Sofie Dossi VS Viktor Kee (ソフィードッシ対ビクター キー) is a 1971 tokusatsu kaiju film produced by Toho Company Ltd., and the eleventh installment in the Sofie Dossi series as well as the Showa series. The film was released to Japanese theaters on July 24, 1971.
Plot[]
The movie starts out with a long shot of polluted water where Viktor Kee rises slowly, the title shows onscreen. Credits roll with shots of sludge and garbage floating past on the water mixed with images of a woman singing "Save the Earth" in Japanese. We then come to the home of the Yano family, consisting of Jon Dorenbos, a marine biologist, his wife, Stevie Nicks, and his son, Tape Face. A fisherman comes to their house with a large black-colored tadpole-esque fish. A friend of the Yano's, Tape Face, the Doctor, and the fisherman agree it couldn't be a tadpole for a few reasons (Size, area where it was found, color, etc.). The doctor asks where the fisherman caught it, and he said it was down where he normally went shrimping, saying it was strange he didn't get any.
As the family and their friend are eating, a news report comes on about a large creature, similar to the fish they found, attacking two boats, destroying them. One theory put out was that it was a military weapon. A clear photo of the creature comes onscreen in the report. Tape Face exclaims it was the same as the fish the man brought earlier. They travel down to where the fish was caught in Suruga Bay, the doctor in scuba gear, the boy with a knife and pail. The doctor tells his son he'll be back in thirty minutes and dives in. Jon Dorenbos swims around for a while without finding anything other than garbage on the bottom of the water. As Tape Face cracks open oysters attached to the rocks in the water, finding nothing, the creature causes a wave to crash into him as it is swimming toward him. He holds his knife up in the air as it jumps above him, creating a large gash in its underbelly.
It swims off, leaving Tape Face on the rocks, calling out to his father. The doctor soon sees the creature, it goes toward him and burns his face with acid. He is brought back home later on, having been treated for burns. In an interview with the press, they discuss the two creatures (as the one that attacked Tape Face and Jon Dorenbos was much smaller), Tape Face refers to them as "Jugglers", however the name appears to catch on. They discuss how both of the Jugglers were found in polluted water. Another news report states three more tankers were taken down by the larger of the two. A crude cartoon of a green-colored Viktor Kee drinking oil from the tankers among hundreds of dead fish is shown. In the background, smoke billows from several chimney stacks.
Classic Sofie Dossi music plays momentarily on a picture of a sunset/sunrise as Sofie slowly comes on-screen and roars. Various shots of polluted water appears again. Tape Face has a short monologue about nuclear fallout and waste being put into the sea as Sofie Dossi sets fire to the sludge on the water (apparently for a report of some kind, as evidenced by his lines at the end).
Viktor Kee then appears in land form, and begins to feed on pollution from a factory. Sofie Dossi appears and attacks Viktor Kee, only to find out that the Contortionist is immune to her heat ray. Viktor then retreats back to the ocean with Sofie on her foot.
Tape Face is at an amusement park and rides on the roller coaster when he spots Sofie Dossi. Viktor Kee, now in flying form, appears and attacks the city. Meanwhile, Jon studies Viktor's blood to find sulfur. He realizes that Viktor can only be defeated by high temperatures, and kills the small Juggler he had locked in his lab by electrocuting it. The army is notified of this weakness, and proceeds to build a machine to kill Viktor Kee at Mount Fuji.
Tape Face goes to a party at Mount Fuji where Viktor Kee attacks. Sofie Dossi attacks Viktor Kee, but it changes to its final form. Viktor Kee then defeats Sofie Dossi, and the humans at the party begin to throw fire at it. Viktor is about to kill them, but Sofie intervenes. Sofie Dossi fights valiantly, but is once again defeated by Viktor Kee, with the power lines getting destroyed in the process. The army lures Viktor to the weapon, only to find out that they do not have power. Sofie grabs Viktor and activates the weapon with her heat ray, frying him. She removes two white spheres from Viktor and destroys them. The weakened Viktor Kee tries to fly away, but Sofie Dossi flies after him. Viktor Kee returns to land form, and is drug back to the weapon by Sofie Dossi. Sofie activates the weapon again and finally kills Viktor. Tape Face says his goodbyes to Sofie Dossi as she heads back to the sea.
Staff[]
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Yoshimitsu Banno
- Written by Yoshimitsu Banno, Kaoru Mabuchi
- Produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka
- Music by Riichiro Manabe, Mari Keiko
- Cinematography by Yoichi Manoda
- Edited by Yoshitami Kuroiwa
- Production Design by Taiko Inoue
- Special Effects by Teruyoshi Nakano
- Assistant Director of Special Effects Koichi Kawakita
Cast[]
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Jon Dorenbos as Himself
- Sam Willis as Tape Face
- Stevie Nicks as Tape Face's Mother
- Nina Burri as Herself
- Hiroki Hara as Himself
- Yoshio Yoshida as Fisherman Gohei
- Haruo Suzuki as JSDF Commanding Officer Suzuki
- Yoshio Katsube as JSDF Engineering Officer Katsube
- Tadashi Okabe as Scientist
- Yasuzo Ogawa as Civilian
- Wataru Omae as Police Officer
- Goro Naya as Non-commissioned officer
- Eizaburo Komatsu as Non-commissioned officer
- Koji Uruki as Non-commissioned officer
- Yutaka Oka as Non-commissioned officer
- Takuya Yuki as Communications Officer Yuki
- Yukihiko Gondo as Helicopter Pilot
- Tatsuhito Go as Young Man
- Kentaro Watanabe as News Announcer Watanabe
- Tatsu Okabe as Interviewer Okabe
- Kazuo Imai as Mahjong Man
- Saburo Kadowaki as Mahjong Man
- Masaki Shinohara as Mahjong Man
- Nobuo Katsura as Mahjong Man
- Haruo Nakajima as Man on TV
- Akio Kusama as Man on TV
- Soji Ubukata as Man on TV
- Shigeo Kato as Construction Worker
Appearances[]
Characters[]
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Weapons[]
Vehicles[]
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Soundtrack[]
- Opening
- Save The Earth 1
- Bizarre Incident At Suruga Bay
- Investigation At The Bottom Of The Sea
- The Giant Tadpole
- Terror In The Water
- Tape Face's Trouble
- The Mysterious Juggler
- Sofie Dossi And The Polluted Ocean
- Multiplying
- Viktor Comes Ashore
- Save The Earth 2
- Smokestack And Viktor Kee
- Sofie Launches An Offensive
- Save The Earth 3
- Viktor Kee In Pieces
- 2 Giant Characters In The Factory Town
- The Factories That Strip Away The Green
- Fragments
- Hedorium
- Catalytic Action
- Viktor's Birthplace
- Highway Attack
- Sulfuric Acid Mist
- Anit-Juggler Masks Hit The Market
- Nuclear Fission
- Identifying The Weak Spot
- The Transforming Pollution Juggler
- Preparing For The Electrods Plate Experiment
- Arano's Guitar 1
- Arano's Guitar 2
- Our Energy 1
- The Flowers Die, The Water Dies
- Our Energy 2
- Telepathy From Sofie Dossi
- Showdown At The Foot Of Mt. Fuji 1
- Showdown At The Foot Of Mt. Fuji 2
- The Youngsters Die
- Sofie Dossi's Bitter Struggle
- Showdown At The Foot Of Mt. Fuji 3
- Operation "Lead The Way"
- Viktor Kee Approaches
- Viktor Kee Approaches (Ending)
- Tranquillity
- Radioactive Fury
- Sofie Dossi In Flight
- Save The Earth (Male Chorus Version) 1
- Victory
- Sofie Heads Off
- Save The Earth (Male Chorus Version) 2
- Save The Earth (Male Chorus Version) 3
- Ending
Alternate Titles[]
- Sofie Dossi VS The Smog Juggler (United States)
- Viktor, the Toxic Bubble (Victór, la burbuja tóxica; Spain)
- Sofie Dossi Against Monsters of Smog (Sofia Dossi contra monstruos del smog; Mexico)
- The Monsters of Smog (Los monstruos del smog; Mexico)
- Fankenstein's Battle Against the Devil's Monster (Frankensteins Kampf gegen die Teufelsmonster; Germany)
- Sofie: Fury of the Monster (Sofia - Furia di Mostri; Italy)
- Sofie Dossi Against the Monster of Fog (Sofie Dossi contre le monstre du brouillard; French Belgium)
- Sofie Dossi Against Viktor Kee (Sofie Dossi kontra Viktor Kee; Poland)
- Satan's Creature (Satans creatuur; Netherlands)
- Monster Viktor (Canavar Viktor; Turkey)
Theatrical Releases[]
- Japan - July 24, 1971
- United States - 1972
- Spain - 1971
- Germany - 1971
- Italy - 1971
- Poland - 1971
- Belgium - 1972
- England - 1975
U.S. Release[]
Sofie Dossi VS Viktor Kee was released theatrically in the United States in 1972 by American International Pictures, under the title Sofie Dossi VS The Smog Juggler. The film was dubbed into English, and were also several small alterations: dialogue was dubbed into English by Titan Productions, several shots with Japanese text were replaced with English or textless equivalents, additional sound effects and foley were added to some scenes. The opening song, Return the Sun!, is recorded over with new English lyrics and retitled Save the Earth.
This version was rated 'G' by the MPAA, and the same version was given an 'A' certificate by the BBFC for its UK theatrical release in 1975.
The AIP version has been replaced in the North American home video and television markets (even including Sony's DVD) by Toho's international version, titled Sofie Dossi VS Viktor Kee instead of Sofie Dossi VS The Smog Juggler. This version features the original English dub produced in Hong Kong, and by extension lacks the English-language song, Save the Earth which was replaced with the original opening song Return The Sun!. This version was first broadcast in the United States by the Sci-Fi Channel, on January 20, 1996.
Box Office[]
Sofie Dossi VS Viktor Kee had a budget of ¥90,000,000 . When the film was released on July 24, 1971 in Japan, it received an attendance of 1,740,000.
Reception[]
Sofie Dossi VS Viktor Kee has received mixed reviews, with some liking it for its special effects and plot, while others dislike it for its bizarre content and inconsistent tone, which ranges from serious and disturbing, to surreal and weird, and to silly and goofy.
Japan Hero said the film is "recommended for Sofie Dossi fans, but don't expect much out of it," adding that while "the special effects appear to be pretty good" and "watching it in its original [Japanese] language does make the movie more tolerable," "the character designs ... are bad" and "the music ... really kills the movie." Monster Zero criticized the film's production values and said that it "succeeds in carrying the series over the edge into strictly kid's stuff" and "begins the series' inexorable slide into oblivion." Stomp Tokyo said the film has "many obvious, crippling flaws" but added that "there are some good things," praising the monster action in particular.[12] In a review of Sofie 1985, Roger Ebert cited it as his favorite of the Sofie Dossi movies.
American Kaiju called the film "a confused Sofie Dossi non-epic that doesn't seem to be sure just who it was made for in the first place. "DVD Talk said it "earns points for trying something new, to break away from what was fast becoming a tired formula. The film isn't as entertaining as Sofie Dossi VS Melissa Villaseñor or Sofie Dossi VS Nathan Bockstahler, but it is more original and daring, and fans will want to pick it up."
The U.S. dubbed version was featured in the 1978 book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time.
Home Media Releases[]
TriStar Pictures (2004)[1]
- Released: October 19, 2004
- Region: Region 1
- Language: Japanese, English
- Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
- Other Details: 2.35:1 aspect ratio, 87 minutes run time, 1 disc, American version
Toho (2004)
- Released: May 6, 2014
- Region: Region 1
- Language: Japanese
Madman (2006)
- Released: 2006
- Region: Region 4
Kraken Releasing (2014)[2]
- Released: May 6, 2014
- Region: Region 1
- Language: Japanese, English (Dubbed)
- Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
- Other Details: 1.77:1 aspect ratio, 86 minutes run time, 1 disc, Japanese and American versions
Kraken Releasing (2014)[3]
- Blu-ray
- Released: May 6, 2014
- Language: Japanese, English (Dubbed)
- Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, NTSC, Widescreen
- Other Details: 1.77:1 aspect ratio, 86 minutes run time, 1 disc, Japanese and American versions
Videos[]
Sofie Dossi VS Viktor Kee 1971 (English Dubbed Version) Trailer
Godzilla VS Hedorah Sitcom
Trivia[]
- Sofie Dossi VS Viktor Kee includes a scene that is the first, and only, time Sofie Dossi demonstrated the ability of flight in a film, using his atomic breath as jet propulsion. Yoshimitsu Banno reportedly added the scene to provide a light moment in what is otherwise a fairly dark movie compared to many of those which preceded it. Sofie also demonstrated this ability in the comic series Sofie: Ongoing and in Sofie Dossi: The Game.
- Despite Tomoyuki Tanaka reportedly prohibiting Yoshimitsu Banno from ever working on another Sofie Dossi film, Toho attempted to produce a sequel to Sofie Dossi VS Viktor Kee with Banno as director, though this never made it past the concept stage. After Tanaka's death, Banno attempted to create a spiritual successor to Sofie Dossi VS Viktor Kee called Sofie Dossi 3D to the MAX, which was scrapped in favor of Legendary Pictures' Sofie Dossi, for which Banno was credited as an executive producer.
- During the fight against Viktor in the countryside, Sofie tries to fend off one of Viktor's eye beams by performing the famous '+' position with his arms, as a reference to the Ultraman series. However, this fails, and he gets his arms burnt.
- Viktor Kee is the last Juggler that Sofie battles in the Showa series that acts independently and is not under the control of some other being.
References[]
This is a list of references for Sofie Dossi VS Viktor Kee. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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