I hope this thread subject got some of you fired up. I grew up on Japanese monster movies and the 1966 film “War of the Gargantuas” was always one of my favs.
I watched the movie again for nostalgia’s sake a few years ago, and there was a little bit of dialogue that made me do a double-take.
Very briefly, the film is about these two, giant, ape-reptile type creatures that are apparently brothers. The brown one is rather peaceful and kind, while the green one is mean and ornery and likes to eat people and break shit.
I am recalling this dialogue completely from memory, so please forgive me if it isn’t exact. But at one point in the movie, two young scientists who are also the movie’s love interest (played by American Russ Tamblyn and Kumi Mizuno) are having a discussion after making the discovery that one of the gargantuas is gentle and peaceful, and the other is a violent killer.
Tamblyn then says something like, “Kind of reminds you of some countries we know, eh? Well, let’s hope the peaceful one wins this time.”
Was this a Japanese slam on the U.S., intended to poison the minds of little American kids? What in the hell was he talking about? If it was a veiled reference to WWII, how can the Japanese be viewed as anything other than the aggressors?
Seems a bit early for a Vietnam reference.
Anybody know what I’m talking about, and have any thoughts on what this little political simile was intended to mean?
This movie (“Sanda tai Gaira” or “Sanda vs Gailah” or "War of the Gargantuas) is actually a sequel to the movie “Furankenshutain tai Baragon” or “Frankenstein vs Baragon,” most commonly seen as "Frankenstein conquers the world.
The heart of Frankenstein’s monster is taken from Germany to Japan during WW II, and happens to get exposed to atomic radiation after the bombing of Hiroshima.
The heart starts growing, and eventually grows into another Frankenstein monster–a BIG Frankenstein monster.
Along the way, he stumbles into the the evil Baragon (a big lizard like Godzilla).
Thereafter ensues the climactic battle against the backdrop of Fuji-san, typical of the Japanese movies.
I think it’s in this movie that the hand of the new Frankenstein monster gets cut off, and that provides the only link to the “sequel” movie in the OP.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them, but I think that one of the Gargantuas grew from the hand of the other, and that that dismemberment occurred in previous movie.
“War of the Gargantuas” was always one of my favorite Friday night, “Creature Feature” movies…I remember the line of dialogue you mention, but I really don’t have any idea what it referred to.
There was always something else, however, that bothered me about this movie.
Russ Tamblyn is speaking in (non-dubbed) English, right? The other (Japanese) actors are apparently speaking in dubbed English. How in the world was this movie filmed? Was Tamblyn speaking his part in English and being answered in Japanese? Did Tamblyn have any idea what the other actors were saying? That must’ve been one confusing movie set…
I can’t answer the OP, but I can tell Stephe96 that your guess on how they used to film international-cast movies in Japan is exactly right. If you see this film again, or Monster Zero, featuring Nick Adams, simply pay close attention to the dubbed-in dialogue and everyone’s mouths. The dialogue is always in sync with the American actors and never with the Japanese actors. Everyone spoke his/her native tongue and the appropriate language was dubbed-in later. Remember, this means a Japanese actor had to dub in the lines spoken in English for the Japanese audience. And when the movie was dubbed into a third language, well, nothing looked or sounded right.
As for when the English-speaking actors were off the set, they, of course, had their own, personal translators at their beck and call.
TRIVIA NOTE: George (Lt. Sulu) Takei’s first professional movie job was dubbing English dialogue for Rodan.
In the first movie, the monster’s hand gets cut off, but then it regenerates.
The premise for the second movie is that the severed hand also regenerated a new body (much as the original heart generated a new body when exposed to radiation).
So, in “War of the Gargantuas,” one of the monsters is the monster from the first (although they look NOTHING similar), and the other sprang from the severed hand.
I thought Russ Tamblyn’s character surmised that some skin and hair from the brown Gargantua scaped off while crossing a stream and that the tissue floated down to the sea where it regenerated into the green gargantua.
BTW, does anybody know the full lyrics to “The Words get Stuck in my Throat”. I always wondered if the singer got stuck in Green G’s throat.
*If my lips could only say the pretty words
That I feel in my hear.
If my voice could make the sound,
I would tell you how I love you
And we’d never be apart.
But with just one look into your face,
My mind starts to drift right into space,
And the words get stuck in my throat.
The words get stuck in my throat.
If I had a hidden microphone inside of my heart,
I would turn the power on.
It would amplify my love for you, and swear to always love you,
And you’d never be gone.
But with just one look into your eyes
I become excited and it’s no surprise
That the words get stuck in my throat.
The words get stuck in my throat.
And every time I try to call,
I can’t speak at all
Because the words get stuck in my throat
The words get stuck in my throat.
