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Mothra

Original title: Mosura
  • 19611961
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
4.5K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
23,891
2,207
Mothra (1961)
An expedition to Infant Island discovers a native population and tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity. Named Mothra, she sets out to rescue her fairies after they are kidnapped by an exploitative businessman.
Play trailer2:09
2 Videos
65 Photos
AdventureFantasySci-Fi
An expedition to Infant Island discovers a native population and tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity. Named Mothra, she sets out to rescue her fairies after they are k... Read allAn expedition to Infant Island discovers a native population and tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity. Named Mothra, she sets out to rescue her fairies after they are kidnapped by an exploitative businessman.An expedition to Infant Island discovers a native population and tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity. Named Mothra, she sets out to rescue her fairies after they are kidnapped by an exploitative businessman.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
4.5K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
23,891
2,207
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Ishirô Honda
    • Writers
      • Shin'ichi Sekizawa(screenplay)
      • Shin'ichirô Nakamura(novel "Shukan Asahi")
      • Takehiko Fukunaga(novel "Shukan Asahi")
    • Stars
      • Furankî Sakai
      • Hiroshi Koizumi
      • Kyôko Kagawa
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Ishirô Honda
    • Writers
      • Shin'ichi Sekizawa(screenplay)
      • Shin'ichirô Nakamura(novel "Shukan Asahi")
      • Takehiko Fukunaga(novel "Shukan Asahi")
    • Stars
      • Furankî Sakai
      • Hiroshi Koizumi
      • Kyôko Kagawa
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 60User reviews
    • 79Critic reviews
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos2

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:09
    Trailer
    Godzilla Vs. the MonsterVerse
    Clip 3:22
    Godzilla Vs. the MonsterVerse

    Photos65

    Emi Itô and Yumi Itô in Mothra (1961)
    Mothra (1961)
    Mothra (1961)
    Mothra (1961)
    Mothra (1961)
    Sabel Jameel in Mothra (1961)
    Osman Yusuf in Mothra (1961)
    Jerry Itô and Ed P. MacDamott in Mothra (1961)
    Ed P. MacDamott in Mothra (1961)
    Mothra (1961)
    Kyôko Kagawa, Furankî Sakai, and Takashi Shimura in Mothra (1961)
    Hiroshi Koizumi in Mothra (1961)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Furankî Sakai
    Furankî Sakai
    • Senichiro 'Sen-chan' Fukuda (AKA Bulldog)
    Hiroshi Koizumi
    Hiroshi Koizumi
    • Dr. Shin'ichi Chûjô
    Kyôko Kagawa
    Kyôko Kagawa
    • Photographer Michi Hanamura
    Yumi Itô
    Yumi Itô
    • Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
    • (as Yumi Ito)
    Emi Itô
    • Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
    • (as Emi Ito)
    Jerry Itô
    • Kurâruku Neruson
    • (as Jerî Itô)
    Ken Uehara
    Ken Uehara
    • Dr. Harada
    Takashi Shimura
    Takashi Shimura
    • News Editor
    Tetsu Nakamura
    • Nelson's Henchman
    Seizaburô Kawazu
    Seizaburô Kawazu
    • General
    Yoshifumi Tajima
    Yoshifumi Tajima
    • Military Advisor
    • (as Yoshibumi Tajima)
    Akihiko Hirata
    Akihiko Hirata
    • Doctor
    Kenji Sahara
    Kenji Sahara
    • Helicopter Pilot
    Yoshio Kosugi
    • Ship Captain
    Kôji Iwamoto
    • Nelson's Henchman
    • (as Hiroshi Iwamoto)
    Kô Mishima
    • Ship Survivor
    • (scenes deleted)
    Toshio Miura
    • Nelson's Henchman
    Akira Wakamatsu
    • Nelson's Henchman
    • Director
      • Ishirô Honda
    • Writers
      • Shin'ichi Sekizawa(screenplay)
      • Shin'ichirô Nakamura(novel "Shukan Asahi")
      • Takehiko Fukunaga(novel "Shukan Asahi")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film was based on a short fantasy novel called "The Luminous Fairies and Mothra" (Hakko Yosei to Mosura). Toho commissioned the story, wanting to appeal to a female audiences since Toho president/producer Iwao Mori found that women made up a large portion of the movie-going public and would often bring people along with them. Writers Takehiko Fukunaga, Shin'ichirô Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta each wrote part of the original story which was then adapted by screenwriter Shin'ichi Sekizawa into the final film. The film was a hit at the box office and became one of Toho's most successful fantasy films, with Mothra becoming a popular character who would star alongside Godzilla as well has her own film series decades later.
    • Goofs
      When Dr. Shinichi is showing the symbols he discovered in the cave to Senchan, you can see someone in black pants and shoes walking down the stairs behind Senchan's head.
    • Quotes

      [the protagonists confront Nelson to return Mothra's fairies back to Infant Island]

      Dr. Shinichi Chujo: I want you to stop this inhumanity and return them to their island.

      Nelson's Henchman: Inhumanity? Ridiculous. Strictly speaking they're just scientific data.

      Clark Nelson: Those fairies aren't human. They're merchandise.

    • Crazy credits
      In the credits for the U.S. version, including promo material released by Columbia Pictures, Eurasian model Jerry Ito (who plays the villianous Mr. Nelson) is billed as "Jelly Ito."
    • Alternate versions
      The American Version also edited the birth of Mothra sequence, cutting out a good 40 seconds to make it more elaborate
    • Connections
      Edited into Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
    • Soundtracks
      Infanto no musume
      Written by Kôji Kajita (as Susumu Ike)

      Performed by Za Pînattsu

    User reviews60

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    The Antithesis of Kaiju Eiga
    This is a very unusual movie because the monster isn't an evil killing machine as was the case with Godzilla. The only reason for the destruction is because of Mothra's uncontrollable urge to rescue its priestesses. Mothra is what I call part of the holy trio of the Toho monsters (the other two being, of course, Godzilla and Rodan). This is the first film in which the audience actually roots for the monster and the true monster is the villian, Clark Nelson. This not only is a wonderful science fiction film but a very humorous parody about the consequences of over commercialization.
    helpful•21
    2
    • Sargebri
    • Feb 25, 2003

    FAQ2

    • Was 'Mothra' based on a fantasy novel?
    • What are the differences between the US cut and the Japanese cut?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 10, 1962 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Languages
      • Japanese
      • English
      • Indonesian
    • Also known as
      • Mosura
    • Filming locations
      • Tokyo, Japan
    • Production company
      • Toho Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 41 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Perspecta Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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