| Eiji Funakoshi | ... | Dr. Hidaka | |
| Harumi Kiritachi | ... | Kyoke Yamamoto | |
| Junichirô Yamashiko | ... | Aoyagi | |
| Yoshiro Uchida | ... | Toshio Sakurai | |
| Michiko Sugata | ... | Nobuyo Sakurai | |
| Yoshirô Kitahara | ... | Mr. Sakurai | |
| Jun Hamamura | ... | Professor Murase | |
| Kenji Ôyama | ... | Minister of Defense | |
| Munehiko Takada | ... | Soviet Representative | |
| Yoshio Yoshida | ... | Eskimo Chief | |
| Jun Osanai | ... | Chidori Maru Captain | |
| Daihachi Kita | ... | Chidori Maru Navigator | |
| Kazuo Mori | ... | Chidori Maru Radioman | |
| Kôji Fujiyama | ... | U.S. Arctic Base Commander | |
| Osamu Ôkawa | ... | U.S. Air Base Radar Technician | |
| Ikuji Oka | ... | U.S. Fighter Pilot | |
| Bokuzen Hidari | ... | Old Farmer | |
| Fumiko Murata | ... | Old Farmer's Wife | |
| Shigeru Katô | ... | Old Farmer's Grandson | |
| Jutarô Hojo | ... | Self-Defense Force Commander | |
| Daigo Inoue | ... | Self-Defense Force Adjutant | |
| Takehiko Goto | ... | Self-Defense Force Cessna Pilot | |
| Chiduru Ko | ... | Stripper A | |
| Ryoko Oki | ... | Stripper B | |
| Kenichi Tani | ... | Officer | |
| Akira Shimizu | ... | Dancing Youth | |
| Yasuo Araki | ... | Self-Defense Force Soldier A | |
| Kenji Ohba | ... | Self-Defense Force Soldier B | |
| Ichigen Ohashi | ... | Mr. Ueda | |
| Fujii Tatsushi | ... | Official at Haneda Airport | |
| Yûji Moriya | ... | News Announcer | |
| Kenichiro Yamane | ... | Geothermal Station Engineer | |
| Tsutomu Nakata | ... | Toshio's Uncle | |
| Wakayo Matsumura | ... | Customer | |
| Misato Kawashima | ... | Preschool Teacher | |
| Saburo Kurihara | ... | Ichiro | |
| Tetsuro Takeuchi | ... | Announcer - Japan Broadcasting Station | |
| Shin Minatsu | ... | Announcer - Sapporo Broadcasting Station | |
| Rin Sugimori | ... | Police Station Chief | |
| Shinichi Matsuyama | ... | Operator A | |
| Toichiro Kagawa | ... | Operator B | |
| Kyôsuke Shiho | ... | Fish Seller A | |
| Shunji Sayama | ... | Fish Seller B | |
| Ken Nakahara | ... | Fish Seller C | |
| Shigeo Hagiwara | ... | Child at Lighthouse B | |
| Tetsu Furuya | ... | Child at Lighthouse C | |
| Osamu Maruyama | ... | Atomic Energy Research Institute Chief | |
| Toshio Maki | ... | Atomic Energy Research Institute Staff A | |
| Kazuo Sumida | ... | Atomic Energy Research Institute Staff B | |
| Ichiro Ise | ... | Reporter A | |
| Shinji Sayama | ... | Reporter B | |
| Hajime Munechika | ... | Reporter C | |
| Tsukako Fujino | ... | Stewardess | |
| M. Anabai | |||
| Richardson | ... | U.S. Arctic Base Personnel | |
| Streihan | ... | U.S. Arctic Base Personnel | |
| Ranson | ... | U.S. Arctic Base Personnel | |
| Brown | ... | U.S. Arctic Base Personnel | |
| Hartman | ... | U.S. Arctic Base Personnel |
Directed by | |||
| Noriaki Yuasa | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Nisan Takahashi | (screenplay) (as Fumi Takahashi) | |
Produced by | |||
| Sandy Frank | .... | producer (US version) | |
| Hidemasa Nagata | .... | producer | |
| Masaichi Nagata | .... | executive producer | |
| Yonejiro Saito | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Tadashi Yamauchi | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Nobuo Munekawa | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Tatsuji Nakashizu | |||
Production Management | |||
| Yonejiro Saito | .... | production manager | |
Sound Department | |||
| Masao Oosumi | .... | sound recording supervisor | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Ryosaku Takayama | .... | monster design | |
| Yonesaburo Tsukiji | .... | special effects director | |
| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| Who thinks there should be an American Gamera movie? | lordzedd-2 |
| PURCHASING IT ON DVD | gabby010388 |
| EBay | cjglanders |
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| Daikaijû kûchûsen: Gamera tai Gyaosu | Daikaijû kettô: Gamera tai Barugon | Gammera the Invincible | Godzilla, King of the Monsters! | Gamera tai Shinkai kaijû Jigura |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Horror section | IMDb Japan section |
1965's "Gamera: The Giant Monster" is notable for three things: Daiei Studio's Gamera, the giant fire-breathing turtle of Atlantean origin, was the only significant rival to Toho Studios' Godzilla; two, this is the only movie in the "Gamera" series of films in which the titular chelonian does not battle another monster; and three, this was the last Japanese monster movie to be filmed in glorious black & white. Godzilla is my favorite movie monster of all time - "Gojira" (1954) is my favorite giant monster movie, period - since I was first exposed to the badly dubbed Japanese "kaiju-eiga" (Japanese monster movie) series of films as a young kid. Gamera was my #2 favorite monster from Japan. I deeply regret that Gamera never really obtained the same sort of recognition that his other fire-breathing rival did, but that does not mean that the movies were not bad.
Directed by Noriaki Yuasa, "Gamera: The Giant Monster" has a plot ripped straight from the original "Gojira," but with a significantly lower budget and lacking a meaningful social and political subtext or emotional resonance: at the height of the Cold War, American and Soviet bombers in the Arctic Circle clash with one another, leading to a Soviet plane being shot down and thus inadvertently detonating its atomic payload. The resulting explosion revives Gamera, who had been imprisoned in the ice for over 8,000 years. Gamera, who breathes fire and can fly, makes a beeline toward Japan where he soon causes great destruction and finds nourishment in fossil fuels such as gasoline and petroleum, and other rudimentary forms of energy. Since Gamera is impervious to conventional weapons and the so-called "nuclear options" are quickly ruled out, only a brilliant scientist, Dr. Hidaka (Eiji Funakoshi), has the means of stopping Gamera's destructive rampage once and for all.
"Gamera: The Giant Monster" is not a perfect film. I'll say that it pretty much pales in comparison to "Gojira." But that's because the "Gamera" series of films often had significantly lower budgets and one of the most nagging problems with these films were the inclusion of annoying little children as the main protagonists, which helped earn Gamera the nickname of "friend of children" and the films were often marketed as such toward children. (1966's "Gamera vs. Barugon," a direct sequel to "Gamera: The Giant Monster," is noteworthy for being the only film in the series to not feature any children as the main protagonists, and is my favorite film in the series after this one.) And although there is a kid here, an implacable young boy Toshio Sakurai (Yoshiro Uchida), he is at least made useful to the plot and does not become the annoying little nuisance that his successors would eventually become. And he is also sympathetic in some regard since he comes to view Gamera as his only friend (the exact circumstances of this "friendship" are actually quite touching if viewed with an open mind), and likewise we identify with this unique little bond.
Having viewed the film for the first time in its original, uncut Japanese format, I can say that "Gamera: The Giant Monster" is a worthy kaiju film, despite its flawed attempts at a pro-environmentalist subtext and as an anti-Cold War message movie (different nations coming together to face a worldwide threat, etc.) The film marked the beginnings of another great movie monster, one who never really got the popularity that he really deserved. But at least since his movies are getting the DVD treatment and are being released in their original Japanese formats, a new generation of Gamera-lovers has the chance to view Japan's heartiest export next since the mighty King of the Monsters himself, Godzilla.
7/10