Atragon is a fairly entertaining Japanese science fiction film with impressive-looking sets and battle sequences together with a rousing music score. However, this is probably one of Toho's and Ishiro Honda's somewhat lesser efforts.
Atragon (Kaitei Gunkan 'The Undersea Warship') is a 1963 Japanese tokusatsu (Japanese special FX ) science fiction film directed by Ishiro Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya.
The American title of this movie "Atragon" is an abbreviation of the words "Atomic Dragon."
Produced and distributed by Toho, it is loosely based on The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure by Shunro Oshikawa (1899) and The Undersea Kingdom (1954-1955) by Shigeru Komatsuzaki.
Augustus Le Plongeon (1825-1908) introduced the notion of "Mu" as being a mythical lost continent, the "Land of Mu" identified with, what else? - Atlantis. It was later identified with the hypothetical land of Lemuria by James Churchward (1851-1936), who claimed that it was located in the Pacific Ocean before its destruction.
Five models of Gotengo, all at various scales, were built for the film with steel hulls for supporting their internal mechanisms. The largest was 4.5 meters (15 feet long), manufactured by a ship-building company for the price of 1,500,000 yen. It was fully operational with wings, fins, gun turrets, a bridge and the drill, all movable by remote radio control devices built into the hull. It was also large enough for a technician to lie inside the hull and manually operate some of the ship's movable parts. The 30 cm model was used mainly in water tank shots to depict Gotengo cruising on the surface of the sea. A small mechanical arm was attached to the ship beneath the water line, providing the ship mobility. Moreover, Gotengo was just so damn cool!
Filming of Gotengo's trial run made use of an indoor water tank with a miniature shore line placed in front of a huge curved backdrop painting with the scene being shot in three different cuts, each of which used a different scale miniature sub along with the use of an underwater crane, high speed photography, wires and air jets to create the illusion of mass and propulsion.
The scene where the American submarine Red Satan is crushed by water pressure was done by pumping air out of the model. A cool science experiment!
Toho's Stage Number 11, the largest on the back-lot was used for the Mu ritual extravaganza. An elaborate backdrop measuring 30 feet high and 120 feet long was made for long shots of the Empress and her court overseeing the Mu ritual. The royal contingent observing the 600 male and female dancers was placed on a small platform with the pillars, balcony, and antechambers all painted in perspective on the backdrop.
The Ginza and Marunouchi areas reproduced in miniature at 1/20 scale were used for depiction of the destruction of the Tokyo business district. The model buildings were made of plaster, with some made with internal steel structures, ensuring that that they would partially survive the destruction. The buildings' main supports were partially cut through and ropes were tied to each support beam with all the ropes being attached to the bumper of a truck. The intention was for the underground collapse to slowly ripple through the city, destroying it in a rolling wave. Needless to say it did not go according to plan as the truck driver panicked and drove off too quickly causing the entire model city to collapse at the same time. Recourse was made to some nifty editing later on.
An outdoor water tank on the Toho back-lot was used for shooting the attack by the Mu submarine on Tokyo Bay. Ten miniature tankers were constructed, each to a different scale and were distributed in the water tank to create a forced perspective thereby adding greater depth to the scene. Six automatic remote-control cameras shot the scene simultaneously as six miniature ships exploded in sequence. Conventional animation was used to integrate the Mu subs' ray to the live action.
The underwater sequences were achieved through the use of camera filters and smoke machines.
The illusion of an immense wall of smoke and flames erupting from the explosion of the Mu power chamber was achieved by using a small water tank against which a camera was secured and positioned upside down beneath the water line. A sky backdrop was placed behind the water, and coloured paints pouring into the water, created the billowing clouds.
Instead of a dragon, Manda was originally envisioned as a giant rattlesnake. However, Manda's design was changed to resemble a Chinese dragon with 1964 being the Year of the Dragon.
Manda was built up as being a frightening and awesomely powerful creature. Strangely enough, it couldn't even give a decent account of itself in its battle with Atragon and only appeared briefly mainly in the second half of the film.
The strength of the film itself lies in the personal struggles of some of the characters such as the tortured Jinguji who is torn between his loyalty to Japan, his love for his daughter and the ultimate fate of the world as they face attack from and domination by the Mu Empire. It is also interesting to note that the threat to Earth is not by aliens from outer space but from beneath the ocean by a once thought of lost civilisation. The Muans are descendants of the lost continent of Mu who are also reminiscent of the lost continent of Atlantis, except that the Mu are located in the Pacific.
Atragon also raises some interesting questions concerning the way in which a nation and its people attempt to come to terms with its past and how it envisions its role in the future and its place in the world. When people find it hard to cope with change or when times are desperate, solutions are often sought by seeking out and clinging on to historical myths and idealised views of the past. Unfortunately the more unpalatable and forgotten aspects of this past often lie in wait below the surface ready to emerge and claim the hearts and minds of the susceptible.
All in all, Honda has directed far better films than Atragon, but I recommend you watch it and try to enjoy it for what it is despite some of its short comings. Just don't expect it to be on the same level as Japanese classics of superior quality such as The Mysterians, Battle Beyond Earth, Gojira or Rodan.
Atragon (Kaitei Gunkan 'The Undersea Warship') is a 1963 Japanese tokusatsu (Japanese special FX ) science fiction film directed by Ishiro Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya.
The American title of this movie "Atragon" is an abbreviation of the words "Atomic Dragon."
Produced and distributed by Toho, it is loosely based on The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure by Shunro Oshikawa (1899) and The Undersea Kingdom (1954-1955) by Shigeru Komatsuzaki.
Augustus Le Plongeon (1825-1908) introduced the notion of "Mu" as being a mythical lost continent, the "Land of Mu" identified with, what else? - Atlantis. It was later identified with the hypothetical land of Lemuria by James Churchward (1851-1936), who claimed that it was located in the Pacific Ocean before its destruction.
Five models of Gotengo, all at various scales, were built for the film with steel hulls for supporting their internal mechanisms. The largest was 4.5 meters (15 feet long), manufactured by a ship-building company for the price of 1,500,000 yen. It was fully operational with wings, fins, gun turrets, a bridge and the drill, all movable by remote radio control devices built into the hull. It was also large enough for a technician to lie inside the hull and manually operate some of the ship's movable parts. The 30 cm model was used mainly in water tank shots to depict Gotengo cruising on the surface of the sea. A small mechanical arm was attached to the ship beneath the water line, providing the ship mobility. Moreover, Gotengo was just so damn cool!
Filming of Gotengo's trial run made use of an indoor water tank with a miniature shore line placed in front of a huge curved backdrop painting with the scene being shot in three different cuts, each of which used a different scale miniature sub along with the use of an underwater crane, high speed photography, wires and air jets to create the illusion of mass and propulsion.
The scene where the American submarine Red Satan is crushed by water pressure was done by pumping air out of the model. A cool science experiment!
Toho's Stage Number 11, the largest on the back-lot was used for the Mu ritual extravaganza. An elaborate backdrop measuring 30 feet high and 120 feet long was made for long shots of the Empress and her court overseeing the Mu ritual. The royal contingent observing the 600 male and female dancers was placed on a small platform with the pillars, balcony, and antechambers all painted in perspective on the backdrop.
The Ginza and Marunouchi areas reproduced in miniature at 1/20 scale were used for depiction of the destruction of the Tokyo business district. The model buildings were made of plaster, with some made with internal steel structures, ensuring that that they would partially survive the destruction. The buildings' main supports were partially cut through and ropes were tied to each support beam with all the ropes being attached to the bumper of a truck. The intention was for the underground collapse to slowly ripple through the city, destroying it in a rolling wave. Needless to say it did not go according to plan as the truck driver panicked and drove off too quickly causing the entire model city to collapse at the same time. Recourse was made to some nifty editing later on.
An outdoor water tank on the Toho back-lot was used for shooting the attack by the Mu submarine on Tokyo Bay. Ten miniature tankers were constructed, each to a different scale and were distributed in the water tank to create a forced perspective thereby adding greater depth to the scene. Six automatic remote-control cameras shot the scene simultaneously as six miniature ships exploded in sequence. Conventional animation was used to integrate the Mu subs' ray to the live action.
The underwater sequences were achieved through the use of camera filters and smoke machines.
The illusion of an immense wall of smoke and flames erupting from the explosion of the Mu power chamber was achieved by using a small water tank against which a camera was secured and positioned upside down beneath the water line. A sky backdrop was placed behind the water, and coloured paints pouring into the water, created the billowing clouds.
Instead of a dragon, Manda was originally envisioned as a giant rattlesnake. However, Manda's design was changed to resemble a Chinese dragon with 1964 being the Year of the Dragon.
Manda was built up as being a frightening and awesomely powerful creature. Strangely enough, it couldn't even give a decent account of itself in its battle with Atragon and only appeared briefly mainly in the second half of the film.
The strength of the film itself lies in the personal struggles of some of the characters such as the tortured Jinguji who is torn between his loyalty to Japan, his love for his daughter and the ultimate fate of the world as they face attack from and domination by the Mu Empire. It is also interesting to note that the threat to Earth is not by aliens from outer space but from beneath the ocean by a once thought of lost civilisation. The Muans are descendants of the lost continent of Mu who are also reminiscent of the lost continent of Atlantis, except that the Mu are located in the Pacific.
Atragon also raises some interesting questions concerning the way in which a nation and its people attempt to come to terms with its past and how it envisions its role in the future and its place in the world. When people find it hard to cope with change or when times are desperate, solutions are often sought by seeking out and clinging on to historical myths and idealised views of the past. Unfortunately the more unpalatable and forgotten aspects of this past often lie in wait below the surface ready to emerge and claim the hearts and minds of the susceptible.
All in all, Honda has directed far better films than Atragon, but I recommend you watch it and try to enjoy it for what it is despite some of its short comings. Just don't expect it to be on the same level as Japanese classics of superior quality such as The Mysterians, Battle Beyond Earth, Gojira or Rodan.