Gorgo (1961)
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Like nothing you've ever seen before!
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Gorgo is a 1961 British-American giant monster film produced by King Brothers Productions. It debuted in American theaters on March 29, 1961, and in British theaters on October 27, 1961.
Plot
Captain Joe Ryan(a sailor) is salvaging for treasure off the coast of Ireland, when a volcano erupts, nearly sinking his ship. Ryan and his first officer, Sam Slade, take the ship to Nara Island for repairs. As they enter the harbor, they see the floating carcasses of ancient marine animals, the first hint that something dangerous was awoken by the volcano eruption. Ryan and Slade consult the harbor master, who also has archaeological pretensions: he has been salvaging in the harbor. Some of his men have disappeared mysteriously; it turns out that one has died of fear. After dark, a monstrous creature surfaces, attacks a group of fishermen, then comes ashore to wreak havoc on the island. This dinosaur-like creature is supposedly 65 feet tall(about 19 meters). The people of the island finally drove it off. Ryan and his people try to capture the giant monster and put it on their ship.
later,university scientists arrive hoping to catch the monster for study,but Ryan has been offered a better deal by the owner of a circus in London.when the ship arrives in london,the circus owner names it "Gorgo",after the greek mythology monsters "gorgon". the monster is exhibited to the public in Battersea Park. scientists examine gorgo and say he is not an adult and his mother must be 200 feet tall (60 meters). meanwhile on nara island the mother of gorgo, ogra, attacks the island. ogra looks for her son and eventually lands on london.
destroying, towers along his way, the military shoots her but the mother has no effect. Having demolished much of London, Ogra rescues Gorgo and both mother and son return to the sea to nara island.
Staff
- Main article: Gorgo (film)/Credits.
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Eugène Lourié
- Written by Robert L. Richards, Daniel James, Eugène Lourié (story), and Daniel Hyatt (story)
- Executive producing by Frank King and Maurice King
- Produced by Wilfred Eades and Herman King
- Music by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
- Cinematography by Freddie Young
- Edited by Eric Boyd-Perkins
- Assistant directing by Douglas Hermes
- Special effects by Tom Howard
Cast
- Main article: Gorgo (film)/Credits.
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Bill Travers as Captain Joe Ryan
- William Sylvester as Sam Slade
- Vincent Winter as Sean
- Bruce Seton as Professor Flaherty
- Joseph O'Conor as Professor Hendricks
- Martin Benson as Mr. Dorkin
- Barry Keegan as Mate
- Dervis Ward as Bosun
- Christopher Rhodes as McCartin
- Mick Dillon as Gorgo / Ogra
Appearances
Monsters |
Vehicles
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Development
After the great success they had distributing Rodan in the United States, the King Brothers sought to produce a giant monster film of their own.[2] With Gorgo, director Eugène Lourié strove to atone for his first dinosaur film, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, as the death of the Rhedosaurus made his daughter cry.[3] From the earliest stages of development, Gorgo and Ogra were to return to the sea at the end of the story, a rarity for monsters at the time. Originally, due to heavy Japanese financial backing, Gorgo was captured on Kuru Island in the South Pacific and taken to a Tokyo zoo. The main characters were pearl divers instead of treasure hunters. When the Japanese investors pulled out, the setting changed to Paris, France. Lourié, however, felt that the lack of a harbor near Paris would make the arrival of a sea monster ponderous. A strong offer from MGM Studios led to a final switch to London in April 1959.
To Lourié's disappointment, the King Brothers insisted on scenes of city destruction and military action. At some time before or during 1980, he edited a 35-minute version of the film which excluded both. It is not known if he ever exhibited it.
Production
Gorgo was filmed at MGM's studio in Borehamwood, a London suburb. Location photography took place in London and Coliemore Harbour, an Irish port near Dublin. Production notes included on the VCI Entertainment Blu-ray show that London scenes were being filmed in September 1959, and Coliemore Harbour scenes in November 1959.
The three identical monster suits used to depict both Gorgo and Ogra were made of rubber. Hydraulics operated by the stuntman inside allowed the eyes, mouth, ears, and tail to move. Four actors in total played the creatures, though only Mick Dillon's involvement is confirmed; the others were likely David Wilding, Peter Brace, and Peter Perkings.[2] A full-sized Gorgo head, claws, and tail were built for shots where a composite using the suit would be impractical, including the footage of a captive Gorgo paraded on a truck through the streets of London. The sparse crowds in that scene were a consequence of the King Brothers' unwillingness to pay extras. Their hope was that the sight of the enormous prop would attract onlookers on its own, but the morning of the shoot turned out to be cold and foggy.
Gallery
- Main article: Gorgo (film)/Gallery.
Soundtrack
- Main article: Gorgo (Soundtrack).
Alternate Titles
- Monster Gorgo (怪獣ゴルゴJapan) Kaijū Gorugo,
Theatrical Release
Perhaps in a nod to the country where it was originally set, Gorgo premiered in Tokyo, Japan, on January 10, 1961. It played in American and British theaters later that year.
Adaptations
A 141-page paperback novelization of Gorgo was published by Monarch Books in 1960, and was written by Bruce Cassiday under the pseudonym Carson Bingham. Charlton Comics also published a 23-issue Gorgo comic book series from 1961 to 1965. While the first issue was an adaptation of the film itself, subsequent issues revolved around the adventures of the titular Gorgo, with his mother Ogra and various other monsters making appearances.
Video Releases
VCI Entertainment DVD (2000)
- Region: 0
- Discs: 1
- Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
- Subtitles: None
- Special Features: "Making of" featurette (10 minutes), cast and crew biographies, photo gallery, theatrical trailer, unrelated trailers, liner notes by Tom Weaver
- Notes: Aspect ratio is 1.66:1.
VCI Entertainment DVD (2005)
- Region: 1
- Discs: 1
- Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
- Subtitles: None
- Special Features: "Making of" featurette (10 minutes), cast and crew biographies, photo and poster gallery, theatrical trailer, unrelated trailers
- Notes: Aspect ratio is 1.85:1.
CMV Laservision DVD (2006)
- Region: 2
- Discs: 1
- Audio: English, German (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
- Subtitles: None
- Special Features: "Making of" featurette (10 minutes), photo slideshow, American and German theatrical trailers, unrelated trailers, "book recommendation" promo
- Notes: Aspect ratio is 1.66:1.
VCI Entertainment DVD/Blu-ray (2013)
- Region: 1 (DVD) or N/A (Blu-ray)
- Discs: 1
- Audio: English (LPCM Mono), French (LPCM Mono), Music and Effects track
- Special Features: Theatrical trailer, English and French video comics, galleries of lobby cards, posters, collectibles, pressbooks, and photos, Ninth Wonder of the World – The Making of Gorgo featurette (31 minutes), productions notes (2 minutes), Restoration Video – Before and After featurette (3 minutes).
- Notes: Aspect ratio is 1.78:1.
Renown Pictures DVD (2016) [The Renown Pictures Monster Collection]
- Region: 0
- Discs: 3
- Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
- Subtitles: None
- Special Features: "Film Breaks: Man Or Beast" featurette (8 minutes), Robert Ross interview with actress Vera Day (13 minutes)
- Notes: Aspect ratio is 1.66:1. Packaged with The Giant Behemoth, Womaneater, Beast from Haunted Cave, The Giant Gila Monster, Monster from Green Hell, The Strange World of Planet X, The Crater Lake Monster, and The Killer Shrews.
Videos
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Trivia
- Like King Kong in his debut film, Gorgo is billed by Dorkin Circus as the "8th Wonder of the World."
- Gorgo was featured on Season 9 of the movie-mocking television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, with the unfortunately-named Dorkin Circus, the omnipresent radio reporter at the end of the movie, and the complete lack of female characters becoming especially rich targets. However, the episode was only aired twice, both on July 18, 1998, due to a rights issue.[4] It was released on DVD in 2013 by Shout! Factory, as part of the Mystery Science Theater 3000: 25th Anniversary Edition set.
- "Waiting for Gorgo," an unofficial 18-minute sequel, was released in 2009. VCI Entertainment attempted to include it on their 2013 DVD and Blu-ray releases of Gorgo, but director Benjamin Craig rejected their offer.[5]
- Though not an official remake, the 1967 Nikkatsu film Gappa closely follows the plot of Gorgo, with two city-smashing parent kaiju instead of one striving to rescue their captive child.
- The unmade American Godzilla film Godzilla: King of the Monsters 3-D would have taken inspiration from the plot of Gorgo, with the adult Godzilla attacking San Francisco to find a juvenile Godzilla whose corpse was recovered by the U.S. military.
External Links
References
This is a list of references for Gorgo (film). These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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