Akira Watanabe (Japanese: 渡辺 明, Hepburn: Watanabe Akira, May 13, 1908 – 1999) was a Japanese special effects art director who worked on 38 films in a career spanning 25 years.
Akira Watanabe | |
|---|---|
渡辺 明 | |
 Watanabe on set of Lady from Hell. | |
| Born | May 13, 1908 |
| Died | 1999 |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation(s) | Art director, special effects director |
| Years active | 1942-1968 |
Career
editOn April 1, 1929, Watanabe graduating from art school, and joined Shochiku as an assistant director, then transferred to Toho in 1941 upon the recommendation of Eiji Tsuburaya, working on his first film with the company the following year.[2] He left Toho in 1966 after serving as Tsuburaya's art director on Invasion of Astro-Monster.[3] With Japanese Special Effects Productions, which was later called Japanese Special Effects Film Co., Ltd., he directed special effects on Gappa: The Triphibian Monster, Nikkatsu's sole Showa kaiju film,[4] and the Japanese-American co-production The Green Slime.[5]
Partial filmography
editSpecial effects art director
edit- The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya (1942)
- Lady from Hell (1949)
- Nangoku no hada (1952)
- Godzilla (1954)[6]
- Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
- Half Human (1955)
- The Legend of the White Serpent (1956)[7]
- Rodan (1956)
- The Mysterians (1957)
- The H-Man (1958)
- Varan the Unbelievable (1958)[7]
- Monkey Sun (1959)
- The Three Treasures (1959)
- Battle in Outer Space (1959)[7]
- The Secret of the Telegian (1960)
- The Human Vapor (1960)
- The Story of Osaka Castle (1961)[7]
- Mothra (1961)
- The Last War (1961)
- Gorath (1962)
- King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)[7]
- Matango (1963)[7]
- Atragon (1963)
- Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
- Dogora (1964)[7]
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)[7]
- Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965)
- Crazy Adventure (1965)[7]
- Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)[7]
- Ultra Q (1966)
Special effects director
edit- Gappa: The Triphibian Monster (1967)[4]
- The Green Slime (1968)[5]
Miscellaneous
edit- Dogora (1964) - Special effects cameraman
- Gappa: The Triphibian Monster (1967) - Story
References
edit- ^ Encyclopedia of Godzilla. Gakken. 1 January 1990. p. 101.
- ^ Inoue, Hideyuki (1994). 検証・ゴジラ誕生―昭和29年・東宝撮影所. Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama. ISBN 978-4-257-03394-3.
- ^ 東宝特撮映画全史. Tomoyuki Tanaka (Shohan ed.). Tokyo: Tōhō Kabushiki Kaisha Shuppan Jigyōshitsu. 1983. ISBN 4-92460-900-5.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b Galbraith IV 1994, p. 146.
- ^ a b Galbraith IV 1994, p. 172.
- ^ Ryfle 1998, p. 27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "渡辺明". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-07-10.
- Galbraith IV, Stuart (1994). Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. McFarland. ISBN 0-89950-853-7.
- Ryfle, Steve (1998). Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G. ECW Press. ISBN 9781550223484.
External links
edit- Akira Watanabe at IMDb
- Akira Watanabe at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)
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