The Human Vapor
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is a 1960 Japanese
science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstel ...
directed by
Ishirō Honda was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 44 feature films in a career spanning 59 years. The most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki, his films have had a significant influence on the film industry. Honda enter ...
, with special effects by
Eiji Tsuburaya was a Japanese special effects director and cinematographer. Known as the he worked on 250 feature films in a career spanning 50 years. He is regarded as one of the co-creators of the ''Godzilla'' series, as well as the main creator of the ...
. The film is the story of a librarian (
Yoshio Tsuchiya was a Japanese actor who appeared in such films as Toshio Matsumoto's surreal ''Bara No Soretsu'' (a.k.a. ''Funeral Parade of Roses'') and Akira Kurosawa's '' Seven Samurai'' (as the firebrand farmer Rikichi) and '' Red Beard'', and Kihachi Oka ...
), his love for a dancer and his ability to change into a gaseous form.


Plot

While investigating a mysterious bank robber, Detective Okamoto encounters dancer Fujichiyo Kasuga and her servant, Jiya. Okamoto's girlfriend, newspaper reporter Kyoko Kono, insists on helping him despite him not taking her seriously. Shortly thereafter, another bank is robbed, with the culprit mysteriously evading all security measures, surviving gunfire from a police officer, and killing the officer and an employee before vanishing. Kyoko informs Okamoto that Fujichiyo is from a wealthy and respected family, but has not performed in some time. He also learns from his superior Tabata that the bank victims died from asphyxiation. Okamoto and Kyoko discover that Fujichiyo is planning to perform again, but is reticent about the details. They follow her to a library, where the librarian Mizuno tells them that she has been studying ancient songs and engravings. Fujichiyo also approaches a respected chamber music tutor named Osaki and offers him 200,000 yen to perform. Okamoto reports these findings and his suspicion of her possible sponsor to Tabata, who recommends continuing to investigate Fujichiyo's dealings. A suspect is arrested after making a call to Kyoko's newspaper announcing the date and time of the next robbery, but Okamoto and Kyoko feel that his story does not add up. Their suspicions of Fujichiyo appear confirmed when she attempts to pay for a theater space with stolen money. She is arrested and questioned, but refuses to say where the money came from. Sometime later, Mizuno surrenders himself to the police and offers to show them how he committed the robberies. He is brought to the second bank he robbed, where he demonstrates his ability to turn himself into a gaseous form that allows him to evade gunfire, pass through vault bars, and asphyxiate another cop. Before he escapes through an overhead window, he demands Fujichiyo's release. However, she still refuses to cooperate and is kept in police custody. Mizuno attempts a rescue, but she refuses to leave and be seen as a criminal herself. Mizuno instead releases the other prisoners, causing a clash with police. Kyoko convinces her newspaper to print an invitation to Mizuno, who arrives at the designated time and place. He explains that a scientist named Dr. Sano experimented on him and caused his transformation. Mizuno then killed Dr. Sano in a rage, but is now grateful for his powers and the chance to help his love Fujichiyo dance again. The police arrive and attempt to subdue Mizuno, but he escapes once again. The police are soon forced to release Fujichiyo as she cannot be charged. She proceeds with her performance plans despite the musicians' refusal to attend out of fear. Mizuno visits her and declares his love, saying he would do anything for her. Scientist Dr. Tamiya meets with Okamoto and Tabata to devise a plan to destroy Mizuno using explosive gas. Kyoko pleads with Fujichiyo to cancel the performance, but she refuses, feeling it is her destiny and expressing love for Mizuno. On the night of the recital, as media and emergency crews observe the theater, a number of onlookers enter demanding to see the "Human Vapor". Mizuno stands before them, announces that he is the Human Vapor, and transforms, scaring the crowd away. Fujichiyo and Jiya insist on continuing, and despite Kyoko's pleas, the switch is thrown to detonate the theater, but the circuit board has been sabotaged and the plan appears to be a failure. As the performance ends and Mizuno embraces Fujichiyo, she covertly pulls out a cigarette lighter and strikes it, destroying herself, Jiya (who chose to stay with her to the end), the theater, and Mizuno, who returns to solid form in death.


Cast

*
Yoshio Tsuchiya was a Japanese actor who appeared in such films as Toshio Matsumoto's surreal ''Bara No Soretsu'' (a.k.a. ''Funeral Parade of Roses'') and Akira Kurosawa's '' Seven Samurai'' (as the firebrand farmer Rikichi) and '' Red Beard'', and Kihachi Oka ...
as Mizuno, Librarian/Human Vapor *
Tatsuya Mihashi was a Japanese actor best known internationally for his role as Commander Minoru Genda in the 1970 Japanese-American war epic ''Tora! Tora! Tora!''. In addition, Mihashi was known for his roles in Akira Kurosawa's ''The Bad Sleep Well'', '' The H ...
as Detective Okamoto *
Kaoru Yachigusa was a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. From 1947 to 1957 she was a member of the Takarazuka Revue. After leaving the Revue, she was active in film, television, and narration. She famously quit part way through the filming of the televi ...
as Fujichiyo Kasuga * Keiko Sata as Kyoko Kono, Reporter * Hisaya Ito as Dr. Tamiya *
Yoshifumi Tajima Yoshifumi Tajima (4 August 1918 – 10 September 2009) was an actor in Japanese ''kaiju'' films, best known for his role as Kumayama in '' Mothra vs. Godzilla''. He was born in Kobe, Japan. Selected filmography * ''Pu-san'' (1953) * ''H ...
as Sergent Tabata * Yoshio Kosugi as Detective Inao *
Fuyuki Murakami is a masculine Japanese given name which is occasionally used as a surname and means wintry tree. * (born 1960), Japanese professional wrestler * (born 1955), Japanese photographer * (born 1973), Japanese performance artist In fiction * In the ' ...
as Dr. Sano *
Bokuzen Hidari was a Japanese actor and comedian born in Kotesashi Village (now part of Tokorozawa), Iruma District, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. He appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Lower Depths'' and '' Ikiru''. Hidari was ...
as Jiya, Fujichiyo's Attendant * Takamaru Sasaki as Police Chief * Minosuke Yamada as Hayama, Official * Tatsuo Matsumura as Ikeda, Editor  * Ko Mishima as Fujita, Detective  * Kozo Nomura as Kawasaki, Kyoko's Fellow Reporter  * Ren Yamamoto as Nomura, Robber  * Somesho Matsumoto as Fujichiyo's Teacher  * Tetsu Nakamura as Tobe, Journalist  * Toki Shiozawa as Satoyo, Wife  * Kamayuki Tsubonoas Ozaki, Policeman  * Yasuhisa Tsutsumi as Bank Manager  * Akio Kusama, Yutaka Oka as Cops  * Yukihiko Gondo as Hotta, Guard  *
Shoichi Hirose , occasionally miscredited as Masakazu Hirose and nicknamed for his survival in the naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons, was a Japanese actor. Hirose portrayed Godzilla's archenemy King Ghidorah and King Kong in '' King Kong vs. Godzilla'', a ...
as Guard  *
Wataru Omae Wataru is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Wataru can be written using several kanji characters. Here are some examples: *渉, "ford" *渡, "ferry over" *亘, "extend across" *航, "navigate" *和, "harmony" *亙, "extend acro ...
,
Hideo Shibuya Hideo (ひでお) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * Hideo Den (田 英夫, 1923–2009), Japanese politician and news presenter * Hideo Fujimoto (藤本 英雄, 1918–1997), Japanese baseball player * Hi ...
as Audience Members  * Junpei Natsuki as Bystander  *
Haruo Nakajima was a Japanese actor best known for playing Godzilla in 12 consecutive films, starting from the original ''Godzilla'' (1954) until ''Godzilla vs. Gigan'' (1972). He also played various other giant monsters in '' kaiju'' films, including ''Mothra ...
as Bank patron with black glasses (uncredited)


Production


Writing

The third in Toho’s “Transforming Human” series, The Human Vapor, was almost directed by
Jun Fukuda was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for directing five entries in the ''Godzilla'' series starting with ''Ebirah, Horror of the Deep'' (1966) as well as the spy films ''Ironfinger is a 1965 Japanese ac ...
before
Ishiro Honda Ishiro may refer to: * Chamacoco language, or Ishiro, a language of South America * Chamacoco, or Ishiro, an ethnic group of South America * Ishirō Honda (1911–1993), Japanese film director See also * Ichirō , also written Ichiro, Ichirou ...
became available. Early versions of the script are similar to the finished film except for one scene Honda insisted be cut, Mizuno was to have murdered the wife and child of a policeman. Storyboards also show a much more dramatic version of the scene where Mizuno escapes the police from a high rise building. In the storyboards, Mizuno dramatically jumps through the glass. We cut to an exterior shot of Mizuno’s clothes flapping in the air as he dissolves while the police are shooting at him. The script, by
Takeshi Kimura , better known by his pen name , was a Japanese screenwriter who wrote many films for Toho studios. Kimura scripted several films for director Ishirō Honda, including ''Matango'', '' Frankenstein vs. Baragon'', ''The War of the Gargantuas'', ''Ki ...
, had been languishing at Toho since 1958 before production began. In addition, original drafts of the film were simply titled "Toho's Third Mutant Movie". However, by the time it was released, it had been beaten to the market by other films in the genre such as ''
The Secret of the Telegian () is a 1960 tokusatsu science fiction- horror and mystery film. Produced by Toho Company, Ltd., the film was directed by Jun Fukuda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Herts-Lion International Corp. acquired the western hemisphere rig ...
'' (1960) earlier that year. For reference, the earlier two "mutant" films being referenced were ''
The Invisible Avenger is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Motoyoshi Oda, with special effects and cinematography by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film is a loose adaptation of the 1897 H.G. Wells story ''The Invisible Man''. Plot In Ginza, the dead body ...
'' (1954) and '' H-Man'' (1958).


Filming

Producer
Tomoyuki Tanaka was a Japanese film producer. He is best known for co-creating the ''Godzilla'' franchise and its associated spin-offs. Early life Tanaka was born on April 26, 1910, in Kashiwara, Osaka. As a child, he would often walk miles to the nearest th ...
asked actor Tadao Nakamura, who was Sudo the telegraphed man in ''
The Secret of the Telegian () is a 1960 tokusatsu science fiction- horror and mystery film. Produced by Toho Company, Ltd., the film was directed by Jun Fukuda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Herts-Lion International Corp. acquired the western hemisphere rig ...
'' (1960) to play the Mizuno the vapor man for this film but declined. Kunio Miyaguchi’s music for this film would later be reused in the
Tsuburaya Productions is a Japanese special effects studio founded in 1963 by special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya and was run by his family, until October 2007, when the family sold the company to advertising agency TYO Inc. The studio is best known for producing t ...
TV shows ''
Ultra Q is a tokusatsu science fiction kaiju series made in the tradition of Toho's many tokusatsu sci-fi/horror films. Produced in black and white by Tsuburaya Productions, this is actually the first of the long-running Ultra Series, and was broadcast ...
'' (1966) and ''
Ultraman ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one ...
'' (1966-67).


Special effects

A rubber balloon mannequin of Tsuchiya was made and was used to simulate the Gas Man’s transformation. Air was inflated into the balloon and deflated while filmed at high speed. Small grains of dry ice were used inside the balloon with lukewarm water at the bottom of the it.


English version

The Human Vapor was released theatrically in the United States in 1964 by Brenco Pictures Corporation. It was later re-released on a double feature with Gorath in 1969. The American version re-structured the film from a mystery story to a narrative focused around Mizuno told from his point of view. Approximately 11 minutes of footage was cut, while a portion of Kunio Miyauchi's score was replaced with stock music, primarily from Paul Sawtell's score for The Fly. Eventually, the rights to the film in the U.S. were acquired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who released it on VHS throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The film is currently unavailable on DVD or Blu-ray in the United States, though it occasionally airs on Comet TV.


Release

The film was distributed in Japan by
Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...
on December 11, 1960. It was later released in the United States as ''The Human Vapor'' by Brenco Pictures with an English-language dub May 20, 1964. The film was released as a
double feature The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...
with ''
Gorath is a 1962 Japanese epic science fiction disaster film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Based on an idea by Jojiro Okami, the film is about mankind's efforts to move Earth out of its orbit to prevent it from ...
'', and was edited down to 79 minutes.


Reception

In a contemporary review, "Whit." of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' declared the film plot superior to its companion double feature ''Gorath'' and that its special effects by
Eiji Tsuburaya was a Japanese special effects director and cinematographer. Known as the he worked on 250 feature films in a career spanning 50 years. He is regarded as one of the co-creators of the ''Godzilla'' series, as well as the main creator of the ...
were "expert", while the acting was "competent". The review concluded that the English-language dub they watched was "far from gratifying" and that when the lips did not match the English dialogue it "decreased realism".


See also

* ''
4D Man ''4D Man'' (also known as ''The Evil Force'' in the UK; reissued as ''Master of Terror'' in the US) is a 1959 independent American science fiction film in color by De Luxe, produced by Jack H. Harris (from his original screenplay), directed by ...
''


References


Footnotes


Sources

* * *


External links

* * * Scheib, Richard
''THE HUMAN VAPOR (Gas Ningen Daiichigo)''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Human Vapor, The 1960 films 1960s science fiction films Films about bank robbery Films directed by Ishirō Honda Films produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka Films set in Tokyo Japanese serial killer films Toho tokusatsu films 1960s Japanese films