Varan the Unbelievable
| Varan the Unbelievable | |
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| Directed by | Ishiro Honda |
| Produced by | Tomoyuki Tanaka |
| Screenplay by | Shinichi Sekizawa |
| Story by | Takeshi "Ken" Kouronuma |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Akira Ifukube |
| Cinematography | Hajime Koizumi |
| Edited by | Ichiji Taira |
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| Distributed by | Toho |
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Running time
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87 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
Varan the Unbelievable (大怪獣バラン Daikaijū Baran?) is a 1958 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda. The film focuses on Varan, a prehistoric creature reawakened by scientific experiments performed on the lake where Varan resides. The film stars Kôzô Nomura, Ayumi Sonoda, Fumito Matsuo, and Haruo Nakajima as Varan. In 1962, Crown International Pictures released Varan the Unbelievable, a heavily re-edited American adaptation of the original Japanese film.
A rare species of butterfly native only to the Kitakami River area of Japan is discovered by two Japanese students while vacationing in Siberia. In response, an expedition is dispatched to the Northwest Region (The Japanese Tibet) to study the butterflies in their native habitat.
While driving to the location, two researchers come across a village. They ask where the lake is but receive no answer. The pair travel and come upon a lake and find the butterflies, but are mysteriously crushed by something that the police can only describe as "powerful." The nearby villagers of the Kitakami River insist that the deaths were a result of the wrath of their god Baradagi-Sanjin (Mountain God Baradagi).
Another expedition is then dispatched to the area. This time the investigation is funded by the film company "20th Century Mysteries Solved", an organization that seeks to uncover the truth behind the two deaths to report on it. Staff of the firm are reporters Motohiko Horiguchi and Yuriko Shinjo (Ayumi Sonoda), the sister of one of the men killed, and an entomologist named Dr. Kenji Uozaki (Kozo Namura) from the scientific community come along.
The expedition travels further inland and stumbles upon a village doing a ritualistic prayer to their mountain god. The priest of the village warns the travelers that their presence will make the monster angry. The warnings fall of deaf ears, though, and the problem escalates when Ken, a young local boy, runs out of the village after his dog. Kenji and Horiguchi return to the village to rally the locals to help them, telling them their beliefs are little more than superstition. The villagers, minus the priest, agree, and head toward the lake to rescue Ken. Once there, Ken, along with Yuriko, are discovered. Their reunion is cut short, though, by the monster Varan rising from the lake. The villagers flee back to their homes, but Varan gives chase. The aquatic monster enters the village, killing the priest who was guarding the entrance. The beast then proceeds to tear apart the huts inside. After the destruction, the monster retreats to his underwater lair.
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Wikipedia