True Identity of Hedorah

ゴシップ
Gossip

ヘドラの正体は
The true identity of Hedorah

☆････東宝が近く「ゴジラ対ヘドラ」の撮影を開始する。これは来年の夏休み、お子さま番組として予定している怪獣映画。昭和29年、原爆から生まれたゴジラもいまや怪獣の横綱的存在だが、これの対抗馬として考えられたのがヘドロ公害からヒントをえたヘドラというわけ。最初ヘドロン、ヘドゴンなどの名があがり、やっとヘドラに落着いたが、こんどは新怪獣のスタイルをめぐってあれこれもめている。

☆…Toho will soon begin filming “Godzilla vs. Hedorah.” This is a monster movie scheduled for a children’s program during next summer vacation. Godzilla, born from the atomic bomb in 1954, is now a Yokozuna [grand champion] monster, but Hedorah, inspired by sludge pollution, was conceived as a rival to Godzilla. At first, names such as Hedron and Hedogon came up, and they finally settled on Hedorah, but now they are arguing over the style of the new monster.

怪獣に人気がでるかどうかはスタイル次第とか。演出にあたる坂野義光監督は潜水が得意とあって、田子ノ浦からよみがえるヘドラを窓、陸ばかりか海中でも強い怪獣に仕立てる様子。

Whether a monster becomes popular or not depends on its style. Director Yoshimitsu Banno, who is in charge of directing the film, is an expert at diving, so he uses Hedorah, which rises from Tagonoura [a stable of sumo wrestlers], as a monster that is strong not only on land but also under the sea.

Source: Godzilla vs Hedorah Complete Records (1982), p 184