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when a Monster is born too tall, too strong, too heavy, that is a tragedy.
― Honda, speaking about his film Rodan

Ishiro Honda was a Japanese film director known for directing and writing many films in Toho's Showa era. He is most famous for directing eleven Godzilla films, including the Original 1954 film, as well as other kaiju films such as Rodan and The Mysterians.

He was born on May 7, 1911, and ended up passing away on February 28, 1993, at the age of 81.

Life[]

Honda is probably best known for his tokusatsu films including several entries in the Godzilla series. He directed the original Godzilla film along with King Kong vs. Godzilla, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and many others until 1975. He also directed tokusatsu films such as Rodan and Mothra. His last feature film was Terror of Mechagodzilla.

The following years were spent directing various sci-fi TV shows. The superhero shows Return of Ultraman, Mirrorman and Zone Fighter were also his. In addition, he directed the cult film, Matango.

At the end of his career, he returned to working as an assistant director for his old friend, legendary director Akira Kurosawa. Allegedly one segment of the Kurosawa film, Dreams, was actually directed by Honda following Kurosawa's detailed storyboards.

His most memorable quote: "Monsters are born too tall, too strong, too heavy, that is their tragedy," when he spoke of his film, Rodan. This statement alone would give fans the impression that his intent was to give all kaiju a distinct personality instead of just being a monster-on-the-loose.

Filmography[]

Trivia[]

  • Ishiro Honda was reportedly supposed to direct Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II in 1993, but he passed away earlier that year.
  • Ishiro Honda said in an interview conducted only months before his death that his favorite film he worked on was The Mysterians.[1]

References[]

  1. Milner, David (December, 1992). Ishiro Honda Interview. Davmil. Retrieved August 27, 2017


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