Daikaijû kettô: Gamera tai Barugon (1966)

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

Director:

Shigeo Tanaka

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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first draft of the script didn't have any references to the first movie.

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Goofs

In the English version titled "War of the Monsters," the television announcer covering Barugon's rampage knows the monster's name immediately after Karen (who's watching the broadcast in an airport) first utters it to Keisuke. Barugon is referred to as "the new monster" in the broadcast in both the Japanese and international English versions.

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Alternate Versions

The Japanese version runs a complete 101 minutes. The American International Pictures-TV (A.I.P.-TV) release version, under the title WAR OF THE MONSTERS, was cut down to 88 minutes to fit it's televised playdates. The 14 minutes that were removed were only expository scenes that had the characters discuss how to destroy the monster Barugon.

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Connections

Featured in Pee-wee's Playhouse: Accidental Playhouse (1990)

User Reviews

Gamera Fights it's First Battle with another Kaijyu

When I see this movie now, it's flaws stands out, but it was a movie made for kids, and at the time, had acceptable quality. Surprisingly, Gamera franchise itself is still alive even after the demise of Daiei movie studio.

Egg of Barugon that is said to hatch once every 1000 years gets to Japan by way of thieves who mistook it for a huge opal. Gamera attracted by Barugon's rainbow rays butts head with Barugon at Osaka castle. Gamera is frozen by Barugon's icing tongue but returns to duke it out at lake Biwa for the final battle.

Well, this is the second installment of the Gamera series, and first one done in color. Koji Hongo who played the part of ship's captain in 1995 "Gamera Guardian of the Universe" 29 years after this movie was made is the star in this movie. Actress Kyoko Enami who started her career at Daiei and then went on to have a long career also stars in this movie as Kara, the girl from village in New Guinea.

The success of this move ensured Gamera movie as a franchise that continues to this day. First three Showa Gamera movies was a huge hit when they came out. Gamera isn't all that human friendly yet in this movie, and shows the gradual evolution of its character.

The scenes involving the thieves didn't match the mood of the movie. It looked like they belong to Daiei's gangster movies. But asides from that, the movie was okay, and the movie succeeds as the second installment of Gamera series.