Daikaijû kettô: Gamera tai Barugon (1966)

User Rating:

2.8/10   

Director:

Shigeo Tanaka

Writer:

Nisan Takahashi (writer)

Release Date:

17 April 1966 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A giant monster that emits a destructive ray from its back attacks Japan and takes on Gamera.

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Gamera | Giant Monster | Monster | Dog

Cast

Kojiro Hongo	...	Keisuke Hirata
Kyôko Enami	...	Karen
Yuzo Hayakawa	...	Kawajiri
Takuya Fujioka	...	Dr. Sato
Koji Fujiyama	...	Onodera
Akira Natsuki	...	Ichiro Hirata
Yoshiro Kitahara	...	Professor Amano
Ichirô Sugai	...	Dr. Matsushita
Bontarô Miyake	...	Self-Defense Force General
Jutaro Hojo	...	Self-Defense Force Commander
Kazuko Wakamatsu	...	Sadae Hirata
Yuka Konno	...	Onodera's Lover
Eiichi Takamura	...	Governor of Osaka
Kenichi Tani	...	Lee
Koichi Ito	...	Metropolitan Police Superintendent-General

Also Known As:

Gamera Strikes Again (USA) (DVD box title)
Gamera vs. Barugon (USA) (reissue title)
The Great Monster Duel: Gamera vs. Barugon (Japan: English title)
War of the Monsters (USA) (dubbed version)

Runtime:

106 min | Germany:92 min | USA:88 min (TV version)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf)

Filming Locations:

Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

Company:

American-International Television (AIP-TV)

Trivia:

The first Gamera movie in color.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: The cover of the video case like the one shown on this page clearly says "Godzilla" not "Gammera".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Village of the Giants (#6.23)" (1994)

My First Gamera Movie

This is the first Gamera movie I have watched. I remembered when I was a kid I rented a VHS copy of this film. I watched it once, and was intrigued by it. Being a kid, I was pretty weary of certain scenes in this kaiju film. The part where the villain killed someone bothered me, as is the part where Barugon froze Gamera like a gigantic icicle. When Gamera froze, my first impression was that the hero of the film got triumphed against while the villainous Barugon continues his rampage and destroys everything in its path-not good. But, of course, the film goes on from there-you'll find out what comes next. All in all, I enjoyed the film, and when I wanted to rent it again, the VHS copy wasn't available anymore, so I was pretty bummed out.

Years later, this film was shown on TV and, to my delight, I have decided I have got to watch it again. Being older, I appreciated the film more, and got to understand the story elements better. Three travelers go on an expedition to retrieve a giant opal, and later brings it to Japan. It later turns out to be an egg and out hatches Barugon. Then, of course, he does battle with Gamera, in probably what I remembered as one of the most memorable monster fights I have seen. Who wouldn't be intrigued in Barugon's 10 meter-long tongue that can spit out snowballs? The special effects were as good as they can be back in the 1960s, and the plot was pretty solid and in depth. Each story element was in tact and elaborated, leaving less room for plot threads, which are widely seen in Japanese kaiji films.

Overall, I was glad I caught this film on TV. It relived one of my earlier childhood days, and it is good to see that flying turtle again.

So, go take a spin with Gamera and take flight.