Daimajin

1966 1h 24m JA

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 74

HorrorFantasyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A giant stone statue comes to life to protect the residents of a small town against the depradations of an evil warlord.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Miwa Takada
Kozasa Hanabusa
Yoshihiko Aoyama
Tadafumi Hanabusa
Jun Fujimaki
Kogenta
Ryūtarō Gomi
Samanosuke
Ryūzō Shimada
Tadakiyo Hanabusa
Tatsuo Endō
Gunjuro
Saburo Date
Ippei Cyjûma
Shizuhiro Izoguchi
Take-bô - The Boy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Writers: Tetsurō Yoshida
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

60 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "Daimajin Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda, shot by Fujio Morita. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Akira Ifukube. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hiroshi Yamada shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Miwa Takada and Yoshihiko Aoyama and Jun Fujimaki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0062851 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kimiyoshi Yasuda directs. Fujio Morita behind the camera. Akira Ifukube scores. Hiroshi Yamada cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
260 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Daimajin Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda, shot by Fujio Morita. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Akira Ifukube. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Hiroshi Yamada shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Miwa Takada and Yoshihiko Aoyama and Jun Fujimaki carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0062851 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 74 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Fujio Morita
Original score: Akira Ifukube
Editing: Hiroshi Yamada
Runtime: 84 min · 1h 24m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Daimajin (1966)

Part of

Daimajin Trilogy

Also by

Kimiyoshi Yasuda

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-09-02
★ 6/10
A small Japanese village finds itself in turmoil after a revolution kills their kindly lord and replaces him with a brute. A few loyal supporters manage to smuggle his two young children away, though - and they seek the protection of the God of the hill that overlooks their home. Ten years later, the children have grown to adulthood and the nasty new Lord sends a gang of his warriors to destroy a statue of the God to prove he is all powerful. A combination of prayers from the villagers and these vandals awaken the spirit of "Daijamin" who is not exactly forgiving... This is an engaging, if a bit disjointed, fantasy adventure that combines the worst in human nature with a bit of sentimental optimism, some Samurai integrity and a great "Talos" like stone man on a bit of a mission. My problem was the rotten dubbing - it was so exaggerated as to render much of the dialogue little better than silly. The acting - especially the feigned looks of shock - is fun and it's got quite an enjoyably destructive last fifteen minutes. If you like these mythical style films with a bit of nature thrown in, then this is for you.

Production companies