I finally got this and it is glorious! These HD transfers look absolutely fantastic. Both the Japanese and US versions are rich and vibrant with a beautiful helping of film grain. There is a mild amount of print damage but that just adds to the feel of looking at a classic film print without ever overbearing the image. The steelbook packaging with the slipcover is top-notch.
It was also great to listen to the audio commentary by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski again. I hadn't listened to this particular commentary in years and it's terrific! It's packed with information delivered in a relaxed manner without straying too far from what's transpiring onscreen. They talk in depth about how the original story came to be, how Tomoyuki Tanaka would brainstorm ideas and hire writers to flesh them out as stories, and how Shinichi Sekizawa changed things about the story substantially when he wrote the screenplay. They describe the original story's ending in detail and even read from several contemporary critic reviews of
Mothra. This commentary also features a number of audio excerpts including Jerry Ito from a 2004 interview and Hiroshi Koizumi from a 1999 interview, as well as two excerpts from Clifford Harrington, a New Kirk City extra who describes living in Japan and appearing in many films that needed foreign-looking actors. There's also a great section in which Ed & Steve read some of Columbia's "seat-selling slants" from 1962, some really out-there ideas that Columbia recommended for theaters to sell the movie. It's a very insightful and comprehensive commentary overall.
From the presentation of both versions of the film to the special features to the packaging, this is one of the best releases to date for one of the finest kaiju movies of all time.
lhb412 wrote:Note: Columbia's trailer titles the film "Mothra: The Monster God." Did they use this title anywhere else?
I don't think so. What's weird is the middle of the trailer calls it
Mothra: The Monster God and then at the end of the trailer it's just
Mothra.
The big HD images in the gallery are a real treat too.