So, a few months ago, I was looking ahead at my schedule and wondering where I could go next. I pondered and realized that I hadn’t done a Japanese filmmaker in some time. So, I pulled up a list of famous (deceased) Japanese filmmakers, and Honda’s name jumped out. I didn’t immediately connect it with anything, but I just knew that I had to look further.
Well, of course, he’s the father of Godzilla. That pushed me off of him for a minute, to be honest. I don’t really like the Godzilla films. However, I started looking through the man’s filmography, and I was fascinated. Until he started making monster movies for Toho, he was like any other contract filmmaker at the studio, and he had a strong history of little films with very good reputations, at least according to their ratings on the IMDB. That contrast fascinated me. I looked up his first couple of films, saw that they were readily available on archive.org, and I was set. He was going to be next.
And then, I got closer to the time to start. I began looking through his work, trying to secure links where I needed them, and I discovered that his first couple of works being available was something of a red herring. There are very large holes in his work available online or on American home video until 1959. Those holes depressed me, and I considered pulling him from the schedule. How definitive can I say my ranking is when I miss something like a dozen films that do exist in the Toho vaults?
Well, as you can imagine, I decided to go ahead anyway. I’ve found a couple of extra films along the way as I prepped, so it’s going to be as good as I can make it.
So, with that said, it’s not Godzilla that fascinates me. In fact, it’s not even his other science fiction/special effects laden films that attract my attention. It’s those early films, those early melodramas that even someone like Masaki Kobayashi himself found ways to make very compelling. Also, on top of things, Akira Kurosawa called Honda his equal. That’s something to discover.
So, let’s get going! Before Godzilla tears the place up, at least.
I’ll also note really quickly that I’m going to do the entire Showa Era of Godzilla films as well. He directed just over half of them. Might as well get the rest in while I’m at it, but that’s a concern for some weeks in the future.
And as a finale note, below is the list of his films that I cannot find. If I do happen to find copies in the meantime, I’ll add them when I can:
The Man Who Came to Port
Adolescence Part II
Lovetide
People of Tokyo, Goodbye
Night School
Young Tree
A Teapicker’s Song of Goodbye
A Rainbow Plays in My Heart
A Farewell to the Woman Called My Sister
Song for a Bride
An Echo Calls You
Inao, Story of an Iron Arm
Seniors, Juniors, Co-workers
A Man in Red
David Vining, Author 
I am excite. And intimidate.
I’m aware of Honda of course but the size of his filmography (and my preference for Kurosawa and Kobayashi, with a very few others) have kept me away from trying to tackle him.
But I’m game. I’ll see about what the internet can do for me, as for his films as there’s no way I can get physical media in time.
-Mark
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Toho is the antagonist of this overall story in more ways than one.
You’d think that some of their most profitable movies from the 50s and 60s would be ripe for constant releases for every format, but they essentially stopped licensing 20 years ago. Well, they didn’t stop. They just won’t decrease their licensing costs to other home video labels as the home video market has changed drastically over the previous two decades.
Toho is also extremely protective of its power over the Japanese home video market, so they do things like release domestically but only in releases without any subtitles. They started releasing Kurosawa films in 4K in the last year, but only in Japan and only without English subtitles. Unless I’m gonna rip everything and add subtitles myself, I’m sunk.
So, when it comes to lesser stuff (like, say, Adolescence Part II), a label like Criterion might be interested in releasing it as some sort of Honda box set, but the cost to license it, much less pay for any restoration work, would make the license, probably worth no more than a few thousand dollars, cost at least a hundred thousand if not more.
So, famous stuff like Godzilla is relegated to a dated master from 20 years ago (the Criterion Godzilla boxset is like this across all of its films), or simply falling into obscurity where interested parties won’t pay Toho prices while Toho does nothing with it.
Toho is asshoe, is what I’m sayin’. But I’m gonna do my best!
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I’m by no means a Godzilla groupie, but Godzilla Minus One was pretty great if you haven’t seen it, or aren’t covering it. These recent American Godzillas though are sort of on the stupid side.
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The only Godzilla films I’ve seen and liked were the first American Godzilla that started this new cycle in 2014 and Shin Godzilla. Neither were great, but there were some good times.
I’m pretty sure that I did a run of Godzilla films way back in the Netflix DVD days, and I remember liking almost none of them. Silly nonsense, even when they weren’t trying to be silly.
I have yet to see Godzilla Minus One, though I am intrigued. We’ll just have to see if Toho decides that America is worth a home video release. I can find Japanese releases scheduled, but nothing outside of the country except a limited run of 300 Steelbooks in the UK. That’s just silly.
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I was never much of a kaiju fan myself, they always seems kind of stupid and silly. But I understand why some people like them. As for me, “The Mysterians” is a childhood favorite, and “Matango” plumbs new depths of weirdness. (Both were directed by Honda.)
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I saw Matango on TCM many years ago, and I remember being surprised at the command of atmosphere and dread. I’m really looking forward to checking it out again. I’d never seen The Mysterians before this run, but I did read that Honda called it the most successful film of that type he ever made.
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The Mysterians is silly sci-fi, but it’s largely kaiju-free (other than a giant robot near the beginning that looks like Muppet Gonzo). It also has a soundtrack that has lived in my head for decades. (Search YouTube for “Akira Ifukube – The Mysterians”)
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Can’t wait for Muppet Gonzo!
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