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	...	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	...	The Professor
Kokan Katsura	...	Saburo Hayashi
Shirô Oshimi	...	Oyama
Yoko Oyagi	...	Aihara

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:

Even mightier than 'King Kong'!

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Genres:

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

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

There was an urban legend that Nikkatsu's international English prints originally had a racist line, "The monsters are attacking Tokyo. Fortunately they are attacking the Negro section of town" (and that the line was changed). This was untrue.

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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

Referenced in Tvoje tvár má známý hlas: Episode #2.3 (2016)

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Soundtracks

Ganbare Ko Gappa
("Keep Trying, Baby Gappa!")
Music by Seitarô Ômori
Arrangement by Iwao Shigematsu
Lyrics by Ryô Nagahara
Performed by Danny Iida & Paradise King

User Reviews

Not Nearly as Bad as it Could Have Been

My youngest picked this one out...after a couple of weeks of sitting through subtitled movies that he couldn't read through fast enough...

He said, "Dad, I want a monster movie that will make me laugh" and laugh my seven year old did. It was a cute movie with a cute trio of monsters. Couple that with a high-powered business man who flies off the handle for absolutely no reason and you've got Japanese monster GOLD, baby! Look for the same special effects as in the early Godzilla movies and the same dead subplots...but, the quality of this picture makes it fun to watch and make fun of...for example, they are inside a cave...where does the light come from? The "night" shots obviously shot in broad noon with a filter. Hilarious!