One of the most iconic Japanese kaiju, MOTHRA has appeared in over a dozen feature films. Presented here is her debut, a gloriously vibrant piece of filmmaking that forever changed how kaiju eiga would be produced in Japan.
Following reports of human life on Infant Island, the supposedly deserted site of atomic bomb tests, an international expedition to the heavily-radiated island discovers a native tribe and tiny twin female fairies called “Shobijin” who guard a sacred egg. The overzealous expedition leader kidnaps the Shobijin to exhibit in a Tokyo stage show but soon they summon their protector, hatching the egg and releasing a giant caterpillar. When Mothra arrives in Japan and transforms into her final form, the nation and its people face their destruction.
Psychedelically colourful, with an intelligent, benevolent protector as its lead kaiju, MOTHRA was radically different to every other monster movie that had come before it, and it remains a classic of the genre to this day. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Ishirō Honda’s MOTHRA on Blu-ray.
Revisiting the original 1962 US Trailer for MOTHRA.
Mothra will be re-issued on Blu-ray from 15 November 2021 as part of The Masters of Cinema Series. Available to PRE-ORDER now https://bit.ly/3B4xZ08
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Includes both Japanese and English versions | Original audio presentations | English subtitles (Japanese version) and English SDH (English version) | Audio commentary with film historian and writer David Kalat | Audio commentary with authors and Japanese sci-fi historians Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski | KIM NEWMAN ON ‘MOTHRA’ – an interview with film critic and author Kim Newman on the history and legacy of MOTHRA | Stills Galleries featuring rare archival stills and ephemera | Trailers | PLUS: A collector’s booklet featuring an essay by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp (MIDNIGHT EYE) and an extract from Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski’s Ishirō Honda biography