Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

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Gojira18
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Gojira18 »

Honestly, I hated it. It's just not that interesting to me, and the film in general is just kinda weak to me. 4/10.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by InnocentClarke »

I think the film certainly sticks out as one of the weirder entries, which is kind of strange to say considering the prior film was heavy on ridiculousness, but it's how the type of weirdness isn't the typically Godzilla fare that makes it interesting. Aside from the very obvious swapping from Kong to Godzilla, I had few qualms with it. The characters were interesting and, more importantly, fun to watch, especially Akira Takarada's thief, though I admit to having preferred the Peanuts as Mothra's fairies to Pair Bambi. Tonally, the film is very relaxed with it's island setting (and even the boat section is really chill), which is really refreshing. Ebirah, as well, is an interesting monster, being really the only other aquatic monster Godzilla fights aside from Titanosaurus. I don't even mind that Godzilla doesn't wake up until an hour in, because the characters and Ebirah's menacing appearances make up for it really well. It helps that the film moves along at a pretty decent clip, too, never really having a lull in the pacing. I remember thinking before I watched the film that I'd dislike it because of how little Godzilla is in it, but I think it's actually one of my favourites from the Showa era. It's great.

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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by UltramanGoji »

Zarm wrote:If this film had come between Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster and Invasion of the Astro-Monster, the progression would have been just about perfect.
That's actually a cool idea for an alternate viewing order. I'll have to try that sometime.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Godzillian »

UltramanGoji wrote:
Zarm wrote:If this film had come between Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster and Invasion of the Astro-Monster, the progression would have been just about perfect.
That's actually a cool idea for an alternate viewing order. I'll have to try that sometime.
Interesting idea but then it begs the question why didn't the aliens want control of Mothra as well since she would have been in adult form at the time
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by mikelcho »

This film is special to me because it was the very first Godzilla film that I saw on TV and thus introduced me to Godzilla and kaiju in general. In fact, I think that I might have seen it when it was released here the first time. I lost track of it until VHS home video was invented, then I saw it again (I didn't know it was the edited version at the time). And you know what? I still liked it! The one thing that stuck in my young mind was when Godzilla was awakened with the makeshift lightning rod and then burst out of the seaside cliff. Every time Godzilla first appears in any film, I always say "He's baaaaack...and he is not happy!" In 1990,when my family took a trip to England and Ireland for a vacation, I saw the beginning of this film on the hotel TV as Ebirah, Horror of the Deep. That's when I saw the missing scenes at the beginning and that one of the humans (I can't recall the actor's name or his character's name right now) in this version had a voice that sounded like a masculine version of one of the Chipmunks! I've only got one question...was this film released in theaters in the UK and Ireland? If so, then it would fit in with at least one, maybe two films that did this (mainly Gappa the Triphibian Monster/Monster from a Prehistoric Planet and possibly Matango, Fungus of Terror/Attack of the Mushroom People (I'm still not sure about the latter-can anyone help me here? Pretty please? I asked about this on "Talkback: Matango" (see there for more details) and still haven't been given an answer)) that had theatrical releases in the UK (and maybe Ireland) and TV releases in the US.

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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

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mikelcho wrote:was this film released in theaters in the UK and Ireland?
Ebirah was released in the UK as "Ebirah - Terror of the Deep" by Orb Films, Ltd. in 1969. The same company seems to have released Matango (under that title) the same year.

The British Board of Film Classification website is a good resource for UK releases of these films, though you may have to check under some misspellings to find certain films. Gigantis, for example, is archived as "Gigantes."
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by KaijuCanuck »

I dig it. I think of the 'island' Godzilla films it's the best, although Son of Godzilla has a few fun moments too.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Zarm »

Here, here! :)
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by eabaker »

I prefer Son of Godzilla - that makes my top 10 list for the series - but Ebirah is an awful lot of fun. My only real issue with it is that you could basically remove the monsters entirely without altering much of the story.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

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Terasawa wrote:
mikelcho wrote:was this film released in theaters in the UK and Ireland?
Ebirah was released in the UK as "Ebirah - Terror of the Deep" by Orb Films, Ltd. in 1969. The same company seems to have released Matango (under that title) the same year.

The British Board of Film Classification website is a good resource for UK releases of these films, though you may have to check under some misspellings to find certain films. Gigantis, for example, is archived as "Gigantes."
Thank you. No wonder Wikipedia called me out on Matango. Well, at least the book that I mentioned on my "Talkback: Matango" post was right about one thing-it did call the film Ebirah-Terror of the Deep. Why it called the other one Matango, Fungus of Terror, I have no idea.

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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Shoe Yeti »

Good movie. Too bad we never got to see the Red Bamboo organization in another film. Having an evil terrorist organization as the villain of the movie was a nice change from the usual parade of space aliens. That and the island setting made the film seem like a James Bond movie but with kaiju!

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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by mikelcho »

I remember that someone wrote in a G-Fan article (I don't remember which one) about this film and Son of Godzilla and said about them "This is what Godzilla does when he's not destroying cities".

Added in 15 minutes 36 seconds:
In response to Zarm's entry on June 28, since Godzilla didn't emerge from the ocean after the battle with King Ghidorah in Invasion of the Astro-Monster ( I'm being grammatically correct here, so forgive me for that, please), I always thought that he swam away underwater for a little while, then resurfaced far away and unseen by anyone and went as far away from Japan as he could, finally coming to Letchi Island, going into one of the sea caves and resuming his rudely interrupted sleep from the aforementioned film above.
Last edited by mikelcho on Tue Aug 08, 2017 1:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by LockBite »

A sucky movie that none of us want to dislike. It has the classic Showa look and vibe, but it's also just ill-conceived and boring. Its best moment is definitely the phony yellow liquid payoff, and even that could've been hidden from the viewer for a nice surprise.

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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

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eabaker wrote:I prefer Son of Godzilla - that makes my top 10 list for the series - but Ebirah is an awful lot of fun. My only real issue with it is that you could basically remove the monsters entirely without altering much of the story.
This kind of answers a question I asked myself the other day about this film. Instead of interjecting Godzilla and they went along with Kong (Operation Robinson Crusoe) would it be more well received by fans or less? Even though it wouldn't change the story I feel like since it has Godzilla it's constantly compared to the other Godzilla films whereas if it was Kong it wouldn't be. It's extremely late.. or early I guess, I'm having trouble making sense of what I'm trying to convey. :dizzy: hopefully it makes sense.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by UltramanGoji »

LockBite wrote:A sucky movie that none of us want to dislike.
Don't speak for others. I enjoy this film's characters and the island setting is unique. Plus, it features one of my favorite Godzilla suits and a rockin' soundtrack.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Lain Of The Wired »

Yeah, I'm not going to lie, I use to hate this one, but after each time I watch it, I like it more and more. The fight scenes are really cool and the way Godzilla moves from time to time is really cool to watch
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by szmigiel »

Stevo_1985 wrote:This kind of answers a question I asked myself the other day about this film. Instead of interjecting Godzilla and they went along with Kong (Operation Robinson Crusoe) would it be more well received by fans or less? Even though it wouldn't change the story I feel like since it has Godzilla it's constantly compared to the other Godzilla films whereas if it was Kong it wouldn't be. It's extremely late.. or early I guess, I'm having trouble making sense of what I'm trying to convey. :dizzy: hopefully it makes sense.
I think it would have been better as a Kong film, to me it doesn't seem like they did much other then change Kong to Godzilla in the script, not redoing in storyboards other then adding in his breath in a few places. Godzilla's behavior in the film is odd and out of place, at least when I view it. If it was a Kong film it would of course be a lot more obscure like King Kong Escapes, but be more entertaining over all.

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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by MechaGoji Bro7503 »

LockBite wrote:A sucky movie that none of us want to dislike. It has the classic Showa look and vibe, but it's also just ill-conceived and boring. Its best moment is definitely the phony yellow liquid payoff, and even that could've been hidden from the viewer for a nice surprise.
Not everyone thinks its a "sucky movie". I enjoy this one alot- but thats your opinion and I respect that.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by HeiseiGodzilla117 »

szmigiel wrote:Godzilla's behavior in the film is odd and out of place, at least when I view it.
I don't think so. It fits the ongoing change in the character of Godzilla in the Showa films. In fact, the end with the humans rooting for him to get off the island perfectly sets up his sympathetic side in Son of Godzilla and eventually his superhero-like behavior in Godzilla vs Hedorah and subsequent movies.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Grievous »

This one is just a lot of fun...

Was it originally a Kong film? It doesn't matter
because I still enjoy it for what it is.

It was a major shift for the series & took Godzilla
away from smashing cities & had him engaging in
combat with Ebirah, Mothra, Ookondoru & the Red
Bamboo as a plucky band of shipwreck survivors
try to make it off the Island alive while freeing the
captives from the nearby Infant Island.

I will admit this one gets a spin in my Blu-ray player
at least once a year...and speaking of which...I may
watch this one on Christmas day.

:thumbsup:
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