kaddu beykat ( also known as letter from my village and lettre paysanne ) is a 1975 senegalese film directed by safi faye .

it was the first feature film made by a sub-saharan african woman to be commercially distributed and brought international recognition for its director .

centred on a romance , it chronicles the daily lives of people in a rural senegalese village .

kaddu beykat

12 / 04 / 14 - - 22 : 50 : _ from kaddu beykat t . . .
reviews for the movie : kaddu beykat - 1975 film can be added here . more on this film : kaddu beykat ( a . k . a . letter from my village ) - ( senegal ) 1975 film .
your film kaddu beykat concerns society . you made an honest assessment of the society , but the film was banned in senegal . why ?
in safi faye ' s kaddu beykat the story unfolds through the backdrop of an ongoing drought in the village , causing economic upheaval as groundnuts are its sole crop .
films shown in aff , inc . programs : letter from my village [ kaddu beykat ] ( 1993 , 2000 ) ; mossane ( 1998 , 2000 , 2015 ) .
i tried to rent kaddu beykat some time ago but i was told that the print is in bad shape . that is one of the reasons i suggested having mossane and the other films you made on video .
the environment has long been a theme that african women in cinema have addressed in their work , from kaddu beykat ( 1975 ) by senegalese , safi faye to pumzi ( 2009 ) by wanuri kahiu of kenya .
senegalese films : kaddu beykat , black girl , faat kiné , mossane , moolaadé , borom sarret , hyènes , xala , liberté i , list of senegalese films , mandabi . memphis : books llc , 2010 . print .
kaddu beykat is a very powerful film that deals with economic , historical , social , and political situations . it is also an ethnographic film and makes a powerful critique of the senegalese system . what inspired you to make this film ?
yes , kaddu beykat was made in 1975 and it is my first feature - length film . the film is one hour and forty - five minutes long . i experimented with both content and narrative style , and you can find in it a mixture of fiction and documentary styles .
an artful fusion of the political and the poetic , safi faye’s first film situates the local within the global , focusing on the daily lives of community members from the director’s senegalese hometown , fad’jal . the first feature by a sub - saharan african woman to gain international distribution , kaddu beykat mounts a powerful critique on colonial administration .
i am optimistic that mossane could make money because it is a nice haile gerima . his distribution company , mypheduh films , distributes my beykat in the united states .
slow - paced and faithfully depicting the close connection between human and nature in a rural context , kaddu beykat ( which literally means ' voice of the peasant ' ) is a black - and - white feature - length docudrama interpreted by non - professional actors - farmers playing their own roles . the film also focuses on the fate of a young villager , ngor , who leaves his village to seek work in dakar , but returns disillusioned to marry a local woman .
my real feature is mossane , which was completed recently ; and it is also a fiction film . before that , i made two other features , both mixtures of film and documentary . they are kaddu beykat [ letter from the village , 1975 ] and fad’jal [ come and work , 1979 ] , which was one of the films selected for the 1979 . i have made many short films and several feature - length films that juxtapose with documentary , as i stated before , but mossane is completely fiction .
the first feature - length film by a sub - saharan african woman , kaddu beykat is set in the filmmaker ' s village of fadial in senegal . safi faye , who has a background in anthropology and a filmmaking career spanning almost three decades , documents everyday life in the village , and in particular the villagers ' economic dependence on the groundnut crop . initially banned in senegal , the film condemns the colonial heritage of peanut monoculture and denounces the government ' s lack of agricultural diversification to ensure the welfare of the rural populace .
one of the film’s core themes — the lack of opportunity in senegal – is somewhat reflected in the recent state of the senegalese national cinema , which a recent agence france - presse ( afp ) report alarmingly described as “dying a slow death” . senegal was once at the forefront of african cinema in the two decades following the country’s independence from france in 1960 , with directors such as djibril diop mambéty ( badou boy , 1970 ; touki bouki , 1973 ) , safi faye ( kaddu beykat , 1975 ) and ousmane sembène ( black girl , 1966 ; xala , 1975 ) receiving widespread international acclaim .
filmography : the passerby [ la passante ] ( 1972 ) ; revenge ( 1973 ) ; letter from my village [ kaddu beykat ] ( 1975 ) ; the harvest is in [ göob na nu ] ( 1979 ) ; come and work [ fad’ jal ] ( 1979 ) ; three years and five months ( 1979 ) ; i , your mother [ man sa yaay ] ( 1980 ) ; as women see it ? ( 1980 ) ; souls under the sun ( 1981 ) ; selbé : one among many ( 1982 ) ; ambassades nourricières ( 1984 ) ; elsie haas , haitian woman painter and filmmaker ( 1985 ) ; black roots ( 1985 ) ; tesito ( 1989 ) ; mossane ( 1996 ) .
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ngor ( a young man residing in a senegalese village ) wishes to marry columba , but cannot afford the bride price due to the monetary effects of an ongoing drought . in an attempt to earn columba ' s bride price , ngor travels to dakar seeking work . however , ngor’s plans for dakar fail to succeed accordingly . returning to the village , ngor shares the story of his experience with the other men .
director : safi faye country : senegal year : 1975 running time : 95 min . language : serer
( source : through african eyes – dialogues with the directors , bonetti mahen and reddy prerana ( editors ) , 2003 , african film festival , inc . and printinfo jv llc , yerevan , armenia , p . 18 )
safi faye , africa’s first black female filmmaker to complete a feature , uses a gentle diary voice - over to tell the daily life of her village . the imagery is in beautiful black and white . faye notices the steam and smoke coming off village huts , the evening sunlight , the rituals of cooking and working . in the ‘50s and ‘60s , white europeans made anthropological films about africa but this is the insider’s story – beautiful , honest and with its own sense of time .
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this film is the first feature film to be made by a sub - saharan african woman .
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described by françoise pfaff as a “strong - minded and outspoken yet amiable woman possessing a keen sense of humor , ” safi faye believes that a structure must bear the signature of the film . although she is careful not to criticize her counterparts in other african film practice , she does allude to the differences separating her from them in matters of technique and ideology . this interview was conducted in french and translated by kathryn lauten . it has been extracted from the book : questioning african cinema : conversations with filmmakers by frank nwachukwu ukadike and teshome h . gabriel . also spoiler alert if you haven’t seen the films and don’t wish to know major details .
you have made history , then , in being the first black woman to make a feature - length film .
actually , i am the first black woman to make any films - i did a short film in 1972 . the title of the film is la passante , and it is only ten minutes long . am i the only woman , the only active black woman in feature film making in africa today ? surely i am not ! a lot has changed .
as a young woman i was very enthusiastic about documenting the lives of the peasant community , the farmers , where i come from . i wanted to film their preoccupations , to tell their stories . they live in this world like any other people ; they are happy , maybe , but not often . in their society , they can live only if they can cultivate their lands . but they face two handicaps— the problem of inadequate rainfall , which causes drought , and that of government exploitation . i felt i must tell their stories my own way— through film . when i was doing my fieldwork and examinations in ethnology for my second degree at the university , i gathered a lot of research materials and resources in the community .
you just mentioned your training as an ethnologist and anthropologist . that shows in all of your films through your careful observation and how you apply your research . your films are different from western ethnographic films about africa . in making your films , how do you stay back to let the action happen uninterrupted and to let the camera capture that action ? that is one of the greatest attributes that makes your films so powerful .
actually , it is difficult to say . maybe it is my kind of writing , or my sensibility . each filmmaker has his own sensibility . for me a film has to have a particular structure or distinctive hallmark . sometimes it is hard to explain how that structure was realized or how the entire film was made . ideas come in a flash and so does the creative impulse that drives the whole initiative . it also depends on the circumstances surrounding the making of the film . i may be reacting this way because i had to fight a lot to save my last film , mossane , and now i have no more ideas . i am afraid to make films again . before i had a lot of ideas . i am sure , though , that all the films i made happened because i admired and liked the people and like to show that via the film medium .
you are a member of the village so you are looking from inside as opposed to other people who look from the outside , at what they call “exotic cultures . ” that is the difference that separates your films from , for example , the films of jean rouch .
yes , but also other african filmmakers could make films like me , but they are preoccupied more with cities and towns than the places of their origins . i don’t like the city .
it is because of how the farmers told their stories . they said it was true that governments cheat on them when they come to buy their produce . the government was embarrassed and did not like being exposed . so the criticism made the government censors intimidate me by ordering me to cut two segments of the film . one segment is the sequence where the children played . in one scene the children narrate how they saw the government officials arrive to collect money from their parents . for some parents , this is a humiliating experience , and when the government officials arrive to harass them they would ask the children to leave home and go elsewhere to play .
another part they asked me to cut concerns what happens when the government buys the goods from the peasants . they pay a certain compensation for the cash crops bought , but it is only when the farmer returns home that he finds out from others that the government took advantage of his lack of education and gave him less than the agreed - upon amount . the censors insisted that i eliminate these two sequences but i refused to comply . i make my films alone without government money , and i find it unacceptable to comply with government censors who want to cut my film so as to cover the atrocities they have committed against their own people . i believe in the stories my people told me and for me , that is the main issue . but this is all in the past , because for my last film never before has the government of senegal put up so much money to support an independent production . it shows how people and governments can change .
when i met with you at the 1995 pan - african festival of film and television of ouagadougou , your first time at the festival , you said you stopped in senegal on your way to ouagadougou to receive an award . so the government finally recognized you after so many years ?
yes , the award coincided with the preparations for the women’s meeting in china , which started in senegal . they had to congratulate one woman , and it was i . the year 1995 marked the first time that i attended fespaco . i had not participated since its inception because of the choices i had to make— to be a filmmaker yes ; to be a mother , yes ; to pursue my work on anthropological studies , yes . and if i want to support my daughter who is now studying at a university in england , i have to be careful regarding how i manage my affairs . all these things control my life . i want to succeed at the choices i make . if i do these three things at the same time , i must eliminate certain things such as festivals and many other activities , which is why for twenty years i never attended any festivals . it was my choice not to attend fespaco . but in 1995 i received a special invitation to attend fespaco and to receive a meritorious award given to me by the organization of african filmmakers , which i was mandated to accept . it was a great honor .
how do you do everything you do— so well ? to combine motherhood with your other jobs ? the problem of shooting films and doing postproduction work must be very difficult for you .
yes , it is . if i cannot do all the things that i plan to do , i am never satisfied . and i want to be satisfied . i try to be satisfied . for me there is no confusion making movies and all the rest . i am not lost inside . i always manage to a way out . when my daughter was three years old , she could read because i devoted a lot of time to teaching her . i was a trained teacher in senegal before i left my country for a temporary absence . it also worked to my daughter’s advantage because she was always taking place in her classes . similarly , when i make films i also try my best to accomplish certain goals . i must state that choosing to make films before any other black woman was easy for me . first i studied at a very prestigious film school , louis lumière , in paris . after i received my diploma i realized that i had some expectations and i said to myself , “i’ll try . ” suddenly a black woman is making films . at that time it was less difficult because there were a lot of possibilities . i got a lot of attention and admiration because i was the first woman of my time to use the camera . the only film where i had problems is mossane . but before that i always got an immediate yes to my requests for funding .
what is the problem you had with mossane ? i know it took a long time to make this film , and you were very angry about your working relationships when i asked you about it at the 1995 fespaco .
your films pay meticulous attention to womanhood ; how you foreground women’s lives and how , through the characters , the viewer experiences vignettes of culture attests to women’s contributions to society . i know you have said that your films are not only about women but about all of society .
no , no ! because women alone cannot live in africa . women live in a community , and i cannot eliminate the community . this is a reflection on me : i cannot live without my people . i cannot separate out an individual . but this is typical of african cultures . you cannot live alone ; you can’t do it because a big family , a big community , is all around you .
in ferid boughedir’s camera d’afrique : twenty years of african cinema , you talked about your filmmaking experience while holding a muslim prayer bead .
i don’t remember that , but i am a muslim ; my father is a muslim , his brother is a catholic , and his uncle is an animist . all of the religions can live together— the most important thing is belief in one’s faith .
i think you are a bridge uniting all these differences . as a woman , carrying a camera , going to a village to film , how do you coordinate all of the things you do ?
because i know what i am doing . when you cannot get what you want , it is because you do not know where you are going . before i say , “shoot , ” i know where i am going , and i do it very quickly . it is just the way i approach my work .
“love” is what i say to everyone who asks me this question . i wanted the most beautiful woman to be an african girl . in this case the girl is fourteen years old ; she is pure , she is innocent , and she looks as if she does not belong to this world— because she is too beautiful . the entire world loves her , including her brother . she is so pure and beautiful , but she cannot stay in this world because the spirits who died or departed long ago will come back to take her . the beginning point was a legend affirming that every two centuries a young girl is born whose beauty is such that she can only know fatal destiny . mossane belongs to this group of people .
the way you treated her brother’s sexual advances toward her was not exoticized . that was cleverly integrated into the narrative .
it is because i like punctuation in my films . the film is about mossane , which means “beauty . ” all of those things happening in the plot are punctuation , nothing else . and when you have those points of punctuation , you don’t have to make the story about those points . my story follows mossane’s development as an individual who is lovable . i love her . i created this character . her brother could also be in love with her , like i can be in love with her , because she is supernatural , ethereal . the point i make is that anybody , woman or man , can love her . i wanted to get that point across .
yes , like i said before , she is supernatural . she does not belong on this earth . nobody knows why she is so supernatural . she has parents all right but she is still unique in this world . nobody can touch her . somehow she is inaccessible , and i like inaccessible beings . that comes also from my experience as an ethnologist .
she dies when she is kept from marrying the person she loves . is this a criticism of society ? are you suggesting that the practice of arranged marriages is outdated in africa ?
everybody is free to make his own interpretation of the film . for me , i say that she doesn’t belong to this world , and nobody can touch her . she has her destiny . i remember that in my script , i wrote that she is going to follow fara the student , and when the university reopens she attempts to meet him . the obstacle separating them is the river . she has to cross the river alone , but spirits live in the water , it is believed in my country , and a spirit took her to another destination . my sense of creativity , though , is to let the audience imagine what the images signify . it is not necessary to make everything explicit for the audience . they have to think . creativity invites such thinking ; that is why i create .
is that why you didn’t quite show clearly how she died ? we are left to assume many things , such as whether she drowned on her own or whether someone murdered her .
traveling alone , she heard some voices— voices of the spirits , which frightened her . she drifted into the woods and began to cry . in my conception it is the spirit that took her , because this girl didn’t belong in this world . she had to go back with the spirit to become a member of the spirit world . and maybe she will come back one day looking for the most beautiful man on earth .
another interesting way you present culture is in your depiction of black sexuality . you depicted the lovemaking sequence in a way unusual for african films . i liked how it was shot , but it may be too controversial for some africans , including your colleagues .
some people may see the lovemaking scene as too explicit . i do not think there is anything unusual . every married man and woman makes love at home . when things are beautiful , when the body is beautiful— and , yes , mossane is beautiful— i show them as beautiful . as if it is expected to happen , and the audience knows it will happen , why can’t the couple be shown having intercourse ? when i chose to present such a scene i aspired to present it as beautiful and as pleasing as possible . the president of my country saw the premiere of the in dakar and he told me that people make love and that there is nothing wrong in depicting lovemaking in especially regarding how i constructed the scene .
the scene was well shot . the lighting and the serene atmosphere contributed to its splendor . what kind of a crew do you use ? do you use african technicians ?
the technical crew is all german . i made my name in germany before france . i lived for a long time in germany , teaching at the university and so forth . when i wrote my script and sent it to my financiers in germany , they immediately suggested that jürgen jürges [ fassbinder’s acclaimed cameraman , considered one of the best of his generation ] should film mossane . after he became interested in the story , jürges pointed out to me that both of our daughters were thirteen years old , and we could put all of our affection for our children on mossane . that comment contributed greatly to the harmony of our working relationship . we filmed the little girl like a genie to inject into the character all of the mysterious aspects you can only see in a child at this age . a child changes a lot between thirteen and years old . you can experience those characteristics in mossane throughout the fifteen film .
i think it is difficult to make now . i am no longer ready to make a like mossane . it is my last big because i do not want to be destroyed anymore . if something bad should happen to me , my child will lose everything . i was very depressed over this film because of a number of bad experiences culminating in a series of financial and legal disagreements . it was like a dream for seven years as i waited and waited for the justice system to rescue me . if i didn’t have my whole family , my community with me during this painful period , i would have perished . they were the ones who knew how sad i was during those years and they were the ones who gave me the encouragement to keep going . i am sure i could not have taken all of those pains alone . they too shared a little part of that sadness . they saved me .
no . it was shown at the cannes film festival for two consecutive years , but i still have a lot of production costs left to pay . i need money to pay for postproduction , including the costs of making internegative and interpositive prints , as well as some other expenses . at this time , we have only two prints made . mossane has not made me financially solvent as yet , as there is also a lot of lab work to pay for . i am expecting to settle all the bills and to be able to make more copies for distribution . however , trigon - film in switzerland , who contributed to the production fund , organized a commercial screening of in november 1996 that is still going on to this present day [ september i was there to present it . to make it worthwhile commercializing the trigon paid to make three copies . my distributor in africa is ousmane sembene , who is really great . he promised to begin the distribution and exhibition in october the german exhibition will also begin in october .
i don’t know . i won’t rush into anything , because this has made me afraid . i had planned for the shooting of this film to be completed in and it wasn’t until the film was ready for screening . destiny is at work , maybe . perhaps it is better for me to wait . people can inquire about the film or offer proposals for acquisition , but i will exercise some degree of restraint . remember that i created the story and invented the spirits ; nobody can see spirits or represent spirits , so when you show them in a film , maybe the spirit will find a way to bring something good for the future . for me , spirits do not belong to this world , and if they come , heads must bow .
yes , but a spirit can also make us ascend to a level we didn’t think possible before .
yes , i agree ! i think that the spirit that i venerated in my film gave me back my rights .
because of the energy and time of putting this film together , there must be a way to find a channel of distribution for it . you know haile gerima . his film sankofa made a lot of money because he organized its distribution through the help of many people . the film showed in major cities , and after that , he put it on video . i bought a copy myself . i think that strategy could also work in your case .
you are making a good proposal but i have to clear impending debts . i was glad that after the rough cut was shown to some guests last december [ 1995 ] it was predicted that this film would go to cannes , and it did . for that and other reasons , i think i should wait for the right distributor to handle the film . i will not give the to any distributor without getting a twenty - thousand - dollar deposit up front . i need this money to pay the bills . i am only asking for a fair amount . all of my are still out there in distribution— some of them twenty years after they have been made , and i am sure mossane will be universal and eternal . for that , i can wait .
mossane was received as the official selection of the cannes film festival and for its world premiere . i was elated . i went to the cannes film festival with my daughter , and she witnessed the whole thing . she saw her mother destroy what i would call the myth of the stupidity of filmmaking . for me it was a special occasion and a special occasion for the government of senegal , who sent high - level government officials to witness this event . the government was glad that my film made it as senegal’s official entry to the festival . the president gave me his full support . ousmane sembene threw in his weight , too .
i don’t have a specific influence . i work from my own sensation . i like to be alone . i like silence . it is only my child who cannot disturb me , but other people can disturb me .
i cannot talk about that . sometimes when there is an african showing , i pay my way to experience the film . if i happen to meet the i don’t admit i saw the film because i don’t want him to ask me what i think about it . i think there are some differences demarcating my work from theirs . it could be that i have great self - confidence .
i do not normally go to fespaco . the time i participated was in and the second time was this year , and only because sembene told me , “you must show your film , you must put your film in competition . ” as you know , i prefer to be alone ; i don’t belong to any group . for me , three days here at fespaco is enough . if i could have changed my ticket today i would have left , but i was told it was not possible to change it . i like the generosity of the organizers . i appreciate that , but i don’t like festivals . i do not envy the structure of the organization of fespaco . in short , i don’t like festivals except in some exceptional circumstances .
you display a lot of rituals— matrimonial rituals , dances , ghosts , and sensuous feasts of young women— in the film that people who do not know much about senegalese culture may not understand .
it is interesting how people marvel about all the things happening in this film . when i showed it in paris and invited my former professors of anthropology and ethnology to see the film , they admired the creative imagination involved in the realization of those images . of course , they understood them to be images which i invented , but some people think the story was real . one of the professors said to me ,
“ms . safi , you know this is the origin of myths . in twenty years , people will still say this is the myth of safi faye . ” all the same , the images are not realistic .
this is again what is unique about your film structure . you have a unique way of juxtaposing fiction with documentary to create the kind of myth you are talking about .
yes , you are correct . but if you make making films and you cannot create , then you must stop making films .
i am not competent to comment generally on the issue because i don’t see a lot of african films , but i think that in any one film a new image must be created . as they said in cannes in reference to my spirits , never before has a person created on this kind of vision of humans . critics also admired the music , the warm and lively colors , and the sensuous nature of the for me , the head must think and create . if not , you are like any other filmmaker .
i saw that a number of agencies , including television , were involved in funding the project . doesn’t it bother you that when the film is shown on television that you may not be able to control piracy , especially since it has not been widely distributed commercially ?
the will be shown on channel in england , arte in france , zdf tv in germany— all of whom financed the along with some other television networks . on the question of piracy and illegal duplication , i have a lawyer and a contract , but it is true that no television station can control satellite broadcasts . regarding my earlier problems , the mistake i made was that i did not have a lawyer when i started the production . at the time i was advised that it was not necessary to hire a lawyer because it would be too costly . actually that would have meant hiring three lawyers , each of them taking charge of the legal questions that might have arisen in france , germany , and senegal , respectively . i learned my lesson . if i had lawyers from the beginning , i would not have had the problems i had for these past or six years . but i learned a lot from these mistakes and from this film . when there is so much money involved , as with this project , there is a tendency that your trusted associate will try to steal from you . i will never make that kind of mistake again .
this kind of affirmation is frequently heard among african filmmakers . often they say they will never make films again because of bad experiences they had and the problem of working as an independent . but because of their reputation , they are forced to make more films . so i am hoping that pressure will come one day to say that the woman who made this beautiful film , mossane , cannot stop making films . she must be given full support .
i will tell such a person to bring the money , take control of the legal aspects , give me my rights , and i will prepare the film’s scenario and shoot it . all the people who gave me money to make mossane know me , and they know my work . i am grateful to them all . i am not planning to start looking for money for a new because money is dangerous . the more you find the money , the more a lot of people will come behind you and , believe it , you may not know who the unscrupulous individuals are .
i talked to you before about selbé , which is doing very well in the united states .
the film was commissioned . it was coproduced by unicef and faust films production [ munich ] . i directed it and it does not belong to me . people tell me i did a good job on that do get payment from it . everybody likes selbé . it won a special prize at the leipzig festival in germany . the people who commissioned it wanted a woman to make the film , and i 1983 filmmaker film .
i say , let mossane have its own way . i can’t say i want this or want that , but i can’t continue to suffer . i believe that after six years of uncertainty the time has now come for me to reap the fruits of my labor . for me , in my head , mossane is done , and you don’t know how happy i am .
safi faye certainly has strong opinions and as you realize from this interview an integral part of african cinema . any thoughts on her opinions and films she has mentioned ?
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hi everyone , it ' s my first go to see at this web . . .
what ' s up friends , how is the whole thing , and what you . . .
attractive section of content . i just stumbled upon your weblog and . . .
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jihan el tahri , judy kibinge , jean - marie teno , john [ . . . ]
plénière : 40 ans de cinéma fait par des femmes en [ . . . ]
le 32e festival du film de femmes de créteil rend hommage [ . . . ]
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immediate experience : about the panelists of the african film festival – african film festival , inc .
the broad issues of production , marketing , international distribution , and the urgency and objectives of black representation in the media find definition in the professional and personal experiences of the panelists . special guests miriam makeba , angelique kidjo , and pras highlight the challenges faced by the film directors and performance artists of the diaspora . in addition , malian griot fifi - dalla kouyate will perform an excerpt from her show based on the sundiata epic . that performance will be presented on sunday , may 21 , in conjunction with the discussion on “mapping the trajectories of women’s storytelling . ” on tuesday , may 23 , repeat screenings of this year’s festival titles will anchor dialogue with director safi faye , a woman distinguished for having overcome many obstacles to produce films that reflect the changing role of women in african society .
andrew dosunmu is an up - and - coming multimedia artist . dosunmu , who calls nigeria home , too , is london - born with a passion for black - and - white film . in addition to his outrageous documentary on the art and industry of african american hair - styling , hot irons ( 1991 ) — a festival selection — his photography and styling have appeared in magazines such as paper and i - d , and he has directed music videos for aaron neville , isaac hayes , maxwell , angie stone , and guru , among many others .
alain gomis is of senegalese origin and studied cinematography at the sorbonne . at the age of twenty - six , he has already made two short films , tourbillions ( 1999 ) — selected for the 6th ny african film festival — and tout le monde peut se tromper , as well as the documentary caramels et chocolats .
pras is a member of the hip - hop group , the fugees . he has now begun an acting career in the film ghetto superstar for madonna’s company , madguys productions . as a major force in the shaping of global black youth culture and multimedia talent , pras is uniquely positioned to offer a contemporary perspective on american audiences and casting .
mustafa shakir is a young new yorker with roots in nigeria and the us . as one of the hottest spoken - word performers on the slam poetry circuit , he has appeared at such venues as the nyurican poet’s cafe , the hottest poets , and the brooklyn tea party . he has acting credits include television , “new york undercover” and “law and order , ” as well as film , friends forever , jails , hospitals , and hip hop , and i was made to love her , which stars chris rock and is currently in production here in new york . he is also active on the stage and working on a new project entitled , second look . given his experience , shakir brings an element of immediacy to strategies on developing the us market for african film .


godzilla vs. mothra ( ゴジラvsモスラ gojira tai mosura , also known as godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth ) is a 1992 japanese science fantasy kaiju film featuring godzilla , produced and distributed by toho .

it is the 19th film in the godzilla franchise and the fourth film in the heisei series .

the film is directed by takao okawara , written by kazuki omori and stars tetsuya bessho , satomi kobayashi , takehiro murata , megumi odaka , shiori yonezawa , makoto otake , akiji kobayashi , koichi ueda , shinya owada , keiko imamura , sayaka osawa , saburo shinoda and akira takarada .

in godzilla vs. mothra , battra and mothra must stop godzilla from attacking yokohama .

originally conceived as a standalone mothra film entitled mothra vs. bagan , the movie was notable for its return to a more fantasy-based , family-oriented atmosphere evocative of pre-1984 godzilla films .

the film was released in japan on december 12 , 1992 and in direct to video in the united states in 1998 by columbia tristar home video as godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth .

unadjusted for inflation , the film remains the highest-grossing film of the toho godzilla films and was the second highest-grossing film in japan in 1993 , second only to jurassic park .

godzilla vs . mothra

( godzilla vs . biollante ; godzilla vs . king ghidorah ; godzilla vs . mothra ; godzilla vs . mechagodzilla ii ; godzilla vs . spacegodzilla ; godzilla vs . destoroyah )
godzilla vs . king ghidorah and godzilla vs . mothra sony toho godzilla collection blu - ray cover
( godzilla ' s revenge ; godzilla vs . hedorah ; godzilla vs . gigan ; godzilla vs . megalon ; godzilla vs . mechagodzilla ; terror of mechagodzilla )
this becomes a call forward of sorts to godzilla vs hedorah and godzilla vs biollante .
( gojira ; godzilla raids again ; king kong vs . godzilla ; mothra vs . godzilla ; ghidorah : the three - headed monster ; godzilla vs . monster zero )
after mothra vs . bagan had long been canceled and godzilla vs . king ghidorah ( 1991 ) was wrapping up production , work began on godzilla vs . gigamoth , sometimes referred to as mothra vs . gigamoth .
kraken releasing has been updated with the finalized covers for godzilla vs . the sea monster , godzilla vs . hedorah and godzilla vs . gigan .
godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth ( gojira vs . mosura ) photos
godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth ( gojira vs . mosura ) quotes
in japan , godzilla vs . mothra ( 1992 ) won the following awards :
godzilla vs . king ghidorah / godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth $ 11 . 93
special features : three trailers for godzilla vs . destoroyah and two trailers for godzilla vs . megaguirus .
you will now receive one email as soon as godzilla vs . mothra becomes available .
note : ' godzilla vs . mothra ' is currently only available as part of a
godzilla ( 1954 ) • godzilla raids again • king kong vs . godzilla • mothra vs . godzilla • ghidorah , the three - headed monster • invasion of astro - monster • ebirah , horror of the deep • son of godzilla • destroy all monsters • all monsters attack • godzilla vs . hedorah • godzilla vs . gigan • godzilla vs . megalon • godzilla vs . mechagodzilla • terror of mechagodzilla • the return of godzilla • godzilla vs . biollante • godzilla vs . king ghidorah • godzilla vs . mothra • godzilla vs . mechagodzilla ii • godzilla vs . spacegodzilla • godzilla vs . destoroyah • godzilla ( 1998 ) • godzilla 2000 : millennium • godzilla vs . megaguirus • godzilla , mothra and king ghidorah : giant monsters all - out attack • godzilla against mechagodzilla • godzilla : tokyo s . o . s . • godzilla : final wars • godzilla ( 2014 ) • shin godzilla • godzilla : planet of the monsters • godzilla : city on the edge of battle • godzilla : planet eater • godzilla : king of the monsters • godzilla vs . kong
( 2000 ) . godzilla vs . spacegodzilla / godzilla vs . destoroyah amazon . retrieved june 26 , 2017
godzilla vs . megaguirus ( 2000 ) - godzilla vs . megaguirus ( 2000 ) - user reviews - imdb
godzilla ( 1954 ) • godzilla raids again • king kong vs . godzilla • mothra vs . godzilla • ghidorah , the three - headed monster • invasion of astro - monster • ebirah , horror of the deep • son of godzilla • destroy all monsters • all monsters attack • godzilla vs . hedorah • godzilla vs . gigan • godzilla vs . megalon • godzilla vs . mechagodzilla • terror of mechagodzilla • the return of godzilla • godzilla vs . biollante • godzilla vs . king ghidorah • godzilla vs . mothra • godzilla vs . mechagodzilla ii • godzilla vs . spacegodzilla • godzilla vs . destoroyah • godzilla ( 1998 ) • godzilla 2000 : millennium • godzilla vs . megaguirus • godzilla , mothra and king ghidorah : giant monsters all - out attack • godzilla against mechagodzilla • godzilla : tokyo s . o . s . • godzilla : final wars • godzilla ( 2014 ) • shin godzilla • godzilla : planet of the monsters • godzilla : city on the edge of battle • godzilla : planet eater • godzilla : king of the monsters
view all godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth ( gojira vs . mosura ) news
critic reviews for godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth ( gojira vs . mosura )
audience reviews for godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth ( gojira vs . mosura )
( may 6 , 1998 ) . godzilla vs mothra amazon . retrieved july 3 , 2017
godzilla vs . mothra was released direct to vhs in the united states by tristar pictures in april of 1998 , alongside godzilla vs . king ghidorah . tristar released the film under the title godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth in order to avoid confusion with mothra vs . godzilla , which was known as godzilla vs . mothra in the u . s . at this time .
special features : complete english end credits , japanese trailers for godzilla vs . mechagodzilla ii and godzilla vs . spacegodzilla , u . s . trailer for godzilla vs . destoroyah
what other pre - production sketches did you draw for mothra vs . bagan ?
news & interviews for godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth ( gojira vs . mosura )
urltoken godzilla vs . destoroyah / godzilla vs . megaguirus : the g annihilation strategy - set ( blu - ray )
godzilla vs . king ghidorah / godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth $ 11 . 93 … ( less )
this article is about the 1992 film . for the 1964 film , see mothra vs . godzilla .
godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth ( gojira vs . mosura ) ( 1992 ) - rotten tomatoes
• godzilla 2000 , gmk , godzilla vs , mechagodzilla + rebirth of . . .
to be notified when godzilla vs . mothra becomes available on blu - ray , simply submit your email below .
( may 6 , 2014 ) . godzilla vs . king ghidorah / godzilla vs . mothra ( 1992 ) - set ( blu - ray ) amazon . retrieved june 25 , 2017
mothra vs . godzilla and ghidorah , the three - headed monster are the only godzilla films to be released in the same year .
notes : godzilla vs . the thing has a cropped 1 : 78 : 1 aspect ratio . it also features the original
godzilla vs . the thing
title card in place of the
godzilla vs . mothra
card used in previous releases .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing godzilla vs . mothra near you .
mothra vs . godzilla and ghidorah , the three - headed monster are the only godzilla films to be released in japan the same year .
mothra vs . godzilla is one of two toho godzilla movies to be released in japanese and american theaters in the same year , the other being shin godzilla .
gamera • gamera vs . barugon • gamera vs . gyaos • gamera vs . viras • gamera vs . guiron • gamera vs . jiger • gamera vs . zigra • gamera : super monster • gamera : guardian of the universe • gamera 2 : attack of legion • gamera 3 : revenge of iris • gamera the brave
mothra vs . godzilla is often considered by both fans and critics alike as being one of the best in the showa series of godzilla films .
columbia tristar home entertainment released godzilla vs . king ghidorah and godzilla vs . mothra on home video on april 28 , 1998 . this was the first time either film had been officially released in the united states . tristar used the toho dubbed versions , but cut the end credits and created new titles and opening credits for both films . to avoid confusion with video releases of mothra vs . godzilla ( 1964 ) , then titled godzilla vs . mothra , tristar renamed the film godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth .
in 1991 , after mothra vs . bagan ' s cancellation , and with godzilla vs . king ghidorah ' s production coming to a close , koichi kawakita and minoru yoshida wrote the script for godzilla vs . gigamoth . the script did not seem satisfying to toho so it was scrapped . toho then became very interested in having a movie with godzilla and mothra , and so the project was retitled to godzilla vs . mothra and the next couple of scripts focused on mothra fighting godzilla . the first script after gigamoth was written by wataru mimura and was submitted the same year , and was scrapped too . the second and final script , which became godzilla vs . mothra , was written by kazuki omori from his mothra vs . bagan script , with battra added .
gamera • gamera vs . barugon • gamera vs . gyaos • gamera vs . viras • gamera vs . guiron • gamera vs . jiger • gamera vs . zigra • gamera : super monster • gamera : guardian of the universe • gamera 2 : attack of legion • gamera 3 : revenge of iris • gamera the brave • gamera
thus vs . destroyah will get bundled with vs . megaguirus and gmk will probably get bundled with against mechagodzilla .
american kaiju : mike bogue ' s articles and reviews : godzilla vs . gigan
the nice thing about bluray , though , is that bluray discs can hold two godzilla movies without hurting the picture quality . i just hope we get japanese versions of godzilla vs . king ghidorah , godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth , godzilla vs . spacegodzilla and godzilla vs . destroyah , with full credits and proper subtitles .
what do you think of hurricane ryu ' s work ? ( hurricane ryu created both the art of godzilla , which features a storyboard - like adaptation of godzilla vs . ghidrah , and the art of godzilla vs . mothra , which features a storyboard - like adaptation of godzilla vs . mothra . in addition , he played ghidrah , battra , baby godzilla , the kumaso god , and godzilla junior . )
koichi kawakita , special effects director for many of the heisei series godzilla films , originally wanted mothra to be killed at the end of godzilla vs . mothra and have her turned into a cyborg in the sequel .
some thoughts on the next shared monster universe , from godzilla 2 to the inevitable godzilla vs . kong .
in godzilla island episode 166
baby mothra awakes ,
battra can also emit powder from his wings just like mothra except that the powder is red instead of yellow like mothra ' s .
us title : godzilla vs . the sea monster ( 1966 ) director : jun fukuda
i originally designed the mb 96 for mothra vs . bagan . since the movie was going to feature mothra , there was going to be a device similar to the atomic heat gun in it . when mothra vs . bagan was cancelled , the members of toho ' s special effects staff began trying to find a way to use my design in some other film . they finally did when godzilla vs . destroyer went into pre - production . ( the atomic heat gun is used in an attempt to burn mothra ' s cocoon in mothra . mothra vs . bagan was going to be produced in 1990 . )
godzilla x mothra x mechagodzilla : tokyo s . o . s ( 2003 )
mothra vs . godzilla was directed by ishiro honda , produced by tomoyuki tanaka , and written by shinichi sekizawa . the film ' s plot revolves around mothra ' s egg washing ashore , and godzilla ' s arrival shortly after , as the latter combats both mothra and the military .
baby godzilla ' s skin is very smooth . that shows that he has not been exposed to radiation . it also shows that the design of baby godzilla was influenced by that of the godzillasaur . ( baby godzilla is introduced in godzilla vs . mechagodzilla ( 1993 ) . he grows into little godzilla in godzilla vs . space godzilla ( 1994 ) and godzilla junior in godzilla vs . destroyer . )
your design for the larval battra features short tusk - like growths that rotate . why did you make them rotate ? ( battra is the
battle mothra
seen in godzilla vs . mothra . )
( november 3 , 1998 ) . godzilla vs . king ghidorah / godzilla & mothra : the battle for earth ( double feature ) amazon . retrieved june 25 , 2017
in american video releases in the 1980s , the film was titled simply godzilla vs . mothra . however , mothra is still repeatedly called
the thing
in the dub , confusing many viewers who thought
the thing
and
mothra
were two separate monsters . because of this , when tristar released godzilla vs . mothra in the u . s . , they re - titled it godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth so that it would not be confused with this film .
i write one every time a godzilla film is proposed . for example , i wrote one for godzilla vs . mechagodzilla that is similar to the story outline on which godzilla vs . destroyer is based .
notes : comes in a 2 - disc double feature with godzilla vs . king ghidorah .
notes : only in a double feature with godzilla vs . king ghidorah ( 1991 ) .
american kaiju : mike bogue ' s articles and reviews : godzilla vs . gigan
notes : comes in a 2 - disc double feature with godzilla vs . king ghidorah .
in american video releases in the 1980 ' s , the film was titled simply godzilla vs . mothra . however , mothra is still repeatedly called
the thing
in the dub , confusing many viewers who thought
the thing
and
mothra
were two separate monsters . because of this , when tristar released godzilla vs . mothra in the u . s . , they re - titled it godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth so that it would not be confused with this film .
part remake of mothra and godzilla vs . the thing , part would - be eco - drama , part special effects extravaganza , godzilla vs . mothra offers a wealth of eye candy , especially in the city devastation department - - battra trashes nagoya , mothra trounces tokyo , then godzilla , mothra , and battra bash yokohama . the plentiful pyrotechnics and crumbling miniatures should sate the palette of even the most hard - to - please giant monster fan .
other details : packaged with godzilla vs . spacegodzilla . also included in the toho godzilla collection , vol . 1 .
( may 6 , 2014 ) . godzilla vs . destoroyah / godzilla vs . megaguirus : the g annihilation strategy - set ( blu - ray ) amazon . retrieved june 26 , 2017
manga video released the international version of godzilla vs . mothra on video in the united kingdom on july 3 , 1995 . an italian - dubbed version ( titled godzilla contro mothra ) of the international version was released by yamato video in italy .
godzilla vs . destoroyah was directed by takao okawara , produced by tomoyuki tanaka and shogo tomiyama , and written by kazuki omori . takao had previously directed 1992 and 1993 ' s godzilla vs . mothra , and godzilla vs . mechagodzilla ii , respectively . additionally , kazuki had previously written 1989 and 1991 ' s godzilla vs . biollante , and godzilla vs . king ghidorah , respectively . this film would also be the last to be officially produced by tomoyuki tanaka , as tanaka passed away on april 2 , 1997 , almost two years after godzilla vs . destoroyah was released . he would get a dedication credit in tristar pictures ' 1998 film , godzilla .
i tried to make baby look like a dinosaur . that ' s what takao okawara wanted . he wanted the head to look like godzilla ' s , but the body to be more like that of a dinosaur . ( mr . okawara directed godzilla vs . mothra , godzilla vs . mechagodzilla , and godzilla vs . destroyer . he also directed yamato takeru ( 1994 ) . )
battra was originally meant to be an evil twin of mothra called
gigamoth
whose abilities somewhat resemble hedorah ' s in the scrapped film godzilla vs . gigamoth .
king kong vs godzilla was a huge financial success for toho and they hoped to repeat . . .
the fourth film in the godzilla franchise , mothra vs . godzilla ( initially released in the states as godzilla vs . the thing ) marked a brief snap - back in the franchise . while the previous film went on to become the highest grossing entry of all time , it was more of an action adventure film with some comedic touches more prominent in the japanese version . mothra vs . godzilla brings back a scarier , antagonistic godzilla , who terrorizes japan , with the only hope being another toho superstar : mothra . known as mosura tai gojira in japan .
koichi kawakita and minoru yoshida wrote the early script for the film and submitted it in 1991 . toho wasn ' t satisfied with the treatment , though , and the project was eventually scrapped . the company tried other attempts , dead set on creating a film pitting godzilla and mothra against each other . the next draft , written by wataru mimura , retitled the project godzilla vs . mothra and was submitted that same year in 1991 . this too was scrapped as godzilla vs . biollante ( 1989 ) writer kazuki omori was brought in , creating godzilla vs . mothra from his mothra vs . bagan script before finally adding in the battra character in a later draft and ending up with the final product : godzilla vs . mothra ( 1992 ) . in the end , this concept contributed very little to the final movie beyond gigamoth being a similar idea to battra .
a sequel to this film , godzilla vs . mechagodzilla ii , was released on december 11 , 1993 .
the best - loved of the godzilla sequels and the film that set most westerner ' s perceptions of the kaiju genre , mothra vs . godzilla doesn ' t hold up as well as memory has it .
in the midst of another rampage by godzilla , mothra emerges to save the human race from battra .
mothra and battra meet up at yokohama cosmo world , and proceed to battle . at this point , godzilla shows up and battra decides that godzilla is a more important target , and attacks him instead . godzilla soon defeats battra . at this point , mothra charges godzilla with her rays . with godzilla temporarily disabled , mothra flies towards battra , and revives him .
donnoc77 ( october 21 , 2008 ) . godzilla vs . destoroyah - requiem youtube . retrieved june 26 , 2017
plot : following the emmerich attack on new york , japan prepares for the return of godzilla . godzilla destroys a nuclear submarine . baragon causes an earthquake . mothra attacks some teenagers . researchers discover that godzilla is possessed by the dead japanese soldiers of wwii , angry that japan has forgotten their sacrifice . godzilla fights baragon . mothra fights godzilla . ghidorah fights mothra and godzilla . the japan self - defence force gets godzilla to eat a missile .
this movie is the most commercially successful toho - produced godzilla film of all time , even coming close to beating jurassic park in japan when it was released in 1992 . although king kong vs . godzilla still holds the record for the highest attendance of any film , godzilla vs . mothra still performed slightly better at the box office .
godzilla® , mothra® and the character designs are trademarks of toho co . , ltd . used with permission .
i ' m not sure , but i think it was canceled because godzilla vs . biollante wasn ' t as successful as godzilla 1985 . toho ' s executives probably thought that a mothra movie would not be very successful .
this is a transcript of the end credits in the international version of godzilla vs . mothra , which can be viewed here , as well as the opening and end credits of the american release of the film by tristar , godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth . spelling errors have been preserved .
it was okay movie . i liked torahata and kumayamamayama , they were both twirly - mustache evil . the mothra vs . godzilla fight was too short , and the mothra larvae vs . godzilla was funny because godzilla was destroyed by some silk . i think the movie started off strong and kinda slowed down at the end . but , why did godzilla want to harm the egg but when mothra died he did nothing to the egg ? what was his motive ? overall it was an average movie , but skeleturtle elevates it a bit .
big dinosaur godzilla meets big moth mothra . features the alilenas , twin 6 - inch - high unison singers .
the idea of shooting a movie featuring a revamped mothra dated back to a screenplay written in 1990 by akira murao entitled mothra vs . bagan , which revolved around a vengeful dragon called bagan who sought to destroy humanity for its abuse of the earth ' s resources , only to be defeated by mothra , the goddess of peace . the screenplay was revised by kazuki ōmori after the release of godzilla vs . biollante , though the project was ultimately scrapped by toho , under the assumption that mothra was a character born purely out of japanese culture , and thus would have been difficult to market overseas unlike the more internationally recognized godzilla . special effects head koichi kawakita co - wrote an alternative screenplay entitled godzilla vs . gigamoth in 1991 , which would have pitted mothra against godzilla and an irradiated mothra doppelganger called gigamoth , though this too was rejected early on . the screenplay however contained scenes involving freeze ray - based weapons , a concept that would be revived four years later in godzilla vs . destoroyah .
the complete toho international version of godzilla vs . destoroyah has been broadcast on several premium movie channels since the early 2000s . in 2014 , sony released godzilla vs . destoroyah on blu - ray in a double feature with godzilla vs . megaguirus . this release included the original japanese audio track as well as the uncut end credits . it also featured the international title card .
soundtrack dissonance : the shobijin continue to sing mahara mothra while ifukube ' s discordant godzilla theme blares over the soundtrack .
godzilla mothra mothra leo rodan mechagodzilla m . o . g . u . e . r . a . ebirah megalon ghcw kumonga spacegodzilla g : o king ghidorah g : c trilopod groe king caesar groe
a new mothra takes to the air and must battle death ghidora to save humanity .
the scene at the end of the film where mothra and the shobijin thank the humans and depart from the airport is a tribute to the ending of the original mothra film , where mothra is reunited with the shobijin at an airport runway and flies away .
shinji nishikawa took part in designing many of the monsters and military aircraft and tanks seen in godzilla vs . biollante ( 1989 ) , godzilla vs . destroyer ( 1995 ) , or one of the other more recent godzilla films . he also created godzilla legend , a comic in which thousands of cute , tiny godzillas terrorize japan .
godzilla vs . mothra was directed by takao okawara , produced by tomoyuki tanaka and shogo tomiyama , and written by kazuki omori , who directed the previous two godzilla films . this film sees the return of a fan favorite kaiju , mothra , alongside her counterpart battra , with both being at odds with each other , and then godzilla , who comes to combat the duo .
mana stops controlling mothra and appears in front of murakami for the final time . murakami uses this opportunity to confess his love for her and asks that she let them both join with mothra . mana refuses , but tells him he will meet someone like her soon . mana then merges with mothra again and proceeds to cocoon godzilla . mothra then grabs the cocoon and dives into the sea , taking godzilla with her .
background : additional footage of godzilla ' s final battle in the movie was lensed but never used in the final print . about seven seconds of mothra spraying godzilla was cut . an alternate version of godzilla falling into the water was also filmed , with the sequence being shot from above using the godzilla suit from king kong vs . godzilla ( 1962 ) .
mothra arrives to do battle with godzilla in an effort to save both humanity and the deity ' s egg from destruction .
battra was described as a black mothra in the script , so i tried to make him only a little different from mothra . i kept the basic shape of the larval mothra , but made battra black . i also put glowing red spots all along his body .
godzilla vs . mothra sold 4 , 200 , 000 tickets when it was released on december 12 , 1992 in japan , and earned ¥2 , 220 , 000 , 000 , or roughly $ 20 , 000 , 000 .
originally new cinema format . godzilla i think came first . but to me this stands out as mothra and its egg is clever
there was a tyrannosaur in kazuki omori ' s original story outline , but i couldn ' t accept the idea that a tyrannosaur could become godzilla . so , i came up with the idea for the godzillasaur . i drew some sketches , and submitted them to toho . when i saw the first draft of the script , i noticed that the tyrannosaur had been replaced with the godzillasaur . ( mr . omori wrote and directed godzilla vs . biollante and godzilla vs . ghidrah , and wrote but did not direct godzilla vs . mothra ( 1992 ) and godzilla vs . destroyer . the toho company ltd . produced all twenty - two of the godzilla movies . it also produced rodan ( 1956 ) , mothra ( 1961 ) , king kong escapes ( 1967 ) , and many other science fiction films . )
i have long since gotten over this movie not living up to its potential . i no longer even get annoyed by the film ' s original poster , which shows two larvae hatching from the mothra egg and strongly suggests a purer remake of godzilla vs . the thing . for one thing , this movie was rushed into production after godzilla vs . king ghidorah ( somewhat ironic , considering the hurry with which ghidrah , the three - headed monster was pressed into production following godzilla vs . the thing ) .
the godzilla suit used for this film was modified from the mogegoji suit used the previous year for godzilla vs . spacegodzilla . the modified suit was nicknamed the
desugoji .
i didn ' t spend much time working on godzilla vs . space godzilla . i was very busy working on other projects at the time . i just drew a few rough sketches of space godzilla and mogera . ( two identical giant robots , both of which are called mogera , appear in the mysterians ( 1957 ) . mobile operation godzilla expert robot aero - type ( mogera ) appears in godzilla vs . space godzilla . )
this is the second time anguirus visibly bleeds in a film . the first is in godzilla raids again when godzilla bites down on anguirus ' throat . the third instance of anguirus bleeding occurs in godzilla vs . mechagodzilla when fake godzilla breaks anguirus ' jaw .
outside context villain : in the beginning it just seems like a straightforward sequel to mothra and than godzilla just pops out of the ground and it becomes a godzilla movie .
the sequence in godzilla vs . destroyer in which godzilla dies consists almost entirely of special effects footage . i feel that the standard footage should not have been included in the sequence .
use the thumbs up and thumbs down icons to agree or disagree that the title is similar to godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth . you can also suggest completely new similar titles to godzilla and mothra : the battle for earth in the search box below .
godzilla walks towards the egg and tries to destroy it until mothra shows up . the two fight a tough battle where mothra seems to have the upper hand . while on the ground , godzilla fires his atomic ray at mothra and badly burns one of her wings . mothra dies with her wing resting on top of the egg . godzilla walks away . the shobjin then explain to sakai , junko , and miura that the egg can be hatched today . the tiny twins soon begin to sing .
godzilla walks towards the egg and tries to destroy it until mothra shows up . the two fight a tough battle where mothra seems to have the upper hand . while on the ground , godzilla fires his atomic ray at mothra and badly burns one of her wings . mothra dies with her wing resting on top of the egg . godzilla walks away . the shobijin then explain to sakai , junko , and miura that the egg can be hatched today . the tiny twins soon begin to sing .
when godzilla vs . gigan was released to japanese theaters on march 12 , 1972 , it received an attendance of 1 , 780 , 000 .
update # 2 : godzilla vs . megalon release date and special features added based on information from media blaster ' s facebook replies to fans .
your design for ghidrah is much more like that of the original ghidrah than the one that ended up being used . do you prefer the original design to the new one ? ( ghidrah appears in ghidrah - the three - headed monster ( 1964 ) , godzilla vs . monster zero ( 1965 ) , destroy all monsters ( 1968 ) , godzilla vs . gigan ( 1972 ) , and godzilla vs . ghidrah ( 1991 ) . )
battra is the only new monster godzilla fought in the heisei series whose origin is not at all influenced by or related to godzilla at all , instead being connected to mothra .
after a meteorite unleashes a three - headed beast upon tokyo , mothra tries to unite with godzilla and rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat .
first series appearance of . . . nobody , but mothra , king ghidora and baragon are significantly altered to make godzilla seem more powerful .
by the way , the story outline on which godzilla vs . destroyer is based was written by hideki oka , a former assistant special effects director .
special features : audio commentary for godzilla vs . the thing by steve ryfle and ed godziszewski , akira ifukube featurette ( 13 minutes ) , poster slideshow
meanwhile , the military tries to fight godzilla by electrocuting him with
artificial lighting
but fail . the shobijin continue singing and the monster egg finally hatches with not one , but two mothra larvae . the mothra larvae follow godzilla to iwa island and use cocoon spray on godzilla to wrap the giant monster up in a cocoon . godzilla struggles as he becomes fully wrapped up and plunges into the ocean . the mothra larvae celebrate and return to their island .
meanwhile , the military tries to fight godzilla by electrocuting him with
artificial lighting
but fail . the shobijin continue singing and the monster egg finally hatches with not one , but two mothra larvae . the mothra larvae follow godzilla to iwa island and use silk spray on godzilla to wrap the giant monster up in a cocoon . godzilla struggles as he becomes fully wrapped up and plunges into the ocean . the mothra larvae celebrate and return to their island .
in the manga adaptation of godzilla vs . mothra , the dark imago can unleash damaging energy spheres from his horn , discharge energy through the stinger - like attachment on his tail , and instantly form his cocoon which also acts as a defensive shield .
mothra , a giant , divine moth - like deity who will fight godzilla , but will wage war on japan if godzilla ' s bones aren ' t returned to the sea .
castellan zilla wrote : what ? no dots on shma mothra ? ! in the trash she goes .
this is a list of references for mothra vs . godzilla . these citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based . these references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers , which look like this : [ 1 ]
background : for the movie ' s first battle sequence , a lot of unused footage was filmed and cut for various reasons . to begin with , instead of godzilla dazing at the giant egg before mothra starts attacking , we get a shot of godzilla looking up via a puppet to see the approaching mothra . later , the same puppet and the mothra marionette fight each other in front of a blurry background piece . the rest of the battle goes on as in the film until godzilla walks up to mothra after burning her wing . an alternate angle of godzilla approaching mothra is used , and after the creature takes off to land on her egg we get a shot of godzilla roaring from a low point of view .
curbstomp battle : mothra holds herself against godzilla fairly well , subduing him with poisonous pollen , until godzilla completely changes the tides when he finally scores a hit with his heat - ray .
tomoyuki tanaka himself wanted to produce mothra vs . bagan . it ' s very unusual for a project of his to be cancelled . ( mr . tanaka produced virtually all of toho ' s science fiction films . )
plot : kiryu is under repair , and mothra’s fairy representatives advise the japanese government that it’s possibly worth returning kiryu’s godzilla skeleton to the bottom of the ocean . mothra says she’ll fight in kiryu’s place if this happens . godzilla duly arrives , but mothra struggles to defeat him . kiryu has a crack , but is also beaten . a repaired kiryu later does succeed in wounding godzilla , but his roar awakens 1954 godzilla’s soul within kiryu again , and the mecha carries godzilla to safety , accompanying him to the sea bed .
the cosmos then tell mothra to leave the city , and not to hurt anyone else . mothra turns around , and heads back . the forces attack again , but stop when they realize that masako and the others are in the hotel . mothra , behaving strangely , heads for the diet building . mothra starts building a cocoon around herself . while she does this , miki feels godzilla is alive , and has just surfaced from mount fuji . mothra transforms into her adult form and flies away . battra , alive as well , also transforms into his adult form .
originally conceived as a standalone mothra film entitled mothra vs . bagan , the movie was notable for its return to a more fantasy - based , family - oriented atmosphere evocative of pre - 1984 godzilla films . although he did not return as director , ōmori continued his trend of incorporating hollywood elements into his screenplay , in this case nods to the indiana jones franchise .
after the success of godzilla vs . king ghidorah , producer shōgo tomiyama and godzilla series creator tomoyuki tanaka proposed resurrecting king ghidorah in a film entitled ghidorah ' s counterattack , but relented when polls demonstrated that mothra was more popular with women , who comprised the majority of japan ' s population . tomiyama replaced ōmori with takao okawara as director , but maintained ōmori as screenwriter . hoping to maintain as much of mothra vs . bagan as possible , ōmori reconceptualized bagan as badora , a dark twin to mothra . the character was later renamed battra ( a portmanteau of
battle
and
mothra
) , as the first name was disharmonious in japanese . tomiyama had intended to feature mothra star frankie sakai , but was unable to because of scheduling conflicts . the final battle between godzilla , mothra and battra was originally meant to have a more elaborate conclusion ; as in the final product , godzilla would have been transported to sea , only to kill battra and plunge into the ocean . however , the site of their fall would have been the submerged , stonehenge - like ruins of the cosmos civilization , which would have engulfed and trapped godzilla with a forcefield activated by mothra .
it is based on the design of super godzilla . ( both super godzilla and space godzilla were designed by minoru yoshida . )
in terms of the godzilla vs . gigamoth concept , several questions do arise . the foremost being why mana didn ' t stop murakami from completing his bacteria , especially since she was willing to sacrifice mothra to stop the effect ? it should also be mentioned that the dag - mb96 , although not with that name of course , were originally going to appear in this project before later appearing in godzilla vs . destoroyah ( 1995 ) .
king kong ( 1933 ) • son of kong • king kong vs . godzilla • king kong escapes • king kong ( 1976 ) • king kong lives • the mighty kong • kong : king of atlantis • king kong ( 2005 ) • kong : return to the jungle • kong : skull island • godzilla vs . kong
godzilla vs mothra is one of the better godzilla movies in that the scenes in which monsters do not appear actually make some sort of sense . and for once , they are acted with some gusto , so that we as viewers can actually come to like the characters on screen , or at least be entertained by them .
godzilla on monster island was frequently shown in television syndication throughout the 80 ' s , and it aired several times on the sci - fi channel before being replaced by the widescreen international version in 2002 . in 1988 , new world pictures picked up the home video rights to godzilla vs . gigan and godzilla vs . mechagodzilla . toho provided new world video with prints of the international versions , now titled godzilla vs . gigan and godzilla vs . mechagodzilla , respectively . the dubbing was the same , but both films were now restored to their full length . these versions were subsequently re - released on video in 1992 by starmaker video , in 1997 by anchor bay and in 2004 by tristar pictures . the tristar dvds feature newly remastered prints of toho ' s original international versions along with the original japanese audio . kraken releasing also released godzilla vs . gigan , ebirah , horror of the deep and godzilla vs . hedorah on dvd and blu - ray in 2014 . the versions of the films included in these releases are identical to those from the tristar dvds .
dangerous forbidden technique : mothra ' s poison dust . like a real lepidopteran , mothra cannot live for long after the dust leaves its wings , and it perishes next to its egg shortly after leaving godzilla in a heap on the ground . godzilla gets back up , but quickly makes a beeline away from the egg .
mama bear : mothra is out to save the mainland , but takes it very personally when godzilla sights her egg and tries to crack it open to eat .
sliding scale of idealism versus cynicism : the film dreads towards cynicism due to having no way of defeating godzilla . however , it ends on a rather high note as the mothra twins managed to defeat godzilla .
invisible man • half human • rodan • the mysterians • varan • the h - man • battle in outer space • the three treasures • the secret of the telegian • the human vapor • mothra • gorath • atragon • matango • dogora • frankenstein vs . baragon • the war of the gargantuas • latitude zero • space amoeba • daigoro vs . goliath • submersion of japan • prophecies of nostradamus • the war in space • bye - bye jupiter • princess from the moon • gunhed • mikadoroid • yamato takeru • rebirth of mothra • rebirth of mothra ii • rebirth of mothra iii • rosetta the masked angel : rosetta vs . freia • go ! godman • super star fleet sazer - x the movie : fight ! star soldiers • attack on titan the movie : part 1 • attack on titan the movie : part 2
big budget beef up : while the previous film was this to godzilla raids again , mothra vs . godzilla continues to up the level of craftsmanship present in miniatures , optical compositing , character design , and the overall scope of the production . it ' s certainly the best looking of toho ' s three 1964 sci - fi flicks .
tristar pictures ( columbia tristar home entertainment ) released godzilla vs . spacegodzilla and godzilla vs . destoroyah to home video on january 19 , 1999 . this was the first time either film had been officially released in the united states . tristar used the toho international dubs , but cut the end credits and created new titles and opening credits for both films . in 2002 , both films were released together on dvd in a double feature , but the films themselves were essentially identical to the earlier vhs releases . the complete toho international version of godzilla vs . destoroyah has been broadcast on several premium movie channels since the early 2000 ' s . in 2014 , sony released godzilla vs . destoroyah on blu - ray in a double feature with godzilla vs . megaguirus . this release included the original japanese audio track as well as the uncut end credits . it also featured the international title card .
with this film , the name of mothra ' s island changes from
beiru
to
infant island
.
by the way , the military salvages mechaghidrah and uses its technology to create weapons for use against godzilla in that story outline . ( in godzilla vs . mechagodzilla , the united nations godzilla countermeasures center ( ungcc ) salvages mechaghidrah and uses its technology to create mechagodzilla . )
godzilla 2 will be released on march 22 , 2019 . it is the third installment in warner bros . and legendary’s godzilla monster universe , following this year’s kong : skull island . later on , look for adam wingard’s godzilla vs . kong on may 22 , 2020 .
your design for the godzillasaur looks much more like godzilla than the design that ended up being used . do you think that the godzillasaur should have looked more like godzilla and less like a tyrannosaur ? ( the godzillasaur , the dinosaur godzilla was before being mutated by radiation , is introduced in godzilla vs . ghidrah . )
godzilla then fires his atomic ray at a nearby ferris wheel and attempts to collapse it onto mothra , but battra grabs the ferris wheel , and crashes it onto godzilla . eventually , godzilla is overwhelmed and has been defeated , and mothra and battra set to carry godzilla back into the ocean . over the sea , godzilla fires a blast at battra from point blank range , killing him . a tired mothra drops godzilla and the lifeless battra into the water below . the next morning , the cosmos explain battra had been waiting many years to destroy an even larger meteorite that would threaten the earth in 1999 . mothra had promised she would stop the future collision if battra were to die , and she and the cosmos leave earth as the humans bid farewell .
the shobijin ( mothra ' s twin fairies ) warn the japanese government that godzilla continues returning to japan because they used the original godzilla ' s bones in kiryu ' s design . if they return the bones to the bottom of the sea , mothra would gladly take kiryu ' s place in defending japan , but if they do not , mothra will declare war on humanity . soon enough , kamoebas , a giant sea turtle , is found washed ashore on a japanese beach . it is determined by the wounds on kamoebas ' neck that godzilla killed it . godzilla and mothra fight , but godzilla seems to have the upper hand . with the repairs finished just in time , kiryu manages to even the odds , but godzilla manages to knock out both monsters .
gigan is the first monster to make godzilla visibly bleed . the previous godzilla special effects director ,
godzilla vs . destoroyah was originally intended to be the last japanese godzilla film until 2005 . however , toho saw an opportunity to produce a new film in the wake of the widespread negative reaction to tristar pictures ' 1998 american godzilla film , and brought the series out of retirement early with godzilla 2000 : millennium in 1999 .
godzilla vs . gigan is one of three godzilla movies in which the monsters talk at some point . the other two are ghidorah , the three - headed monster , where the monsters ' dialogue is translated by the shobijin , and all monsters attack , where minilla speaks inside of a boy ' s dream . in toho ' s international version of godzilla vs . gigan , the monsters ' dialogue is as follows :
in godzilla : unleashed , battra is a model - swap of mothra , and has the same attacks in his imago form , with his prism beams substituted for mothra ' s antenna beams . however , in larva form , battra can fire beams from his eyes . like mothra larva , battra larva ' s energy can only be replenished if he hits a yellow crystal , but he regenerates energy normally in imago form .
when the larva mothra bites godzilla ' s tail in the ocean , look closely at the base of the tail as it ' s tossing mothra upwards . you can clearly see the tail is a separate prop on some kind of support that has distorted it ' s shape - widening it unnaturally .
meanwhile , in the fuji area , gigamoth lays a few giant eggs of its own . shortly afterwards , godzilla appears , attracted by the gigamoth ' s radioactivity , and prepares himself to fight gigamoth again . before the creatures can fight , a fleet of jets appear and unload tens of rockets which contain murakami ' s recently finished antibody bacteria at the two kaiju . godzilla is not affected by the rockets , but gigamoth is weakened and made very vulnerable by the bacteria . suddenly , mothra arrives , in her imago form and merged with mana , ready to battle godzilla . mothra fires poisonous pollen that paralyzes godzilla just as godzilla fires his atomic breath and hits mothra , sending her to the ground . mothra and gigamoth make eye contact , and mothra goes right into gigamoth ' s horn , making her bleed , which dissolves gigamoth and its eggs . mana hoped that mothra contained a bit of mutated bacteria which would create a new creature which would be unaffected by murakami ' s antibodies . her plan works , as the two are covered by a bright light , from which mothra ' s true form comes out of .
both mothra and battra attain their imago forms and converge at yokohama cosmo world . godzilla interrupts the battle and attacks battra . the two moths decide to join forces against godzilla . eventually , mothra and battra overwhelm godzilla and carry it over the ocean . godzilla bites battra ' s neck and fires his atomic breath into the wound , killing him . a tired mothra drops godzilla and the lifeless battra into the water below , sealing godzilla below the surface by creating a mystical glyph with scales from her wings . the next morning , the cosmos explain that battra had been waiting many years to destroy an even larger meteoroid that would threaten the earth in 1999 . mothra had promised she would stop the future collision if battra were to die , and she and the cosmos leave earth as the humans bid farewell .
once mothra emerges from her cocoon , at times the plush , brightly - hued insect barely beats its wings . even worse , its legs remain immobile throughout , as though they are paralyzed . this is especially dismaying when you consider the wonderful articulation of the adult mothra in godzilla vs . the thing - - in that film , all aspects of the monster moth were alive with movement - - head , wings , body , and legs . but almost thirty years later , toho ' s spfx folk seem to have taken a giant step backward , creating a mothra that is , at times , even less life - like than the lovely but often stiff moth in the original 1961 mothra .
needless to say , the egg hatches before it ever reaches japan , and a larval mothra emerges just in time to battle godzilla , who has come to investigate the convoy of ships escorting mothra to japan . of course battra shows up as well , and the fun begins . although it ' s difficult to tell at first , godzilla is actually the bad guy in this movie . in a roundabout way , mothra and battra make peace long enough to fight their common enemy .