The Human Vapor
        
Director: Ishirô Honda
Year: 1960
Rating: 6.0
Similar in structure to two earlier Toho films that explored the theme of madness that comes along with power and the dangers of science. In H-Man (directed by Honda) it is radioactivity that turns men into living slime and in The Invisible Avenger it is science gone amok that turns a man invisible. Ishirô Honda also directed this one and it is also about a mad scientist who creates a man with the ability to turn into vapor when he chooses. In all three cases the men turn homicidal. This theme goes back at least to the Invisible Man with Claude Rains. Payment comes in the form of insanity.



Banks are being robbed in Tokyo and the police have no clue how. The robber is getting into the vault even though it is locked and the key is on the inside. So is the dead guard. Smothered. At one robbery the police under Okamoto (Tatsuya Mihasi) chase the getaway car down a lonely street at night and see it crash off the road. But there is no body. In the distance there is a house and they take a closer look. In a lovely scene, Okamoto sneaks closer to the traditional Japanese home and sees a woman dancing in a room to the accompanist of an old man playing the drum. She is wearing a demon mask and kimono. Kabuki. Okamoto sits with his breath held. It is stunning. She stops and comes to sit outside and pulls off her mask. She is lovely.




This was for me the highlight of the film. It felt like it came out of nowhere. A lonely woman and her servant performing Kabuki for no one. She is Fujichiyo (Kaoru Yachigusa - in all three of the Musashi Miyamoto films of the 1950s) and has had to retire from dancing for health reasons. Now she wants to return. Someone is sponsoring her to do so. The bank robber. He wants to see her perform again and when a scientist accidentally turns him into a Vapor Man, he sees his chance. Okamoto and a spunky female reporter feel that Fujichiyo has the answer to the mystery. The film almost turns into The Red Shoes tragedy Kabuki style as both of them obsessively need to perform no matter what. Honda as usual has Eiji Tsuburaya on hand for the special effects. There are not a lot of them - basically him (Yoshio Tsuchiya) turning into vapor and floating off. This gets off to a stylish and smart start but then kind of chugs along on automatic till a fine ending of conflicting morality.