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The Human Vapor (ガス人間第一号,   Gasu Ningen dai Ichi-gō?, lit. Gas Human No. 1) is a 1960 tokusatsu film produced by Toho Company Ltd. It is considered to be the third film in Toho's "mutant trilogy," after H-Man and The Secret of the Telegian. The film was released to Japanese theaters on December 11, 1960, and to American theaters on May 20, 1964.

Plot[]

The film tells the story of Mizuno, a librarian who has been given the ability to become vapor after a scientist performs an experiment on him. Mizuno uses this power to engage in criminal activities, robbing banks to give the money to his love interest, the dancer Fujichiyo. Police Lieutenant Kenji Okamoto and his reporter girlfriend Kyoko (Keiko Sata) work together to solve the criminal case and attempt to bring things to a peaceful conclusion.

Staff[]

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

  • Directed by Ishiro Honda
  • Written by Takeshi Kimura
  • Produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka
  • Executive producing by Sanezumi Fujimoto
  • Music by Kunio Miyauchi
  • Cinematography by Hajime Koizumi
  • Edited by Kazuji Taira
  • Production design by Kiyoshi Shimizu
  • Assistant directing by Koji Kajita
  • Special effects by Hidesaburo Araki, Sadamasa Arikawa, Eiji Tsuburaya, Akira Watanabe

Cast[]

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Tatsuya Mihashi as Detective Okamoto
  • Kaoru Yachigusa as Fujichiyo Kasuga
  • Yoshio Tsuchiya as Mizuno/Human Vapor
  • Keiko Sata as Kyoko Kono
  • Hisaya Ito as Doctor Tamiya
  • Yoshifumi Tajima as Sergeant Tabata
  • Yoshio Kosugi as Detective Inao
  • Fuyuki Murakami as Dr. Sano
  • Bokuzen Hidari as Jiya
  • Takamaru Sasaki as Police Chief
  • Minosuke Yamada as Official Hayama
  • Tatsuo Matsumura as Editor Ikeda
  • Kô Mishima as Detective Fujita
  • Kôzô Nomura as Kawasaki
  • Ren Yamamoto as Nomura, Robber
  • Someshô Matsumoto as Fujichiyo's Teacher
  • Yasuhisa Tsutsumi as Bank Manager
  • Shôichi Hirose as Guard
  • Yukihiko Gondô as Guard
  • Tetsu Nakamura as Tobe, Journalist
  • Toki Shiozawa as Satoyo, Wife
  • Takuzô Kumagai as Kajimoto
  • Kamayuki Tsubono as Policeman Ozaki
  • Yutaka Oka as Cop
  • Akio Kusama as Cop
  • Mitsuo Matsumoto as Member of crime laboratory
  • Hideo Shibuya as Audience Member
  • Wataru Ômae as Audience Member
  • Kichishirô Fujitaya as Nagauta
  • Shôtarô Kashiwa as Nagauta
  • Kojûrô Kineya as Nagauta
  • Kyûtarô Yoshimura as Nagauta
  • Katsushirô Kineya as Shamisen
  • Wakisuke Kineya as Shamisen
  • Washiyuki Kineya as Shamisen
  • Washisaburô Kineya as Shamisen
  • Wanosuke Kineya as Shamisen
  • Nobuhide Hôsei as Hayashi fue
  • Kishirô Katada as Hayashi kotsuzumi
  • Kisaburô Katada as Hayashi ôtsuzumi
  • Kisaku Katada as Hayashi taiko
  • Hiroshi Fukuhara as Hayashi ôdaiko
  • James Hong as Narrator/Voice of Mizuno (U.S. Version)
  • Haruo Nakajima as Transitional Human Vapor
  • Junpei Natsuki as Bystander

Appearances[]

Monsters[]

Gallery[]

Main article: The Human Vapor/Gallery.

Soundtrack[]

Main article: The Human Vapor (Soundtrack).

Alternate Titles[]

  • Gas Human No. 1 (Literal Japanese Title)
  • The Human Vapour (Alternate English Spelling)
  • A Cloud of Terror (Una nube di terrore; Italy)

Theatrical Releases[]

U.S. Release[]

Humanvaporposter01

American The Human Vapor poster

The Human Vapor was released theatrically in the United States in 1964 by Brenco Pictures Corporation. It was later re-released in a double-bill with Gorath in 1969. The American version re-structured the film from a mystery story to a narrative focused around Mizuno told from his point of view. Approximately eleven minutes of footage was cut, while a portion of Kunio Miyauchi's score was replaced with stock music, primarily from Paul Sawtell's score for The Fly (1958). Eventually, the rights to the film in the U.S. were acquired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who released it on VHS throughout the 1980's and 1990's. The film has not yet received a Region 1 DVD release.

Unmade Sequel[]

After The Human Vapor proved a box office success in both Japan and the United States, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka began to plan for a sequel entitled Frankenstein vs. The Human Vapor. The sequel's premise would revolve around Mizuno, having actually survived the film's climax, seeking out Frankenstein's monster in order to find the secret of his immortality and use it to revive his love interest, who perished in the climax. However the film never came to pass, although Frankenstein's monster would later appear in Toho's Frankenstein Conquers the World in 1965.

Videos[]

Trailers[]

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