Ishirō Honda

Infobox Celebrity
name = Ishirō Honda


imagesize =
caption = Ishirō Honda (1954)
birth_date = birth date|1911|5|7|mf=y
birth_place = Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
death_date = death date and age|1993|2|28|1911|5|7|mf=y
death_place =
occupation = film director
spouses =
website =
footnotes =

Ishirō Honda (本多 猪四郎 "Honda Ishirō"), sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", (May 7 1911 in Yamagata Prefecture – February 28, 1993) was a Japanese film director. His early film career included working as an assistant under the famed director, Akira Kurosawa.

Alongside his film duties, he was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II in China and was a prisoner there when the war ended.

He is probably best known for his tokusatsu films including several entries in the Godzilla series. He directed the original "Gojira" along with "King Kong vs. Godzilla" (1962), "Mothra vs. Godzilla" (1964), "All Monsters Attack" (1969) and many others until 1975. He also directed such 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 "Meteor Man Zone" 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 Akira Kurosawa. Allegedly one segment of the Kurosawa film, Dreams, was actually directed by Honda following Kurosawa's detailed storyboards.

He also worked with famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa (a close friend) as an assistant director on a number of projects, including "Stray Dog", "Kagemusha", "Ran", and "Dreams".

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 daikaiju a distinct personality instead of just being a monster-on-the-loose.

Biography

Ishiro Honda, Toho's most renowned director of science fiction, is most famous for his numerous entries in the Godzilla series, but Honda also did a great deal of films in other genres during his career at Toho. Honda has also worked with the famous Akira Kurosawa on numerous occasions, and would actually come out of a self imposed retirement to direct several films with Kurosawa, including segments in his 1990 film Akira Kurosawa's Dreams.

Filmography
* "A Story of a Co-Op" (1949)
* "Ise Island" (1950)
* "Aoi shinju" (aka "The Blue Pearl") (1951)
* "Nangoku no hada" (aka "The Skin of the South") (1952)
* "Minato e kita otoko" (aka "The Man Who Came to Port") (1952)
* "Zoku shishunki" (aka "Adolescence Part II") (1953)
* "Taiheiyo no washi" (aka "Eagle of the Pacific") (1953)
* "Saraba Rabauru" (aka "Farewell Rabaul") (1954)
* "Gojira" (aka "Godzilla") (1954)
* "Koi-gesho" (aka "Love Makeup") (1955)
* "Oen-san" (aka "Cry-Baby") (1955)
* "Jū jin yuki otoko" (aka "Beast Man Snow Man" or "Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman") (1955)
* "Night School" (aka "Yakan chugaku")
* "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!" (US edition of "Gojira") (1956)
* "Tōkyō no hito sayōnara" (aka "People of Tokyo, Goodbye") (1956)
* "Sora no daikaijū Radon" (aka "Rodan") (1956)
* "Young Tree" ("Wakai ki") (1956)
* "A Teapicker's Song of Goodbye" (Wakare no chatsumi-uta) (1957)
* "A Farewell to the Woman Called My Sister" ("Wakare no chatsumi-uta shimai-hen: Oneesan to yonda hito") (1957)
* "A Rainbow Plays in My Heart" ("Waga mune ni niji wa kiezu") (1957)
* "Be Happy, These Two Lovers" aka "Good Luck to These Two" ("Kono futari ni sachi are") (1957)
* "Chikyu Boeigun" (aka "The Mysterians" or "Defence Force of the Earth") (1957)
*"Bijo to Ekitainingen" (or "The H-Man") (1958)
*"Daikaijū Baran" (or "Varan the Unbelievable") (1958)
*"Uchu daisenso" (or "Battle in Outer Space") (1959)
*"The Human Vapor" (1960)
*"Mosura" (or "Mothra") (1961)
*"Yosei Gorasu" (or "Gorath") (1962)
*"King Kong vs. Godzilla" (1962)
*"Matango" (aka "Attack of the Mushroom People") (1963)
*"Kaitei Gunkan" (or "Atragon") (1963)
*"Mothra vs. Godzilla" (aka "Godzilla vs. Mothra" or "Godzilla vs. the Thing") (1964)
*"Uchu Daikaijū Dogora" (aka "Dogora the Space Monster") (1964)
*"San Daikaijū - Chikyū Saidai no Kessen" (aka "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster") (1964)
*"Furankenshutain tai Chitei Kaijû "Baragon"" (or "Frankenstein Conquers the World") (1965)
*"Kaiju Daisenso" (aka "Invasion of Astro-Monster" or "Monster Zero" or "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero") (1965)
*"" (aka "War of the Gargantuas") (1966)
*"Kingu Kongu no Gyakushū" (aka "King Kong Escapes") (1967)
*"Kaijū Sōshingeki" (aka "Destroy All Monsters") (1968)
*"Gojira Minira Gabara Ōru Kaijū dai Shingeki" (aka "All Monsters Attack" or "Godzilla's Revenge") (1969)
*"Ido zero daisakusen" (aka "Latitude Zero") (1969)
*"Space Amoeba" (aka "Yog monster from space") (1970)
*"Mekagojira no Gyakushû" (or "Terror of Mechagodzilla") (1975)

Writing/Directing Collaborations with Akira Kurosawa

* "Stray Dog" (1949)
* "Kagemusha" (1980)
* "Ran" (1985)
* "Dreams" (Wrote and Directed "The Tunnel", "Mount Fuji In Red", and "Weeping Demon" segments (1990)
* "Rhapsody in August" (1991)
* "Madadayo" (1993)

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