Japan Release: 1963
Running Time: 94 minutes

Atragon

海底軍艦
[Kaitei Gunkan]

The Mu empire, an underwater civilization that sank to its present location a millennia ago, proclaims a battle cry to the Earth. The submerged kingdom declares war against all nations, destroying US subs and Japanese ships while causing disasters like earthquakes to befall cities. Humanity's hope falls on a single ship, one originally envisioned to win World War II. That ship, the Gotengo, was an all purpose war machine: capable of air, water and underground combat. Created by Captain Hachiro Jinguji, the man was a patriot, filled with an unbending honor toward his country. Jinguji had revolted against the surrender of Japan in World War II, and ever sense had planned to use the Gotengo as the tide turner when Japan was to remobilize. Jinguji did not see the Mu as the threat he was waiting for. He ultimately realizes their danger after they kidnap his daughter, which sends the Gotengo into action...

Live Action Science Fiction Kaiju

Titles

Atoragan*

Atragon
US Distributor: AIP (1965) / Time: 89 Minutes

Undersea Battleship
[Literal translation]

U2000: Warlords of Horror
[German Title]

Monsters

Aliens, SDF & Misc.

Staff

Cast

Posters

Box Office

Toho Stock Footage

DVDs and Blu-rays

CD Soundtracks

Background and Trivia

• American International Pictures (AIP) submitted the film to the US copyright office on December 23rd, 1964 with the registration number of LP0000029781. The title on the copyright claim was listed as Atragon. It wasn't until December 30th, 2002 that Toho registered the movie with the US copyright office. Under registration number PA0001139043, the titles used were Atragon, Toho's preferred English title, Atoragon, the original international title, and Kaitei Gunkan, the movie's Romaji title.
• Writer Shinichi Sekizawa thought up the character of Jinguji after reading about the Brazilian-Japanese groups Machigumi and Kachigumi, one of which felt that Japan should have won World War II. He saw this as pointless fanaticism and wanted to embody this in the admiral whose nationalism blinds him. This fact is mentioned in Age of the Gods (self-published).
• Shinichi Sekizawa originally wrote the character of Jinguji for Toshiro Mifune. However, no one approached the actor prior and by the time casting was underway Mifune was already tied up in rehearsals for what would be a 18 month shoot for Red Beard (1965). Noted in Age of the Gods (self-published).
• Over 70,000,000 yen was spent on the construction of sets and props for the film. By Toho standards, this was a large sum although less than recent productions such as Gorath (1962). Cited in Age of the Gods (self-published).
• The underwater sequences were achieved through camera filters and smoke machines. Brought up in Age of the Gods (self-published).
• American distributor AIP took some sequences from the film, such as the explosion at sea toward the end of the movie, and reused them in their War-Gods of the Deep production.

Concept Art

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