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1-5 of 5
- Special Effects
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Eiji Tsuburaya ranks alongside Willis H. O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen as one of the great visionary SFX masters of twentieth century fantasy cinema. Best remembered as the amazing special effects genius behind the "Godzilla" series of monster films commencing in 1954, he also contributed effects to a host of other Japanase monster / fantasy / science fiction / drama / propaganda films for over four decades.
Eiji Tsuburaya had a keen interest in the cinema from a young age, and legend has it that he acquired a second hand movie projector when he was only ten years old, and pulled it apart and put it back together with relative ease. He began work as a cinematographer in Kyoto around 1919, and then enhanced his skills to include camera work throughout the 1920s, at which time his eye for detail was in high demand from many studio's. Around 1938, he became head of Special Visual Techniques at Toho Studios, and during the Second World War he was involved in the production of several Japanaese propaganda films. He went freelance after the war, and in 1954 he collaborated with director Ishirô Honda on the monster epic Godzilla (1954) (aka "Godzilla"). The film was an enormous hit in Japan, and additional scenes were filmed with US actor Raymond Burr and then inserted strategically to give the movie western appeal. "Godzilla, King Of The Monsters" was then released in the USA to strong box office takings, and Godzilla has since appeared in over two dozen films spanning over fifty years, becoming a key cult icon of Japanese culture!!
The incredibly talented Tsuburaya went on to be the SFX director behind dozens of Japanese monster & science fiction classics including _Sora no daikiju Radon (1956)_ (aka "Rodan") The H-Man (1958) (aka "The H-Man") Densô ningen (1960) (aka "The Telegian"), Mothra (1961) (aka "Mothra") King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963) (aka "King Kong versus Godzilla"), Varan the Unbelievable (1962), Matango (1963), _Furankenshutain tai chitei kaiju Baragon (1965)_ (aka "Frankenstein Conquers the World"), and _Kaiju soshingeki (1968)_ (aka "Destroy All Monsters" ). Tsuburaya had also established his own production company in 1963 (Tsuburaya Productions), creators of the highly popular "Ultraman" character, and subsequent TV shows and films.
On January 25, 1970, while vacationing in Shizuoka Prefecture, Tsuburaya suffered a sudden, fatal heart attack. His incredible film & SFX production company is still active today under the guidance of his grandson, Kazuo Tsuburaya.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Esther Eng was born on 24 September 1914 in San Francisco, California, USA. She was a director and writer, known for Golden Gate Girl (1941), Min zu nv ying xiong (1937) and Ten Thousand Lovers (1938). She died on 25 January 1970.- Rudolf Ott was born in 1899. He was an actor, known for Hexen (1949). He died on 25 January 1970 in Baden n. Vienna, Austria.
- Gloria Joy was born on 7 October 1910 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Phantom Police (1926), The Midnight Burglar (1918) and The Locked Heart (1918). She was married to Lionel Backus. She died on 25 January 1970 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Josef Sulc was born on 1 June 1926 in Kourim, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for The Ear (1970), Marketa Lazarová (1967) and Lady on the Tracks (1966). He died on 25 January 1970 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic].