Matango (1963)

[ScootaVaran]

Ok I can see the similarities with the women and skipper but who would be Gilligan? Akira Kubo?

[CommanderJoe]

Since Kobo is the professor in the film than that's the character he reminds me of. Kenji Sahara is the sailor in the film, albeit a surly and selfish one. He even wears a red top.

[Tyler]

Someone should take clips of Gilligan and edit them into Matango.

[DaiKamonohashi]

Matango wasn't released in the U.S. until a year after Gilligan's Island premiere, which was itself barely a year after the Japanese release. It's purely coincidental, albeit a really bizarre coincidence.

[CommanderJoe]

Its possible Sherwood Schwartz was in Japan and saw the original. Or maybe he saw a print at one of the Toho cinemas in LA back in 63?

[omgitsgodzilla]

I find the coincidence interesting, but again, just a coincidence.

[DaiKamonohashi]

Its possible Sherwood Schwartz was in Japan and saw the original. Or maybe he saw a print at one of the Toho cinemas in LA back in 63?

Highly doubtful.

[menschenjaeger]

First question - anybody know where they came up with the word "matango?" Nonsense word? Does it sound like something in Japanese? Is there a story behind the name (if there is, I sure haven't tracked it down, but...)?


I'd like to discuss some other aspects of the movie, but let's start there.

[Tohosaurus]

Isn't a Matango some actual kind of mushroom or based on an actual species? Obviously they went sci-fi with it, but yeah.

[Tyler]

William Hope Hodgson really had a thing for fungus.

[James23873]

I have no idea where the name came from, it would be interesting to find out. I only just saw the movie last year for the first time and instantly loved it. It's so creepy in a good way. The tension between all the characters, the gloomy setting, the freaky kids laughter coming from the Matangos. And I just love how they built it up, from a few glimpses to the whole scene where the Matangos attack the boat. The whole thing is just great.

Here's a link to the original story the movie was based off of if anyone's curious. Also very good.
http://gaslight.mtroyal.ab.ca/voicenig.htm

[Shōbijin]

On the DVD the production members say that they made up the name.

[menschenjaeger]

On the DVD the production members say that they made up the name.

How the crap did I miss that?! Was it the Nakano interview?

[The H-Man]

I'm going to watch this in the next few days, so I'll be able to add to this thread shortly

[Arbok]

I love Matango, a personal favorite Toho film and my favorite from Ishiro Honda. The tone is abnormally dark for one of Honda's films, only matched really by the original Godzilla and the H-Man outside of its relatively happy ending.

[Shōbijin]

On the DVD the production members say that they made up the name.

How the crap did I miss that?! Was it the Nakano interview?

Either there or in the audio commentary. I wish there were more audio commentaries by original cast-members for Toho movies.

[menschenjaeger]

It's a shame it wasn't a bigger commercial success at the time. Imagine a whole Hammer-esque stable full of classic Toho horror flicks from the sixties.

[Tyler]

Didn't they make some Dracula films in the '70s?

[menschenjaeger]

60's and 70's. They had a string of iconic horror movies with an unmistakable "feel" to them. I think if Matango had been a moneymaker, Honda and Co. could have given us something to rival or surpass Hammer's output. Another "might have been"...


And one of the best things about Matango - without it, would there be these?

[edgaguirus]

The Hodgson story is a good read, but the movie is equally entertaining. The laughing of the matango is very creepy, and the atmosphere of the film is perfect. I'm not a horror fan, but I enjoy Matango.