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("Ataragon" or "Atoragon: Flying Supersub" or "Undersea Battleship" or "Atoragon: Flying Supersub" or "Flying Supersub Atoragon")

 

Directed by Ishirô Honda
Japan 1963

 

Atragon ('The Undersea Warship') is a 1963 Japanese science fiction film produced and distributed by Toho. It is based on The Undersea Warship by Shunrō Oshikawa and The Undersea Kingdom by Shigeru Komatsuzaki. The film is directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya and stars Jun Tazaki, Tadao Takashima, Yōko Fujiyama, Yū Fujiki, and Ken Uehara.

The film was released in Japan on December 22nd, 1963, and in the United States in 1965 via American International Pictures.

***

The legendary empire of the lost continent of Mu reappears to threaten the world with domination. While countries unite to resist, an isolated World War II Captain has created the greatest warship ever seen, and possibly the surface world's only defense.

While on a magazine photo shoot one night, photographers Susumu and Yoshito witness a car drive into the ocean. While speaking with a detective the next day they spot Makoto Jinguji, daughter of deceased Imperial Captain Jinguji, who is also being followed by a suspicious character. Her father's former superior, retired Rear Admiral Kusumi is confronted by a peculiar reporter, who claims contrarily that Captain Jinguji is alive and at work on a new submarine project. The threads meet when a mysterious taxi driver attempts to abduct Makoto and the Admiral, claiming to be an agent of the drowned Mu Empire. Foiled by the pursuing photographers, he flees into the ocean.

Excerpt from Wikipedia located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: December 22nd, 1963

Reviews                                                                                                       More Reviews                                                                                       DVD Reviews

 

Review: CFV - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover

Bonus Captures:
Distribution CFV - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:34:32.133        
Video

2.35:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 11,173,348,104 bytes

Feature: 10,229,710,848 bytes

Video Bitrate: 13.50 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

Dolby Digital Audio Japanese 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB
Subtitles English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio: CFV

 

2.35:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 11,173,348,104 bytes

Feature: 10,229,710,848 bytes

Video Bitrate: 13.50 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• Test Footage (4:20)
 • Trailer (2:17)


 Blu-ray Release Date: 2020
 Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 11

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: CFV Blu-ray (March 2020): In our desperate search for more Blu-rays to fill out 50-60's sci-fi listing HERE, we have ventured to eBay to find this CFV transfer of Ishirô Honda's Atragon to Blu-ray. There is an English-unfriendly Japanese BD HERE. This is an obvious SD bump but it is surprisingly MPEG-4 AVC video and in 1080P but the image is horribly soft, with a pitiful bitrate and plenty of artifacts (notable in the undersea/monster scenes.) Hopefully we will compare to a viable English-friendly Blu-ray one day soon.

NOTE: To further establish the poor video quality we have added 60 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, CFV offer only a lossy Dolby track in the original Japanese (no English DUB) language. Typical effects, with no depth, and a score by Akira Ifukube (King Kong Escapes, Anatahan, The Mysterians, the original Godzilla, the bulk of Zatoichi series, plus Kurosawa's The Quiet Duel etc.) - among others. He's great, the audio transfer is weak. CFV 's English subtitles are non-removable on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The CFV Blu-ray offer a few minutes of test footage from the production and a trailer.

Ishirô Honda's Atragon, as a film in this Kaiju genre, is delightful. A ton of supplementary performers for some scenes, less effective monster and modest effects (exaggerated by the posters) but easily a boyhood favorite with great nostalgia. Despite the CFV Blu-ray probably being superior to DVD - let's hold off on this the and hope for a 'real' release on the horizon.  

Gary Tooze

 

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Box Cover

Bonus Captures:
Distribution CFV - Region FREE - Blu-ray


 


 

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