Talkback Thread #13: Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

[edgaguirus]

Or to hear the JJ song.

[Masterofsome01]

Or to hear the JJ song.

Well obviously to hear that headbanger of course too, but that's a given

[Gojira1604]

It's fun!
Full superhero mode Godzilla. Made the transition into the next movie's fake Godzilla twist more effective I think.

[The Killer Meteor]

Is there a reason this film was treated as public domain for so long in the US?

[Terasawa]

The U.S. version evidently was released without a proper copyright notice. The law at that time required a copyright notice which included the word "copyright" (or an abbreviation, or the copyright symbol), the year, and the copyrighting entity: most copies of the U.S. version of Godzilla vs. Megalon have none of these. The Anchor Bay release, for example:



But when Sci-Fi licensed the film from Toho circa 1993/94, Toho's supplied transfer had a crude copyright notice printed in:



Note that larger notice is still incomplete (no "copyright"), which probably explains the smaller copyright notice that was done on video.

The film ultimately is still copyrighted because the original version is copyrighted in Japan (and the U.S., for that matter). Because this is a derivative version of a copyrighted work, this version is not public domain, even with the missing notice. This also goes for the other Godzilla films which suffered numerous unlicensed releases in the 1980s: Ghidrah, Godzilla versus the Sea Monster, Son of Godzilla, and Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster.

[SpiderZilla]

Is there a reason this film was treated as public domain for so long in the US?

Wikipedia and IMDb claim it was a mistaken belief without going into detail. I heard that a US print failed to include a copyright notice and the error allowed that specific print to go into public domain after only a few years. But I also remember reading a lengthy article about the history of copyright laws around the world in which several nations (including the US) drafted a new law that allowed film studios like Toho to re-establish their copyright over films that had fallen into the public domain. I wish I could find that article.

Update:

I haven’t found the article but what I did find is starting to ring a bell. I think it goes something like this.

Toho licensed GvM to an American distributor to translate into English. However the American distributor either didn’t include a copyright notice or the notice failed to meet the required standards of the copyright law in the US. Without a valid copyright notice, the print fell into the public domain and VHS distributors began releasing it on on their own labels. Toho was unable to reclaim copyright under the law at the time because US copyright law was deficient at protecting derivative works. This was the print’s status until 1988 when the US ratified the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 which is what allowed Toho to reclaim copyright on any derivative prints in the public domain.

I welcome anyone to fill in the missing details or correct my mistakes.

[The Killer Meteor]

I always find it jarring that that horrid screechy dub for Roku-chan in Megalon was done by the lady who voiced some very sexy babes in Gigan and Mechagozilla. She normally has a nice voice!

Ted Thomas is a hoot as Antonio..."Our underwater world!!!!"

[LegendZilla]

Of all the Showa Godzilla films, why is it that this one got the most amount of success compared to most upon its western relase?

[godjacob]

Of all the Showa Godzilla films, why is it that this one got the most amount of success compared to most upon its western relase?

Got a lot of exposure because I believe a major network (NBC?) aired it as a prime time special hosted by John Belushi which got a lot of eyes to it. Leading to plenty of reruns on syndication and cable and it being featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000

[LegendZilla]

Of all the Showa Godzilla films, why is it that this one got the most amount of success compared to most upon its western relase?

Got a lot of exposure because I believe a major network (NBC?) aired it as a prime time special hosted by John Belushi which got a lot of eyes to it. Leading to plenty of reruns on syndication and cable and it being featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000

I am talking about is initial theatrical run.

[godjacob]

Of all the Showa Godzilla films, why is it that this one got the most amount of success compared to most upon its western relase?

Got a lot of exposure because I believe a major network (NBC?) aired it as a prime time special hosted by John Belushi which got a lot of eyes to it. Leading to plenty of reruns on syndication and cable and it being featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000

I am talking about is initial theatrical run.

Ah, well I think that is just it got a big sort of marketing push most Godzilla films lacked when it was released for the West. Unsure why specifically this one got such a boost but it is what it is.

[LegendZilla]

^I’m betting Cinema Shares paid critics to positively review the film.

[The Killer Meteor]

^I’m betting Cinema Shares paid critics to positively review the film.

I think mainstream critics find it a hoot (Haliwell's Film Guide considered it the most fun of the ones they reviewed), genre critics found it an embarassment.

[eabaker]

^I’m betting Cinema Shares paid critics to positively review the film.

I doubt that the American audience for a Godzilla movies in the 70s was particularly concerned about how well-reviewed the films were.

[Legion1979]

It had been 4 years since the last Godzilla movie in America. This silly film probably came across as a bit of a novelty. Possibly Cinema Shares knew this, and their marketing seems to acknowledge it.

[Terasawa]

It really didn't get great reviews. The review summary in Boxoffice towards the end of 1976 showed that it received "good reviews" from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, but only a fair review in Boxoffice and a poor review from the New York Daily News. These are the same kind of mixed reviews that most of the preceding Toho FX movies got.

Box office receipts are much harder to examine considering how differently films were released back then, but from the little available evidence, I don't think it did considerably that much more business than most Godzilla movies before it. Even Mel Maron (Cinema Shares president) told Boxoffice that the early returns for Godzilla vs. the Bionic Monster were *better* than the early numbers for Godzilla vs. Megalon.

[edgaguirus]

The 70s trailer certainly makes it seem like a big and exciting match between monsters.

[Zero One]

Ok so i grew up on this film and and still one of my favortes. Everything is fast pace and has pleanty of kaiju action and a steady plot.Megalon is a cool kaiju and jet jaguar whos ok. The plot is weird but typical for the showa era films of the 70s and the charaters are ok.
All in all Godzilla vs Megalon is a good but not great godzilla film.

[edgaguirus]

In a way, this movie makes me think of the Ultraman episode "Overthrow the Surface." We've got an underground society with designs on the surface world, their agents working on the surface, and this society tries to gain control of Ultraman.

[Gojira-Fan]

While I have to say most of the times I have watched this I found myself not really digging it, this last time I watched it I found it to be very endearing. I think the soundtrack really elevates this one to me. I can't stop humming the Jet Jaguar theme...