Latitude Zero

Japan Release: 1969
Running Time:
89 minutes

Latitude Zero


Japanese Title

緯度0大作戦
[Ido Zero Daisakusen]

Distributor: Production:

Toho
Toho

-

Live Action Science Fiction Kaiju

Box Office - Stock Footage - DVDs - CDs - Pictures - Background - Concept Art - Cut Scenes - Reviews

Titles

International Title

Latitude Zero

Initial US Title

Latitude Zero
US Distributor: National General (1970) / Time: 99 Minutes

Alternate Titles

Latitude Zero: Great Military Battle
[Literal translation]

U 4000: Panic in the Deep Sea
[German]


Monsters



Aliens, SDF & Misc.


Staff

Cast

Directed by Ishiro Honda
Writing credits Warren Lewis, Shinichi Sekizawa, Ted Sherdeman
Produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka, Don Sharp
Music by Akira Ifukube
Cinematography by Taiichi Kankura
Film Editing by Ume Takeda
Production Design by Takeo Kita
Assistant Director Yasuaki Sakamoto, Seiji Tani, Koji Hashimoto
Special Effect Scene Manipulation Fumio Nakadai
Director of Special Effects Eiji Tsuburaya
Director of Special Photography Sadamasa Arikawa
Craig McKenzie, Captain/Glenn McKenzie, Commander Joseph Cotten
Malik, Doctor/Hastings, Lieutenant Cesar Romero
Ken Tashiro, Doctor Akira Takarada
Jules Masson, Doctor Masumi Okada
Perry Lawton Richard Jaeckel
Lucrecia Patricia Medina
Tsuruko Okada Mari Nakayama
Sugata, Doctor Akihiko Hirata
Advisor Wataru Omae
Kroiga, Captain of the Black Shark Hikaru Kuroki
Anne Barton, Doctor Linda Haynes
Chobo Susumu Kurobe

Posters


Box Office

Release Date: July 26th, 1969 (Japan)
Budget: ¥360,000,000 (Rough Figure)
Release Date: December 14th, 1974 (Japan, Re-Issue)

DVDs and Blu-rays

United States Region 1 Latitude Zero Tokyo Shock (2007) Order
Japan Region 2 Latitude Zero: Great Military Battle Toho (2006)
Japan Region 2 Latitude Zero: Great Military Battle: Collector's Box Toho (2006)

CD Soundtracks


Background and Trivia

  • The movie was registered with the US copyright office on July 29th, 1969 with the registration number LF0000000057. On February 4th, 1997, Toho renewed the registration and listed both the international title, Latitude Zero, and the Romaji title, Idozero Daisakusen, on the renewal.
  • Was re-released as a triple bill with Mothra (1961) and Burning Glory: Shigeo Nagashima, Uniform Number 3 (1974) in 1974 as part of the Toho Champion Festival. The re-released version was heavily cut, with a new runtime of about an hour. Mothra was edited down in the same way. Director Ishiro Honda personally oversaw the editing. However, he loathed the process, comparing it to self-mutilation. He did feel, though, that if it had to be done he was the best equipped to do it due to his familiarity with the material. Cited in Age of the Gods (self-published).
  • Originally had a budget of $1 million before the US production half backed out. Noted in Tokyoscope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion (ISBN: 1569316813).
  • According to Patricia Medina, after the American backing fell through Toho approached actors Joseph Cotten and Cesar Romero with an offer to pay them six months after the production had finished. Talks progressed for a week on this point, with Cotten stating he would walk unless paid as he worked. Eventually, Cotten and Romero agreed to continue working on good faith they would be paid, with Romero stating: "Let's do it and show them we're not all ugly Americans." Mentioned in Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo (ISBN: 0922915474).
  • Toward the end of production, Joseph Cotten became very ill. Motivated to leave the country, he and his wife, Patricia Medina, suggested to director Ishiro Honda that they film close ups of Cotten and use a body double for long shots, which they did for the remaining scenes. Discussed in Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo (ISBN: 0922915474).
  • The film remained unreleased on VHS due to copyright fears regarding the 1941 serial that it was originally based on, left uncertain due to the original troubled production. Noted in Tokyoscope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion (ISBN: 1569316813). Toho opted to finally release the film on DVD in 2006.

Concept Art


Reviews

Nicholas Driscoll Star Rating
August 24, 2009