Catching a Screening of 'Mothra' in 35mm!

The Laputa Asagaya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier today (Wednesday, November 22), I was privileged to catch a screening of the Toho classic Mothra (1961) in 35mm at the Laputa Asagaya. The screening is part of a special program celebrating the 25th anniversary of the theater with new film prints of specially selected works.

When Mothra saw its 4K screenings at Toho Cinemas around Tokyo a while back, I decided not to go, which I now deeply regret. Chalk it up to laziness -- I just didn't want to get up that early in the morning to see it. So, in a way, this screening makes up for the fact that I missed the 4K version. The 35mm print had a few scratches and imperfections here and there, but otherwise it looked in pristine shape. It was a great way to see the film!

Today's film lineup. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Regarding the film itself, what could I say that hasn't been said a thousand times already? It's a classic, and I feel very fortunate I was able to see such a wonderful 35mm print of it. I didn't notice very many fun details that I've seen in other such theatrical screenings, but it was a joy to take in all the tokusatsu greatness onscreen. 

There were quite a few people at the screening, but the theater was only about half full. I was kind of worried about a sellout (there were some screenings earlier this year that came dangerously close to one), but in retrospect I needn't have worried. All in all, it was a fun way to spend an afternoon.