Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)

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

Directors:

Shigeo Tanaka, Noriaki Yuasa (uncredited)

Writer:

Niisan Takahashi (as Nisan Takahashi)

Stars:

Kôjirô Hongô, Kyôko Enami, Yûzô Hayakawa

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kôjirô Hongô	...	Keisuke Hirata
Kyôko Enami	...	Karen
Yûzô Hayakawa	...	Kawajiri
Takuya Fujioka	...	Dr. Sato
Kôji Fujiyama	...	Onodera
Akira Natsuki	...	Ichiro Hirata
Yoshirô Kitahara	...	Professor Amano
Ichirô Sugai	...	Dr. Matsushita
Bontarô Miake	...	Self-Defense Force General
Jutarô Kitashiro	...	Self-Defense Force Commander (as Jutarô Hôjô)
Kazuko Wakamatsu	...	Sadae Hirata
Yuka Konno	...	Onodera's Lover
Eiichi Takamura	...	Governor of Osaka
Ken'ichi Tani	...	Lee
Kôichi Itô	...	Metropolitan Police Superintendent-General

Storyline

After a treacherous expedition to retrieve a giant opal, disaster strikes as the opal reveals itself to be an egg which spawns Barugon, demon dog from Hell! Armed with a deadly tongue and cold beams, Barugon wreaks havoc on Japan. Gamera comes to save the day.

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Plot Keywords:

japan | gamera | dog | monster | giant monster | 

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Genres:

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

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Onodero's mistress wasn't in the first draft of the script.

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Goofs

English language version: If Barugon's is harmed by water, how did he swim from the sunken ship to the shore without any difficulty? The translation neglects to mention that while he's vulnerable to water, it doesn't immediately kill him, just weakens him. It has also been suggested that salt water doesn't harm him as much as fresh water.

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Alternate Versions

In 1985, the original 101 minute Japanese version was released on American television and home video by Sandy Frank Film Syndication, Inc. under the title GAMERA VS. BARUGON. While Frank's release contained the 14 minute exposition sequences that were removed from the American International Pictures-TV (A.I.P.-TV) WAR OF THE MONSTERS version, Frank's version boasted a "new" English language track that differs from the original A.I.P.-TV English dub. This "new" dub was actually created in the mid-60s by a Hong Kong company, to aid the production company in selling the film overseas. In Frank's version, the original Japanese title sequence has been replaced with English translated credits superimposed against an image of moving ocean water. The same stock shot of crashing waves was used for three of the other four Gamera films Sandy Frank re-edited.

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Connections

Followed by Gamera 2: Attack of the Legion (1996)

User Reviews

Best of the original Gamera movies

I have to agree with the first comment and say that this is the best of pre-1995 the Gamera's. I've seen five of them, Guiron and Zigra both being indescribably bad (even when I watched them as a 13 year old I thought so). This one is honestly pretty good, a step-up from the stone age-looking Gamera, which was made in 1965 but looked like it was made in 1954! First off, there isn't too much flashback footage and when it is used, it's actually well-edited and has some pretty cool narration and atmospheric music. There's a random dam attack scene which I still cant figure out why it's there, and then the real story starts with the protagonists finding a jewel that eventually turns into the secondary monster.

Gamera plays a pretty minor second-fiddle this time around, with Barugon, an admittedly more interesting monster, hogging most of the screentime destroying things. I really liked the plotting with the greedy guy accidentally waking the monster with his heat-lamp, and then getting eaten when he ruins the army's plan by trying to steal a giant diamond.

This has the best music and best scenes of destruction of any of the Gamera movies and most of Jun Fukuda's Godzilla films. While it's still Daiei, which most of the time is sub-Toho in every respect, this film shows that around 1966 Daiei actually managed to surpass Toho every now and then effects-wise. Good directing too: the tone is surprisingly mature this time around and it's got a really dark and humorless undercurrent to the whole thing.

My favorite Gamera movie, followed by the... so unintentionally hilarious, it makes me crack up thinking about it... Gamera vs. Gaos.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

17 April 1966 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Gamera Strikes Again

Filming Locations:

Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

American-International Television (AIP-TV), Daiei Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 88 min (TV) 100 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1