Matango (1963): Cast & Plot
Matango is a 1963 drama thriller directed by Ishirô Honda, starring Akira Kubo as Kenji Murai - Professor, Yoshio Tsuchiya and Hiroshi Koizumi. It runs 1 hour 29 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 29m (89 min)
- Director
- Ishirô Honda
- Original language
-
Japanese - Studio
- Toho
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Matango About?
The premise of Matango without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Stranded on a remote equatorial island, five vacationers and two crew members must survive with scarce food while attempting to repair the yacht Kessei. The island is overrun with a strange fungus, and ration shortages spark tension. As they grapple with dwindling supplies, they uncover an ominous hostile presence lurking within the fungal growth.
Matango Themes & Keywords
· 35 tags- ukulele
- mushroom
- radiation
- mutation
- disfigurement
- monster
- psychotronic film
- kaiju
- based on short story
- foreign language adaptation
- biopunk
- giant monster sci fi
+23 more Show fewer
- supernatural horror
- supernatural thriller
- monster horror
- island
- yacht
- one word title
- tokyo japan
- storm at sea
- psychiatric ward
- hunting
- shipwreck
- rifle
- kiss
- author
- hate
- money
- starvation
- greed
- friendship
- occult
- writing
- character name in title
- surprise ending
Matango Cast & Characters
Akira Kubo leads the cast as Kenji Murai - Professor, with Yoshio Tsuchiya as Masafumi Kasai - Owner and Hiroshi Koizumi as Naoyuki Sakuta - Skipper. Directed by Ishirô Honda; 22 actors are credited in all.
- Director Ishirô Honda
- Akira Kubo as Kenji Murai - Professor
- Yoshio Tsuchiya as Masafumi Kasai - Owner
- Hiroshi Koizumi as Naoyuki Sakuta - Skipper
-
Kenji Sahara as Senzô Koyama - Sailor
Also Starring in Matango
· 18 more- Hiroshi Tachikawa Etsurô Yoshida - Writer
- Kumi Mizuno Mami Sekiguchi - Singer
- Miki Yashiro Akiko Sôma - Student
- Hideyo Amamoto Skulking Transitional Matango (uncredited)
- Haruo Nakajima Matango
- Toku Ihara Transitional Matango (uncredited)
- Takuzō Kumagai Doctor (as Jirô Kumagai) (uncredited)
- Katsumi Tezuka Police Personnel (uncredited)
- Yutaka Oka Doctor (uncredited)
- Akio Kusama Police Personnel (uncredited)
- Kōji Uruki Matango
- Masaki Shinohara Matango
- Keisuke Yamada Doctor (uncredited)
- Tsurue Ichimanji Nurse (uncredited)
- Tokio Ôkawa Matango
- Kuniyoshi Kashima Transitional Matango (uncredited)
Show all 22 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Mitsuko Hayashi Nurse (uncredited)
- Kazuo Higata Police Personnel (uncredited)
Matango Plot Summary
What happens in Matango from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Quarantined in a Tokyo mental hospital, a psychology professor named Kenji Murai, Akira Kubo, is visited by a group of doctors asking him about the events that led him there. Murai proceeds to explain how, despite only two of his party being dead, he was the only one to be rescued. He then relates the story of his day-trippers on a yacht: Murai, Masafumi Kasai, Yoshio Tsuchiya, the owner; Naoyuki Sakuta, Hiroshi Koizumi, the skipper; Senzô Koyama, Kenji Sahara, his shipmate; Etsurō Yoshida, Hiroshi Tachikawa, the celebrity writer; Mami Sekiguchi, Kumi Mizuno, a professional singer; and Akiko Sôma, Miki Yashiro, a student. A sudden storm causes the yacht to nearly capsize, and though the boat remains upright, it suffers serious damage and drifts toward a seemingly deserted island.
Full summary
The whole story of Matango, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Matango?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the profession of Kenji Murai, the main character who narrates the story?
Matango Also Known As
12 alternative titles, including “Attack of the Mushroom People” and “Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People”.
- Also known as
-
- Attack of the Mushroom People
- Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People
- Fungus of Terror
- Matango, il Mostro
- A Ilha da Morte
- Matango il mostro
- マタンゴ
- 蘑菇人玛坦戈
- Нападение людей-грибов
- Atak ludzi grzybów
- 마탄고
- Matango: A Ilha da Morte
Seen Matango?
Movies Like Matango
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Godzilla, Gappa, the Triphibian Monster and Terror of Mechagodzilla.
Matango FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast, post-credit scenes and language of Matango, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Matango?
Matango runs 1 hour 29 minutes (89 minutes).
When was Matango released?
Matango was released on August 11, 1963.
Who directed Matango?
Matango was directed by Ishirô Honda.
More films by Ishirô Honda Who is in the cast of Matango?
Matango stars Akira Kubo as Kenji Murai - Professor, Yoshio Tsuchiya as Masafumi Kasai - Owner and Hiroshi Koizumi as Naoyuki Sakuta - Skipper, among 22 credited actors.
Does Matango have a post-credit scene?
No. Matango has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Matango in?
The original language of Matango is Japanese.
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