A 1962 Japanese monster flick is making its UK debut in the city
It’s the clash of the titans in Godzilla Vs Kong(Image: Warner Bros/ Brentwood Gazette)
A long-lost Japanese monster movie is making its UK debut in Bristol more than 60 years after its original release, marking a landmark screening for British fans of kaiju cinema.
The Whale God (1962), a rare kaiju film from Japan’s Daiei studio, will be shown theatrically in the UK for the first time at the Forbidden Worlds Film Festival on Sunday, June 1.
The screening will take place at the Bristol Megascreen and will feature an introduction by kaiju expert Steven Sloss, author of the forthcoming BFI Film Classics: Godzilla .
Originally released in 1962, The Whale God predates the more widely known Gamera series by three years and was Daiei’s first special effects-driven kaiju production.
It tells the story of a small Japanese village haunted by a monstrous whale, with villagers obsessed with avenging the creature that has decimated their hunting parties.
The film centres on Shaki, a man determined to kill the whale that claimed the lives of his grandfather, father and brother. His mission becomes complicated by the arrival of a violent outsider also seeking the bounty promised by the village headman—his daughter’s hand in marriage and all his worldly possessions.
Based on Koichiro Uno’s award-winning novel and adapted by Onibaba director Kaneto Shindo, the film blends period drama with monster movie spectacle. It features performances from Shintaro Katsu, best known for the Zatoichi series, and Takashi Shimura, a familiar face from Seven Samurai and Godzilla . The score was composed by Akira Ifukube, whose work defined the sound of the Godzilla series.
The screening may represent the first English-language theatrical showing of The Whale God anywhere in the world in over six decades. Presented in its original Japanese with English subtitles, it is being billed as a must-see for fans of Japanese cinema, kaiju films and classic international genre storytelling.
Sloss will provide a short introduction to the screening, placing the film in the context of kaiju evolution and its roots in folklore and myth.
The Forbidden Worlds Film Festival runs from Wednesday, May 28 to Sunday, June 1. More information is available on the festival’s website.