Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

[he-ba]

^He's lonely and wants friends, I guess

[kamilleblu]

Him and Zone Fighter made good buddies. Real good buddies.

[ebirahsmeg1]

Speaking of this film, the recently released book "Godzilla: Champion Matsuri Perfection" (which is excellent, by the way) has a fascinating new tidbit regarding the two "Lost Project" scripts that eventually evolved into GvsGigan, Godzilla vs the Space Monsters: Earth Defense Directive and The Return of King Ghidorah

Basically, we've all heard about these two unused scripts numerous times over the years (GvsSpace Monsters pitting G, Anguirus, and Maijin Tuol against KG, Gigan, and Megalon with Miko the giant space brain controlling them; and The Return of KG, which was very similar to the eventual GvsGigan film that we received, but pitting Godzilla, Rodan, and Varan vs KG, Gigan, and Mogu). Nothing new that we haven't heard before.


However, this book clearly shows yet "another" unused idea thrown around titled "Godzilla vs Gigan: The Return of King Ghidorah, but this time pitting Godzilla, Anguirus, and Mothra vs KG, Gigan, and Megalon





For those who read katakana, you can clearly see the kaiju names in this proposed synopsis...

[ebirahsmeg1]

Here are some random, interesting behind the scenes photos of the two lovely main ladies(Tomoko Umeda and Yuriko Hishimi) from GvsGigan:

[Godzillian]

Speaking of this film, the recently released book "Godzilla: Champion Matsuri Perfection" (which is excellent, by the way) has a fascinating new tidbit regarding the two "Lost Project" scripts that eventually evolved into GvsGigan, Godzilla vs the Space Monsters: Earth Defense Directive and The Return of King Ghidorah

Basically, we've all heard about these two unused scripts numerous times over the years (GvsSpace Monsters pitting G, Anguirus, and Maijin Tuol against KG, Gigan, and Megalon with Miko the giant space brain controlling them; and The Return of KG, which was very similar to the eventual GvsGigan film that we received, but pitting Godzilla, Rodan, and Varan vs KG, Gigan, and Mogu). Nothing new that we haven't heard before.


However, this book clearly shows yet "another" unused idea thrown around titled "Godzilla vs Gigan: The Return of King Ghidorah, but this time pitting Godzilla, Anguirus, and Mothra vs KG, Gigan, and Megalon


http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx81 ... 8c696f.jpg
http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx81 ... 868e76.jpg

For those who read katakana, you can clearly see the kaiju names in this proposed synopsis...

Interesting, hopefully someone can translate that and we can get an idea of what the plot was

[GodzillaFanatic2001]

Even though this film clearly isn't a master class in film making, I still really enjoy this film. It's just really fun to watch, even with stock footage, and I found the human scenes to be enjoyable. One small thing I found funny was that even though I understand that Nakano was under budget limitations, Japanese kiddies would have recognized all this footage, as Ghidrah the Three Headed Monster, Godzilla vs Monster Zero and Destroy all Monsters being re-released around the time of this films release, with DAM coming after this film. I wonder if kids thought the shot of Anguirus getting picked by Ghidorah was actually from this film and reused in DAM! Besides, it doesn't matter, as this film has one of the best ending shots of any Godzilla films, with Godzilla and Anguirus swimming away into the sunset while the Godzilla March plays. That just leaves a warm feeling inside.

[ebirahsmeg1]

Speaking of this film, the recently released book "Godzilla: Champion Matsuri Perfection" (which is excellent, by the way) has a fascinating new tidbit regarding the two "Lost Project" scripts that eventually evolved into GvsGigan, Godzilla vs the Space Monsters: Earth Defense Directive and The Return of King Ghidorah

Basically, we've all heard about these two unused scripts numerous times over the years (GvsSpace Monsters pitting G, Anguirus, and Maijin Tuol against KG, Gigan, and Megalon with Miko the giant space brain controlling them; and The Return of KG, which was very similar to the eventual GvsGigan film that we received, but pitting Godzilla, Rodan, and Varan vs KG, Gigan, and Mogu). Nothing new that we haven't heard before.


However, this book clearly shows yet "another" unused idea thrown around titled "Godzilla vs Gigan: The Return of King Ghidorah, but this time pitting Godzilla, Anguirus, and Mothra vs KG, Gigan, and Megalon


http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx81 ... 8c696f.jpg
http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx81 ... 868e76.jpg

For those who read katakana, you can clearly see the kaiju names in this proposed synopsis...

Interesting, hopefully someone can translate that and we can get an idea of what the plot was

Unlike the Godzilla vs the Space Monsters script, which was vastly different and more ambitious than what eventually become GvsGigan (pitting Godzilla, Anguirus, and Majin Tuol against KG, Gigan, and Megalon with them being controlled by a giant alien brain named Miko. The human cast was vastly different too, with one of the main characters being a pilot who goes to "Science Land" after seeing Gigan in the sky. From what I skimmed, I haven't found anything new yet that hasn't been written by Ed. Godzisewski, Steve Ryfle, GFan, or on this site).

In the case of the two proposed "Return of King Ghidorah" scenarios, however, the story outline was pretty much the same as what we ended up with on screen (sans Mothra/Rodan/Varan and Megalon/Mogu). In fact, from what little I've skimmed (and my Japanese still sucks when it comes to reading), it even describes the opening scene nearly exactly the same as what appeared in the film (i.e. comic panels with people screaming about the "Shukura/Homework" monster). Likewise, this exact same story outline was also proposed with a different kaiju cast ( Swapping Anguirus and Mothra with Rodan and Varan, and swapping Megalon for Mogu).

Personally, I am not a big fan of most of the "Unmade/Lost projects" that have popped up over the years (the majority of them seem better left unmade), but Godzilla vs the Space Monsters is probably the "lost" project I would have loved to have seen with a decent budget. On the bright side, the vastly scaled-back feature we did end up with allowed for Gigan to become the the main focus of the film, and he's easily one of the my top 5 favorite kaiju rivals for Godzilla.

Even though this film clearly isn't a master class in film making, I still really enjoy this film. It's just really fun to watch, even with stock footage, and I found the human scenes to be enjoyable. One small thing I found funny was that even though I understand that Nakano was under budget limitations, Japanese kiddies would have recognized all this footage, as Ghidrah the Three Headed Monster, Godzilla vs Monster Zero and Destroy all Monsters being released around the time of this films release, with DAM coming after this film. I wonder if kids thought the shot of Anguirus getting picked by Ghidorah was actually from this film and reused in DAM! Besides, it doesn't matter, as this film has one of the best ending shots of any Godzilla films, with Godzilla and Anguirus swimming away into the sunset while the Godzilla March plays. That just leaves a warm feeling inside.

Agreed...this is one film I can always enjoy, warts in all. The human cast is unique and different from what we normally saw during the 60s and 70s, but the monster cast really carries this film...and how cool of a creation is Gigan? He's such a great opponent for Godzilla. :gigan:

[GodzillaFanatic2001]

Agreed...this is one film I can always enjoy, warts in all. The human cast is unique and different from what we normally saw during the 60s and 70s, but the monster cast really carries this film...and how cool of a creation is Gigan? He's such great opponent for Godzilla. :gigan:

Yeah, Gigan is pretty cool. It's no surprise that he became one of Toho's most profitable monsters in the 70's until Mechagodzilla. Gigan would sure catch your eye with all his metal and single wraparound eye!

[szmigiel]

The human story was probably the best thing about the film. It is the one thing that saves the movie over all.

But the film has way too many drawbacks for me to really enjoy it, I think it is the worst Showa era movie, and the worst Godzilla movie of all time.

Storywise

• The film is kind of a mess, the human story is okay if a bit silly.
  You have a company building "Worlds Children's Land" openly state they plan to kill all the daikaiju on Monster Island once they finish. I guess everyone that hears this just assumes it is dry humor.
  Once the tape is played, Godzilla sends Anguirus to Japan, he gets attacked by the JSDF and swims back, only to head right back out with Godzilla again. It is like they just needed an extra daikaiju scene to pad things out.
  So much smoking (okay this is looking back at it now with all the smoking is bad and smoking bans, but damn for a kids movie everyone smokes, smoking is a plot point)

Effectwise

• The Godzilla suit is falling apart
  They use the "Son of Godzilla" suit for the water scenes and it looks even worse.
  When Gigan and King Ghidorah arrive and fly around the tower they are half the size of what they should be. Something Eiji Tsuburaya would have never done.
  Too much of Godzilla and Anguirus swimming
  The scenes from "Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster" and "Destroy All Monsters" are pretty easy to tell are for another film, the original effect are from daytime and they have to try and put the night filter on them.
  Ghidorah spends lots of time just standing around, necks not moving at all. All of the daikaiju spend time motionless, but with Ghidorah it is the worst since previous versions had plenty of movement all the time. Easily the worst on screen appearance for King Ghidorah.
  The Miniatures used for the city are probably the worst of the series.

While they do use Akira Ifukube music, it is all just lifted from other soundtracks so it isn't really set to the action, it is just background music.

While All Monsters Attack has plenty of stock footage, it is integrated better into the film. I also like the Human part of "Godzilla Vs. Gigan" better then the human story of "All Monsters Attack" but Honda still did a good job putting it together, and it is better paced and constructed then "Godzilla Vs. Gigan".

Same thing with "Godzilla Vs. Megalon" it is another movie with Godzilla and Gigan added in so it would be more marketable. It uses stock footage also but at least the scenes from "Godzilla Vs. Gigan" are close to the look of "Godzilla Vs. Megalon".

[Mr. Xeno]

I honestly thought this was a terrible film, primarily because of the onslaught of stock footage, which actually serve as a double-edged sword by pointing out how inferior the new model work is.

The special effects are also pretty bad. The new model work barely looks like buildings, as stated above Ghidorah's heads barely move, the suits are falling apart... it's just awful.

There are some nice parts, though. For example, there's a moment where the scene cuts from a monster battle to the humans, who are next to the Godzilla tower. The battle music heard during the fight suddenly becomes much quieter background music, almost as if the music is coming from physical source on screen. I know this is technically done so we can hear the dialogue, and is probably not the intended effect, but still, that's what it always came off as to me.

The main character's comic drawings were always great to see, too, and the human characters are all likable.

[kamilleblu]

Easily the worst on screen appearance for King Ghidorah.

The Miniatures used for the city are probably the worst of the series.

While All Monsters Attack has plenty of stock footage, it is integrated better into the film. I also like the Human part of "Godzilla Vs. Gigan" better then the human story of "All Monsters Attack" but Honda still did a good job putting it together, and it is better paced and constructed then "Godzilla Vs. Gigan".

Same thing with "Godzilla Vs. Megalon" it is another movie with Godzilla and Gigan added in so it would be more marketable. It uses stock footage also but at least the scenes from "Godzilla Vs. Gigan" are close to the look of "Godzilla Vs. Megalon".

Zone Fighter begs to differ.

The miniatures weren't that bad, no worse than the ones from Hedorah and the MechaGodzilla duology.

The producers made the mistake of having a night battle. Makes me think the stock footage was thrown in at the last minute when they realized the budget wasn't enough. Though depending on when this decision was made, they could have transitioned from the nighttime attack on Tokyo into the actual fight taking place during the day.

Megalon has an even weaker story, less interesting characters, lesser soundtrack, and a worse attack on the "city" scene. How people place this over Godzilla vs. Gigan I may never understand.

[szmigiel]

Zone Fighter begs to differ.

The miniatures weren't that bad, no worse than the ones from Hedorah and the MechaGodzilla duology.

The producers made the mistake of having a night battle. Makes me think the stock footage was thrown in at the last minute when they realized the budget wasn't enough. Though depending on when this decision was made, they could have transitioned from the nighttime attack on Tokyo into the actual fight taking place during the day.

Megalon has an even weaker story, less interesting characters, lesser soundtrack, and a worse attack on the "city" scene. How people place this over Godzilla vs. Gigan I may never understand.

It may have been the way the miniatures are shot during the city destruction scenes that bother me the most in "Godzilla Vs. Gigan, scenes like his foot crashing into the building, and the cars sitting on the roadways in the foreground. Most close up shots that really make the miniatures look cheap. "Godzilla Vs. Hedorah" had limited city scenes, and "Godzilla Vs. Megalon" pretty much used the same stock footage as "Godzilla Vs. Gigan" without the close ups. Of the late 70's films the city destruction in "Terror of Mechagodzilla" stands above the others.

Storywise neither "Godzilla Vs. Gigan" or "Godzilla Vs. Megalon" are that strong, one is not really head and shoulders above the other.

At least "Godzilla Vs. Megalon" has a score written for it and not just reused stock music.

Those are my reasons for placing "Godzilla Vs. Megalon" over "Godzilla Vs. Gigan".

[ILL GREEN]

I felt Anguirus knew he was useless. The way he had that look on his face when Gigan was beating on Godzilla, as if he had to do something or die trying.

[KaijuFiend]

Wow, the proposed projects for this film are really neat. I probably would have liked them more than what we got, especially with all the new and lesser-used kaiju.

Regardless, I love this film. It may be riddled with flaws, but I have a nostalgic fondness for it.

[three]

really not a fan of this one. at best, we got Gigan. that's all the good i have to say about it.

[eabaker]

really not a fan of this one. at best, we got Gigan. that's all the good i have to say about it.

I love Gigan, I love the Godzilla/Angilas team, and I love the way that the comic book theme is integrated into nearly all aspects of the narrative and the storytelling style.

[edgaguirus]

It also has a good rampage scene. You can just feel the glee Gigan gets sawing that building.

[Pkmatrix]

I should rewatch this one. The last time I did, a year ago, it was the first time in years and I was a little too aware of the stock footage to really enjoy it. It was the first time I really noticed it and it distracted. >_> I need to watch it again with my brain turned off!

[kamilleblu]

Given that his budgets were only around half of what was standard during the "Golden Age," Jun Fukuda actually did exceptional work. Personally I would have made shorter films instead of pulling scenes from older films, though I'm not certain how much control he had over this. The success of Gamera might have influenced this decision, as those films relied on stock footage too and were doing well. With this film in mind specifically, the transition between original material and recycled scenes would have been less noticeable if the final battle was set during the day. Plus the older battles scenes have a considerably faster pace. Which makes me wonder if this was the intention before they started filming or something they decided during the filming process. I'm curious how much different the final battle would be with the stock footage removed.

Even still, this is one of my favorites. I love the human characters, score (like a "best of collections"), general feel of the film, and monster action.

[eabaker]

I feel like, of his Godzilla movies, this and GvsMG were the ones where Fukuda was working in a predominately action/adventure style with which he was really comfortable. But, where GvsMG's script doesn't offer much besides snarling villains and people running and punching, Gigan has enough strange ideas and interesting thematic threads that it never feels like a one-trick pony. It's the perfect Godzilla movie for just kicking back and enjoying some goofy, self-aware fun. A lot of people misuse the word "camp" when describing Godzilla movies in general, but in the case of Gigan, it is a genuine, successful exercise in the true camp aesthetic.