Shōichi Hirose

Shōichi Hirose

Born: June 23, 1918
Died: June 20, 1998
in Japan
Shōichi Hirose was a Japanese actor. Sometimes credited as Solomon Hirose, he is probably best known for playing Godzilla's archenemy King Ghidorah and for being the actor inside the King Kong suit in King Kong vs. Godzilla, along with several tough guy roles.

Movies for Shōichi Hirose...

The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi
Title: The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi
Character: Sarah the Great King
Released: July 14, 1979
Type: Movie
Obayashi's take on the famous Kosuke Kindaichi series, made popular partly thanks to the numerous movie-adaptions by Kon Ichikawa, the most known being The Inugami Family. Kosuke Kindaichi is the most famous detective in Japan. Kindaichi gets a new case to figure out who has beheaded a valuable statue and made off with its head.
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House
Title: House
Character: Ramen Trucker
Released: August 26, 1977
Type: Movie
Hoping to find a sense of connection to her late mother, Gorgeous takes a trip to the countryside to visit her aunt at their ancestral house. She invites her six friends, Prof, Melody, Mac, Fantasy, Kung Fu, and Sweet, to join her. The girls soon discover that there is more to the old house than meets the eye.
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Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance
Title: Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance
Released: June 15, 1974
Type: Movie
Lady Snowblood is caught by the police and sentenced to death for her crimes. As she is sent to the gallows she is rescued by the secret police who offer her a deal to assassinate some revolutionaries.
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Lady Snowblood
Title: Lady Snowblood
Released: December 1, 1973
Type: Movie
Yuki's family is nearly wiped out before she is born due to the machinations of a band of criminals. These criminals kidnap and brutalize her mother but leave her alive. Later her mother ends up in prison with only revenge to keep her alive. She creates an instrument for this revenge by purposefully getting pregnant. Yuki never knows the love of a family but only killing and revenge.
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The Battle of Okinawa
Title: The Battle of Okinawa
Released: August 14, 1971
Type: Movie
The Americans are swiftly closing on Okinawa, an island just south of the Japanese mainland. The Imperial command sends top generals and several army divisions to defend it at all costs. The mission quickly degenerates as vital resources and troops are diverted to other islands. After a civilian evacuation ends in tragedy most of non-combatants are forced to remain on the island. Many convert to soldier status. Tokyo sends mixed messages that squander time and resources, as when they order the defenders to build an airstrip for aircraft that never come. The truth soon becomes obvious: the high command decides that the island cannot be held and effectively abandons the Okinawan defenders. When the Americans land many troops are deployed in the wrong places. As the slaughter mounts, a suicidal attitude takes hold. Okinawa becomes a death trap, for civilian volunteers and non-combatants as well.
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Japan for Sale
Title: Japan for Sale
Released: November 2, 1968
Type: Movie
The sixth "Japan's No. 1 Man" feature. Followed by "Japan’s No. 1 Disconnected Man".
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Golden Eyes
Title: Golden Eyes
Released: March 16, 1968
Type: Movie
A killer-for-hire gets mixed up with a cast of wacky characters involved in a gold smuggling route from Beirut to Tokyo.
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Monsieur Zivaco
Title: Monsieur Zivaco
Character: Taxi driver
Released: October 28, 1967
Type: Movie
International thief Zivaco, who can assume any identity, eludes the authorities and battles rival thief WCWC for a rare gold samurai sword.
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King Kong Escapes
Title: King Kong Escapes
Character: Henchman
Released: July 22, 1967
Type: Movie
An adaptation of the Rankin/Bass cartoon, "The King Kong Show". King Kong is brought in by the evil Dr. Who to dig for Element X in a mine when the robot Mechani-Kong is unable to do the task. This leads to the machine and the real Kong engaging in a tremendous battle atop Tokyo Tower.
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Las Vegas Free-For-All
Title: Las Vegas Free-For-All
Released: April 28, 1967
Type: Movie
The Crazy Cats, a Japanese musical-comedy group, were showcased a series of comic adventures throughout the 1960s. Las Vegas Free-For-All, one of their most popular movies, featured scenes filmed on location in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Hawaii. Appearing with the seven Cats were the lovely Mie Hama and such Japanese musical artists as The Peanuts, The Johnnys, The Drifters, and Jackie Yoshikawa & the Blue Comets.
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Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
Title: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
Character: Escaped Slave (uncredited)
Released: December 17, 1966
Type: Movie
Searching for his brother, Ryota stows away on a boat belonging to a criminal alongside two other teenagers. The group shipwrecks on Letchi island and discover the Infant Island natives have been enslaved by a terrorist organization controlling a crustacean monster. Finding a sleeping Godzilla, they decide to awaken him to defeat the terrorists and liberate the natives.
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The Daphne
Title: The Daphne
Released: October 1, 1966
Type: Movie
Four sisters are all named after flowers. While the two youngest are married, the eldest two remain single, much to the annoyance of their long-suffering mother. The mother and her brother try various schemes to find husbands for them.
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The War of the Gargantuas
Title: The War of the Gargantuas
Character: Soldier
Released: July 29, 1966
Type: Movie
Gaira, a humanoid sea beast spawned from the discarded cells of Frankenstein's monster, attacks the shores of Tokyo. While the Japanese military prepares to take action, Gaira's Gargantua brother, Sanda, descends from the mountains to defend his kin. A battle between good and evil ensues, leaving brothers divided and a city in ruins.
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Invasion of Astro-Monster
Title: Invasion of Astro-Monster
Character: King Ghidorah
Released: December 19, 1965
Type: Movie
Astronauts Glenn and Fuji investigate Planet X and encounter mysterious aliens known as the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". In exchange for borrowing Godzilla and Rodan, the Xiliens offer a cure for cancer. As Glenn investigates, he develops a romance with Miss Namikawa and uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.
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Frankenstein Conquers the World
Title: Frankenstein Conquers the World
Character: Tunnel Worker (uncredited)
Released: August 8, 1965
Type: Movie
During WWII, Germans obtain the immortal heart of Frankenstein's monster and transport it to Japan to prevent it being seized by the Allies. Kept in a Hiroshima laboratory, it is seeming lost when the United States destroys the city with the atomic bomb. Years later a wild boy is discovered wandering the streets of the city alone, born of the immortal heart.
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The Retreat from Kiska
Title: The Retreat from Kiska
Character: Yamashita
Released: July 4, 1965
Type: Movie
In 1943, the Aleutian island of Kiska was fortified by a small contingent of Japanese soldiers. When word arrived of an impending attack by an overwhelming force of Americans, the Japanese Navy attempted one of the most daring and unlikely evacuations in military history. This is that story.
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Red Beard
Title: Red Beard
Character: Thug
Released: April 3, 1965
Type: Movie
Aspiring to an easy job as personal physician to a wealthy family, Noboru Yasumoto is disappointed when his first post after medical school takes him to a small country clinic under the gruff doctor Red Beard. Yasumoto rebels in numerous ways, but Red Beard proves a wise and patient teacher. He gradually introduces his student to the unglamorous side of the profession, ultimately assigning him to care for a prostitute rescued from a local brothel.
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Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Title: Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Character: King Ghidorah (uncredited)
Released: December 20, 1964
Type: Movie
After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.
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Dogora
Title: Dogora
Character: Thermal power plant staff
Released: August 11, 1964
Type: Movie
A floating amorphous life-form descends from the atmosphere to consume carbon in the form of diamonds.
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Atragon
Title: Atragon
Character: Mu Henchman
Released: December 22, 1963
Type: Movie
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.
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Young Swordsman
Title: Young Swordsman
Released: August 31, 1963
Type: Movie
This Japanese action-adventure is set in the 17th century when all forms of swordplay were banned. One fighter, an excellent swordsman believes the law is unfair. His brother keeps his opinions about the law to himself. The swordsman vents his frustration by cutting off the thumbs of an enemy. The fighter is then banished. To live, he becomes a thief. To restore the family's lost honor, the other brother is forced to challenge the fighter to a duel.
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King Kong vs. Godzilla
Title: King Kong vs. Godzilla
Character: King Kong
Released: June 26, 1963
Type: Movie
When an underhanded pharmaceutical company goes to a remote tropical island to steal King Kong for advertising purposes, they get more than they bargained for when the gigantic ape attacks an unsuspecting village and an enormous octopus.
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Varan the Unbelievable
Title: Varan the Unbelievable
Character: Fisherman
Released: December 7, 1962
Type: Movie
In an effort to find an economic means of purifying salt water, a joint U.S.-Japanese military command is set up on an isolated Japanese island where an unusual salt water lake is situated. However, their purifying experiments arouse the prehistoric monster Obaki from hibernation at the lake's bottom, and it proceeds to attack Japan. Although made by a U.S. independent film company, this film was based on a Japanese Toho monster film of 1958, "Daikaiju Varan", from which all of the monster effects scenes and a few incidental dramatic shots were edited into it.
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King Kong vs. Godzilla
Title: King Kong vs. Godzilla
Character: King Kong
Released: August 11, 1962
Type: Movie
The advertising director of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, frustrated with the low ratings of their sponsored TV program, seeks a more sensationalist approach. He orders his staff to Faro Island to capture King Kong for exploitation. As Godzilla re-emerges, a media frenzy generates with Pacific looking to capitalize off of the ultimate battle.
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Star of Hong Kong
Title: Star of Hong Kong
Character: Waiter
Released: July 14, 1962
Type: Movie
Wang Xinglian returns from her studies in Japan to visit her father in Hong Kong where she has an encounter with the young Japanese Hasegawa Toru. The two meet again and fall in love in Hokkaido when Wang and her best friend Sugimoto Kanako are going on a holiday. Urged by her friend Zhang Yingming to concentrate on her studies, Wang remains ambivalent about the relationship, and is even more upset to realise that Sugimoto is in love with her fellow countryman. Feigning an engagement with Zhang, Wang initiates a break-up with Hasegawa and finds work in Singapore after graduation. Hasegawa learns the real cause of the break-up from Sugimoto in Hong Kong. A frenzy search finally leads to a reunion and a proposal in Kuala Lumpur. However, their love is doomed by a twist of fate as Wang must leave to see her desperately ill father in Hong Kong while Hasegawa has to leave for America to pursue his career.
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Sanjuro
Title: Sanjuro
Released: January 1, 1962
Type: Movie
Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Kurosawa's tightly paced, beautifully composed "Sanjuro." In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear.
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The Witness Killed
Title: The Witness Killed
Released: December 17, 1961
Type: Movie
Japanese neo-noir crime drama movie directed by Jun Fukuda
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Mothra
Title: Mothra
Character: Dam Worker
Released: July 30, 1961
Type: Movie
Shipwreck survivors found on the presumably uninhabited Infant Island leads to a scientific expedition that discovers a surviving native population along with the Shobijin, tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity called Mothra. After the fairies are kidnapped by an exploitative businessman named Clark Nelson, Mothra sets out to rescue them.
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Yojimbo
Title: Yojimbo
Character: Ushitora Follower
Released: April 25, 1961
Type: Movie
A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.
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The Merciless Trap
Title: The Merciless Trap
Released: February 1, 1961
Type: Movie
Taut thriller about a too-perfect criminal case against an ex-convict that makes a nosy detective suspicious.
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The Human Vapor
Title: The Human Vapor
Character: Burly Guard (uncredited)
Released: December 11, 1960
Type: Movie
A librarian is subject to a scientific experiment which goes wrong and transforms him into 'The Human Vapour'. He uses his new ability to rob banks to fund the career of his girlfriend, a beautiful dancer. The Human Vapour is ruthless in his quest for money and kills anyone who stands in his way, especially police. He soon becomes Tokyo's most wanted criminal. Can he be stopped before he kills again?
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The Secret of the Telegian
Title: The Secret of the Telegian
Released: April 10, 1960
Type: Movie
Men are being murdered by a psycho called "The Telegian," who uses a matter-transmitting device to locate his victims.
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The Three Treasures
Title: The Three Treasures
Released: November 1, 1959
Type: Movie
The legend of the birth of Shintoism. In Fourth Century Japan, the Emperor's son Ouso expects to succeed his father on the throne, but Otomo, the Emperor's vassal, prefers Ouso's stepbrother, and conspires to have Ouso die on a dangerous mission he has contrived. But Ouso prevails in the mission and returns to his father's castle under a new name, Prince Yamato Takeru. Otomo plots to have the Prince sent into even greater danger, but Otomo is unaware that the gods have favored the Prince and the outcome is far from what any of them expected.
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The Beast Shall Die
Title: The Beast Shall Die
Released: June 9, 1959
Type: Movie
A promising post-graduate literature student is transformed into a psychotic killer following the suicide of his father and a sleazy affair by his mother with a younger man.
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Gigantis, the Fire Monster
Title: Gigantis, the Fire Monster
Character: Convict
Released: May 21, 1959
Type: Movie
A prehistoric monster called Gigantis emerges alongside another creature named Angurus.
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The Big Boss
Title: The Big Boss
Released: January 15, 1959
Type: Movie
Ryuta and Mineo Komatsu are brothers, both yakuza (gangsters). Mineo, although complicit in crime, even murder, wants out of the gangster life, hoping to become a successful singer instead. Ryuta loves his brother, but Mineo's possible defection presents problems for the gang, and Ryuta realizes he must kill his brother if he wants to survive.
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The Hidden Fortress
Title: The Hidden Fortress
Character: Soldier (uncredited)
Released: December 28, 1958
Type: Movie
In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains.
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Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman
Title: Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman
Released: December 1, 1958
Type: Movie
An American scientist tells two colleagues about the finding of an abominable snowman living in the Japanese alps, where it is worshipped by a remote tribe as a god, and how it was discovered by modern man after it raided a ski-ers' shelter following an avalanche, killing all inside. This is an adaptation of the Japanese film Ju Jin Yuki Otoko with added American-made footage, narration and music track.
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The Spell of the Hidden Gold
Title: The Spell of the Hidden Gold
Released: October 21, 1958
Type: Movie
Historical drama about a sleepy-eyed ronin.
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Varan
Title: Varan
Character: Fisherman
Released: October 14, 1958
Type: Movie
When a rare species of butterfly is found in a mysterious valley in Japan, a pair of entomologists go to investigate and find more. They discover Varan, a giant monster, who decides to leave the valley and head straight for Tokyo.
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The H-Man
Title: The H-Man
Character: Fire department official (uncredited)
Released: June 24, 1958
Type: Movie
Nuclear tests create a radioactive man who can turn people into slime.
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The Mysterians
Title: The Mysterians
Character: Detective in Etsuko's house
Released: December 28, 1957
Type: Movie
In Japan, scientifically advanced invaders from the war-destroyed planet Mysteroid cause an entire village to vanish, then send a giant robot out to storm the city by night, after which they request a small patch of land on Earth and the right to marry earthling women, claiming to be pacifists. Mankind must decide whether to capitulate or to resist.
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Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen
Title: Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen
Character: Tahei
Released: December 17, 1957
Type: Movie
Ushinosuke returns to his hometown to become a farmer. Part three (of four) of the film adaptation of Bunroku Shishi’s novel, Oban.
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Down Town
Title: Down Town
Released: October 29, 1957
Type: Movie
A woman struggles to raise her young son on her own in postwar Japan, finding companionship with a kind laborer while still hoping for the return of her missing husband.
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A Rainbow Plays in My Heart: Part 1
Title: A Rainbow Plays in My Heart: Part 1
Released: July 9, 1957
Type: Movie
An Ishiro Honda film. The first part of A Rainbow Plays in My Heart released the same day as the second film.
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A Rainbow Plays in My Heart: Part 2
Title: A Rainbow Plays in My Heart: Part 2
Released: July 9, 1957
Type: Movie
An Ishiro Honda film. The second part of A Rainbow Plays in My Heart released the same day as the first film.
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Ôban
Title: Ôban
Character: The Man On The Train
Released: March 5, 1957
Type: Movie
A young country boy leaves his village for Tokyo, where he begins to work as a stock trader. First part (of four) of the film adaptation of Bunroku Shishi's novel, Oban.
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Rodan
Title: Rodan
Character: Meganulon / Fighter pilot
Released: December 26, 1956
Type: Movie
Mining engineer Shigeru investigates the disappearance and death of his fellow coworkers when prehistoric nymphs are discovered emerging from the mines. After an attack on the local village, Shigeru heads deeper into the mines only to make a more horrifying discovery in the form a prehistoric flying creature. Soon a second monster appears as the two converge in Fukuoka.
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The Lonely Swordsman (Part 1)
Title: The Lonely Swordsman (Part 1)
Released: December 26, 1956
Type: Movie
Historical drama about a sleepy-eyed ronin.
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Will-o'-the-Wisp
Title: Will-o'-the-Wisp
Released: July 5, 1956
Type: Movie
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Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island
Title: Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island
Character: (uncredited)
Released: January 3, 1956
Type: Movie
A humble and simple Takezo abandons his life as a knight errant. He's sought as a teacher and vassal by Shogun, Japan's most powerful clan leader. He's also challenged to fight by the supremely confident and skillful Sasaki Kojiro. Takezo agrees to fight Kojiro in a year's time but rejects Shogun's patronage, choosing instead to live on the edge of a village, raising vegetables. He's followed there by Otsu and later by Akemi, both in love with him. The year ends as Takezo assists the villagers against a band of brigands. He seeks Otsu's forgiveness and accepts her love, then sets off across the water to Ganryu Island for his final contest.
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Marital Relations
Title: Marital Relations
Released: September 13, 1955
Type: Movie
The story of a couple, a spoiled son and a down-to-earth girl, in Osaka in the early Showa era. The film won the prestigious Blue Ribbon awards for best director, best actor (Morishige) and best actress (Awashima), and the Mainichi Concours award for best actor and best screenplay (Yasumi Toshio). It ranked second (after Naruse Mikio’s Ukigumo) on the Kinema Junpō top ten films for the year.
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Half Human
Title: Half Human
Character: Mountain Searcher
Released: August 14, 1955
Type: Movie
Three competing parties all race against time to track down an elusive creature known only as the Snowman.
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Mother and Son
Title: Mother and Son
Character: (uncredited)
Released: June 7, 1955
Type: Movie
An Ishiro Honda film.
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Godzilla Raids Again
Title: Godzilla Raids Again
Character: Convict
Released: April 24, 1955
Type: Movie
Two fishing scout pilots make a horrifying discovery when they encounter a second Godzilla alongside a new monster named Anguirus. Without the weapon that killed the original, authorities attempt to lure Godzilla away from the mainland. But Anguirus soon arrives and the two monsters make their way towards Osaka as Japan braces for tragedy.
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Invisible Man
Title: Invisible Man
Character: Policeman
Released: December 29, 1954
Type: Movie
When an invisible man is run down by a car it’s up to an eager young reporter and a strange clown to bring a dangerous gang to justice.
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Seven Samurai
Title: Seven Samurai
Character: Bandit
Released: April 26, 1954
Type: Movie
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.
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Farewell Rabaul
Title: Farewell Rabaul
Released: February 10, 1954
Type: Movie
A squadron of Japanese fighter pilots realise that they are never going to win the war when they understand that Japanese military tactics have little regard for life. Seeking the companionship of any woman who will have them, they spend their days indulging in every fantasy in order to escape the overwhelming fear of death looming just over the horizon.
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Eagle of the Pacific
Title: Eagle of the Pacific
Released: October 21, 1953
Type: Movie
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, a brilliant tactician, is a loyal subject of the emperor, despite his grave misgivings about leading Japan's navy into war with the United States. He opposes the attack on Pearl Harbor, but, overruled, he leads his forces to the best of his ability.
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The Man Who Came to Port
Title: The Man Who Came to Port
Character: (uncredited)
Released: November 27, 1952
Type: Movie
An Ishiro Honda film.
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Ikiru
Title: Ikiru
Character: Yakuza (uncredited)
Released: October 9, 1952
Type: Movie
Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.
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Tokyo Sweetheart
Title: Tokyo Sweetheart
Released: July 15, 1952
Type: Movie
Following the Second World War, the lives of various people in a poverty-stricken area of Tokyo are entertwined. Pachinko parlor girls, shoeshine boys, a maker of costume jewelry, and a streetcorner artist all struggle to make their livings and to find happiness in difficult surroundings.