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

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

Post by _JNavs_ »

Where is GvG generally considered on the scale of G films? I still love it for a few reasons, Godzilla tower (such a unique "building" set piece), Godzilla and Anguirus' brotherly bond (plus their suits were fantastic), Ghidorah and Gigan were the best duo in the franchise (outside of G and Angy), and the whole "corporations = bad" plot was pretty decent.
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Re: Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Post by Terasawa »

I think most fans are well aware of its flaws but there's definitely a contingent that regards it well because it's just a lot of fun. The average G-fan probably puts it somewhere in the middle of the pack.
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Re: Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Post by szmigiel »

For me it always ranks at the bottom due to all the issues I have with it. The biggest is the stock footage, every time there is a cut, the difference in quality is so jarring between the stock footage and the new footage. The day to night filter doesn't help. Too often with the new footage KG is immobile which is a stark contrast to previous footage used. The whole thing with Anguirus swimming to Japan, getting shot at with Masers, then going back to Monster Island, just to leave again with Godzilla is such pointless filler.

The human characters are about the only thing I enjoy when watching the film.

I will watch it again once I get the Showa collection in, I plan to rewatch everything in order, but I don't think my opinion will change much.

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

Post by GojiDog »

_JNavs_ wrote:Where is GvG generally considered on the scale of G films? I still love it for a few reasons, Godzilla tower (such a unique "building" set piece), Godzilla and Anguirus' brotherly bond (plus their suits were fantastic), Ghidorah and Gigan were the best duo in the franchise (outside of G and Angy), and the whole "corporations = bad" plot was pretty decent.
When I first got on the internet back in 96 or so, it was generally listed towards the bottom.

In recent years though, more fans seem to be have been kinder to it.

Personally, it was one of my favorites as a kid, and then when I got older, I turned on it when all the issues with it became more obvious and I listed it towards the bottom myself as one of the 5 worst entries. With a little more time and reflection, I now find myself looking back on it more fondly, warts and all.

In many ways, it suffers from the same issues Godzilla Vs. Megalon has, but where as that film is near unredeemable outside of its cooky climactic battle, Godzilla Vs. Gigan has a little bit more to offer.

For starters, it gave us Gigan, who is easily one of the coolest Godzilla foes. To me, this was also cemented Anguirus' legacy as Godzilla's best sidekick, which is funny because I believe he was in this film just so they could use stock footage of him from DAM, but he's such a tough and tenacious guy that its hard to dismiss him. And to this day, I will always remember my jaw dropping when Godzilla bled, which I didn't even know was possible until this film. Also, while King Ghidorah is clearly there just to use stock footage, his presence elevates the film. Even in the 70s, Ghidorah being in a film added a little extra sizzle to the steak.

I also kind of like the human cast as well. They are basically a Scooby Doo gang, minus the dog, but there is something oddly appealing about a cartoonist, a hippie, and a girlfriend with a blackbelt all trying to uncover an alien invader conspiracy. I am also surprised at how effective tense and dramatic the sequence of Godzilla being burned down by the Godzilla Tower. Thinking about my reaction as a kid, I actually thought Godzilla was going to die, so I cheered when the humans saved his life, a first for the series (their method of saving him was a bit wonky, but whatever).

There are obvious negatives to the film: Its obviously low production values (use of stock footage, the hilariously bad Ghidorah puppet, Godzilla suit falling apart, etc.), the aliens' being kind of dumb with executing their plan, Godzilla and Anguirus talking, and a couple of other things. However, I've gotten to a point where I can accept the positives of the film I view it more favorably.

The musical score for the film basically serves as a microcosm for the film. Basically, all they did was recycle Akira Ifukube's work from previous films. On the surface that can be seen as lazy or a quick way to cut corners and work within limitations. But, even with such a cost cutting move, the music cues they picked are great and perfectly accentuate the best moments of the film, so even with their hands tied, they managed to make something good out of it.
Last edited by GojiDog on Wed Sep 25, 2019 12:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Post by Terasawa »

I hope whoever edited this movie's soundtrack got a substantial raise or promotion. Everything from the selection of cues to how they're used in the film is perfect. I've always loved that the monster battle music plays at a low volume during Gengo & friends' Tower escape and infiltration sequences. It's almost like the music is part of the battle and can be heard off in the distance.
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Re: Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Post by TitanoGoji16 »

Terasawa wrote:I've always loved that the monster battle music plays at a low volume during Gengo & friends' Tower escape and infiltration sequences. It's almost like the music is part of the battle and can be heard off in the distance.
I've always thought that as well, that the music is off in the distance. And really, it almost feels like that was the intent. Otherwise, why would they be playing music during a scene and then play it so quietly? It's a small detail about the film I've always loved.
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Re: Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Post by daveblackeye15 »

Yeah it does have a pretty good cast doesn't it? The movie certainly looks really good.
About all Godzilla vs. Megalon has is Megalong and it took Jet Jaguar a decades with a video game and Rulers of the Earth to get love.
Oh and the damn sequence.

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

Post by BlankAccount »

This movie is better than it has any right to be.

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

Post by Omegazilla »

Terasawa wrote:
Omegazilla wrote:shameless stock footage
Not so shameless, according to this interview in Japan's Favorite Mon-Star:

Q: How did you feel about using so much stock footage for the special effects sequences in [Godzilla vs. Gigan]?

Teruyoshi Nakano: I hated it, but there was no choice. Of course it hurt me when I had to re-use those scenes, but there was no other way - we did not have the time or the money to film new scenes.
haha thanks for link. Good to see the director had standards. It makes sense though given the budget for Godzilla movies at that time.

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

Post by Xenofauna »

Terasawa wrote:The English-dubbed version of Godzilla vs. Gigan is a masterpiece.
Accurate.

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

Post by JesstrK »

It was actually the first or second Godzilla movie I ever saw as a kid (the other was the original), so since I hadn't seen most of the previous movies I had no way of knowing this movie was even using stock footage from them, therefore I wasn't bothered by it. So it ended up being one of my favorites and is probably a big reason why I prefer Godzilla to be heroic to this day.

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

Post by edgaguirus »

I never gave the stock footage much thought as I just watched it to enjoy it. I can tell what scenes are reused, but given how tight production budgets were, they made a good film.
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Re: Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Post by Crazy Jim Films »

Terasawa wrote: I've always loved that the monster battle music plays at a low volume during Gengo & friends' Tower escape and infiltration sequences. It's almost like the music is part of the battle and can be heard off in the distance.
You know, that's one of those subtle stylistic choices that never quite registered until now. I've always seen "Gigan" as doing a much, more efficient job of piecing together the stock elements than "Megalon".
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Re: Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Post by BlankAccount »

IMO this movie is how to make a good movie when you only have enough time to use stock footage for most of the effects bits.
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Re: Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Living Corpse wrote:IMO this movie is how to make a good movie when you only have enough time to use stock footage for most of the effects bits.
The misleading thing is that the stock footage isn't even that important to the movie, and the film would be fine, and be substantial without it.

All the stuff with Angurius, minus a quick moment with Ghidorah is completely new. That includes the scenes of him swimming with Godzilla, coming ashore and encountering the military, and fighting Gigan.

The movie also has a really good destruction sequence in a city, that lingers, something that really had been lacking since the original film. That entire sequence with Gigan and Ghidorah, if you removed the stock footage, would have been more than enough. All the stuff with Godzilla and Gigan, and the tower, is a lot as well.
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Re: Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Post by Terasawa »

Obviously it would have been preferable to have filmed entirely new FX sequences but I think all three of the stock footage heavy Godzillas (Revenge, Gigan, and Megalon) use their recycled footage to their strengths. I don't think Megalon would have the same frenetic energy had the stock footage been assembled and implemented as it had in Godzilla vs. Gigan.

But all that said, it's this film that uses stock footage to replicate what had been the norm for the franchise in the 1960s, so I think that's why a lot of fans prefer how it was done here.
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Re: Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Post by szmigiel »

I think Toho shouldn't have made this film, instead fill the slot in the Champion Festival with a recut 60's film. Then spent more time making a movie that didn't try to reuse so much footage from past films. I don't mind the plot, I like Gigan and Space Hunter Nebula M Cockroches, just think the final project is hurt by trying to splice in as much footage of Ghidorah as possible.

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

Post by JAGzilla »

It's hurt by that, yes, but otherwise the movie is very fun and introduced both Gigan himself, one of Toho's more visually standout creations, and the idea of Godzilla and Anguirus as friends and allies. The good outweighs the bad several times over.
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Re: Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Post by edgaguirus »

Agreed. G vs Gigan isn't perfect, but it's a good and entertaining film. As for the stock footage, I feel it serves, rather than takes away from, the film. In addition, we have a great city destruction sequence and Anguillas.
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Re: Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Post by szmigiel »

Not saying Gigan shouldn't have been used, he could be introduced in the film that they make instead. Most of the script ideas featured introducing Gigan and Megalon. Honestly if I was going to pick a kaiju to represent space cockroaches, it would be Megalon (Blasphemy I know).

As far as Anguirus rep for being Godzilla's dog, it is do to this film, but his rep for being an aggressive bullheaded fighter was already cemented in DAM when he charged Ghidoarh. As far as the friend and allies, you can make the comment that long time ally Rodan was kicked to the curve in the Champion Festival films and replaced by Anguirus (cause his suit was newer).

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