Motion Picture Purgatory: Mothra
Debi Moore
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Now this is what we call serendipity! In an interesting counterpoint to the recent news stories about a potential new American version of Godzilla, Trembles’ MPP this week is about Mothra. Let’s just hope it doesn’t give anyone any ideas about another remake!
For the uninitiated, Mothra is a 1961 monster movie from Toho Studios directed by genre regular Ishirô Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It marked the kaiju eiga debut of screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa, whose approach to the genre grew to prominence during the 1960s. The film stars Frankie Sakai, a popular comedian in Japan at the time.
Its basic plot was recycled in King Kong vs. Godzilla and Mothra vs. Godzilla (1962 and 1964, respectively, both also written by Sekizawa); nonetheless, Mothra became one of Toho’s most popular monsters, appearing in seven more Godzilla films and her own trilogy in the 1990s.
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