MUSHROOM CLOUDS AND MUSHROOM MOVIES! Attending a Screening of 'Matango' in 35mm!

Matango at the Laputa Asagaya! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Another week, another evening at the Laputa Asagaya. Tonight's screening (Monday, February 6) was a 35mm print of Matango (1963), one of Toho's most celebrated genre pictures. To be honest, I'm not sure I would have chosen Matango to screen as part of a sci-fi film festival (it's much more of a horror flick), but I'm sure it was selected due to its popularity. In fact, the theater was pretty close to sold out, despite the fact that it was a Monday evening.

Publicity material for Matango in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

If I'm being completely honest, I almost decided to skip this movie. It's not that I dislike the film -- that certainly isn't true! -- but there was a point a while back when it felt like Matango was getting screened every other week somewhere in Tokyo, and I guess I just got burned out on it. Of course, the period of time I'm talking about was quite a few years ago, but I suppose a bit of the burnout remains. I largely decided to attend the screening because February is likely to be a much quieter month than January, so I ought to seize any opportunity that comes my way.

The 35mm film print looked quite good, although it came with the usual flaws. The movie is a bit of a slow burn, but, once it reaches its climax, it really packs a hefty punch. With that being said, I'm sure you've figured out that I probably don't love this one as much as some others do. But I'd still give it a high ranking, despite the fact that I still wish the filmmakers had come up with a better way to end the scene during which the first mushroom man menaces the main characters by simply having him disappear into thin air.

Overall, it was an enjoyable evening, but I have to admit that I'm looking forward to seeing the remaining films in the program a lot more.