The Human Vapor

The Human Vapor (ガス人間第1号[lower-alpha 1], Gasu Ningen Daiichigō, lit. 'The First Gas Man') is a 1960 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the third and final film in the Transforming Human Series. In the film, a scientific experiment goes awry and turns its subject into an unstoppable gaseous mutant who takes advantage of his abilities and commits ruthless crimes.

The Human Vapor
Theatrical release poster
Directed byIshirō Honda
Screenplay byTakeshi Kimura[1]
Based onThe Gas Man
by John Meredyth Lucas[2]
(uncredited)
Produced byTomoyuki Tanaka[1]
Starring
CinematographyHajime Koizumi[1]
Music byKunio Miyauchi[1]
Production
company
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • 11 December 1960 (1960-12-11) (Japan)
Running time
91 minutes[1]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Plot

While investigating a mysterious bank robber, Detective Okamoto encounters dancer Fujichiyo Kasuga and her servant, Jiya. Okamoto's girlfriend, newspaper reporter Kyoko Kono, insists on helping him, despite him not taking her seriously. Shortly thereafter, another bank is robbed, with the culprit mysteriously evading all security measures, surviving gunfire from a police officer, and killing the officer and an employee before vanishing.

Kyoko informs Okamoto that Fujichiyo is from a wealthy and respected family, but has not performed in some time. He also learns from his superior Tabata that the bank victims died from asphyxiation. Okamoto and Kyoko discover that Fujichiyo is planning to perform again, but is reticent about the details. They follow her to a library, where the librarian Mizuno tells them that she has been studying ancient songs and engravings. Fujichiyo also approaches a respected chamber music tutor named Osaki and offers him ¥200,000 to perform. Okamoto reports these findings and his suspicion of her possible sponsor to Tabata, who recommends continuing to investigate Fujichiyo's dealings.

A suspect is arrested after making a call to Kyoko's newspaper announcing the date and time of the next robbery, but Okamoto and Kyoko feel that his story does not add up. Their suspicions of Fujichiyo appear confirmed when she attempts to pay for a theater space with stolen money. She is arrested and questioned, but refuses to say where the money came from.

Sometime later, Mizuno surrenders himself to the police and offers to show them how he committed the robberies. He is brought to the second bank he robbed, where he demonstrates his ability to turn himself into a gaseous form that allows him to evade gunfire, pass through vault bars, and asphyxiate another cop. Before he escapes through an overhead window, he demands Fujichiyo's release, but she still refuses to cooperate and is kept in police custody. Mizuno attempts a rescue, but she refuses to leave and be seen as a criminal herself. Mizuno instead releases the other prisoners, causing a clash with police.

Kyoko convinces her newspaper to print an invitation to Mizuno, who arrives at the designated time and place. He explains that a scientist named Dr. Sano experimented on him and caused his transformation. Mizuno then killed Dr. Sano in a rage, but is now grateful for his powers and the chance to help his love Fujichiyo dance again. The police arrive and attempt to subdue Mizuno, but he escapes once again.

The police are soon forced to release Fujichiyo, as she cannot be charged. She proceeds with her performance plans despite the musicians' refusal to attend out of fear. Mizuno visits her and declares his love, saying he would do anything for her. Scientist Dr. Tamiya meets with Okamoto and Tabata to devise a plan to destroy Mizuno using explosive gas. Kyoko pleads with Fujichiyo to cancel the performance, but she refuses, feeling it is her destiny and expressing love for Mizuno.

On the night of the recital, as media and emergency crews observe the theater, a number of onlookers enter, demanding to see the "Human Vapor". Mizuno stands before them, announces that he is the Human Vapor, and transforms, scaring the crowd away. Fujichiyo and Jiya insist on continuing, and despite Kyoko's pleas, the switch is thrown to detonate the theater, but the circuit board has been sabotaged and the plan appears to be a failure. As the performance ends and Mizuno embraces Fujichiyo, she covertly pulls out a cigarette lighter and strikes it, destroying herself, Jiya (who chose to stay with her to the end), the theater, and Mizuno, who returns to solid form in death.

Cast
  • Yoshio Tsuchiya as Mizuno, Librarian/Human Vapor
  • Tatsuya Mihashi as Detective Okamoto
  • Kaoru Yachigusa as Fujichiyo Kasuga
  • Keiko Sata as Kyoko Kono, Reporter
  • Hisaya Ito as Dr. Tamiya
  • Yoshifumi Tajima as Sergent Tabata
  • Yoshio Kosugi as Detective Inao
  • Fuyuki Murakami as Dr. Sano
  • Bokuzen Hidari as Jiya, Fujichiyo's Attendant
  • Takamaru Sasaki as Police Chief
  • Minosuke Yamada as Hayama, Official
  • Tatsuo Matsumura as Ikeda, Editor 
  • Ko Mishima as Fujita, Detective 
  • Kozo Nomura as Kawasaki, Kyoko's Fellow Reporter 
  • Ren Yamamoto as Nomura, Robber 
  • Somesho Matsumoto as Fujichiyo's Teacher 
  • Tetsu Nakamura as Tobe, Journalist 
  • Toki Shiozawa as Satoyo, Wife 
  • Kamayuki Tsubonoas Ozaki, Policeman 
  • Yasuhisa Tsutsumi as Bank Manager 
  • Akio Kusama, Yutaka Oka as Cops 
  • Yukihiko Gondo as Hotta, Guard 
  • Shoichi Hirose as Guard 
  • Wataru Omae, Hideo Shibuya as Audience Members 
  • Junpei Natsuki as Bystander 
  • Haruo Nakajima as Bank patron with black glasses (uncredited)

Production

Writing

The third in Toho’s “Transforming Human” series, The Human Vapor, was almost directed by Jun Fukuda before Ishiro Honda became available. Early versions of the script are similar to the finished film except for one scene Honda insisted be cut, Mizuno was to have murdered the wife and child of a policeman. Storyboards also show a much more dramatic version of the scene where Mizuno escapes the police from a high rise building. In the storyboards, Mizuno dramatically jumps through the glass. We cut to an exterior shot of Mizuno’s clothes flapping in the air as he dissolves while the police are shooting at him.

The script, by Takeshi Kimura, had been languishing at Toho since 1958 before production began. In addition, original drafts of the film were simply titled Toho's Third Mutant Movie. By the time it was released, though, it had been beaten to the market by other films in the genre such as The Secret of the Telegian (1960) earlier that year. For reference, the earlier two "mutant" films being referenced were The Invisible Avenger (1954) and H-Man (1958).

Filming

Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka asked actor Tadao Nakamura, who was Sudo the telegraphed man in The Secret of the Telegian (1960) to play the Mizuno the vapor man for this film but declined.

Kunio Miyaguchi’s music for this film would later be reused in the Tsuburaya Productions TV shows Ultra Q (1966) and Ultraman (1966-67).

Special effects

A rubber balloon mannequin of Tsuchiya was made and was used to simulate the Gas Man’s transformation. Air was inflated into the balloon and deflated while filmed at high speed. Small grains of dry ice were placed inside and exposed to lukewarm water, with the balloon allowing the resultant smoke cloud to retain a human shape.

Release

The film was distributed in Japan by Toho on December 11, 1960.[1] It was later released in the United States as The Human Vapor by Brenco Pictures with an English-language dub May 20, 1964.[1] The film was released as a double feature with Gorath, and was edited down to 79 minutes.[1]

Reception

In a contemporary review, "Whit." of Variety declared the film plot superior to its companion double feature Gorath and that its special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya were "expert", while the acting was "competent".[5] The review concluded that the English-language dub they watched was "far from gratifying" and that when the lips did not match the English dialogue, it "decreased realism".[5]

Proposed sequel

Due to its box office success in the United States and Europe, an American film company proposed that Toho produce a sequel to the film.[6] In February 1963, Shinichi Sekizawa wrote the first draft for the sequel,[7] entitled Frankenstein vs. the Gas Man (フランケンシュタイン対ガス人間, Furankenshutain tai Gasu Ningen).[8] According to producer Tomoyuki Tanaka the film was to depict "the gas man looking for Dr. Frankenstein in order to revive Fujichiyo".[9] A depiction of Frankenstein's monster was later used in Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965).[10]

See also

Notes
  1. Although Daiichigō is written as 第1号 on Toho's official website,[3] it is penned as 㐧一号 in the film's script.[4]

References

Citations
  1. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 176.
  2. Kihara, Shimizu & Nakamura 2010, p. 421.
  3. "ガス人間第１号". Toho (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  4. "ガス人間第一号 The Human Vapour". IshiroHonda.com (in Japanese). Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  5. Willis 1985, p. 185.
  6. Iwabatake 1994, p. 59.
  7. Ryfle 1998, p. 119.
  8. Futabasha 2016, p. 308.
  9. Iwabatake 1994, p. 73.
  10. Iwabatake 1994, p. 64.

Sources
  • ゴジラの超常識 [Super Common Knowledge of Godzilla] (in Japanese). Futabasha. 2016. ISBN 978-4-575-31156-3.
  • Galbraith IV, Stuart (1994). Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. McFarland. ISBN 0-89950-853-7.
  • Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-1461673743. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  • Iwabatake, Toshiaki (September 1, 1994). テレビマガジン特別編集 誕生40周年記念 ゴジラ大全集 [TV Magazine Special Edition: 40th Anniversary of the Birth of Godzilla Complete Works] (in Japanese). Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178417-X.
  • Kihara, Hirokatsu; Shimizu, Toshifumi; Nakamura, Tetsu (2010). 「ゴジラ」東宝特撮未発表資料アーカイヴ プロデューサー・田中友幸とその時代 (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. ISBN 978-4-04-854465-8.
  • Ryfle, Steve (1998). Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G. ECW Press. ISBN 1550223488.
  • Willis, Donald, ed. (1985). Variety's Complete Science Fiction Reviews. Garland. ISBN 0-8240-6263-9.
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