Varan (1958)
Daikaijû Baran (original title)Reference View | Change View
- 1h 27min
- Horror, Sci-Fi
- 14 Oct 1958 (Japan)
- Movie
Original Japanese version. Research in the Tohoku region comes across a monster known to the locals as the mountain god Baradagi.
Directors:
Writers:
Stars:
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
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Kôzô Nomura | ... |
Kenji Uozaki
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Ayumi Sonoda | ... |
Yuriko Shinjô
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| Koreya Senda | ... |
Dr. Sugimoto
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| Akihiko Hirata | ... |
Dr. Fujimora, bomb expert
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Fuyuki Murakami | ... |
Dr. Majima, Sugimoto's aide
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| Yoshio Tsuchiya | ... |
Military Officer Katsumoto
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Minosuke Yamada | ... |
Secretary of Defense
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| Hisaya Itô | ... |
Ichiro, Yuriko's brother
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| Yoshifumi Tajima | ... |
Captain of Uranami
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Nadao Kirino | ... |
Yutaka Wada
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Akira Sera | ... |
Village High Priest
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Akio Kusama | ... |
Military Officer Kusama
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| Noriko Honma | ... |
Ken's Mom
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Akira Yamada | ... |
Issaku
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Fumindo Matsuo | ... |
Horiguchi
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Sôji Ubukata | ... |
Nakao
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Toku Ihara | ... |
Soldier with Rocket Unit
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Yoshikazu Kawamata | ... |
Jiro
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Yasuhiro Shigenobu | ... |
Sankichi
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Takashi Itô | ... |
Ken, the boy
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Mitsuo Tsuda | ... |
Self Defense Forces Officer
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Takuzô Kumagai | ... |
(as Jirô Kumagai)
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| Shôichi Hirose | ... |
Fisherman
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Keisuke Yamada |
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Hideo Shibuya | ... |
Cameraman
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Toshitsugu Suzuki | ... |
Fisherman
(as Kôji Suzuki)
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Masaki Shinohara |
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Michiko Kawa |
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Yasumasa Ônishi | ... |
(as Yasuo Ônishi)
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Toshiko Nakano |
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Hiroshi Akitsu | ... |
Yamabushi
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Mitsuo Matsumoto |
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Toshiko Nomura |
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Rinsaku Ogata |
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Jun'ichirô Mukai |
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Satoko Taira |
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Eisuke Nakanishi |
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Takashi Narita |
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Keiichirô Katsumoto | ... |
Defense Force Platoon Leader
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Haruya Sakamoto | ... |
Defense Force Executive
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Yôichirô Kitagawa | ... |
(as Ryûichi Hosokawa)
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Kô Hayami |
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Tokio Ôkawa |
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Tsurue Ichimanji | ... |
(as Tazue Ichimanji)
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Hiroko Terasawa |
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Toriko Takahara |
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| Katsumi Tezuka | ... |
Baran
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| Haruo Nakajima | ... |
Baran
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Yoshio Katsube | ... |
Journalist (uncredited)
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Keiji Sakakida | ... |
Truck Driver (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Ishirô Honda | ||
| Motoyoshi Oda | ... | (uncredited) (earlier film clips) |
Written by
| Shin'ichi Sekizawa | ... | (written by) |
| Ken Kuronuma | ... | (story) |
Produced by
| Tomoyuki Tanaka | ... | producer |
Music by
| Akira Ifukube | ||
Cinematography by
| Hajime Koizumi | ||
Editing by
| Kazuji Taira | ||
Production Design by
| Kiyoshi Shimizu | ||
Production Management
| Shôtarô Kawakami | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Kôji Kajita | ... | assistant director |
Sound Department
| Wataru Konuma | ... | sound recordist |
Special Effects by
| Sadamasa Arikawa | ... | special effects photographer |
| Kaimai Eizo | ... | special effects |
| Eiji Tsuburaya | ... | director of special effects |
| Akira Watanabe | ... | special effects art director |
| Keizô Murase | ... | monster suit sculptor (uncredited) |
Visual Effects by
| Sadao Iizuka | ... | visual effects artist |
| Hiroshi Mukoyama | ... | optical photography |
Stunts
| Haruo Nakajima | ... | stunt choreographer |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Issei Tanaka | ... | still photographer |
Additional Crew
| Teizô Toshimitsu | ... | monster suit designer |
| Keizô Murase | ... | monster suit sculptor (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Toho (1958) (Japan) (theatrical)
- Paramount Films of Mexico (1964) (Mexico) (theatrical)
- The Criterion Channel (2022) (United States) (tv) (streaming)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Toho Studios (sound stages)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
When a rare species of butterfly is found in a mysterious valley in Japan, a pair of entomologists go to investigate and find more. However, when they get there they find an uncharted lake and as they are observing it they are caught in a landslide and killed. A reporter named Yuriko, the sister of one of the men decides to go to the area to find out what exactly happened. She is accompanied by another entomologist named Kenji and a reporter named Horiguchi. When they get to the village where the men were last seen alive they find out about a legend regarding a giant monster. They soon find out that it is not a legend and the monster named Varan is very much alive. Soon Varan leaves the valley where he has lived for millions of years and is heading for Tokyo.
Written by Brian Washington |
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Additional Details
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | This film began as a direct-to-television co-production between AB-PT and Toho, and thus was shot in black and white in the Academy aspect ratio. AB-PT went bankrupt during production, but a two-part TV film was still completed. The two parts were then edited into a single, longer feature film to be shown in Japanese theaters, which involved extending and re-recording the musical score, shortening scenes and adding new ones. This theatrical feature was then cropped shot by shot and released in an ersatz anamorphic widescreen format apparently adapted from SuperScope called TohoPanScope. Neither the TV version nor the theatrical version of this film exist in the Academy ratio, but the fully mixed audio track for the TV version still exists as of this date. See more » |
| Goofs | Several short clips of Varan's attack on Tokyo are actually stock footage from Godzilla (1954), including a shot of Godzilla's tail smashing into a building and a POV shot from inside a warehouse of Godzilla's foot caving the structure in. Similarly, Varan's roar is an amalgamation of various Toho giant monster roars, including that of Godzilla himself. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited into Varan the Unbelievable (1962). See more » |