Dogora (1964)

Starring Yosuke Natsuki, Yoko Fujiyama, Hiroshi Koizumi, Nobuo Nakamura, Robert Dunham
Directed by Ishiro Honda
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

While a police detective hunts a gang of diamond thieves, a space creature draws up diamonds and coal from the Earth in large quantities.

Ishiro Honda brings his talents to another kaiju film, but this one is very different, as although the sci-fi content is at the heart of the story, much of the film's focus is on the diamond thieves, the police, and mysterious agent Mark Jackson, and their character interactions.  Dogora, whose form changes during the film, and also reproduces itself into many new creatures, is not on screen for very long, and we primarily see the effects of its powers, lifting coal and vehicles and human beings into the air in well-done special effects by Eiji Tsubaraya and his team.  However, the most impressive special effect comes when we get to see the fully realized creature with a luminous body and animated tendrils it controls, which is an absolute visual triumph.  I enjoyed Yosuke Natsuki's performance as the well-trained detective who still has some failings, and Akiko Wakabayashi, whom my friend Mark Holmes mentioned to me, as the attractive female member of the gang, certainly stands out and is very good in her role.  For me, I think this film could have used more of Dogora on screen and suffers a bit for it in comparison to Honda's other monster epics, but the story and characters engaged me nonetheless.

Ghidrah, The Three-Headed Monster (1964)

Starring Yosuke Natsuki, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Akiko Wakabayashi, Emi & Yumi Ito
Directed by Inoshiro Honda
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After escaping an explosion aboard her plane, a royal princess claims to be an alien from the planet Mars, and predicts attacks by Godzilla, Rodan, and a terrifying new monster.

This was the first Toho monster rally to the best of my knowledge, which brings Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra together to battle an impressive new menace in Ghidrah, a three-headed flying dragon that spews destructive energy bolts from its mouths.  But before we're presented with the climactic battle, we're introduced to Wakabayashi as the princess who jumps out of her plane before it explodes after a warning from a mysterious voice, and then resurfaces claiming to be a Martian who can predict the future.  That's creative plotting to say the least!  Although there's assassins after the princess, and plenty of death and destruction, the film has a very light-hearted tone, reflected in Godzilla's unorthodox attempts to battle Ghidrah and Rodan by throwing and kicking rocks at them.  Eiji Tsuburaya's special effects are among the best I've seen in a Toho film, with the fast-striking and devastating Ghidrah the definite showpiece of the production.