Varan (1958)
October 14, 1958Release Date
Varan (1958)
October 14, 1958Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently Varan is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Criterion Channel
Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
Cast & Crew.
Kōzō Nomura
Kenji Uozaki
Akiji Nomura
Kenji Uozaki
Ayumi Sonoda
Yuriko Shinjô
Koreya Senda
Dr. Sugimoto
Akihiko Hirata
Dr. Fujimora, bomb expert
Fuyuki Murakami
Dr. Majima, Sugimoto's aide
Yoshio Tsuchiya
Military Officer Katsumoto
Minosuke Yamada
Secretary of Defense
Hisaya Ito
Ichiro, Yuriko's brother
Yoshifumi Tajima
Captain of Uranami
Nadao Kirino
Yutaka Wada
Akira Sera
Village High Priest
Akio Kusama
Military Officer Kusama
Ishirō Honda
Director
Noriko Honma
Ken's Mom
Shinichi Sekizawa
Writer
Ken Kuronuma
Writer
Akira Yamada
Issaku
Tomoyuki Tanaka
Producer
Fumindo Matsuo
Horiguchi
Akira Ifukube
Composer
Hajime Koizumi
Cinematographer
Kazuji Taira
Editor
Yoshikazu Kawamata
Jiro
Kiyoshi Shimizu
ProductionDesigner
Yasuhiro Shigenobu
Sankichi
Takashi Itô
Ken, the boy
Takuzō Kumagai
(as Jirô Kumagai)
Shōichi Hirose
Fisherman
Hideo Shibuya
Cameraman
Toshitsugu Suzuki
Fisherman (as Kôji Suzuki)
Yasumasa Ônishi
(as Yasuo Ônishi)
Yōichirō Kitagawa
(as Ryûichi Hosokawa)
Tsurue Ichimanji
(as Tazue Ichimanji)
Katsumi Tezuka
Varan
Haruo Nakajima
Varan / Stunts
Eiji Tsuburaya
Special Effects / Visual Effects
Sadamasa Arikawa
Special Effects
Masanobu Miyazaki
Sound Recordist
Kuichirô Kishida
Lighting Technician
Akira Watanabe
Production Design / Special Effects
Hiroshi Mukoyama
Visual Effects Compositor
Ichirô Minawa
Sound Effects
Teizô Toshimitsu
Costume Design
Shôtarô Kawakami
Production Manager
Kôji Kajita
Assistant Director
Wataru Konuma
Sound Recordist
Keizô Murase
Costume Design
Mitsuo Tsuda
Keiichirô Katsumoto
Kô Hayami
Tokio Ôkawa
Hiroko Terasawa
Haruya Sakamoto
Jun'ichirō Mukai
Rinsaku Ogata
Media.
Details.
Release DateOctober 14, 1958
Original Name大怪獣バラン
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 27m
Genres
Wiki.
Varan the Unbelievable (Japanese: 大怪獣バラン, Hepburn: Daikaijū Baran, lit. 'Giant Monster Varan') is a 1958 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it stars Kōzō Nomura, Ayumi Sonoda, and Koreya Senda, with Haruo Nakajima as Varan. In the film, a reporter's investigation into two mysterious deaths in Japan's mountains leads to the discovery of a giant lake monster, wrecking its way towards civilization.
In 1957, Toho was approached by American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres (AB-PT) to co-produce a new kaiju film for television. It was intended to be a three-part film, each 30 minutes with fade-in/outs for commercial breaks. However, AB-PT collapsed during production and Toho altered the film's status from a television film to a theatrical feature. As a result, the crew faced difficulties and filming lasted 28 days.
The film was theatrically released in Japan on October 14, 1958. A heavily localized version, with new footage starring Myron Healey in the lead, was released in the United States on December 12, 1962 by Crown International as Varan the Unbelievable. Varan would later be briefly featured in Destroy All Monsters.