Director Jerry A. Baerwitz created this uninspired, problematical monster story by using footage from a similar but different Japanese monster flic by Inoshira Honda (he who started off Godzilla and followed up with Rodan, Mothra, Monster Zero and more). Viewer opinion overwhelmingly sides with Honda's film. In this story, the Japanese and U.S. military are working together in the Pacific on a Japanese island with a salt water lake, trying out an experiment to desalinate the water. Their desalination technique wakes up a prehistoric monster, Baran, from the longest nap on record. Understandably piqued, the monster sets off to trample down Tokyo in revenge. Some audiences may feel that Baerwitz' treatment of the Japanese in this film should have set the monster against Hollywood. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
Cast
Tsuruko Kobayashi - Anna
Clifford Kawada - Capt. Kishi
Jerry A. Baerwitz; Myron Healey - Cmdr. James Bradley; Akihiko Hirata; Koreya Senda; Ayumi Sonoda; Derick Shimatsu - Matsu; Kozo Nomura; George Sasaki; Yoneo Iguchi; Hideo Imamura; Roy Ogata; Katsumi Tezuka - Varan (archival footage)
Credit
Robert O'Dell - Costume Designer, Jerry A. Baerwitz - Director, Ishiro Honda - Director, Ralph Cushman - Editor, Jack Ruggiero - Editor, Akira Ifukube - Composer (Music Score), Peter Zinner - Musical Direction/Supervision, Robert Cowan - Makeup, Hajime Koizumi - Cinematographer, Jacques Marquette - Cinematographer, Jerry A. Baerwitz - Producer, Howard A. Anderson - Special Effects, Eiji Tsuburaya - Special Effects, Shinichi Sekizawa - Screenwriter, Sid Harris - Screenwriter
Varan the Unbelievable, released in Japan as Giant Monster Varan(大怪獣バラン,Daikaijū Baran?), is a 1958 daikaijueiga (giant-monster movie) directed by Ishiro Honda (drama) and Eiji Tsuburaya (tokusatsu), and their last black-and-white monster film. The title character Varan is one of Toho Studios' least-famed creations. Although shown in Japanese-language theaters in the USA, the film saw general U.S. release in 1962 only after being heavily revised, in the manner of Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, to have all principal scenes reshot with American actors. Indeed, the plot itself was generally revised, and the Japanese material consisted only of special effects, a few incidental shots, and the ending scene. A TV version was released on Toho's region 2 (with a few missing scenes).
The 2005 subtitled DVD release of Daikaijū Baran , the original Japanese version, was titled Varan the Unbelievable on the front cover leading to confusion as to which version of the film (Japanese or American) was presented on the disc.
Varan was supposed to be a demon god that lived in the upper reaches of the Kitakami River. The villagers that live in Iwaya near the river refer to Varan as Baradagi-Sanjin and they both worship him. An expedition team arrives in the area to find a Siberian species of butterfly that has mysteriously made its way to Japan, but are killed after they hear an echoing roar. Some time later, a second team is sent to investigate, only to discover Varan, who then destroys the entire village once disturbed. The JSDF arrives in the Kitagami area and lures Varan out by polluting the lake where he is hiding. Later, they light the forest on fire. Distraught with the destruction of his home, Varan takes off into the sky, and heads towards Tokyo bay. Varan eventually unleashes an attack on the Haneda airport, where The JSDF tricks him into eating several bombs out of the sky. The bombs explode one by one, weakening Varan. When Varan retreats to the sea, the final bomb explodes and destroys the beast.
An entirely new film was created, using American players for all significant dramatic scenes which now centred around American military scientist Cmdr. James Bradley (Myron Healey) and his Japanese wife Anna conducting desalinization experiments in the here salt water lake which awakened the monster. Excepting the final scene, Daikaju Baran was represented only by its special effects, cut to accommodate the new script, and two or three brief incidental shots. Nothing was dubbed as there were no dialogue shots left to dub.
The entire music and sound tracks of Daikaiju Baran were replaced.
All footage showing Varan flying was removed.
In the US version the name Varan is never spoken, the monster is instead referred to as "Obaki" (from "obake", a Japanese word for "monster").
Varan's attack on Haneda Airport was much shorter.
Production
Much stock footage from Godzilla was used. Mostly in close ups of buildings getting crushed and when the planes fight Varan.[who?]
