Daikyojû Gappa (1967)

Director:

Haruyasu Noguchi

Writers:

Ryuzo Nakanishi
Gan Yamazaki

Release Date:

April 1967 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Even mightier than 'King Kong'!

Plot:

An expedition in the South Pacific lands on a tropical island where the natives worship the mysterious deity Gappa...

Plot Keywords:

Tropical Island | Japan | Earthquake | Island | Commander

Cast

Tamio Kawaji	...	Hiroshi Kurosaki
Yôko Yamamoto	...	Itoko Koyanagi
Yuji Okada	...	Daize Tonooka
Kôji Wada	...	Mashida
Tatsuya Fuji	...	George Inoue
Keisuke Inoue	...	President Funazu
Zenji Yamada	...	Captain of the Kamome-maru
Bumon Koto	...	Chieftain
Kôtarô Sugie	...	Reporter #1 (as Hiroshi Sugie)
Saburo Hiromatsu	...	Hosoda
Binnosuke Nagao	...	Cmdr. Riku
Masaru Kamiyama	...	The Professor
Kokan Katsura	...	Saburo Hayashi
Shirô Oshimi	...	Oyama
Yoko Oyagi	...	Aihara
Sanpei Mine	...	Islander 1
Takashi Koshiba	...	Reporter 2
Kensuke Tamai	...	Islander 2
Minoru Sato	...	Reporter 3
Seiji Matsuoka	...	Islander 3
Hiroshi Itoh	...	Reporter 4
Mike Danine	...	Petty Officer
Ruich Fidancer	...	Captain of the Sea Angels
Paul Scheman	...	Professor

Directed by
Haruyasu Noguchi

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ryuzo Nakanishi
Gan Yamazaki

Produced by
Hideo Koi	....	producer

Original Music by
Seitaro Omori

Cinematography by
Muneo Ueda

Film Editing by
Masanori Tsujii

Art Direction by
Kazumi Koike

Production Management
Tsuguhiko Koishi	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Masaru Konuma	....	assistant director

Sound Department
William Ross	....	voice recording director
Saburo Takahashi	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Isamu Kakita	....	special effects photographer
Kenji Kaneda	....	special effects photographer
Yoshiyuki Nakamura	....	special effects photography
Akira Watanabe	....	special effects director

Camera and Electrical Department
Moriyasu Tsuchida	....	lighting technician

Production Companies

• Manson Corporation
• Nikkatsu

Distributors

• Nikkatsu (1967) (Japan) (theatrical)
• American International Pictures (AIP) (1968) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• American-International Television (AIP-TV) (196?) (USA) (TV) (dubbed) (syndication)
• Sinister Cinema (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Tokyo Shock (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• SlingShot Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Navarre Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• BijouFlix Releasing (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• CMV Laservision (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Video Movies Leerdam (VML) (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Gappa the Triphibian Monsters" - USA (video title)
"Monster from a Prehistoric Planet" - USA (dubbed version)
"The Triphibian Monster" - Philippines (English title)

Runtime:

90 min | Argentina:95 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | USA:Unrated

Company:

Manson Corporation

Trivia:

This is the only monster movie (kaijû eiga) released by Nikkatsu. Unfortunately, after this film was released, the company nearly went out of business.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Son of Svengoolie: Monster from a Prehistoric Planet (1967) (#1.25)" (1979)

Soundtrack:

Daikyojû Gappa

I've seen it after more than 30 years

I was visiting this movie approximately in 1972, when communist allow us to see two or three Japanese "sci-fi" movies. In that time it has been for me something new, I've been a small boy, but I feel it is not good. But it has been from my lovely sci-fi section and now I bought a DVD and look at it with pleasure. There is so much mistakes... For example the rocket propulsion of that giant lizards, the fire from their mouths when they destroyed all military technology - tanks and aircraft, their bullet, bomb and rocket proof skin. The monsters can fly, walk and float under see, just one problem they have - they don't like high-frequency sound, so army can thrust their from the lake under Fuji. On the island, where from are the monsters are living the natives which are waiting tens generations for Japanese liberators, but almost all know the Japanese language! The end is beautiful and very sentimental - first and last time you can see a giant monster to cry:-)