Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) Chikyû kogeki meirei: Gojira tai Gaigan (original title)

Director:

Jun Fukuda

Writers:

Takeshi Kimura (story)
Shinichi Sekizawa

Release Date:

August 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Space Monsters War With Godzilla For The Earth!

Plot:

A man begins to suspect that something is wrong about his employers; meanwhile, Godzilla and Anguirus are alerted to something strange going on.

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Alien | Gigan | Monster | Laser Beam

Cast

Hiroshi Ishikawa	...	Gengo Kotaka
Yuriko Hishimi	...	Tomoko Tomoe
Minoru Takashima	...	Shosaku Takasugi
Tomoko Umeda	...	Machiko Shima
Toshiaki Nishizawa	...	Kubota, Head of Children's Land
Zan Fujita	...	Fumio Sudo
Kunio Murai	...	Takashi Shima
Gen Shimizu	...	Commander of Defense Forces
Kurayoshi Nakamura	...	Priest (as Zeko Nakamura)
Kuniko Ashihara	...	Middle-Aged Woman
Akio Murata	...	Editor of Comics Magazine
Noritake Saito	...	Henchman
Yasuhiko Saijo	...	Henchman
Naoya Kusakawa	...	Henchman
Wataru Ômae	...	Henchman
Haruo Nakajima	...	Gojira / Background Comic Editor / JSDF Officer
Kenpachiro Satsuma	...	Gaigan (as Kengo Nakayama)
Koetsu Omiya	...	Angirasu / Laser Radar Operator
Kanta Ina	...	Kingugidora

Directed by
Jun Fukuda

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Takeshi Kimura		story "Gojira tai Uchu Kaijû"
Shinichi Sekizawa

Produced by
Tomoyuki Tanaka	....	producer

Cinematography by
Kiyoshi Hasegawa

Film Editing by
Yoshio Tamura

Production Design by
Yoshifumi Honda

Production Management
Takahide Morichi	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fumisake Okada	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Fumio Yanoguchi	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Toshiro Aoki	....	special effects sets
Saburo Doi	....	mat processing
Yasuyuki Inoue	....	special effects art director
Fumio Nakadai	....	operations
Teruyoshi Nakano	....	director of special effects
Takesaburo Watanabe	....	mechanical effects

Visual Effects by
Fumio Nakadai	....	miniature set operation
Yoshiyuki Tokumasa	....	optical photography
Yoshiyuki Tokumasa	....	optical printing (as Toshiyuki Tokusawa)
Sokei Tomioka	....	special effects cameraman

Stunts
Haruo Nakajima	....	stunt choreographer

Camera and Electrical Department
Kojiro Sato	....	lighting technician

Music Department
Akira Ifukube	....	composer: stock music

Production Companies

• Toho Company
• Toho Eizo Co.

Distributors

• Cinema Shares International Distribution (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• Downtown Distribution Company Inc. (1977) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Astral Films (1978) (Canada) (theatrical) (as "Godzilla on Monster Island") (dubbed)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• HGV Video Productions (1997) (Canada) (VHS) (as "Godzilla vs. Gigan")
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD) (as "Godzilla vs. Gigan")
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2008) (Japan) (TV)
• Astral Video (Canada) (VHS) (as "Godzilla on Monster Island")
• Columbia TriStar Home Video
• Image Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Kuk Dong
• Sinister Cinema (1995) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

"Chikyû kogeki meirei: Gojira tai Gaigan" - Japan (original title)
"Godzilla on Monster Island" - USA

MPAA:

Rated PG for sci-fi monster violence and some language

Runtime:

89 min | Germany:80 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:G (original rating) | Australia:PG | UK:PG | West Germany:12 (nf) | USA:PG

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

This was the final appearance for King Ghidorah in a Showa era film. He later would return with a different look in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The main human characters, when they descend to the ground on a cable, it is obvious that they are mere miniatures in reality. For one, they don't have the proportions of a human being, nor do their clothes look like the ones the actual humans were wearing.

Quotes:

Gengo Kotaka:Oh, cigarettes?
Kubota, Head of Children's Land:They're for you.
[grins]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Godzilla: Unleashed (2007) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Yattsukero Gaigan

Great one!

I am a huge Godzilla fan, I grew up with Godzilla, I just love seeing this awesome monster just destroy cities and fighting other monsters. I like his enemies as well but Godzilla is the Icon!

This Godzilla film is a great one. The story is very good and I really love the way Godzilla looks in this film. I love it when he roars and moves his tail. The big G is joined by Angilas and he is great and I love it when he roars as well! As for his enemies Gigan and King Ghidorah, they too is awesome. I love it when they roar. The fights between the two monsters is really good. The acting by the film's human stars are also good. The music is just excellent! I really love this Godzilla film for many reasons and its arguably the best! If you love Godzilla I strongly recommend that you do what I did and buy Godzilla vs. Gigan today!