Toho Kingdom

So I don't know if this topic has already been done...... I tried the search but didn't come up with anything. So a few days ago I saw this movie for the first time (Japanese w/ english subtitles). I was very impressed. I went into this film wanting to see the Showa Orochi in action (which ironically the film didn't have a lot of). I went in expecting more of a monster movie and got a legendary epic IMO similar to stories like gilgamesh and hercules. On of my top 10 movies of all time, as well as one of my favorite toho movies. I haven't heard a lot of talk about it here on TK, so I was wondering what you guys think of this movie?

I want to see this film so badly. Hopefully Criterion picks it up soon.

Sadly I don't think there will be too many opinions on here because it hasn't been released on Region A1 DVD or Blu, maybe not VHS either. I'd really like to see this though.

PM me if you want a link

I'd like to see this film as well... my favorite era of Toho is the 50s era, which I think of as the big "experimental" decade for their special effects. I think that a lot of their best work came during that time. I also like epic movies and I heard that this was a groundbreaking one. I haven't been able to find it anywhere though.

I'm watching this right now and HOLY SHIT does it look pretty.

I wish I could find a copy of this. The Three Treasures and Gorath are the only two Toho kaiju films I have yet to see.

I saw it. I liked it, as a fan of Japan, Japanese history and mythology, toho monster movies, and Toshiro Mifune I thought it was pretty good. It might have been a little too long for my tastes, but it was a huge, epic story. Of course, the fight with the 8 headed dragon left a little to be desired. I mean, he dances it to death...or something, I don't even remember.

Are illegal streams or bootlegs the only way to watch this other than the Japanese VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray?

Gojira-Fan wrote:Are illegal streams or bootlegs the only way to watch this other than the Japanese VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray?

Yes.

I watched part 1 of this, in celebration of the emperors enthronement or whatever(felt appropriate).

I like all the stuff with the Japanese creation myth, especially the whole sequence with Amaterasu hiding in the cave. The film has a lot of good music and cinematography as well.

My main issue is how I don’t like the main lead, but at the same time, I appreciate that they didn’t water him down and make him a young all compassionate pretty boy like the remake did. I’ll finish watching it tomorrow.

I just want to also say I’m astounded that this was made in 1959 with such an all star cast.

Both this and orochi are on my bucket list of toho movies to watch, I already like films such as daimajin so movies like these would be up my street

realinvaderdesign wrote:Both this and orochi are on my bucket list of toho movies to watch, I already like films such as daimajin so movies like these would be up my street

Because the plots are pretty much identical, you could benefit from watching them close to one another, just to compare the two, or distantly.

I think Three Treasures better so far, but I have my reasons for liking the Orochi film more.

Guess who finally got around to seeing this one?

I was impressed by the sheer scale and production values here. In a way it felt at least ten years ahead of its time. The cinematography and music was great too – I only wish the version I watched had been in higher quality. The famous Orochi scene and the battle/volcano climax were the highlights of the movie.

Unfortunately, it suffers from pacing issues, which can be hard to endure for a three hour movie. There are some scenes go on for way to long, and others that add nothing at all to the story. It would benefit from an edit. I heard there was an American cut that was only a little over 100 minutes and I'm kind of interested in how it compares.

And naturally there's some icky sexism to be found that's largely absent from Godzilla flicks, since this is a 50s Japanese period piece. There's nothing as bad as in Rashomon (and thank god for that), but movies like Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood and The Hidden Fortress were definitely cleaner in that regard, at least in my memory.

It was interesting comparing this to the Heisei Orochi: The Eight Headed Dragon. In that one the Kumaso brothers are replaced with a demon god, the storm out at sea that claims the life of the Princess is replaced with a sea monster.

Since both this film and Yamato Takeru are both film adaptations of the same Japanese myth, that makes me wonder : Will Toho try a third version for the Reiwa era?

Such stories are routinely referenced in Japanese media and rehashed, so it wouldn't surprise me. I sort of doubt it though, like an obligation. Would rather them focus on new stuff though.

The film is great. There is a lot of charm in old movies. The special effects are very naive, but they make the movie more attractive. You won't surprise anyone with modern graphics, but 50-60 years ago such films required titanic efforts.

Watched The Three Treasures as part of my Toho movie marathon last year in preparation for King of the Monsters. I do not remember exact specifics about the movie but I do recall my overall impressions. I was for the most part impressed by the special effects and the scale of the film. The Orochi fight was a highlight for me because of the kaiju and how I saw how the effects for Orochi would influence how Ghidorah and Manda were brought to life in later features. My major gripes with the movie were pacing and some of the acting. I do not find that this is one of Toshiro Mifune's best performances and felt it left a lot to be desired. It might be an unfair comparison, but I think similar religious epics such as the Ten Commandments and Ben Hur are far superior films addressing religion in an epic style; however, I imagine that there is a large difference in budgets between Toho and Hollywood back in the day. To be honest, the Three Treasures is not a movie I am going to go out of my way to watch again, but I am glad to have seen it.