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The War of the Gargantuas

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The War of the Gargantuas
Theatrical release poster
Japanese name
Kanjiフランケンシュタインの quái thú サンダ đối ガイラ
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnFurankenshutain no Kaijū: Sanda tai Gaira
Directed byIshirō Honda
Screenplay by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyHajime Koizumi[1]
Edited byRyohei Fujii[1]
Music byAkira Ifukube[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byToho (Japan)
Maron Films (United States)
Release dates
  • July 31, 1966(1966-07-31)(Japan)
  • July 29, 1970(1970-07-29)(United States)
Running time
88 minutes[2]
CountriesJapan
United States
LanguageJapanese[a]
Box office$3 million(United States)[5]

The War of the Gargantuas(Japanese:フランケンシュタインの quái thú サンダ đối ガイラ,Hepburn:Furankenshutain no Kaijū: Sanda tai Gaira,lit. 'Frankenstein's Monsters: Sanda vs. Gaira')is a 1966kaijufilm directed byIshirō Honda,with special effects byEiji Tsuburaya.Referred by film historianStuart Galbraith IVas a "quasi–sequel" toFrankenstein vs. Baragon,[1]the film was a Japanese-American co-production; it was the third and final collaboration betweenToho Co., LtdandHenry G. Saperstein.[6][7]The film starsRuss Tamblyn,Kumi MizunoandKenji Sahara,with Yû Sekida as Sanda andHaruo Nakajimaas Gaira. In the film, scientists investigate the sudden appearance of two giant hairyhumanoidmonsters that culminates in a battle in Tokyo.

The script's final draft was submitted in April 1966.Tab Hunterwas originally hired by Saperstein, choosing to replaceNick Adams.However, Hunter was replaced by Tamblyn during pre-production. Honda's contract was not renewed and he had to seek employment by speaking to Tanaka on a film-by-film basis. Honda, Saperstein, and chief assistant Seiji Tani noted that Tamblyn was difficult to work with. Tamblyn did the opposite of Honda's instructions, and improvised his lines without Honda's approval. Principal photography began in May 1966 and wrapped in June 1966, with effects photography concluding in July 1966.

The War of the Gargantuaswas theatrically released in Japan on July 31, 1966, followed by a theatrical release in the United States on July 29, 1970 on adouble featurewithMonster Zero.Since its release, the film has been regarded as acult classic,drawing admiration from artists such asBrad Pitt,Hajime Isayama,Guillermo del Toro,Quentin TarantinoandTim Burton.

Plot

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During a rainy night, a fishing boat is attacked by agiant octopus.The giant octopus is then attacked by a giant green-haired humanoid monster. After defeating the giant octopus, the green monster then attacks the boat. A survivor is recovered, who reveals to doctors and police that Frankenstein attacked his boat and ate the crew. The press picks up the story and interviews Dr. Paul Stewart and his assistant, Dr. Akemi Togawa, who once had a baby Frankenstein in their possession for study five years before. Stewart and Akemi dispel the idea that the attack was caused by theirFrankenstein,postulating that their Frankenstein was gentle, would not attack nor eat people, nor would he live in the ocean as he was found in the mountains and likely died after he escaped.

Another boat is attacked and villagers see the green Frankenstein off the coast at the same time that a mountain guide reports seeing Frankenstein in theJapanese Alps.Stewart and Akemi investigate the mountains and find giant footprints in the snow. Their colleague, Dr. Majida, collects tissue samples from the second boat. The green Frankenstein attacksHaneda Airport,eats a woman and returns to the sea after the clouds clear. Stewart and Akemi leave forTokyofor a meeting with the military to discuss plans to kill the monster. Majida deduces that the green Frankenstein issensitive to light.The green Frankenstein briefly appears in Tokyo, but is driven away by bright lights. It retreats to the mountains, where the military counterattacks it. Then a second Frankenstein, brown-haired in appearance, appears and comes to the green Frankenstein's aid, helping it escape.

Stewart and Akemi conclude that the brown Frankenstein is their former subject. To distinguish the monsters, the military designate the brown and green Frankensteins as Sanda and Gaira, respectively. After collecting and examining tissue samples from both monsters, Stewart concludes that Gaira is Sanda's clone. He theorizes that a piece of Sanda's tissue made its way out to sea, where it survived offplanktonand evolved into Gaira. During a hiking trip, Stewart, Akemi and several hikers run away from Gaira. Akemi falls off a ledge, but Sanda saves her in time, injuring his leg in the process. Stewart and Akemi try to convince the military that only Gaira should be killed while Sanda should be spared, but the army ignores their pleas, unwilling to risk letting either monster live. After discovering that Gaira devoured people, Sanda attacks him. Gaira escapes with Sanda pursuing and heads towards Tokyo, no longer deterred by the city lights as they now alert him to the presence of food.

During the evacuation, Akemi vows to save Sanda, but runs into Gaira instead. Sanda stops Gaira from devouring Akemi and Stewart carries her to safety. Sanda tries to plead with Gaira, but the green monster engages Sanda in battle. Stewart tries to convince the military to give Sanda time to defeat Gaira, but fails. However, the military aids Sanda as his battle with Gaira moves from Tokyo toTokyo Bayand further out to sea. As the military drops bombs around the battling Frankensteins, an underwater volcano suddenly erupts, swallowing up both monsters. Majida informs Stewart and Akemi that the monsters' deaths could not be confirmed due to the intense heat, but stresses that nothing could have survived the eruption.

Cast

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Cast taken fromThe Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography.[1]

Production

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The War of the Gargantuaswas the third and final co-production collaboration between Toho andHenry G. Saperstein'sUPA.[1][6]Towards the end of 1965, Toho informed directorIshirō Hondathat his director's contract would not be renewed and Iwao Mori told him that he would need to speak with producerTomoyuki Tanakaabout each assignment.[8]Seiji Tani, Honda's new chief assistant, spoke about actorRuss Tamblynand Honda not agreeing on set, with Tamblyn often doing the exact opposite of what Honda instructed, Tani stated: "Honda-san had to hold back and bear so much during that one. [Russ Tamblyn] was such an asshole".[7]Tamblyn felt his lines in the film were so bad that he improvised them all.[7][3]It was co-producer Saperstein's choice to replaceNick Adamswith Tamblyn, later stating "Tamblyn was a royal pain in the ass".[7]

The film was originally announced asThe Frankenstein Brothers,thenThe Two Frankensteins,Frankenstein vs. Frankenstein,Frankenstein's Decisive Battle,andFrankenstein's Fightduring script writing processes.[3]The film was originally intended as a sequel toFrankenstein vs. Baragon,with Honda biographers Ryfle and Godziszewski noting that the continuity between the two films was "somewhat fuzzy".[3]The film was created quickly, with writer Kimura's final draft on the screenplay being dated 23 April 1966.[9]Honda shot the film's dramatic footage between May 9 and June 4, with Tsuburaya's special effects crew finishing in mid-July.[9]The American version had Honda shoot additional scenes and UPA had Toho release the negatives, outtakes and other footage such as sound and music elements.[10]Tab Hunterwas originally cast as Dr. Stewart, but was replaced by Tamblyn during pre-production.[11]

Release

[edit]

Theatrical

[edit]

The film was released theatrically in Japan on July 31, 1966 byToho.[9]The Glen Glenn Sound English dub received a theatrical release in the United States by Maron Films asThe War of the Gargantuason July 29, 1970,[12]where it was released as a double feature withMonster Zero,which was also dubbed by Glen Glenn Sound.[13]In the United Kingdom, the film was titledDuel of the Gargantuas.[1]The War of the GargantuasandMonster Zerowere intended to be released earlier; however, distributors did not think that either film had potential until 1970, when Saperstein made a deal with Maron Films.[5]

Home media

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In 2008,Classic Mediareleased a two-disc DVD of the film as a double feature withRodan.Both films included their original Japanese versions and American dubbed versions withRodanpresented in its native fullscreen scope andThe War of the Gargantuasin its original widescreen ratio. This release also features the documentaryBringing Godzilla Down to Size,detailing the history andtokusatsutechniques of the genre.[2]In 2010,Tohoreleased the film on Blu-ray, which includes special features such as an audio commentary by Kumi Mizuno, outtakes, trailers and behind-the-scenes photo galleries.[14]In 2017,Janus FilmsandThe Criterion Collectionacquired the international dub of the film, as well asRodanand several Godzilla films, to stream onStarzandFilmStruck.[15]The international dub was made available onHBO Maxupon its launch.[16]

English versions

[edit]

Toho commissioned an English dub, referred to as the "international dub", for overseas markets. The international dub is a direct translation of the Japanese version, keeping references to the monsters as Frankensteins and having Tamblyn's English dialogue dubbed over by another actor. In 1998, film historians Stuart Galbraith IV and Steve Ryfle namedFrontier Enterprises,a Tokyo-based company, as the studio that dubbed the international version.[17][18]The international dub remained unreleased[1]until late 2017, when the filmRodanand several Godzilla films appeared onStarz's streaming service afterJanus FilmsandThe Criterion Collectionobtained the rights to the films.[15]

Co-producerHenry G. Sapersteincommissioned a separate English dub fromGlen Glenn Sound,aLos Angeles-based company, for the film's American release.[13]This version omits all references toFrankenstein vs. Baragon,with the creatures being referred to as "Gargantuas" instead of "Frankensteins" or by their names. This version also includes additional footage not featured in the Japanese version, making the American version run at 92 minutes.[2]Tamblyn's original dialogue soundtrack was lost during production and he was called back to re-dub his lines. Tamblyn worked without a script and had to rely on improvising his lines based on the footage's lip movement due to his inability to remember his original lines.[4]

Legacy

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In 1997, filmmakerShusuke Kanekostated that when planning hisGameratrilogy with screenwriterKazunori Itō,he aimed to model it afterThe War of the Gargantuas.[19]

The film inspired parts ofQuentin Tarantino's 2004 filmKill Bill: Volume 2,such as a miniature shot ofTokyomade specifically for the film and the fight scene betweenUma ThurmanandDaryl Hannahwhich Tarantino dubbed the "War of the Blonde Gargantuas". Tarantino had screened the film for Hannah and Hannah's character uses the word "gargantuan" several times.[20][21]

In 2011,manga artistHajime Isayamacited the film's titular monsters as an inspiration for the Titans in his best-selling manga series,Attack on Titan,stating: "When I was in the lower grades of elementary school, I happened to watch a film calledFrankenstein's Monsters: Sanda vs. Gaira[sic] on a TV at a public hall during an evacuation drill. One of the two hairy monsters uprooted a tree and hit the other monster. That scene was really scary... It was a long time ago, so it may not be an accurate memory, but it certainly influenced the making of the [Titans]. "[22]When filmmakerTetsuya Nakashimawas attached to direct the live-actionAttack on Titanfilm, producer Yuji Ishida suggested that Nakashima was drawing inspiration fromThe War of the Gargantuas.[23]

In 2012, American actorBrad Pittcited the film as his inspiration to pursue acting at the84th Academy Awards.[24]

In an episode ofScooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporatedtitled "Battle of the Humungonauts", the episode parodies the film by featuring two hairy creatures similar in appearance to Sanda and Gaira, riffing the film's title and even featuring a cover of Kipp Hamilton's song "The Words Get Stuck In My Throat". The Red Humungonaut's vocal effects were provided byTroy Bakerand the Green Humungonaut's vocal effects were provided byFrank Welker.[25]

American film directorTim Burtonnoted the film was a favorite of his and his daughter's.[26]

Mexican film directorGuillermo del TorocitedThe War of the Gargantuasand its predecessorFrankenstein vs. Baragonas two of his top five favoritekaijufilms[27][28]and citedThe War of the Gargantuasas an influence on the opening for his 2013 filmPacific Rim.[29]

The American bandDevoperformed a live version of "The Words Get Stuck In My Throat" in 1978.[30]

In August 2019,Michael Dougherty,director and co-writer ofGodzilla: King of the Monsters,expressed interest in rebooting and adapting the Gargantuas for theMonsterVerse.[31]

Footage of Gaira is used in an early flashback sequence inGodzilla Against Mechagodzilla,during which it is stated that Gaira was one of the giant monsters that attacked Japan in the years after the original Godzilla was defeated, though no mention is made of Sanda.[32]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^During filming,Russ Tamblyndelivered all of his lines in English and even changed much of his lines without the knowledge or the approval of director Honda.[3]Tamblyn's dialogue was dubbed over byGorō Mutsumifor the film's Japanese release;[1]however, his original dialogue soundtrack was lost and Tamblyn had to re-dub all of his lines for the film's American release. Without a script and unable to remember his original lines, Tamblyn had to improvise his new lines based on the footage he was watching.[4]

References

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  1. ^abcdefghijkGalbraith IV 2008,p. 231.
  2. ^abcFelix, Justin (September 28, 2008)."Rodan/War of the Gargantuas".DVD Talk.Archivedfrom the original on October 3, 2020.RetrievedOctober 2,2020.
  3. ^abcdRyfle & Godziszewski 2017,p. 232.
  4. ^abCirronella, Jim (March 30, 2014)."Interview: Russ Tamblyn and Haruo Nakajima".Toho Kingdom.Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2021.RetrievedApril 21,2018.
  5. ^abRyfle 1998,p. 125.
  6. ^abRyfle & Godziszewski 2017,p. 222.
  7. ^abcdRyfle & Godziszewski 2017,p. 231.
  8. ^Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017,p. 230.
  9. ^abcRyfle & Godziszewski 2017,p. 234.
  10. ^Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017,p. 235.
  11. ^Galbraith IV 1998,p. 182.
  12. ^Ryfle 1998,p. 121.
  13. ^abRyfle 1998,p. 151.
  14. ^Portillo, Loren (April 7, 2010)."Sanda Tai Gaira Gets Blu-ray Treatment".SciFi Japan.Archivedfrom the original on November 27, 2021.RetrievedSeptember 24,2017.
  15. ^abSquires, John (November 8, 2017)."Criterion Collection Has Obtained Most of the Shōwa Era 'Godzilla' Films!".Bloody Disgusting.Archivedfrom the original on December 6, 2021.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  16. ^Alexander, Julia (May 18, 2020)."Here are the hundreds of classic movies people can stream on HBO Max".The Verge.Archivedfrom the original on June 18, 2020.RetrievedJune 28,2020.
  17. ^Galbraith IV 1998,p. 40.
  18. ^Ryfle 1998,p. 152.
  19. ^England 2021,pp. 7–8.
  20. ^Whitney, Erin (April 16, 2014)."Here Are 31 Film References In 'Kill Bill: Volume 2'".Huffington Post.Archivedfrom the original on October 5, 2017.RetrievedApril 26,2018.
  21. ^Fitzmaurice, Larry (August 28, 2015)."Quentin Tarantino: The Complete Syllabus of His Influences and References".Vulture.Archivedfrom the original on November 16, 2016.RetrievedApril 26,2018.
  22. ^"“Phó はまだ, tư xuân kỳ を こじらせている” 『 tiến kích の cự nhân 』 gián sơn sang ".Modern Business(in Japanese). January 28, 2011.Archivedfrom the original on December 16, 2021.RetrievedJuly 31,2022.
  23. ^"Trung đảo triết dã giam đốc “Tiến kích の cự nhân” を bang họa tối đại quy mô の chế tác phí で thật tả ánh họa hóa ".Eiga.com(in Japanese). December 8, 2011.RetrievedMarch 24,2024.
  24. ^Faraci, Devin (February 27, 2012)."War of the Gargantuas: The Movie That Made Brad Pitt An Actor".Birth.Movies.Death.Archivedfrom the original on November 27, 2021.RetrievedNovember 27,2021.
  25. ^Ryan, Michael (August 29, 2015)."Obsessive, Compulsive, Procedural #5: Scooby-Doo".Popoptiq.Archivedfrom the original on April 26, 2018.RetrievedApril 26,2018.
  26. ^Bell, Carrie (September 25, 2012)."'Frankenweenie' premiere: Tim Burton doesn't think 'the movie is scary at all'".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedMay 25,2018.
  27. ^Blanco, Alvin (July 13, 2013)."Pacific Rim Director Guillermo Del Toro's Top 5 Kaiju Films".Hip Hop Wired.Archivedfrom the original on June 27, 2021.RetrievedNovember 27,2021.
  28. ^Haas, Lupe (July 8, 2013)."Pacific Rim's Guillermo del Toro on Remaking Classic Japanese Monster Movies".Cine Movie.Archivedfrom the original on November 27, 2021.RetrievedNovember 27,2021.
  29. ^mrbeaks (July 8, 2013)."Mr. Beaks Talks Pacific Rim, World Building And Gargantuas With Guillermo del Toro And Travis Beacham! Part One Of Two!".Ain't It Cool News.Archivedfrom the original on August 26, 2018.RetrievedMay 25,2018.
  30. ^Guest, Gutter (March 16, 2013)."The Words Got Stuck In My Throat".The Cultural Gutter.Archivedfrom the original on August 26, 2018.RetrievedAugust 25,2018.
  31. ^Valentine, Evan (August 15, 2019)."Godzilla Director Mike Dougherty Reveals The Kaijus He Wants To Introduce Next".Comicbook.com.Archivedfrom the original on October 10, 2019.RetrievedOctober 10,2019.
  32. ^Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla.Event occurs at 0:10:16.

Bibliography

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