It was a treat to finally see this classic film from my childhood. Of course, I was previously exposed to the truncated American cut. I was delighted to see that there were some better than average scenes underscoring the (at times) silly monster plot. I was very impressed with the relationship between Dr. Bowen and Dr. Togami. The ongoing dialog concerning the two cultures differences in cooking and humor was refreshing. I was also impressed with the sequences with Kazuko, the young girl dying from her exposure to the radioactive fallout from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima 15 years earlier. When she presented her handmade pillow to Dr. Bowen (as a remembrance of her since she knew she was dying), it was quite moving. This was a serious sidebar to the confrontations between the unfortunate looking Furankenshutain and Baragon monsters. The sequence when Drs. Bowen and Togami visit the grave of Kazuko was beautifully filmed and scored. If one saw that sequence alone outside of the film, one would never know that is was from a Japanese monster film. The entire film features one of Akira Ifukube's very best scores. As in other Toho productions, he really helped to humanize the monsters and give some pathos to the proceedings. His somber themes really do create a fair amount of sympathy for Furankenshutain. The ending of the International version is very different from the American version that most people are familiar with. The appearance of the Devil Fish comes out of left field and is rather awkward. As with all Toho productions, some of the visual effects are outstanding while others are less than convincing. This film is a welcome addition to my Japanese science fiction library. The film is a more somber than usual entry and it should be noted that the acting is better than average from the two leads - an effective Nick Adams and the very lovely Kumi Mizuno.
Review of Frankenstein vs. Baragon
