The police are in pursuit of a man who can change into gas and who is using that ability to rob banks so that he can pay for a recital by a dancer with whom he is in love. The film is an imaginative thriller from Toho, directed by Ishiro Honda and with effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The third act, in which the police set a trap for 'the gas man', seems a bit weak - surely the titular character would have suspected a trap when he is the only person at the recital; however, I was watching a subtitled version and might have missed something (perhaps 'the gas man's' behaviour was in keeping with his obsession with the dancer). The special effects are simple but effective, and overall, the film is an entertaining example of Toho's early 1960's non-Kaiju tokusatsu (although not as good as 1958's "The H-man").
19 Reviews
Gasu ningen dai 1 gô: Silly little sci-fi
Platypuschow21 September 2018
Cashing in on the influx of western sci-fi movies Toho created The Human Vapour and it's a thoroughly mixed bag.
It tells the story of a man who can turn into vapour and proceeds to use his ability to rob banks.
As you can imagine it all looks very tacky as everything did back then, complete with the same sound effects you'll have heard a thousand times from movies like this.
The core story is fairly unique and the film does have quite the heart. Sadly from an entertainment standpoint it's rather underwhelming and that's a shame.
Think of this as a sci-fi verison of the H-Man (1958) in many regards, but inferior and more than little goofy.
It manages to meet the quality of the films it mimmicks, but alas that really isn't saying much.
The Good:
Plot isn't terrible
Quite a good finale
The Bad:
Taglines are ridiculous
Why keep calling him gasman when he's not gas?
Lifeless in places
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Abbreviated to Vape Man, I'm shocked this hasn't been remade
It tells the story of a man who can turn into vapour and proceeds to use his ability to rob banks.
As you can imagine it all looks very tacky as everything did back then, complete with the same sound effects you'll have heard a thousand times from movies like this.
The core story is fairly unique and the film does have quite the heart. Sadly from an entertainment standpoint it's rather underwhelming and that's a shame.
Think of this as a sci-fi verison of the H-Man (1958) in many regards, but inferior and more than little goofy.
It manages to meet the quality of the films it mimmicks, but alas that really isn't saying much.
The Good:
Plot isn't terrible
Quite a good finale
The Bad:
Taglines are ridiculous
Why keep calling him gasman when he's not gas?
Lifeless in places
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Abbreviated to Vape Man, I'm shocked this hasn't been remade
Superior Japanese SF/Horror
Infofreak24 June 2001
The Human Vapour shows that there was a lot more to 60s Japanese science fiction movies than Godzilla and Mothra. While the version I watched was badly dubbed and transferred to video, it still stood out as superior b-grade sci-fi. The FX may be quite primitive but the concept was handled well, the acting more than adequate, and the central relationship between the Vapour and the Kabuki dancer was suprisingly touching. Try and track this one down if you're looking for something different.
Gone with the Wind
sol121819 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
**SPOILERS** Washing out, due to contracting tuberculosis, as a top test pilot for the Japanese Air Force Mizuno suffered a nervous breakdown that landed him into a Tokyo sanitarium. It was at the sanitarium that Mizuno met and fell in love with fellow inmate the famous and equally destroyed,mentally, Fujichiyo who at one time was Japans greatest dancer.
Declared by the sanitarium doctors as being fully recovered and Let out in the outside world Mizuno ends up working as a librarian. In his work in the library Mizuno is approached by a Dr. Sano who's been a great fan of his when he was flying planes for the air force. Dr.Sano telling Mizuno that he can get him back into shape to fly planes has Mizuno agree to him being experimented on by the doc. Dr. Sano ends up putting Mizuno into this state of suspended animation for 10 days. when he comes out of it he's told by a scared and nervous Dr.Sano, who seemed surprised that he survived that it, the experiment was a total failure. Finding out from Dr. Sano that there has been other experiments by him, where all those involved died, and with him now being the only survivor an outrage Mizuno suddenly turns into a cloud of gas and attacks Dr. Sano engulfing and suffocating him to death.
Mizuno realizing that he has achieved, due to the late Dr. Sano's experiments, super powers goes on a crime spree vaporizing into a fine mist and then robbing Toyko banks and killing a number of bank employees and police by asphyxiating them. Mizuno then makes his escape by fading away into thin air. Mizuno's, who's later dubbed by the police and newspapers as the Vapor Man, crimes are not for his own greed and misguided revenge against the world but to get enough money to have his love dancer Fujichiyo be able to get back to dancing by having a public recital of her talents. Mizuno wants Fujichiyo to become Japans premier dancer and the crazed Mizumo doesn't care how many banks he'll rob and people kill, with his new found powers, in order to do it.
A really strange and at the same time touching love story, if you can excuse or overlook the bank robberies and killings involved, of a man ,Mizuno, gone insane with love for the woman ,Fujichiyo, he loves. Who's a sweet caring and conscientious person not having the heart to betray and turn him in to the police. For the crimes that he committed for her which she had no knowledge of.
Arrested and thrown in jail Fujichiyo refuses to tell the police who her lover, who's committing all these vapor crimes, is. It's Mizuro himself who comes forward to tell the shocked public that he's the notorious Vapor Man and vaporizes himself going on to both rob a bank and kill a bank guard to prove it.
The police are helpless to stop the Vapor Man and finally have to release Fujichiyo. That leads to her, and the Vapor Man, renting out a Tokyo theater to give her dance recital like the Vapor Man always demanded. At the recital a bunch of drunken yahoos crash the place thinking that it's some kind of strip show. This has the attending Mizuno, whom these jerks don't realize, the Vapor Man tell them to get the hell out of the theater and get their money back at ticket counter. This makes the theater crashers even more rowdy and in return Mizuno vaporizes attacking them and driving the entire bunch out in panic.
The Tokyo police in a last desperate move, when the theater is emptied out with only Mizuno and Fujichiyo being in it, pump gas into the place in oder to knock out the Vapor Man and take him captive. Fujichiyo realizing what's happening and wanting to stop once and for all the death and destruction of her lover Mizuno pulls out a lighter. As she and Mizuno embrace, after her very successful dance number, Fujichiyo flicks her bic and blows the entire theater up killing herself in the process. Mizuno unfortunately survives and now has to live the rest of his life, which is forever, with the guilt of not only the many people he killed and victimized as the Vapor Man. He also has to live with the fact that he drove his one and only love Fujichiyo to kill herself because of the crimes that he committed for her.
Declared by the sanitarium doctors as being fully recovered and Let out in the outside world Mizuno ends up working as a librarian. In his work in the library Mizuno is approached by a Dr. Sano who's been a great fan of his when he was flying planes for the air force. Dr.Sano telling Mizuno that he can get him back into shape to fly planes has Mizuno agree to him being experimented on by the doc. Dr. Sano ends up putting Mizuno into this state of suspended animation for 10 days. when he comes out of it he's told by a scared and nervous Dr.Sano, who seemed surprised that he survived that it, the experiment was a total failure. Finding out from Dr. Sano that there has been other experiments by him, where all those involved died, and with him now being the only survivor an outrage Mizuno suddenly turns into a cloud of gas and attacks Dr. Sano engulfing and suffocating him to death.
Mizuno realizing that he has achieved, due to the late Dr. Sano's experiments, super powers goes on a crime spree vaporizing into a fine mist and then robbing Toyko banks and killing a number of bank employees and police by asphyxiating them. Mizuno then makes his escape by fading away into thin air. Mizuno's, who's later dubbed by the police and newspapers as the Vapor Man, crimes are not for his own greed and misguided revenge against the world but to get enough money to have his love dancer Fujichiyo be able to get back to dancing by having a public recital of her talents. Mizuno wants Fujichiyo to become Japans premier dancer and the crazed Mizumo doesn't care how many banks he'll rob and people kill, with his new found powers, in order to do it.
A really strange and at the same time touching love story, if you can excuse or overlook the bank robberies and killings involved, of a man ,Mizuno, gone insane with love for the woman ,Fujichiyo, he loves. Who's a sweet caring and conscientious person not having the heart to betray and turn him in to the police. For the crimes that he committed for her which she had no knowledge of.
Arrested and thrown in jail Fujichiyo refuses to tell the police who her lover, who's committing all these vapor crimes, is. It's Mizuro himself who comes forward to tell the shocked public that he's the notorious Vapor Man and vaporizes himself going on to both rob a bank and kill a bank guard to prove it.
The police are helpless to stop the Vapor Man and finally have to release Fujichiyo. That leads to her, and the Vapor Man, renting out a Tokyo theater to give her dance recital like the Vapor Man always demanded. At the recital a bunch of drunken yahoos crash the place thinking that it's some kind of strip show. This has the attending Mizuno, whom these jerks don't realize, the Vapor Man tell them to get the hell out of the theater and get their money back at ticket counter. This makes the theater crashers even more rowdy and in return Mizuno vaporizes attacking them and driving the entire bunch out in panic.
The Tokyo police in a last desperate move, when the theater is emptied out with only Mizuno and Fujichiyo being in it, pump gas into the place in oder to knock out the Vapor Man and take him captive. Fujichiyo realizing what's happening and wanting to stop once and for all the death and destruction of her lover Mizuno pulls out a lighter. As she and Mizuno embrace, after her very successful dance number, Fujichiyo flicks her bic and blows the entire theater up killing herself in the process. Mizuno unfortunately survives and now has to live the rest of his life, which is forever, with the guilt of not only the many people he killed and victimized as the Vapor Man. He also has to live with the fact that he drove his one and only love Fujichiyo to kill herself because of the crimes that he committed for her.
Tarrantino Knows His Stuff
battle-111 October 2003
Wow! Caught this on Trio as part of the Quentin Tarrantino Week. Although I love giant monsters, It was cool to see Honda do a movie without them. What I most admire about his movies are the quirky/funky artificial looking art direction. It's top notch here. If you like 60's go-go stuff with a twist, you will dig this crazy movie!
A suitably enjoyable sci-fi thriller, if lacking any major peak
I_Ailurophile25 February 2023
It doesn't take long for this to begin to earn one's favor. The film bears distinct airs of more modern supernatural thrillers, to the point that one can easily imagine how it might look if it were remade in 2023. With the esteemed Toho behind the project one can be assured of a tightly run and high quality production, and that's true not least with Toho regular Ishiro Honda at the helm as director. Sure enough, the filming locations are excellent, and the production design, art direction, costume design, and hair and makeup are quite fetching. Honda's guiding hand is firm but mindful, and he demonstrates a keen eye for orchestrating shots and scenes. The editing and cinematography alike are smart and smooth. From artful shot composition to Kunio Miyauchi's enticing music, 'The human vapor' carries itself with a gratifying sense of aesthetic style, and though at length it may not be anything super special, it's solidly enjoyable and worth checking out, whether for fans of Toho, the genre at large, or movies in general.
The post-production visuals are on par with contemporary fare, while practical effects are very well done. The choreography Kaoru Yachigusa performs is rather lovely, a splendid contrast to the more tense airs that the title presents, and in its way only adding to them. Meanwhile, screenwriter Takeshi Kimura has penned a tale of science fiction that's familiar in various ways, yet certainly with a suitably unique spin to help the feature continue to feel fresh and interesting. On the other hand, the narrative is perhaps a little light in the grand scheme of things, and never achieves any especial peak of vibrancy as it declines to zero in on the major beats of drama or emotion that it could have. The possibilities are right there for the taking, and it comes so close - Fujichiyo and Mizuno need only to have been developed more as characters - but the screenplay doesn't especially reach for them, and the overall tone is sufficiently subdued that the spark can't manage it. That might actually be the chief critique in my opinion; with modest expansion of the story, it could have easily been more grabbing and impactful than it is.
Though decidedly more low-key than other genre fare such as, say, the kaiju blockbusters for which Toho is best known, 'The human vapor' nevertheless fits in neatly with the broad tenor of pictures they have made for so long. It falls short of being perfect or riveting, and it may not be something that one needs to go out of their way to see. All the same, more than not it's well written, acted, and otherwise made, with notably strong craftsmanship from behind the scenes. This may not demand viewership, but if you have the chance to watch it's a decent way to spend ninety minutes of one's time.
The post-production visuals are on par with contemporary fare, while practical effects are very well done. The choreography Kaoru Yachigusa performs is rather lovely, a splendid contrast to the more tense airs that the title presents, and in its way only adding to them. Meanwhile, screenwriter Takeshi Kimura has penned a tale of science fiction that's familiar in various ways, yet certainly with a suitably unique spin to help the feature continue to feel fresh and interesting. On the other hand, the narrative is perhaps a little light in the grand scheme of things, and never achieves any especial peak of vibrancy as it declines to zero in on the major beats of drama or emotion that it could have. The possibilities are right there for the taking, and it comes so close - Fujichiyo and Mizuno need only to have been developed more as characters - but the screenplay doesn't especially reach for them, and the overall tone is sufficiently subdued that the spark can't manage it. That might actually be the chief critique in my opinion; with modest expansion of the story, it could have easily been more grabbing and impactful than it is.
Though decidedly more low-key than other genre fare such as, say, the kaiju blockbusters for which Toho is best known, 'The human vapor' nevertheless fits in neatly with the broad tenor of pictures they have made for so long. It falls short of being perfect or riveting, and it may not be something that one needs to go out of their way to see. All the same, more than not it's well written, acted, and otherwise made, with notably strong craftsmanship from behind the scenes. This may not demand viewership, but if you have the chance to watch it's a decent way to spend ninety minutes of one's time.
Really worth watching...REALLY!
bok6027 June 2005
The Human Vapor is a surprisingly worthwhile change from the usual round of men in rubber suit Japanese horror films. It is an effective cross between The Invisible Man and Phantom of the Opera with just a dash of Hangover Square.
The kabuki sequences were very well staged. The musical score is lush, heartfelt and at times quite moving. It has tremendous production values and some good, sincere acting.
It is marred only by over-abundant comic relief and choppy editing (although the latter is almost certainly the fault of it's American distributors).
It is also hampered by its current un-availability in any medium. My sad, long out of print, much-abused VHS rental copy is close to 20 years old and appears to have been made from a very worn out, badly scratched and faded TV print.
Does anyone know of a restored print? A letter-boxed version? A DVD???? All in all though, it is worth watching....really.
The kabuki sequences were very well staged. The musical score is lush, heartfelt and at times quite moving. It has tremendous production values and some good, sincere acting.
It is marred only by over-abundant comic relief and choppy editing (although the latter is almost certainly the fault of it's American distributors).
It is also hampered by its current un-availability in any medium. My sad, long out of print, much-abused VHS rental copy is close to 20 years old and appears to have been made from a very worn out, badly scratched and faded TV print.
Does anyone know of a restored print? A letter-boxed version? A DVD???? All in all though, it is worth watching....really.
Entertaining with a lot of depth
Hessian49918 September 2001
The title may suggest a bad sci-fi movie, but this film is actually quite dramatic and well produced. Part mystery and part science fiction, it is well acted and the special effects of the man turning into the vapor is expertly done. The segments of the Vapor traveling about the city and telling of his experiences are a high point of the movie, and explain what it would feel like to actually be a cloud of gas. The central story, of the attraction between the Vapor and the dancer, is well written and effectively developed on screen. This is an example of a Japanese science fiction film that often gets overshadowed by the likes of Godzilla and Rodan, but is quite good on its own merits. Watch it if you get the chance!
Not bad
Jeremy_Urquhart1 December 2022
I thought this was fairly good, but not great. It mixed science-fiction in with some other genres which was cool (I would have expected this to be a sci-fi/horror kind of movie, based on Ishiro Honda being the director, but it definitely wasn't).
It looks and sounds pretty good, certainly to the point where labelling it a B-grade movie wouldn't feel right. I was only really let down by the writing - the ideas and the premise are interesting, but the film didn't have a great flow to it for me, and so narratively wasn't particularly satisfying.
But still, that didn't make it a bad watch, and so a decent time was had for the 92 minutes that The Human Vapor went for.
It looks and sounds pretty good, certainly to the point where labelling it a B-grade movie wouldn't feel right. I was only really let down by the writing - the ideas and the premise are interesting, but the film didn't have a great flow to it for me, and so narratively wasn't particularly satisfying.
But still, that didn't make it a bad watch, and so a decent time was had for the 92 minutes that The Human Vapor went for.
The story behind the crime
KuRt-339 August 2002
"At first I could not understand the terror in Dr Sano's eyes. Then I knew: I had been transformed into something terrifying. Something repellant...."
Maybe not necessarily repellant, but the sight of someone's body vaporizing till he becomes invisible... well, I've seen prettier things.
The second feature of this double bill is The Human Vapor and was directed by Ishirô Honda, the man who also gave you Gojira (a.k.a. Godzilla) and countless sequels with the rubber-suited monster. Honda worked for Toho Studios who, apart from Godzilla and Samurai films, made four movies about humans who could change the state of their bodies. The Human Vapor, released in 1960, was the last of these four films.
No monster in Gasu Ningen Daiichigo (1960) or The Human Vapor, but a librarian who agrees to be a test subject for a scientific study. Little did librarian Mizuno know the other test subjects had died during the test. He discovers he can vaporize his body and kills the professor (by asphyxiation). Mizuno might want to turn his back to humanity, but he's also madly in love with a beautiful dancer who's been saving for her comeback performance. He decides to help her by robbing the bank. Maybe not such a bad idea, but it's a crime my friendly neighbourhood officer tells me. The police pursue his trail (he might be invisible, but his car isn't) to the place where Vapor-Man abandons his car. Smart move, if it weren't for the fact that there's only one house nearby. That's where She lives and when She suddenly appears to have enough money for her comeback and can't/won't reveal any information on her maecenas, she's arrested.
This makes Mizuno so angry he becomes even madder than he was before (it seems like the test affected both his visibility and his sanity) and he wants revenge for the imprisonment of his beloved dancer. More banks are robbed and more people get killed. That's as far as I'll go because, who knows, you might want to check this movie out and as the saying goes, there's no crying over spilt endings. The movie is very decent and a remarkable ending.
The bad news is The Human Vapor isn't just the American title of the film, it's also the American version and sadly a lot went lost in the translation.
First and foremost, Gasu Ningen Daiichigo was a mystery and in The Human Vapor the anti-hero tells his story in a long flashback. This would've been only half so horrible if the narration had been more interesting and if it hadn't replaced the dialogue in quite a lot of scenes (which leaves us with the "I told him and then he said" effect). The jerking effect of the re-edited version is also not really a plus side. Even the soundtrack was changed. If you can't remember why the soundtrack seems so familiar, you must have seen The Fly (1958).
Crappy editing, dialogue and Americanized dubbing (Japanese characters are less credible with sentences like "Ah, go peddle your papers!") aside, nothing can keep us from knowing this is a terrific movie. Even if it falls from 10/10 to 8/10, an eight is still better than most things you're subjected to. The Human Vapor still has enormous amounts of tragedy and pathos, an anti-hero who can't control his limitless powers and an enchanting but painful love story. What it lacks as a crime story, it wins as a character study. It's fascinating to see how Mizuno evolves from a friendly lab rat into a psychotic megalomaniac. We also wonder about the role of the dancer Fujichiyo.
Does she know where the money came from? Does she also love Mizuno? Her personality is quite different from the other female character in the film, the reporter Kyoko. Traditional versus modern.
Mizuno's acts are beyond redemption, but still you feel some sort of sympathy for the Human Vapor and most of that comes from his unconditional love for Fujichiyo. (Not unlike the Phantom of the Opera's love for Christine Daaé.) True, the special effects are minimal, but who needs special effects in a sci-fi movie when you've got a story?
Maybe not necessarily repellant, but the sight of someone's body vaporizing till he becomes invisible... well, I've seen prettier things.
The second feature of this double bill is The Human Vapor and was directed by Ishirô Honda, the man who also gave you Gojira (a.k.a. Godzilla) and countless sequels with the rubber-suited monster. Honda worked for Toho Studios who, apart from Godzilla and Samurai films, made four movies about humans who could change the state of their bodies. The Human Vapor, released in 1960, was the last of these four films.
No monster in Gasu Ningen Daiichigo (1960) or The Human Vapor, but a librarian who agrees to be a test subject for a scientific study. Little did librarian Mizuno know the other test subjects had died during the test. He discovers he can vaporize his body and kills the professor (by asphyxiation). Mizuno might want to turn his back to humanity, but he's also madly in love with a beautiful dancer who's been saving for her comeback performance. He decides to help her by robbing the bank. Maybe not such a bad idea, but it's a crime my friendly neighbourhood officer tells me. The police pursue his trail (he might be invisible, but his car isn't) to the place where Vapor-Man abandons his car. Smart move, if it weren't for the fact that there's only one house nearby. That's where She lives and when She suddenly appears to have enough money for her comeback and can't/won't reveal any information on her maecenas, she's arrested.
This makes Mizuno so angry he becomes even madder than he was before (it seems like the test affected both his visibility and his sanity) and he wants revenge for the imprisonment of his beloved dancer. More banks are robbed and more people get killed. That's as far as I'll go because, who knows, you might want to check this movie out and as the saying goes, there's no crying over spilt endings. The movie is very decent and a remarkable ending.
The bad news is The Human Vapor isn't just the American title of the film, it's also the American version and sadly a lot went lost in the translation.
First and foremost, Gasu Ningen Daiichigo was a mystery and in The Human Vapor the anti-hero tells his story in a long flashback. This would've been only half so horrible if the narration had been more interesting and if it hadn't replaced the dialogue in quite a lot of scenes (which leaves us with the "I told him and then he said" effect). The jerking effect of the re-edited version is also not really a plus side. Even the soundtrack was changed. If you can't remember why the soundtrack seems so familiar, you must have seen The Fly (1958).
Crappy editing, dialogue and Americanized dubbing (Japanese characters are less credible with sentences like "Ah, go peddle your papers!") aside, nothing can keep us from knowing this is a terrific movie. Even if it falls from 10/10 to 8/10, an eight is still better than most things you're subjected to. The Human Vapor still has enormous amounts of tragedy and pathos, an anti-hero who can't control his limitless powers and an enchanting but painful love story. What it lacks as a crime story, it wins as a character study. It's fascinating to see how Mizuno evolves from a friendly lab rat into a psychotic megalomaniac. We also wonder about the role of the dancer Fujichiyo.
Does she know where the money came from? Does she also love Mizuno? Her personality is quite different from the other female character in the film, the reporter Kyoko. Traditional versus modern.
Mizuno's acts are beyond redemption, but still you feel some sort of sympathy for the Human Vapor and most of that comes from his unconditional love for Fujichiyo. (Not unlike the Phantom of the Opera's love for Christine Daaé.) True, the special effects are minimal, but who needs special effects in a sci-fi movie when you've got a story?
A Somber one from Toho.
OllieSuave-00721 December 2004
Somber screenplay writer Takeshi Kimura at his best. Probably the most sad and dramatic of all Toho sci-fi epics. Here, we have the title character, who is a librarian in his real life, willing to make sacrifices to pamper his lover, the Kabuki dancer, even if it resorts to chaos and havoc. Caught in the mix is a policeman and a reporter, out to catch the rampaging "Vapor Man" before he causes any more harm. I usually prefer more light-heated pieces, like the works of writer Shinichi Sekizawa. Though this is a really dark film, which could use more lighter themes, it is a movie with a very compelling story with an astounding climax. A good thriller even by today's standards.
Grade B
Grade B
Superior, surprisingly adult Sci-Fi from Toho IN IT'S ORIGINAL VERSION
mvescovi17 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I only recently saw the unedited, widescreen and subtitled version of this truly almost classic adult science fiction film: a near classic in it's original version, not the cut U.S. version. It's really not for children as there is much time spent on the characters and their relationships, a rarity in sci-fi films from that era.
A librarian Name Mijuno is approached by a Dr. Sano to take part in a scientific test, unaware that the prior subject died. He acquires the power to change from physical form to vapor and back again, kills Dr. Sano and embarks on a series of seemingly impossible bank robberies and leaving a trail of bodies. Mijuno is in love with Fujichiya, a classical Japanese Kabuki dancer. She is recovering from either a break down of some sort or an injury or illness. We never find out exactly what it was, and she in training hoping for a comeback. The money Mijuno is stealing is for her comeback. There is a police detective and a determined woman reporter who eventually tie Mijuno and Fujichiya together. Fujichiya can't believe that Mijuno is responsible for the crimes as he for years has treated her with nothing but kindness and love. The police plan to trap the Human Vapor at her comeback performance. This movie is set apart from others by the doomed tragic love between Mijuno and Fujiciya, great acting, a more mature plot and some great special effects. The ending, somewhat unexpected in the way it unfolds, should move anyone to tears. This is a sci-fi film you can show to your date or wife or significant other.
A librarian Name Mijuno is approached by a Dr. Sano to take part in a scientific test, unaware that the prior subject died. He acquires the power to change from physical form to vapor and back again, kills Dr. Sano and embarks on a series of seemingly impossible bank robberies and leaving a trail of bodies. Mijuno is in love with Fujichiya, a classical Japanese Kabuki dancer. She is recovering from either a break down of some sort or an injury or illness. We never find out exactly what it was, and she in training hoping for a comeback. The money Mijuno is stealing is for her comeback. There is a police detective and a determined woman reporter who eventually tie Mijuno and Fujichiya together. Fujichiya can't believe that Mijuno is responsible for the crimes as he for years has treated her with nothing but kindness and love. The police plan to trap the Human Vapor at her comeback performance. This movie is set apart from others by the doomed tragic love between Mijuno and Fujiciya, great acting, a more mature plot and some great special effects. The ending, somewhat unexpected in the way it unfolds, should move anyone to tears. This is a sci-fi film you can show to your date or wife or significant other.
An Artist and a Madman
flapdoodle6417 June 2011
Ishiro Honda is best known for his Kaiju films, which is rather a shame because he made many other fine and creative movies. This scifi/horror mix a good example of one of his more intimate, darker and multilayered creations and is to be recommended to old-school fans of these genres.
The scifi/monster elements in this film are a variation on H G Wells' Invisible Man, although our protagonist/villain is more complicated and more tragic than Wells'. The protagonist in this film uses his superhuman powers to rob banks and finance the come-back of a Noh dancer who is recovering after a recent stay in a sanitarium, and there are a number of scenes with her dancing and wearing traditional garb...these scenes are in contrast to the eponymous protagonist, who wears a business suit and participates the sordid business of crime. Yet our protagonist loves the dancer and the dancer appears to at least partially reciprocate.
In the hands of a lessor director, this material could become boring and maudlin, yet this film is moody, suspenseful, and there is a haunting sense of impending tragedy that is maintained throughout. Certainly our protagonist has become unhinged, and there are hints that the Noh dancer may also have been at the sanitarium for mental health problems. So then, this film presents us with mix of madness, art and science fiction that is interesting on several levels...not the least of which is the love story between a fragile artist and a homicidal lunatic.
In a strange way, this film has many of the same themes as the 2010 pseudo art house flick, 'Black Swann,' yet is more deft and has more depth.
The FX, while clearly belonging to the world of 1960, are creative and tell the story, and contribute to the coherent mood of this film. The American version has been edited badly, but still conveys the major meanings. I recommend this to fans of old-school horror and scifi, and to those studying the work of Ishiro Honda.
The scifi/monster elements in this film are a variation on H G Wells' Invisible Man, although our protagonist/villain is more complicated and more tragic than Wells'. The protagonist in this film uses his superhuman powers to rob banks and finance the come-back of a Noh dancer who is recovering after a recent stay in a sanitarium, and there are a number of scenes with her dancing and wearing traditional garb...these scenes are in contrast to the eponymous protagonist, who wears a business suit and participates the sordid business of crime. Yet our protagonist loves the dancer and the dancer appears to at least partially reciprocate.
In the hands of a lessor director, this material could become boring and maudlin, yet this film is moody, suspenseful, and there is a haunting sense of impending tragedy that is maintained throughout. Certainly our protagonist has become unhinged, and there are hints that the Noh dancer may also have been at the sanitarium for mental health problems. So then, this film presents us with mix of madness, art and science fiction that is interesting on several levels...not the least of which is the love story between a fragile artist and a homicidal lunatic.
In a strange way, this film has many of the same themes as the 2010 pseudo art house flick, 'Black Swann,' yet is more deft and has more depth.
The FX, while clearly belonging to the world of 1960, are creative and tell the story, and contribute to the coherent mood of this film. The American version has been edited badly, but still conveys the major meanings. I recommend this to fans of old-school horror and scifi, and to those studying the work of Ishiro Honda.
Breath-taking Beauty of Yachigusa
diversitytetsu4 February 2023
"The human Vapor" is the fine work in 1960 directed by Inoshiro Honda. This is the third and last film of TOHO's metamorphoric human series. I saw this film on TV when I was in 6th grade and remember the sad finale. Also known as succeeded pretty well in the US box-office.
However another side of the striking impression of this film is the breath-taking beauty of Kaoru Yachigusa, leading actress as female Japanese conventional Noh dancer. Three years ago from this film, she got married with Japanese prominent director Taniguchi, who divorced with his second wife Setsuko Wakayama for the marrige with Yachigusa. For a while, the couple was forced to be aside from show business as a social sanction. So this film was positioned as her resuming acting. In her latter half of her life, Yachigusa turnrd out to suffer from the feeling of guilty of Wakamatsu's suicide at her age of 55 in asylum.
He and she were told to have lived happily, but 10 years after Tanigichi's death, Yachigusa might have spent her rest of her life alone with sadness. This sad love of "The human vapor" reminds me of the shadow hidden behind her beauty.
However another side of the striking impression of this film is the breath-taking beauty of Kaoru Yachigusa, leading actress as female Japanese conventional Noh dancer. Three years ago from this film, she got married with Japanese prominent director Taniguchi, who divorced with his second wife Setsuko Wakayama for the marrige with Yachigusa. For a while, the couple was forced to be aside from show business as a social sanction. So this film was positioned as her resuming acting. In her latter half of her life, Yachigusa turnrd out to suffer from the feeling of guilty of Wakamatsu's suicide at her age of 55 in asylum.
He and she were told to have lived happily, but 10 years after Tanigichi's death, Yachigusa might have spent her rest of her life alone with sadness. This sad love of "The human vapor" reminds me of the shadow hidden behind her beauty.
Music from the film
elmoxham8 January 2002
I saw this film only once, in Sydney around 1977, and was called "Vapour Man". I have looked for it sporadically since due to the soundtrack. The theme is as haunting as Bernard Herrman or Elmer Bernstein and was implanted into my mind until a couple of years ago when I was unable to recall it. Japanese cinema and TV series like "The Samurai" and "Phantom Agents" were almost as influential on Australian kids of the time as American and British products and luck we were indeed. Really heartbreaking theme.
Really worth watching....really
talentedmrwelles21 January 2001
The Human is a surprisingly worthwhile change from the standard Japanese horror film. It is a cross between The Invisible Man and Phantom of the Opera with just a dash of Hangover Square. The kabuki sequence was well staged. It has tremendous production values and some good, sincere acting. It is marred only but over abundant comic relief, and choppy editing. All in all though, it is worth watching....really.
Another sad and weak Japanese 60's film.
oscar-3531 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
*Spoiler/plot- The Human Vapor, 1960. A lowly Japanese librarian is subject to a scientific experiment which goes wrong. It transforms him into 'The Human Vapour' or a living cloud. He uses that new ability to rob banks to fund the career of his girlfriend, a beautiful dancer. The Human Vapour is ruthless in his quest for money and kills anyone who stands in his way, especially police. He soon becomes Tokyo's most wanted criminal.
*Special Stars- Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kaoru Yachigusa, Tatsuya Mihashi. English Narrator: James Hong.
*Theme- Experiment on humans should be never routine.
*Trivia/location/goofs- Japanese. Color. The dialog for this film is badly dubbed into English.
*Emotion- Another sad and weak Japanese 60's film to make it to USA drive-ins. The production mistakes make this film only watchable to a special cult-like audience. I was not one of them. Too many US film's were better made on the same plot scenario to bother with this early effort.
*Based on- Atomic and radiation mutation fears, especially in Japan Post WW2.
*Special Stars- Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kaoru Yachigusa, Tatsuya Mihashi. English Narrator: James Hong.
*Theme- Experiment on humans should be never routine.
*Trivia/location/goofs- Japanese. Color. The dialog for this film is badly dubbed into English.
*Emotion- Another sad and weak Japanese 60's film to make it to USA drive-ins. The production mistakes make this film only watchable to a special cult-like audience. I was not one of them. Too many US film's were better made on the same plot scenario to bother with this early effort.
*Based on- Atomic and radiation mutation fears, especially in Japan Post WW2.
A hidden gem worthy of reappraisal
davidmvining3 May 2024
Well, this is a surprise. I did not expect to so thoroughly enjoy The Human Vapor. A curious mixture of film noir, The Invisible Man, The Phantom of the Opera, and even a soupcon of His Girl Friday, this genre-bending horror film from Ishiro Honda is his most effective and entertaining film since he got stuck in the science fiction ghetto. A lot of credit has to go to the script by Takeshi Kimura who had written some of Honda's better science fiction fare over the previous few years, so it's nice to see that Honda's confident filmmaking supported by a script that mostly gets things right.
A bank robber is foiling the police, namely Detective Okamoto (Tatsuya Mihashi). The robber gets the money, leaves no trace of his presence (including fingerprints or footprints), and vanishes from the car crash scene during his flight. The car crashed near the house of semi-retired Noh dancer Fujichiyo Kasuga (Kaoru Yachigusa) where her live-in, elderly servant Jiya (Bokuzen Hidari) insists no one has been seen in or near the house other than the two all day. Okamoto tells his suspicions that Kasuga must be involved somehow to his girlfriend, the reporter Kyoko (Keiko Sata) (her scenes seem to be influenced directly by Howard Hawks' newspaper film) and his superiors at the police station. So begins the film's feel of film noir as Okamoto trails Kasuga, a femme fatale, and investigates seemingly disparate paths towards one mystery. It's quiet with a bit of tension that feels appropriate for the opening of a noirish mystery and thriller.
There's also a surprising reticence to jump into over-explanations of nonsense science. In fact, we don't even get an explanation for the bank robberies until halfway through the film. Honda and Kimura show a really strong amount of restraint before jumping into Eiji Tsuburaya's special effects, establishing character to build the story upon. I suppose the only complaint I have with this opening is that the relationship between Kyoko and Okamoto is too thinly drawn, like it needed one full scene of them being romantic instead of buddy-buddy. It's a small part of the film since the romance is more of a character-based subplot than the main story, so it's easy to forgive. However, there's a moment late in the film that relies on the relationship that doesn't hit as well as it should.
It takes until about halfway into the film before the man responsible shows up, Mizuno (Yoshio Tshuchiya), whom the newspapers end up calling the gas man since he can literally turn his body into gas at will. His demonstration to the police is interesting because if you take the perspective that this is a science-fiction film, it's frustrating because the police should know the rules that weird things are gonna happen, right? Except they don't know that, so it's this weird moment where we have to push aside all of our knowledge of movies to accept perfectly acceptable actions by police. It's not really a criticism, just an observation.
Anyway, I love Mizuno as a bad guy. The inspiration from The Invisible Man extends well beyond just the use of empty suits walking sometimes. It goes to how Mizuno acts and the reasons behind it. There's a mad scientist bit, Mizuno being the victim of Dr. Sano (Fuyuki Murakami) and his experiments shown in a brief flashback (with mercifully no effort to explain the nonsense science), which is a tie to James Whale's film, but Mizuno also has a line about how he's no longer human. He doesn't need to follow human morality which is exactly the sort of madness that plagued Claude Rains' character, derived from the eponymous character in Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse films. It doesn't extend in dialogue beyond that, but it provides the foundation for his actions and madness.
His plot, though, is to fund the comeback by Kasuga to the stage, stealing the money and giving to her to put on a large recital that should cost at least ten million yen. There's a plot to try and capture and kill the gas man who can filter under doors at will, introduced by another minor scientist character who gives no real detail on it (mercifully), allowing greater focus on our characters as we go to the ending. The real emotional core of the film ends up being Kasuga (making the underdevelopment of the relationship between Okamoto and Kyoko slightly less important), and it's a surprisingly strong culmination of her and the overall story.
So, I have some small issues with a couple of character moments. The other is Mizuno's affectation towards Kasugo is more implied than shown (there's a moment where Okamoto announces it when he first meets the guy that feels off), but otherwise this film is really, really good. It's an homage to classic Universal monster movies, film noir, and Howard Hawks that manages to feel alive on its own. This is, I think, deeply underappreciated. It's really good. I'm a fan.
A bank robber is foiling the police, namely Detective Okamoto (Tatsuya Mihashi). The robber gets the money, leaves no trace of his presence (including fingerprints or footprints), and vanishes from the car crash scene during his flight. The car crashed near the house of semi-retired Noh dancer Fujichiyo Kasuga (Kaoru Yachigusa) where her live-in, elderly servant Jiya (Bokuzen Hidari) insists no one has been seen in or near the house other than the two all day. Okamoto tells his suspicions that Kasuga must be involved somehow to his girlfriend, the reporter Kyoko (Keiko Sata) (her scenes seem to be influenced directly by Howard Hawks' newspaper film) and his superiors at the police station. So begins the film's feel of film noir as Okamoto trails Kasuga, a femme fatale, and investigates seemingly disparate paths towards one mystery. It's quiet with a bit of tension that feels appropriate for the opening of a noirish mystery and thriller.
There's also a surprising reticence to jump into over-explanations of nonsense science. In fact, we don't even get an explanation for the bank robberies until halfway through the film. Honda and Kimura show a really strong amount of restraint before jumping into Eiji Tsuburaya's special effects, establishing character to build the story upon. I suppose the only complaint I have with this opening is that the relationship between Kyoko and Okamoto is too thinly drawn, like it needed one full scene of them being romantic instead of buddy-buddy. It's a small part of the film since the romance is more of a character-based subplot than the main story, so it's easy to forgive. However, there's a moment late in the film that relies on the relationship that doesn't hit as well as it should.
It takes until about halfway into the film before the man responsible shows up, Mizuno (Yoshio Tshuchiya), whom the newspapers end up calling the gas man since he can literally turn his body into gas at will. His demonstration to the police is interesting because if you take the perspective that this is a science-fiction film, it's frustrating because the police should know the rules that weird things are gonna happen, right? Except they don't know that, so it's this weird moment where we have to push aside all of our knowledge of movies to accept perfectly acceptable actions by police. It's not really a criticism, just an observation.
Anyway, I love Mizuno as a bad guy. The inspiration from The Invisible Man extends well beyond just the use of empty suits walking sometimes. It goes to how Mizuno acts and the reasons behind it. There's a mad scientist bit, Mizuno being the victim of Dr. Sano (Fuyuki Murakami) and his experiments shown in a brief flashback (with mercifully no effort to explain the nonsense science), which is a tie to James Whale's film, but Mizuno also has a line about how he's no longer human. He doesn't need to follow human morality which is exactly the sort of madness that plagued Claude Rains' character, derived from the eponymous character in Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse films. It doesn't extend in dialogue beyond that, but it provides the foundation for his actions and madness.
His plot, though, is to fund the comeback by Kasuga to the stage, stealing the money and giving to her to put on a large recital that should cost at least ten million yen. There's a plot to try and capture and kill the gas man who can filter under doors at will, introduced by another minor scientist character who gives no real detail on it (mercifully), allowing greater focus on our characters as we go to the ending. The real emotional core of the film ends up being Kasuga (making the underdevelopment of the relationship between Okamoto and Kyoko slightly less important), and it's a surprisingly strong culmination of her and the overall story.
So, I have some small issues with a couple of character moments. The other is Mizuno's affectation towards Kasugo is more implied than shown (there's a moment where Okamoto announces it when he first meets the guy that feels off), but otherwise this film is really, really good. It's an homage to classic Universal monster movies, film noir, and Howard Hawks that manages to feel alive on its own. This is, I think, deeply underappreciated. It's really good. I'm a fan.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
