The Secret of the Telegian

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The Secret of the Telegian
Secret of Telegian 1960.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJun Fukuda
Screenplay byShinichi Sekizawa[1]
Starring
CinematographyKazuo Yamada[1]
Edited by[1]
Music by[1]
Production
company
Release date
  • April 10, 1960 (1960-04-10) (Japan)
Running time
85 minutes[2]
CountryJapan

The Secret of the Telegian (電送人間, Densō Ningen) (lit. 'The Electrically Transmitted Man')[3] is a 1960 tokusatsu science fiction-horror and mystery film.[4] Produced by Toho Company, Ltd., the film was directed by Jun Fukuda and written by Shinichi Sekizawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya.[4][1] Herts-Lion International Corp. acquired the western hemisphere rights to the film in January 1964 and planned to release it theatrically in the United States.[1] This proposed U.S. theatrical release was aborted, and the film was subsequently syndicated to television. Besides being in black and white, the TV prints were identical to Toho's uncut international English version, dubbing and all.[5]

Plot[]

At an amusement park's "Cave of Horrors" attraction, a man is stabbed to death and the killer leaves behind a gold-plated dog tag, a note asking the victim to meet them there, and a piece of Cryotron transistor wire. Reporter Kirioka, his childhood friend Detective Kobayashi, and the police led by Captain Onosaki begin investigating. They discover clues that lead them to a military-themed nightclub called the Military-Land Cabaret and its suspicious owner, Onishi.

Kirioka, Kobayashi, and Onosaki eventually discover that 14 years prior, Onishi, the victim, intelligence agent Takashi, and Construction Corp. foreman Taki were all soldiers assigned to protect scientist/electrical engineer Dr. Kajuro Nikki's top secret experiments in creating electronic weaponry. However, the four used the scientist to transport stolen gold instead. They faced opposition from Lance Corporal Tsudo, who insisted that the gold belonged to Japan's people, but Onishi and his compatriots seemingly killed Tsudo and Nikki. They stored the bodies and gold in a cave and narrowly escaped after it was destroyed by dynamite. When the four returned a year later however, they discovered the corpses and gold had gone missing.

In reality, Tsudo and Nikki went into hiding and lived in seclusion on a remote farm. Over the years, the scientist perfected a teleportation device capable of moving matter from one place to another in seconds. Unbeknownst to Nikki, a bitter Tsudo used the machine to elude the police while seeking revenge on his would-be killers by using the dog tags as a death sentence, sending his victims an audio tape or note detailing his intentions, and stabbing them with a bayonet.

Kirioka, Kobayashi, and Onosaki trace Tsudo back to his farm, but are unable to prove he is the killer despite finding Nikki and his machines. Concurrently, Taki is killed while in police custody while Onishi hides in a remote coastal village. However, Tsudo knew he would go there and sends him a transmitter so he can successfully kill him. The police give chase, but Tsudo retrieves a hidden transmitter and begins to teleport, only for tremors to damage the receiver and cause Tsudo to dissolve into oblivion.

Cast[]

Release[]

The Secret of the Telegian was released in Japan on April 10, 1960, in color and TohoScope.[2] The film was released with English subtitles by Toho International with North American theatrical rights purchased by , who would later release the film directly to American television in pan-and-scan, black and white.[2] The film was screened in Los Angeles for a trade screening on July 21, 1961.[2]

Reception[]

A follow-up to The Secret of the Telegian titled Transparent Man Against Flame Man was written about five years after its release with Fukuda as its co-writer.[6] Fukuda explained that the script never went into development as Toho did not find the original film as successful as they had wanted it to be.[6]

References[]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Galbraith IV 1996, p. 349.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Galbraith IV 1996, p. 350.
  3. ^ Galbraith,Stuart (1994). Japanese Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror Films. McFarland and Co., Inc.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "電送人間東". Kinema Junpo. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  5. ^ "[Unknown]". Box Office. January 6, 1964. p. 13. Cite uses generic title (help)
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Milner, David (1995). "Jun Fukuda Interview". Cult Movies. No. 13. p. 52.

Sources[]

  • Galbraith IV, Stuart (1996). The Japanese Filmography: 1900 through 1994. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0032-3.

External links[]

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