Infant Island, and, in her usual impassive way, tells it not to go. The Shobijin alone appear to heed her words.
The woman from Venus is talking plain, common sense!
Shindo interrogates a baffled fisherman (Ikio Sawamura), who had fished Salno out of the sea, and who had been rewarded with her very important bracelet of office. The head guy from the UFO cult in the beginning tells us that she fell into another dimension after jumping from the plane, and we are apparently meant to believe him for some reason, and to proceed as if this explained something somehow. Murai studies the meteorite some more; it seems to be glowing, and its magnetism goes on and off. Naoko brings the Princess to a hotel, where Malness and his thugs try to kill Salno; she is rescued by Shindo and the Shobijin. Meanwhile, Godzilla rises up from the sea and sets fire to the boat to Infant Island, for no reason! He’s crazy! He then lands in Japan and wrecks some things, until he sees Rodan flying overhead. We know how Godzilla feels about other giant monsters; he gives chase to the pterosaur.
Hey, man, I was using that boat!
Our heroes set off for the very impressive laboratory of Dr. Tsukamoto (Takashi Shimura). There, Salno is attached to a ping machine, and pronounced to be totally normal. Except for claiming to be from Venus, presumably. She speaks ominously of Ghidorah, who destroyed the super-advanced Venusian civilization 5,000 years ago. Elsewhere, up in Kurobe, the meteorite splits open; a fireball shoots into the sky, and resolves itself into Ghidorah! Aieee!
HELL YES
Godzilla and Rodan fight in the wilderness; Ghidorah commences the destruction of earthly civilization. Murai brings the Shobijin to the Japanese Diet (congress), where the tiny women suggest that Mothra should try to convince Godzilla and Rodan to team up against Ghidorah. The Diet goes for it, and the Shobijin call Mothra. Which you’d think they could have just gone ahead and done anyway, but it’s always nice to get official permission.
Little do they know a rider was attached to the Mothra-summoning bill, declaring war on tiny women!
The thugs try to kill the Princess again, but are stopped by our heroes, who have by now gathered at Tsukamoto’s science place. They depart that place, just in time to witness a landmark event in Godzilla continuity: Mothra’s attempt, in “monster talk,” to convince Godzilla and Rodan to help save the Earth. The Shobijin translate, and we hear that the saurians want nothing of this; they think poorly of mankind, perhaps understandably. Each demands that the other apologize. Shindo remarks, “Men are not the only stubborn creatures.” And so Mothra sets out to fight Ghidorah alone.
Hey guys! Whatcha doin? Hey, whatcha doin? Guys!
As Shindo defends the Princess, who has wandered off, from Malness (the rest of the thugs having been killed in a Ghidorah-caused avalanche), Mothra gets pretty much pounded by the space dragon. And so Godzilla and Rodan – inspired by Mothra, or feeling guilty about letting her get beat up – join the fray. A battle royale commences; there’s a lot of biting and rock-throwing and body-slamming and such, but Ghidorah stands firm. Finally, Rodan tells Mothra to get up onto his back and spew that silken-web-stuff at Ghidorah from the air; Mothra does this, and when Ghidorah is sufficiently cocooned, Godzilla grabs him by his two tails and heaves him into the air. Ghidorah flies off into space.
What problems can’t be solved by putting a larva on top of a pterosaur?
The Princess, her personality restored, bids Shindo a charmingly awkward adieu, and the Shobijin say goodbye to Godzilla and Rodan as Mothra swims the tiny women off to Infant Island. And that is all.
September 3rd, 2007 at 7:40 pm
This sounds like a particularly weird episode.
Are there other instances of Godzilla speaking to other giant monsters?
September 4th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
Your remarks are eerily prescient of Thursday’s installment. But ultimately this is not a particularly weird episode - oh, Christ, no. This is just the beginning. We haven’t even seen the flying saucers yet! Or the robot that programs itself to grow gigantic.
And to answer your question: Yes, he’ll do it again in Godzilla vs. Gigan. And translation will even be provided directly to the viewer, rather than through intermediaries! And yet this is the least of our worries, weirdness-wise, where that film is concerned.
September 4th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Interesting social commentary with the diplomacy and translators and such. Sort of a United Nations of Monsters.
September 5th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
As weird as this film is to watch, when described it seems like a series of random events that make no sense whatsoever.This is meant as no slight to your reviewing skills, you’re just reporting what’s there.Sometimes what’s there is so…would outlandish work or is it too harsh?It’s like when I was trying to describe the story of “Dragonheart” to somebody and gave up about halfway through when I realised it was just bullshit.Nothing in the Godzilla films ever approach that says the Godzilla apologist.Ok, maybe Jet Jaguar.
And you’re absolutely right, of course, this isn’t even the weirdest film in the series.I think the ’70’s films set new benchmarks in bizarre but they just reflect what was going on around them in terms of all the tokusatsu shows like “Spectreman” and the big G’s own appearances on “Zone Fighter”.