For the first time ever, the classic 1961 kaiju film Mothra from Toho Studios and director Ishirō Honda (Godzilla) is coming to home video in the UK as Eureka Entertainment unleashes the monster on Blu-ray as part of its Masters of Cinema Series with a limited edition set that includes a hardbound case, 60-page collector’s book and reversible poster.
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 for the first time on home video in the UK.
LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Hardbound Slipcase
- Reversible poster featuring the film’s original US and Japanese poster artwork
- Includes both Japanese and English versions of each film (101 mins & 90 mins respectively)
- Original mono audio presentations (LPCM)
- English subtitles (Japanese version) and English SDH (English version)
- Brand new 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
- Mothra: 1974 Champion Festival Version [61 mins] – a special version of the film edited by Ishirō Honda for the 1974 Toho Champion Festival (INCLUSION TBC)
- Stills Galleries featuring rare archival stills and ephemera
- PLUS: A Perfect Bound 60-PAGE Collector’s Booklet featuring essays by Christopher Stewardson and Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp (Midnight Eye); a new interview with Scott Chambliss (production designer on 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters); an extract from Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski’s Ishirō Honda biography; and archival reviews and stills.
Mothra is set for release in the UK on November 16th.
