Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters by August Ragone. Chronicle Books, 208 pages, $36.95.
Even though much of his career was spent working in 1/25 scale, Eiji Tsuburaya remains a giant in the film industry. He began as a cameraman in 1919 but it would be his later years that provided the chance to make his mark. In 1953, when already in his fifties, he was given free rein to create Japan's first movie monster.
had made and was an instant success.
His reputation for creating incredible visual effects grew as big as his monsters and soon Tsuburaya was waging battles between Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, King Kong, Ultraman and a long cast of other mutants. Throughout the sixties Tsuburaya worked non-stop on films and television programs.
Fantastic behind the scenes photographs fill the pages and complement the detailed accounts of the filmmaking and development of the many productions. The first Godzilla suit was so heavy the actor inside, Haruo Nakajima, could barely move it. A second version, still hefty at 225 pounds, was created and that was the one that stomped through Tokyo. Over the years, Tsuburaya's monsters destroyed major cities around the world while his most enduring hero, Ultraman, repeatedly saved the day.
- Terry Peters
