Retro Sci-Fi: Gammera The Invincible (1965)(Gamera)

The Super-Monster even the H-Bomb cannot destroy!

A group of Soviet fighter planes carrying nuclear weapons is shot down of the North Pole. The resulting crash detonates one of the bombs waking a giant prehistoric turtle, Gamera (Gammera), from a million year old hibernation. The titanic turtle takes little time destroying a research ship before taking off in search of the energy it needs to recharge itself.

Unlike Godzilla the destruction Gamera dishes out on Japan is not nature striking back at mankind, but a simple quest for food. Also, like Godzilla, mankind's vast array of weapons have no effect on the monster. A plan to sedate the creature long enough for tons of dynamite are placed around it and detonated does nothing to curve the carnage.

Related: Gamera vs Gyaos (1967) Rare Japanese Movie Monster Publicity Photo

In a move somewhat out of character the monster saves the life of young boy who was watching the creature from a lighthouse the monster would destroy. Gamera would reach out it's gigantic hand and catch the lad in mid fall and place him safely on the ground. From this point on Gamera would be known as the protector of children.

The world's scientific community would come up with one final plan to save mankind. Gamera would be lured to a remote island where a giant rocket was constructed to transport the creature far into space where it could never return.

Success!

Gamera would take the bait and become trapped in the massive nose cone of the spaceship. Earth was saved...well until the next film anyway.

In the late 1950's and early 1960's Toho had the monopoly on Kaiju (Monster Films) made in Japan. Another film maker Daiei was about to change that with the release of the film "Daikaiju Gamera" or as we know it here in the US "Gamera the Invincible". Gamera would prove to be a success for Daiei and spawn it's own series of films just like their rival Godzilla. In the world of kaiju though Gamera would always play second string behind Toho's mighty monster. The stories and special effects always seemed to be a step below the competition. Eventually Daiei would put their turtle on the shelf while the Godzilla franchise would keep on making films.



Director Noriaki Yuasa initially began production on a film titled Dai gunju Nezura (lit. The Great Rat Swarm) which would involve real rats crawling over miniatures of cities. The rats received for the film had fleas, which halted production on Dai gunju Nezura. The success of Toho's Godzilla films led to the rival company Daiei to create a monster series of its own. As the miniatures for the film were already built, Masaichi Nagata had to develop a giant monster to attack the city and had the idea for a giant flying turtle. Yuasa and screenwriter Nisan Takahashi developed the idea into the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster. Special effects technician Ryosaku Takayama designed the turtle suit used in the film.

The films created by Daiei were aimed at younger children than the Godzilla films of the period and had lower budgets. Gamera, the Giant Monster was the only film in the series shot in black-and-white. Yuasa stated that the first Gamera film had a budget of about ¥40 million and that the film went "over budget a little bit". Due to the commercial success of the first Gamera film, the second film had a expanded budget that Yuasa stated was 80,000,000 yen.

Let's Rock!

The veteran Canadian metal heads Varga released "Enter the Metal" in 2013 which featured a hard rocking tune about everyone's favorite titanic turtle. At the time lead singer Adam Alex was asked about their song Gamera.



"Gamera is an eight minute song in which we try to lay down a soundscape to the images of the legendary science fiction monster causing havoc and chaos across the Japanese countryside. The numerous parts and grooves we laid down are meant to represent different aspects of the story and provide the listener a soundtrack for the destruction that ensues."

In the mid 1990's Daiei decided to bring Gamra out of mothballs and restart the series with new direction, new monsters, and state of the art scripts and effects. The timing was perfect for Daiei. Toho had just decided to give the Godzilla series a break and focus on other projects. The stage was set and the door wide open for a Gamera comeback. The first of the new series "Gamera Guardian of the Universe" would draw great praise from critics and fans alike. In most ways these new Gamera films would be better than the Godzilla films that Toho had been making. Gamera was now on top. The series had new life and Gamera was again on the kaiju scene.

The Gamera Song:

Gamera!
Gamera!
You are strong, Gamera!
You are strong, Gamera!
You are strong, Gamera!
M! M! J! V!
M! M! J! V!
Monsters coming from Mars,
Or some other alien world?
Come on, space monsters!
Bring it on!
Let's cut and poke!
Okay, go-go-go!
Using spinning jets,
He will win!
You are strong, Gamera!
You are strong, Gamera!
You are strong, Gamera!

Gamera, the Giant Monster was released in Japan on November 27, 1965. The film was a bigger hit than the studio expected, which led to a higher budget for the second film, Gamera vs. Barugon.

An edited version of the film was released theatrically in the United States on December 15, 1966 as Gammera the Invincible. This version contained additional scenes with American actors, a new theme song by the Moons and all Japanese dialogue dubbed in English, making the U.S. version run at 86 minutes. These included the scenes with the Alaskan army base, the Pentagon and the U.N. headquarters. This version of the film was also shown frequently on American television in the 1970s.

Daikaiju Gamera / Gamera The Invincible (1965)

AKA: Gamera (1965), Gamera The Invincible (1965), Gammera (1965), The Invincible Gammera (1966), The Giant Monster Gamera (1965)Dikaiju Gamera / Gamera (1965)

Directed By: Sandy Howard and Noriaki Yuasa
Written By: Nisan Takahashi and Richard Kraft

Cast:

Brian Donlevy as Gen Terry Arnold
Albert Dekker as The Secretary of Defense
Walter Arnold as American Ambassador
John Baragrey as Capt. Lovell
Gene Bua as Lt. Clark
Bob Carraway as Lt. Simpson
Diane Findlay as Sgt. Susan Embers
Eiji Funakoshi as Dr. Hidaka
Jun Hamamura as Dr. Murase
Bokuzen Hidori as Old Man
George Hirose as Japanese Ambassador
Harumi Kiritachi as Kyoke

Runtime: 80 Minutes Japan, 86 Minutes USA
Color: Black & White
Sound: Mono
Released: November 26, 1965

Kadokawa Working On 50th Anniversary Gamera Movie!

Written By Ken Hulsey
Sources: Anime News Network, Avery Battles, Yuki Morita

While Legendary Pictures is finishing up on their production of a 60th anniversary Godzilla film here in the states back in Japan Kadokawa studios is in the early stages of production on a 50th anniversary Gamera movie. The plans for this new film were revealed recently when the Japanese retailer Amiami listed an advertisement for the upcoming Summer issue of Newtype magazine that has the exclusive scoop on the details. The issue will reportedly contain storyboard images and other pre-production art. Until now a 50th anniversary Gamera film had been speculated but not confirmed.

In recent years Kadokawa has shown a great interest in resurrecting the fantasy film franchises' of Daiei starting with 2010's 'Daimajin Kanon, a television drama based on the studio's Daimajin trilogy produced in the late 1960s.

Many fans of the Japanese giant monster genre (kaiju-eiga) consider Kadokawa's three Heisei era (1995 - 1999) to be the best ever produced. That being said the last Gamera movie, the 2006 release 'Gamera: The Brave' failed to recapture that glory. It will be interesting to see just what Kadokawa will have up it's sleeve to try and keep pace with Legendary's 'Godzilla' and the new bread of Kaiju films being produced in Japan as of late.

History:

Like all classic monster movies, it is the folly of man that unleashes a ginormous beast upon the world. This time it is literal fallout from the Cold War — a Soviet bomber is shot down over U.S. airspace in the Arctic Ocean, with the massive radiation from the resultant atomic explosion awakening the ancient, gargantuan Gamera. A long-forgotten legend of the lost continent of Atlantis, the 200-foot-long, fire-eating turtle isn't in a good mood, and proving impervious to all manmade weapons, the colossal chelonian smashes a cataclysmic swath across the globe. But when he arrives in Tokyo, a small boy forms an odd connection with him, allowing authorities to unleash “Plan Z.”

The classic Gamera was directed Noriaki Yuasa, who helmed all seven of the original Gamera entries in the Showa era series between 1965 and 1971, and stars Eiji Funakoshi (Fires On The Plain), Harumi Kiritachi, Junichiro Yamashiko and Jutaro Hojo (Wrath of Daimajin). The subsequent franchise was more kid-friendly (yet ironically bloodier) than Godzilla, who became less menacing and more cuddly himself during the Sixties. The Gamera series was creative in the monstrous nemeses that it pitted against the towering turtle, the most famous being the flying, pointy-headed Gyaos, who was resurrected for the successful trio of movies in the Heisei-era series between 1995 and 1999.

Entertainment Weekly Takes A Look At Gamera

We've already seen multiple cities laid to waste in blockbusters this summer, and now even more are in peril thanks to Guillermo del Toro's monster mash Pacific Rim. But that movie inherited its appetite for destruction from the ultimate source of unplanned urban renovation: the giant-beasties kaiju films of Japanese cinema, a genre best known for the movie that started it all, Godzilla (1954, 1 hr., 38 mins., Not Rated). Born out of a combination of the nation's postatomic fears and burgeoning studio system, this classic film created the model that most of its successors would follow: An enormous rubbery creature, often of radiated origin, attacks a metropolis, stomping down streets packed with screaming bystanders and shrugging off artillery fire like mosquito bites. A large stable of recognizable kaiju soon developed, mostly a product of Japan's fabled Toho Studios and its director, Ishiro Honda, to whom del Toro has dedicated his film. In addition to introducing the world to Godzilla, Honda brought us Rodan, Mothra, and the three-headed King Ghidorah.

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"Destroy All Planets 2010": The Case of the Missing DVD

"Destroy All Planets 2010": The Case of the Missing DVD

by Armand Vaquer

An alert fan discovered today that the Retromedia DVD, Destroy All Planets 2010 has "mysteriously vanished" from Amazon.com's website.

No doubt this may be due to the issues Ryan Clark and other fans raised pertaining to the rights issue at Amazon.com and several kaiju-oriented message boards.

This is probably a cautionary move on Amazon.com's part until the rights issues are resolved.

UPDATE: The DVD is still being offered at Amazon.com.

FOR THE RECORD: Kaiju historian August Ragone commented on several message boards about the rights issues. I had quoted him as he has the most knowledge on Japanese movie companies, DVD & screening rights and many other facets. As his comments are on several public message boards, I took the liberty in quoting him. Unfortunately, I should have given him a "head's up" first. It was not my intention to box him into the fray which may give someone the impression that this was an "August vs. Retromedia" situation. It wasn't. He also expressed that he'd like to also hear what Carl Craig has to say in his commentary. He was only speaking as a fan and not in any official (or otherwise) capacity with his role in Shout! Factory's Gamera releases. I apologize if that is the impression given.

"Destroy All Planets 2010" Controversy - Part II

"Destroy All Planets 2010" Controversy - Part II

by Armand Vaquer

Avery Guerra, who has been a reliable source for news and behind-the-scenes info on many movie productions, posted this message from Fred Olen Ray at the Monster Zero message board about the Destroy All Planets 2010 DVD controversy:

"I have never been contacted by anyone associated with these films in the ten years we have distributed them except about five years ago when I emailed Daiei to ask about buying rights to the wide screen versions and they told me they didn't own the US rights. Toei likewise denied knowing anything about THE MAGIC SERPENT which we also tried to buy the wide screen rights for at the AFM three years ago.

Otherwise as far as we know there are no rights issues "a'brewing".

The biggest point that everyone is missing is that I only put this out because I was led to believe that the fans wanted it. I had no intention, or desire, to do this, all my usual distribution outlets had turned it down... but I was encouraged by fans to invest in doing the commentary, which we did, but then thought better of putting the show out as it would have to compete with a plethora of other editions.

Continual and repeated emails from fans made me want to offer it to them, but I didn't believe there was enough people really wanting it to do a big run so I went the Amazon.com route so copies would only be created for those who really wanted it... why can't anybody see that I only tried to give them what they kept asking me for? I could give a OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE otherwise... this could have stayed on the shelf for the rest of my life and I wouldn't care. I'm not going to make any real money off the Amazon release, it was done strictly for the fans who asked me for this. It might move a grand total of 25 copies, who knows? Get a life guys, I have bigger and better things to do. The DVD company is my hobby, not my business, I do it for the fans... but probably should have known better.

On different points "Ryan" posted his slander in Amazon's "Customer Review", a section created so that people who have actually bought products on Amazon can view them, then create a review of them. It's not your private flame forum, dude. If this basement dweller doesn't understand the concept of "customer review" then maybe someone should cut him off from a word processor.

Secondly, Copyright registrations begin with the letters PA, not V... don't you kids ever do your homework? The copyright registration the other ignorant guy puts forth is also BS... that's a transfer letter and has nothing to do with registration. Period. He hasn't a clue about copyright laws.

The item you mention is probably a transfer for banking purposes, I don't even need to look at it to know it's not a registration of copyright. Please write 100 times "I will know what I'm talking about before embarrassing myself on-line again".

Third, I'm legally not able to disclose the details of the settlement we made regarding this film and its legal action. However, drop your own dime and search the LA Court records... it's there as far as I know...

After all is said and done DESTROY is already out on 30 different labels and has NEVER been out of print on Retro in almost 10 years... I'd say the horse is out of the barn on this one."

FRED

Removed by request of the quoted person for failure to seek permission and being taken out of context

I wonder if Ray tried to contact Kadokawa Pictures through their Los Angeles office when he began this project. It would have only taken a simple phone call at the very least. (I even have their number programed into my cell phone.)

He said he sent emails to Daiei five years ago (was he aware that Kadokawa took them over around about that time or earlier and released Gamera The Brave in April 2006?). We all know that emails get lost, deleted (people thinking they're spam and other reasons) and it appears he might have emailed the wrong person. A traditional business letter would have been more appropriate in this instance (but that's just my opinion), sent via registered or certified mail if need be.

For the record, I happen to like Ray's output and have posted articles about his movies my blog and at Monster Island News, so I have nothing against him. In the blog posts on this DVD, I tried to be even-handed (by posting both sides of the matter) and just stuck to the facts as we know them. He can get permission to release the documents giving him the DVD rights from the parties involved. Doing so could possibly put to rest this matter.

It appears something fell though the cracks involving this particular DVD.

Fight Over "Destroy All Planets" Rights Brewing

Fight Over "Destroy All Planets" Rights Brewing

by Armand Vaquer

A new controversy is brewing over whether or not a Gamera DVD being issued by Retromedia is legitimate or not. Cries of "bootleg" are being posted at the Monster Zero message board. Is it?

The movie in question is Retromedia's DVD of Destroy All Planets 2010 which features a commentary by one of the movie's stars, Carl Craig.

At issue is whether Retromedia has the rights to issue the U.S. version of this movie. Shout! Factory is slated to release the same movie (the subtitled Japanese version) in a few months and this is seen by some as a bit of one-upsmanship by Retromedia.

The movie was originally released in 1968 by Daiei, which was bought out by Kadokawa Pictures.

Removed by request of the quoted person for failure to seek permission and being taken out of context

Fred Olen Ray, who is the owner of Retromedia, said this in a response to Ryan Clark's review post at Amazon.com:

Since this program only became available yesterday it's physically impossible for "Ryan" to have seen it or even have received a copy of the DVD. Your "review" is a lie and obviously fueled by a personal agenda. Retromedia was the first company to ever present the AIP-TV Gamera films to the public on DVD and quickly became the source of material for all the cheap DVD labels that flooded the market afterwards. Retromedia also successfully initiated and won a copyright case based on their release of DESTROY ALL PLANETS, so your claim of illegality is BS as well. This DVD doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. It's simply the best edition of the AIP-TV version of the film ever released on DVD and it has an actors commentary track with star Carl Craig. That's all it advertises as being and that's what it is. Next time try watching the film first before rendering your "opinion", and if you happen to work for a rival DVD company, I'd have to say I'm disappointed... these kind of smear tactics are nothing less than juvenile.

[Note: Ryan Clark never claimed to have viewed the DVD nor received a copy of it.]

In a comment post at the Classic Horror Film Board, Ragone took note of Ray's assertion of rights with:

Fred Olen Ray (who is Retromedia) has retorted to Ryan's comments on the Amazon page (Ryan is just a fan, and not an employee of Shout!), where Ray asserts that "Retromedia also successfully initiated and won a copyright case based on their release of DESTROY ALL PLANETS, so your claim of illegality is BS as well." I'd like to see the paperwork on that, because the rights to the AIP Gameras reverted back to them [i.e., Kadokawa Pictures. - Armand] once their contract with AIP expired. Now, I'm not accusing anyone of any wrong doing, but I'm curious to sort out the truth here (and not through second and third-hand parties).

If all U.S. rights to this film reverted back to Kadokawa (by virtue of buying Daiei), then Retromedia would be in hot water. However, if Fred Olen Ray is correct in claiming that he has the U.S. rights over the U.S. version (and can provide the paperwork to back that up), then he should be able to continue to offer the movie. At this point, no back-up material has been provided by Ray (he's welcome to send it me me and I'll be happy to post it).

Removed by request of the quoted person for failure to seek permission and being taken out of context

To see the CHFB thread for the above quotes, go here.

Removed by request of the quoted person for failure to seek permission and being taken out of context

It will be interesting to see how this one plays out. The courts may have to be the ultimate decider in this matter.

Shout! Factory To Release Gamera DVD

Shout! Factory To Release Gamera DVD

by Armand Vaquer

For years, fans of the Showa Gamera series have been waiting for a quality DVD to be released in the United States. They needn't wait anymore!

Kaiju fandom is abuzz over the news that Shout! Factory is going to release a Gamera DVD May 18th.

Shout! Factory's news release is as follows:

From Japan – the country that brought us such mythical movie monsters as Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah – storms Gamera, the titanic terrapin feared by adults and loved by children. On May 18, 2010, Shout! Factory will unleash Gamera, The Giant Monster – Special Edition on DVD for the first time in its unedited original version, with English subtitles — in anamorphic widescreen from an all-new HD master. The DVD includes a 12-page booklet with an essay by director Noriaki Yuasa, a photo gallery, trailers and more. The collectible Gamera, The Giant Monster Special Edition DVD is priced to own at $19.93.

Like all classic monster movies, it is the folly of man that unleashes a ginormous beast upon the world. This time it is literal fallout from the Cold War — a Soviet bomber is shot down over U.S. airspace in the Arctic Ocean, with the massive radiation from the resultant atomic explosion awakening the ancient, gargantuan Gamera. A long-forgotten legend of the lost continent of Atlantis, the 200-foot-long, fire-eating turtle isn't in a good mood, and proving impervious to all manmade weapons, the colossal chelonian smashes a cataclysmic swath across the globe. But when he arrives in Tokyo, a small boy forms an odd connection with him, allowing authorities to unleash “Plan Z.”

The classic Gamera was directed Noriaki Yuasa, who helmed all seven of the original Gamera entries in the Showa era series between 1965 and 1971, and stars Eiji Funakoshi (Fires On The Plain), Harumi Kiritachi, Junichiro Yamashiko and Jutaro Hojo (Wrath of Daimajin). The subsequent franchise was more kid-friendly (yet ironically bloodier) than Godzilla, who became less menacing and more cuddly himself during the Sixties. The Gamera series was creative in the monstrous nemeses that it pitted against the towering turtle, the most famous being the flying, pointy-headed Gyaos, who was resurrected for the successful trio of movies in the Heisei-era series between 1995 and 1999.

Created by the same company who brought Zatoichi to the screen, Daiei Studios’ titanic terrapin is the only true rival to Toho’s King Of The Monsters, able to hold his own at the box office and secure a place in the hearts of kaiju eiga (Japanese monster movie) fans around the world. The original films have woefully been underrepresented on DVD, a especially release featuring the authentic Japanese versions.

About Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company’s audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. With its fingers on the pulse of pop culture, Shout! Factory continues to impact the entertainment media landscape through acquisition of top quality programming for home entertainment releases. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com

Above, Gamera director Noriaki Yuasa (1933-2004) (left) at G-FEST in 2003. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

August Ragone, author of Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters, is the Special Features Producer for Shout! Factory's Gamera series.

Showa Gamera Movies To Be Released By Shout Factory

Showa Gamera Movies To Be Released By Shout Factory

by Armand Vaquer

There's good news for kaiju fans!

Shout Factory is on the lookout for a 35mm scope print of the U.S. version of Daiei's 1965 feature Daikaiju Gamera, released here as Gammera The Invincible.

Shout Factory has licensed this film along with the 7 other early Showa Gamera films from Kadokawa Pictures, who now owns the Gamera character. Unfortunately, Kadokawa does not own a copy of the U.S. version.

Shout Factory plans to release these movies in HD transfer along with new subtitles and many extras.

The last Gamera movie was Gamera The Brave, released in 2006 by Kadokawa Pictures.