Ishiro Honda by Ryfle Steve; Godziszewski Ed; Honda-Yun Yuuko

Author:Ryfle, Steve; Godziszewski, Ed; Honda-Yun, Yuuko
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
Published: 2017-03-18T16:00:00+00:00

Honda with Battle in Outer Space stars Ryo Ikebe (center left) and Kyoko Anzai (center right); producer Tomoyuki Tanaka (left) examines the spaceship set.

Courtesy of Honda Film Inc.

With a stronger script, Honda might have had an antiwar film. The astronaut-soldiers are sent off with a real-life military band saluting them, a color guard presenting arms, and cheers of “Banzai!” Their reconnaissance mission quickly becomes a series of skirmishes in space and on the moon’s surface, where they climb craggy rocks (filmed on the black ash slopes of Mount Mihara) in search of the enemy. Girlfriends, wives, and children are left behind as men rush into battle. Allusions to the bomb recur: a man burned by the aliens’ freeze ray, missiles launching, the symbolic nuking of New York and San Francisco. Mankind wins the battle, but there are no heavy hearts for the millions apparently killed. Everyone rejoices and shakes hands.

Honda’s antiwar feeling briefly resonates when the astronauts discover the body of a colleague killed by the aliens floating in space. There is a solemn moment of multidenominational prayer. “That was Honda-san,” Kajita said. “It was from his war experience. He wanted to express the sadness of war and offer prayer for its victims.” Then again, the film is hardly pacifist. Once the aliens’ evil intent is apparent, there is drumbeating for war around the globe, and a massive drive—illustrated with factory footage resembling wartime propaganda—to weaponize surveillance rockets into combat ships. An official declares, “There is no being diplomatic with our war against Natal!” As the Earth offensive is launched from air bases in Japan, the United States, and the USSR, Honda has Dr. Adachi (Koreya Senda) lamenting the war. “I never thought we’d have to put a person in one of those rockets,” says the Japanese scientist, but the American Dr. Richardson (Len Stanford) is resigned: “It’s what we have to do to protect peace on Earth.”

Battle was released on December 26, 1959, about three weeks before the controversial Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security (AMPO in its Japanese abbreviation) was updated, strengthening ties between Washington and Tokyo. Reflecting these developments, the film puts the Japan-US alliance front and center, symbolized by twin astronaut crews—one led by an American, the other by Ikebe. In Honda’s idealized reality Japan is a major international player, thus the global science meeting and the aerospace project are based near Tokyo. Again, the international coalition is broad, including former wartime enemies and allies as well as smaller powers such as India and the Philippines. Moreover, the film doesn’t share the Cold War paranoia of the American sci-fi films it emulates; Russia is shown fighting on the side of the angels. This was just months before Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev’s fabled shoe-banging declaration of “We will bury you!” at the United Nations. With worldwide political tensions high, Honda’s simple message of unity was timely.

This image has been redacted from the digital edition. Please refer to the print edition to see the image.

Battle in Outer Space: the international conference, a staple of Honda’s sci-fi films.

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