Gappa the Triphibian Monsters (1967)

An expedition in the South Pacific lands on a tropical island where the natives worship the mysterious deity Gappa. An earthquake opens up an underground cavern and a baby reptile is ... See full summary »

Director:

Hiroshi Noguchi

Writers:

Iwao Yamazaki (screenplay by), Ryûzô Nakanishi (screenplay by) (as Ryuzo Nakanishi)

Stars:

Tamio Kawaji, Yôko Yamamoto, Yuji Kodaka

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tamio Kawaji	...	Hiroshi Kurosaki (as Tamio Kawachi)
Yôko Yamamoto	...	Itoko Koyanagi
Yuji Kodaka	...	Prof. 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
Saburô Hiromatsu	...	Hosoda
Binnosuke Nagao	...	Cmdr. Riku
Masaru Kamiyama	...	Professor
Kokan Katsura	...	Saburo Hayashi
Shirô Oshimi	...	Oyama
Yôko Ôyagi	...	Aihara (as Yoko Oyagi)

Storyline

An expedition in the South Pacific lands on a tropical island where the natives worship the mysterious deity Gappa. An earthquake opens up an underground cavern and a baby reptile is discovered inside. The natives warn the foreigners to leave the hatching alone, but they don't listen and take it back to a zoo in Japan. Soon after, moma and papa Gappa start smashing Tokyo looking for their kidnapped child.

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Plot Keywords:

underwater earthquake | psychotronic film | monster movie | creature feature | cave | 

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Taglines:

Amazing! Fierce! Huge!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The main and end-title music heard in GAPPA overseas releases (i.e. MONSTER FROM A PREHISTORIC PLANET in the US), was from an earlier film scored by Seitaro Omori; the 1959 Nikkatsu teen drama/comedy film YOUTH SONG.

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Goofs

At 1:18:54 the sound and closed captioning indicate 'helicopters whizzing', while at the same time, two dirigibles are being shown carrying a net.

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Quotes

President Funazu: Like it? I call it Playmate Land.

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Alternate Versions

In all English versions of the film, the rock & roll "Great Giant Beast Gappa" theme (heard in the opening credits and ending of the original Japanese version) is replaced by standard orchestral music. Also, the Japanese version features a song called "Keep Trying, Baby Gappa!" (in the scene where the Gappas are reunited with their offspring). In all English versions, the song's vocals are omitted, and is thus instrumental.

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Connections

References Godzilla (1954)

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Soundtracks

Daikyojû Gappa
("Great Giant Beast Gappa")
Opening & Ending Theme (Japanese Version only)
Music by Masao Yoneyama
Arrangement by Iwao Shigematsu
Lyrics by Hikari Ichijô
Performed by Katsuhiko Miki

User Reviews

Good production, intended as satire.

If the plot seems a bit derivative, it was meant to. This was Nikkatsu studios first and only monster flick. It was produced strictly to cash-in at the height of the genre. The writers knew it had all been done before, so they took those cliches, and satirized them. Like the greedy entrepreneur, responsible for drawing the monster's parents to look for their baby. I like the extra touches, like the mother carrying an octopus in her mouth, (while stomping buildings) to feed her young. The effect scenes were shot at Eiji Tsuburaya's newly formed independent studio, which was producing the first UltraMan series at the time. Surprisingly, this film holds up very well, passing the test of time. Besides, these monsters show up only in one film. How many kaiju can you say that about ? This is also one of the few Japanese movies commercially available on video, widescreen and subtitled. Two appendages up !!!

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

April 1967 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Gappa the Triphibian Monsters

Company Credits

Production Co:

Manson Corporation, Nikkatsu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1