Mothra vs. Godzilla

In Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), aka. Godzilla vs. the Thing – a giant egg washes up on shore – Mothra’s! And Godzilla’s determined to destroy it!

Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), aka. Godzilla vs. the Thing

Frankly, Mothra vs. Godzilla is a very entertaining entry in the Godzilla franchise for a variety of reasons.

• Human greed – the corporate executives who “buy” the gigantic egg, hoping to turn it into a theme park attraction! And one is willing to stab the other in the back.
• The twins – Mother’s aides, who come to simply ask for the return of Mother’s eggs. And the same executives want to first enslave them. Then, offer to buy them from the protagonists!
• The end of greed – towards the end, the two executives are reduced to their true selves, fighting over money — as Godzilla’s approaching. Payback time.
• Human kindness – the human protagonists, who strive to help the fairies, and Mothra, simply because it’s the right thing to do.
• Unintentional consequences – the people on Mothra’s island have been affected by radiation poisoning from atomic testing.
• The fight – really, what the entire film’s centered around. Godzilla attempting to destroy the egg before it can hatch, Mothra trying to protect her babies. And when they hatch, the two larvae help momma Mothra against Godzilla. Very well done.

Product Description 

After a fierce typhoon, a mysterious gigantic egg washes ashore. The twin fairies of Infant Island plea for the egg’s return to Mothra, its rightful owner, but it’s too late – greedy promoters have turned it into an amusement park attraction. Meanwhile Godzilla reawakens and tramples across Japan, heading straight for the big egg. Can Mothra save her offspring from Godzilla? Will Japan survive this epic monster battle? Directed by Ishiro Honda, MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA (1964) is widely considered the best of all Godzilla sequels, with an all-star Toho cast and exciting special effects. Classic Media presents the original Japanese-language version with English subtitles in glorious Toho Scope, plus the classic English-dubbed version originally released in the U.S. as GODZILLA VS. THE THING. 

Editorial review of Mothra vs. Godzilla courtesy of Amazon.com

More visually splendid and imaginatively written than the other Godzilla sequels, this (the fourth in the series) starts when Mothra’s gigantic egg washes ashore in Japan, having been dislodged from Mothra Island by a hurricane. Two tiny twin girls (sometimes singing like dual-diminutive Dorothy Lamours) from the island come to plead for the return of the egg by the greedy business guys who bought it for a tourist attraction, but to no avail.

Radiation from nuclear testing revives Godzilla from the earth, who proceeds to threaten the egg and the cities, unless Mothra and his larvae hatched from the egg can stop him. The battle sequences between Mothra and Godzilla, and between Godzilla and the larvae, are spectacularly vivid and colorful. –Jim Gay

Cast of characters

• Akira Takarada (Godzilla Vs Destroyah) … Ichiro Sakai. Reporter, initially investigating the gigantic egg on Kurata Beach.
• Yuriko Hoshi (Godzilla vs. Megaguirus) … Junko Nakanishi. Ichiro’s photographer.
• Hiroshi Koizumi (Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.) … Professor Miura.
• Yû Fujiki (Atragon) … Jiro Nakamura
• Kenji Sahara (Rodan) … Jiro Torahata
• Emi Itô (Ghidorah The Three-Headed Monster) … Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
• Yumi Itô (Ghidorah The Three-Headed Monster) … Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
• Yoshifumi Tajima (Destroy All Monsters) … Kumayama
• Jun Tazaki (Ebirah, Horror of the Deep) … Murata, Newspaper Editor
• Kenzô Tabu (Godzilla vs. Monster Zero) … Mayor
• Yoshio Kosugi … Chief of Infant Island
• Akira Tani … Village Headman
• Susumu Fujita (Frankenstein vs Baragon) … JSDF General
• Yutaka Sada … School Principal
• Ikio Sawamura (Atragon) … Priest
• Ren Yamamoto … Sailor
• Kôzô Nomura … Soldier
• Yasuhisa Tsutsumi … Police Officer
• Katsumi Tezuka (Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People) … Mothra
• Haruo Nakajima (Frankenstein vs Baragon) … Gojira