Attending a Screening of Toho's 'The H-Man' in 35mm!

Signage for tonight's screening of The H-Man at the Laputa Asagaya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Not only did I see An American Werewolf in London (1981) earlier today (Sunday, January 29), but I capped off the evening with a screening of Toho's The H-Man (1958) in 35mm. It was part of the Laputa Asagaya's Science Fiction Film Festival, and I was quite eager to see it. I'm much more familiar with this movie than the previous three I've seen as part of this program, and tonight's film features many of my favorite Toho performers.

Publicity materials for The H-Man inside the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The film looked gorgeous in 35mm. As always, there were a few flaws, but very few jumps that would have proved too distracting. Yumi Shirakawa was absolutely radiant here -- just an unbelievably beautiful woman. Masaru Sato's score is excellent, and the effects are impressive, too, though they would get even better over time.

It's interesting to think that Daiei's The Invisible Man vs. the Human Fly (1957) came out the previous year when the two films look like they were made decades apart. This was made just after Toho hit its stride with its SFX flicks, and, unlike a few of the studio's previous releases, it actually looks like a movie made in the year it came out. 

Oh, and there was a small earthquake that happened during the screening. It wasn't too disruptive or anything, but it was kind of interesting. Just thought I'd include that little tidbit.

That's all for tonight. Now to get some sleep!