The History of Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) 

**Corrections** 40:24 - 1.70M tickets lol 43:43 - Banno denied the Africa storyline for a Hedorah sequel in an interview with Sci-Fi Japan, saying that it might have been for another project he had. 44:26 - Roger Holden created the idea for Godzilla 2001 and Banno had encouraged him to develop it further. 48:59 - animistic* Apologies for the long wait on this one, had a lot of Summer plans so I didn't have many opportunities to sit down and write/record/edit. Hope you enjoy!

Back in 1972, my brother took me to see this film at the cinema-I was four. I cannot explain the profound impression this film made on me at such a young age. The scenes with cat and mahjong players shocked me, and the animated sequences captivated me. I love everything about this film. For years I tried tracking down the soundtrack. And seeing Godzilla fly as a kid was a blast. Twenty years after seeing this film, I paid a person to dub it off of laserdisc onto VHS. I was intrigued by the number of scenes I had remembered from such a young age. To this day, people think I’m being facetious when I say it’s my favorite Godzilla film. I had a similar experience with Godzilla vs Gigan, but while Gigan is fun and has interesting aspects (the manga theme), no Godzilla film beats this film for me. I even made a friend who returned from NYU Film School watch this film with me after he forced me to watch Godard film. He lucked out since Godzilla vs Hedorah is better than ANY Godard film. “Cinema is Godzilla at 24 frames-per-second.” -Jean-Luc Godard

I like to think that some crazy marketing executive had the cast-iron balls to trek all the way to Monster Island to somehow get Godzilla's permission to make officially licensed toys based on him, and what's even crazier, Godzilla agreed.

Bill, the old people (After researching), Banno was asked that and the interviewer said " I finally remembered to ask Banno-san about the older people who watch the concert at the foot of Mt. Fuji just before the final battle between Hedorah and Godzilla. He explained that they were peasant farmers and that they were shown to emphasize the generational gap. The concert in the film was based on a real one (or a series of concerts) that took place at the foot of Mt. Fuji around that time. "

I owe you a big thank you Mr. Bill. I hadn’t touched Godzilla in such a long time, that when I stumbled across your Godzilla movie reviews, I started watching the movies again with a giant wave of nostalgia. I got some art I drew commissioned of Titanosaurus and SpaceGodzilla, bought a 1954 figure and started watching the movies again with my fellow soldiers. So far I’ve watched vs. Megalon, vs. SpaceGodzilla, and Final Wars with my buddies. I’m dreading having to watch the Minilla movies.

Honestly my favorite Godzilla film besides the original. So creative and experimental. There’s nothing else like it.

This movie is the reason I'm a Godzilla fan today. After seeing this weird, funny, and genuinely frightening head-trip of a film, I knew I had to watch the entire franchise!

I've always really liked this one, it's weird and uneven but it's that strangeness mixed with the sincere message that draws me to it and I think makes it stand out in such a good way compared to films preceding and the next couple following it. Hedorah is also one of my all time favorite of Godzilla's enemies, it's a really cool design & a pretty inspired concept. I remember watching Shin Godzilla in the theater and being struck by the similarities to Hedorah in terms of the constant evolution of forms and the "experts" being totally wrong in their predictions of it's abilities. I like that in recent years Hedorah and his movie of origin are becoming increasingly loved and appreciated. Can't wait for the next video, Godzilla Vs Gigan might be a pretty average movie but Gigan is another enemy monster that I absolutely love for just how insane of a design he is.

BRILLIANT! Bill, I don't know if you picked up on this, but look at, ultimately, how Hedorah is beaten: With electricity that can only be provided by Godzilla's atomic breath. If we truly want to fight against environmental damage, we have to stop belching smog into the air and use only electricity that is created from nuclear power. I mean, maybe that wasn't actually an intended message, but now that I've seen it, I have to inflict this on the rest of the world.

Never understood how people hated this movie. It was graphic as hell. Plus Hedorah was a unique monster which they made a joke in Final wars.

I love this movie. I remember as a kid On thanksgiving watching The Godzilla movies

As a kid I was a slave to whatever the networks chose to play. Since the day after Thanksgiving was Godzilla day on channel 9 (I think it was 9) this one always reminds me of late 70s/early 80s holiday season Hell, the original was NEVER on tv when I was a kid. There was always the same handful shown and this is one of them

I’m happy you’ve remade all the Showa series with your current style and depth. I’m looking forward to seeing the rest!

Yeah, Godzilla flies, but this movie is great. The crazy psychedelic aesthetic and the music, the atmosphere. So good

Banno's dedication in king of the monsters further proves my point of the film being a true Godzilla film by a fan for the fans.

Love all the history about Japan's trouble past with companies and pollution. Really does make me appreciate the film a lot more. The film is a lot more deeper than I think people give it credit for. This is probably one of your best ones so far. I can't help but see that construction worker jumping from the building and trying to end his life before Hedorah got him, is a metaphor for the poor people that decided to kill themselves when they were stricken with such painful lung disease and crippling asthma. :/ Very dark 😦

Interesting that "return the sun" is opening song and the first scene with Godzilla has him juxtaposed with the sun. Nice touch.

WOW! "EYES?" and not eggs? I have been wrong about this since I was 11yrs old! Always thought this film was wackadoodle as a kid, but I'm in my 50s now, and can appreciate the film's eccentricities, the stone-cold brutal message, the unique visuals, and the realization of just how powerful and toxic Hedorah was. Ghidorah is often touted as Godzilla's deadliest enemy, but I would argue that Hedorah is certainly nothing to sneeze at.

I always found this movie to be the most disturbing godzilla movie for how much death you see in this movie, the scene of people getting drowned in sludge and scenes of dozens of people suddenly dying and shots of the skeleton corpses will forever haunt me.

Bill. If you're reading this I must say this was my most anticipated video of the Showa era part of your retrospective and you did not disapoint. Thank you.

This film used to be lumped in with the "bad" Godzilla films. Time has been kind to it and it's found a larger following in the fandom.

Great video! Hedorah is the strongest enemy of the Showa era. Mr. Banno was on to something when making this. If Mr. Tanaka banned list exist, I would hope that Roland Emmerich, Kōbun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita are a part of it. I don’t want any more complaints about this movie or Godzilla‘s Revenge. With all that aside, thank you, Mr. Banno for giving us the MonsterVerse. As well as give us a creature who should be the rightful choice to end the MonsterVerse.

I adore this insane movie. I describe it to people who have never seen it as "the only psychedelic Godzilla movie".

I know this movie often gets canned, but it's my favorite godzilla movie. My dad made a recording on vhs of it for me when I was 3 or 4 and I couldn't stop watching it.

Godzilla vs Hedorah feels like it's so close to being one of the greats. I really like the idea of Godzilla, the embodiment of nuclear fear, going up against a new age threat like Hedorah, the fear of pollution, and would have liked if the movie focused on that aspect a bit more. Anyway great video, I can't wait to see your take on Gigan.

I love your content man. I'm going through a major kaiju phase. Godzilla vs Hedora is one of my favorite Godzilla movies. The early 70s psychedelia, the environmental message, Hedora huffing the smoke stacks, it all comes together to make an enjoyable viewing experience. All the shots of pollution and sludge are gross. They leave an impression for sure. I always loved the lyrics in the intro song. Great video man. Have you covered Gamera yet? I would love to see an in depth dive into those too!

It rocks how in these movies kaiju are not only real and cause unfathomable devastation, they are also marketed to children.

This was a joy to watch. I consider this movie one of my favorites, and just as an important social commentary as 1954 and 2016.

Godzilla vs Hedorah is one of my favorite Godzilla movies!

You're getting close to the one I've been waiting for, Jet Jaga!

He’ll yeah! Love this movie! Always felt really bad for the kitty though

Favorite Showa era Godzilla movie. Awesome night for a Big Action Bill upload!

I just want to thank you for making the absolute best Godzilla films retrospectives on the internet. They're such a treat.

Now THIS one I've been waiting for. Even more than most in the series.

This was my favorite Godzilla movie as a child and headorah is definitely one of my favorite monsters I still think this holds up today

It will never cease to amaze me the amount of history you craft into these videos, keep up the good work!

This has always been one of my favorite of the Showa movies, for sure. It's weird, surreal, creepy, and really dark. Even though Japan's drug laws are this side of draconian compared to here in the US (based on what I know anyway), and I'm pretty sure no illegal drugs were involved in its making, I always joke about how the makers of the movie were on the good drugs when making it! I also really like the music; it's minimal and sparse, heightening the tension in the monster battle scenes, though the attempts at acid rock were charmingly awkward. Fun fact; Keiko Mari's and Adryan Russ' singing voices sound remarkably similar! True, this movie does a lot of changing tone on the fly, but for me that's another part of its charm. It's unique, and that's why I love it so. It was interesting to hear you correct some of the stories surrounding this movie, further, so I'm glad I watched it now. Good show!

This was probably the most viscerally frightening and dark Godzilla movie since the original. Yeah, not all of it worked, but what did work, REALLY worked.

I utterly adore Godzilla Vs. Hedorah

After waiting for days and days…this finally comes out! Yay! Thank you Big Action Bill!!

Unironically one of my all-time favorite Godzilla films, easily in the top 10 (and outranking G2014!) I splurged for a DVD copy of a Laserdisc of the AIP edition, and haven't regretted it! (The superior dub! -- one of its lines is still a favorite saying of mine in real life. "We shall see: it will be an experiment.) Plenty of callbacks to G54/55, weird artistic tone, probably the most monster action percentage by a large margin, plot stays focused on the problem(s) (mostly). One of the best villain kaiju of all time, worthy of the recent anniversary shorts featuring him (especially Shin Hedorah). For me its features far outweigh its problems.

This is a great presentation. I saw this at my hometown theatre when I was a kid back in the early 70's. Thanks for posting!

This movie is in my top 10.

This is one of my favorite Godzilla movies. It’s so wild and weird, filled with a bunch of random, odd, weird scenes, such as the cartoons, the psychedelic nightclub scene, the old people watching the youths who are never explained, and all the deaths. Hedorah is one of my favorite kaiju.

Seeing a new Big Action Bill vid makes me ecstatic. My son (bigger Goji fan than me) and I love watching your videos and he's only 3.

Welcome back Bill and thank you for another excellent video! Very underrated showa entry filled with unique imagery and a scary enemy kaiju. Thanks for clearing up the eyeball scene at the end too, always thought they were Hedorah eggs

It's crazy to see how your videos have improved over the years. From your research to your writing and your editing. Seriously, top notch stuff. 👌

This movie is the strangest Godzilla film ever and hedorah is the greatest antagonist in this movie even though the movie is all over the place but still it’s my favorite Godzilla film

42:00 I actually discovered your channel when I was doing research for a college project. I had to make a presentation about cultural differences, and I used Gojira/Godzilla: King of the Monsters as my example. Your history video about the 1954 original helped a lot with it!

The subtle love lovecraftian vibes always do it for me in this film along with just how artistically shot it is. Easily one of my favorite of the era visually

It's definitely one of my favorite Godzilla movies. I think it was the first one I saw as a kid. I remember it being the scariest Godzilla movie, too. Thanks for the history and knowledge from this classic.

I love this one! I used to watch it a lot as kid for some reason so it's pretty nostalgic for me. I didn't realize how bizarre it was back then tho..

Another amazing retrospective, you never dissapoint Bill

When Big Action Bill uploads a new Godzilla vid, it's a good day

Very good retrospective. You finally put into words the way I've always felt about the strange cartoon fat guy music Godzilla has in this one.

Godzilla Goes To Woodstock is easily one of my favorite of the sillier Godzilla movies, I think the consistent psychedelic atmosphere really sets is apart from the others. These behind the scenes videos of yours are excellent companions to the movies by the way, I can't think of many better ways to extend my time with the series.

This is one of my favorite Goji films. It's so trippy! It seemed like it was always on TV when I was a kid.

I unironically think this movie is on par with the original in terms of quality.

This film scared me as a kid. Hedorah’s design gave me the spooks.

I feel really sick right now, but since Bill uploaded one of my favorite types of videos to watch, I will try to watch it now.

THIS IS THE ONE I'VE BEEN MOST EXCITED FOR!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

My favorite moment in this film: when the power fails to the human-built electrodes, Godzilla sighs, essentially saying "They couldn't even get this part done?!", before he powers it himself.

I’ve been waiting for you to cover this one. And I’m super happy you did. I love this movie for how weird it is

Once again great video Bill! This is probably my favorite Godzilla movie. If not, definitely top 5.

Can’t believe I missed this upload, gonna bug me all week now! Not one of my favourites but very unique. If anything Godzilla vs. Hedorah is one of the most out there Godzilla films it’s weird and psychedelic that it’s no wonder Banno went on to work on Prophecies of Nostradamus which I hope you will cover in great detail one day.

Thank you for such a well-researched and thoughtful (and sometimes hilarious) essay. I was lucky enough to see a pristine 35mm print of this at the Walter Reade Theater in Lincoln Center back in the 1990s; I haven't seen the new DVD/Blu-Ray, but on the big screen Hedorah's glows and sparkles really stand out, making the scenes where it's just standing there somewhat kinetic. Also on the 35mm print, Hedorah's eyes glow intensely red when he's sucking on those smokestacks like they were a bong--I love to think the monster is getting high (which might tie into the anti-pollution message in a stretch?). In addition to the kaiju genre, for me GvH easily lands in the "head trip" / psychedelic genre, like The Trip, Head, Phase IV, Willy Wonka, Brewster McCloud, and Bakshi's movies, among others. Deffo a product of its time, and I love it for that.

I actually just rewatched this one the other night. As campy as it can be, it's always been a favorite of the Showa era for me. It's not nearly as good as say, DAM, but it's better than a lot of the other entries around it. I've loved Hedorah since fighting him on Jupiter in the NES Godzilla game. It was always a shame to me that he never went into his flying form in the game despite them having the artwork for it in the end credits. I love the music in this film. It's such a departure, but that's not a bad thing. It's like '74 MG. What a wild time that score is, and I can't get enough. I love your videos and can't wait for the next one!

This was one of the few VHS tapes I had of godzilla movies growing up so I got to watch it a lot as a kid. Thank you for providing the history behind it.

I've always loved this one. Maybe my favorite. Dark and funny, weird and profound. The cartoon segments really add a spice and oddness I find great. It was just neat to see this as a kid and have such familiar parts mixed with such gore and horror as well, all centered around Godzilla and a fearsome and different foe.

1 disliker is hedorah himself

The videos flow into one another really well in the playlist too. Makes it easy to listen back to back.

I love the flying scene. It's the best showcase for the wide scope of cinema

I saw this movie as a six year old kid with my dad in a movie theater in Santa Monica. It was titled Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster. I vividly remember the title song about "don't eat the fishes, they're filled with mercury." Awesome.

Hedorah is one of my favorite kaiju design that glowing red eyes are amazing

One of my favorite for just how trippy it was

I don't understand the hate this film gets. I love it. It's my favourite Godzilla film and I think the soundtrack fantastic too.

"...to bring Godzilla back to where he was in the mid-1960s. Next up: 1972's GODZILLA VS. GIGAN." And we saw how THAT worked out...

loved this crazy trippy movie(really like japan's surreal take of the 70's.) as well as that cool new short(would love to see another suitmation film again as i thought it made up for hedorah being wasted in fw when he should've been a main threat.). i as compared to other movies i liked the enviromental themes(that still rings true today & kinda took it more as "if you don't change your act,another hedorah may return".) as well as the characters like ken, his father and miki,the start of godzilla being heroic(love the flying scene is him having enough of hedorah flying away and going after him to get him into the electrodes.),loved hedorah as he's honestly one of my favorite of godzilla's foes being the closest to killing big g(scarring his eye shut,nearly drowning in sludge and getting his hand burned to the bone.) than most versions of ghidorah that i find him pretty underrated with how outside 1954/shin godzilla surprisingly very dark it gets(especially godzilla choking on hedorah's sulfur with a group of fleeing humans suffering the same fate getting dissolved,that eerie silence of the building collapsing as the man falls and even a baby trapped in the toxic sludge.). only problems i had were the fights dragging a bit with godzilla's "bring it"/sumo motions(do find it funny the smokestack hedorah sucked has a name & became a character.), ken's uncle being an idiot throwing fire at hedorah when it's clear it wasn't working and some of the blam moments(like the animated segments that i think should've been a introduction to news reports/that odd cut of the old men watching the group like they owned the mountain.).

He’s back!! And I couldn’t be more happy!

Smog Monster was the one Godzilla movie that local stations played over and over again, and I loved it. Just squint a bit near the end and Godzilla just jumps up and gets Hedorah (instead of stupidly flying) and you're golden. It's one of the best Showa era films IMO.

Great job with the retrospective on these videos. Yeah, this was a favorite and brought back a lot of memories when it was on rotating showings on local tv on Saturday afternoons or post thanksgiving marathon. It was the first and ahead of it's time to address pollution/environment even in a odd, entertaining way.

Little Carmine reference. Bill truly has the makings of a varsity athlete.

Thanks man been looking forward to this one

This was my favorite Godzilla movie when I was little. I also hadn't seen that many Godzilla movies. I bought the VHS in a two-pack with another Godzilla movie, but I can't remember what it was.

Hedorah was in Final Wars, but really didn't do anything other than look angry.

This has always been my fave Big G movie since i was a kid. I was lucky to see a showing in a theater of this + Rodan at a rented out old cinema and even though it was the dubbed version it was still awesome seeing it so big. Keep up the awesome work!

YAAAAS! I’ve been dying for this one! Love your channel!

Idk y, but he gives the facts in a nice tone of voice, he's serious except when it's appropriate to be funny, I find these videos nice to listen to like a podcast, or sound to sleep to

Enjoy this video and your series but I really enjoyed this one most. The insight and history into Banno and how odd but also kind of admirable his mentality was over the years even leading up to credits on the recent American movies was actually really cool to hear how much of an impact he had and continues to have. Well done man. And yeah this was one of the few VHSs we got when I was growing up.

Saw this in the early 70’s on a double bill w Space Amoeba. My first taste of a life long love of all things kaiju. Thank you for including the advertisement at the end. I remember it! (Like your little riff on the movie Hardcore. Nice touch)

This movie is actually one of my favourites from the Showa era. I like how utterly insane it is from start to finish and how it was not afraid to *really* deviate from the franchise's formula up until that point. To this day, I think it remains one of the most unique Godzilla movies, like Shin, even if it was not as effective as that film.

Another banger of a video!!! Keep 'em coming!

Amazing! Godzilla vs hedorah is my favorite Showa movie!

each video you publish is an absolute banger and is on repeat for the next few weeks. (i just wanna say you should show your humor more! Each joke you add makes me laugh real hard)

This was the first Godzilla movie I saw as a kid on Saturday afternoon TV in the mid-late 70's. Until I was exposed to the history of the character years later, that horn based music you can't stand was what I associated with Godzilla and I still kind of love it to this day.

Bro I really hope your channel blows up some, these are proper quality quality videos. one of my favourite RU-vidrs hands down. Take as long as you need with these uploads

Appreciate you for all these vids man. I binged every single one and learned a lot doing so.

This was the first Godzilla movie I saw on TV in the early hours of the morning when the local TV station did an all-night monster movie marathon and I was 12 years old I nearly had to hold my eyes open with matchsticks but I wasn't going to miss it.

This was my first Godzilla film. It was dark and slightly creepy to a kid. I love Godzillas theme. It did feel heroic to me. Thanks for the vids.

BA Bill, damn good retrospective and Analysis of the societal factors inspiring this movie. At first look seems like just a fun, crazy Kaiju movie had a lot of serious metaphors put into it. Your research is on point.