Gamera vs. Zigra (1971)

From Wikizilla, the kaiju encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Article.png
Image gallery for Gamera vs. Zigra
Credits for Gamera vs. Zigra


Gamera films
Gamera vs. Jiger
Gamera vs. Zigra
Gamera: Super Monster
Gamera vs. Zigra
The Japanese poster for Gamera vs. Zigra
Alternate titles
Flagicon Japan.png Gamera vs. Deep Sea
Monster Zigra
(1971)
See alternate titles
Directed by Noriaki Yuasa
Producer Hidemasa Nagata
Written by Nisan Takahashi
Music by Shunsuke Kikuchi
Distributor Dainichi Film Distribution Co., LtdJP,
King Features SyndicationUS
Budget ¥35,000,000[1]
Running time 88 minutesJP
(1 hour, 28 minutes)
89 minutesUS
(1 hour, 29 minutes)
Aspect ratio 2.35:1
Rate this film!
2.52
(29 votes)

Zigra has come to conquer the Earth! Children cheer for Gamera as he engages the enemy! In the skies and in the deep sea: the clash of the century! (地球征服にゃってきたジグラ! チビッ子の声援で迎え撃つガメラ! 深海で、空中で、世紀の大激突!)
„ 

— Tagline

Gamera vs. Zigra (ガメラ対深海怪獣ジグラ,   Gamera tai Shinkai Kaijū Jigura, lit. Gamera vs. Deep Sea Monster Zigra) is a 1971 tokusatsu kaiju film produced by Daiei Tokyo Studio and is the seventh entry in the Gamera series. The film was released to Japanese theaters on July 17, 1971 on a double feature with a re-release of 1958's Suzunosuke Akado: The Birdman with Three Eyes. It was distributed in the United States in 1985 by Sandy Frank through King Features Syndication.

Plot

X no sunglasses.PNG “I knew that『plot』wasn't up to much.”
This plot synopsis is missing or incomplete.
Please help by editing this section.

To be added.

Staff

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

  • Directed by   Noriaki Yuasa
  • Written by   Nisan Takahashi
  • Produced by   Hidemasa Nagata
  • Music by   Shunsuke Kikuchi
  • Cinematography by   Akira Uehara
  • Edited by   Zenko Miyazaki
  • Production design by   Akira Inoue
  • Assistant directing by   Masami Akise
  • Special effects by   Kazuo Fujii

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Eiko Yanami   as   X1 / Chikako Sugawara
  • Reiko Kasahara   as   Kiyoko Ishikawa
  • Mikiko Tsubouchi   as   Mrs. Ishikawa
  • Koji Fujiyama   as   Dr. Tom Wallace
  • Isamu Saeki   as   Dr. Yosuke Ishikawa
  • Shin Minatsu   as   Kamogawa Sea World Staff
  • Arlene Zoellner   as   Margie Wallace
  • Gloria Zoellner   as   Helen Wallace
  • Yasushi Sakagami   as   Kenichi Ishikawa
  • Keiichi Noda   as   Zigra (voice)

Appearances

Monsters

Weapons, vehicles and races

Gallery

Main article: Gamera vs. Zigra/Gallery.

Soundtrack

Main article: Gamera vs. Zigra (soundtrack).

Alternate titles

  • Gamera vs. Deep Sea Monster Zigra (literal translation)
  • Gamera vs. Zigra Deep Sea Monster (2005 Japanese DVD English title)
  • Gamera versus Zigura (2016 Japanese DVD English title)
  • Gamera versus Zigra - Frankenstein's Space Beast Strikes (Gamera gegen Zigra - Frankensteins Weltraumbestie schlägt zu; 2013 German DVD title)

Theatrical releases

U.S. release

U.S. Gamera vs. Zigra VHS cover

Unlike the previous five Gamera films, Gamera vs. Zigra was not acquired by American International Television, possibly due to Daiei's bankruptcy shortly after its release. Instead, King Features Entertainment licensed it and commissioned a dub in 1985. It first aired on American television in 1987, and was among the first films to be riffed on Mystery Science Theater 3000 the following year.

Video releases

King Features Entertainment VHS (1987)

  • Tapes: 1
  • Notes: Runtime is 91 minutes

Shout! Factory DVD (2010)

  • Region: 1
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese (1.0 Mono), English (1.0 Mono)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Special features: Photo galleries
  • Notes: Both versions of the film use the same Japanese video track. Packaged with Gamera: Super Monster.

Mill Creek DVD (2014) [Gamera: The Legacy Collection]

Mill Creek Blu-ray (2014) [Gamera: The Ultimate Collection Volume 2]

Arrow Video Blu-ray (2020/2021) [Gamera: The Complete Collection and Gamera: The Showa Era]

  • Region: A and B
  • Discs: 8 (The Complete Collection] or 4 (The Showa Era)
  • Audio: Japanese and English (DTS-HD Master Audio Mono)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Special features: Audio commentary by Sean Rhoads and Brooke McCorkle, introduction by August Ragone (8 minutes), opening and end credits from the Sandy Frank version of the film (3 minutes), Japanese theatrical trailer, American video promo, and an image gallery. Gamera: The Complete Collection includes 12 art cards by Matt Frank, a map of Gamera's appearances throughout the world, and two books; the first collects A History of Gamera by Patrick Macias, a 1996 Noriaki Yuasa interview by David Milner, kaiju x-ray illustrations by Jolyan Yates, three Fangoria articles on the Heisei Gamera trilogy by Norman England, a guide to the English dubs of the Gamera series by James Flower, and information on the transfers presented in the set, while the second reprints the comics Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe and The Last Hope.
  • Notes: Gamera: The Complete Collection is out of print, while Gamera: The Showa Era will be released on January 25, 2021. Packaged with the other 11 Gamera films in The Complete Colection and the other seven Showa Gamera films in The Showa Era. Due to the large number of special features in these sets, only the supplements pertinent to Gamera vs. Zigra are described above.

Videos

Japanese Gamera vs. Zigra trailer
Gamera vs. Zigra King Features Entertainment Spots
Gamera vs. Zigra Just for Kids Preview

Trivia

Dainichi Eihai Co. Ltd logo
  • Gamera vs. Zigra was released by Dainichi Film Distribution Co., Ltd (DN ダイニチ映配株式会社,   Dainichi Eihai Kabushiki-Gaisha), which was the result of Daiei and Nikkatsu Corporation merging to share distribution costs.
  • Noriaki Yuasa proposed another Gamera film for the following year, Gamera vs. the Two-Headed Monster W, but the company's bankruptcy ended the series until 1980.
    • After this film's release and the announcement that Daiei had gone bankrupt, a riot broke out at the studio, causing a fire that destroyed all of the studio equipment used for the Gamera films.
  • The English dub of Gamera vs. Zigra, as released by Sandy Frank Film Syndication, was featured on Season 3 of the movie-mocking television series Mystery Science Theater 3000. It was also riffed on the show during its original broadcast on the Minneapolis-area station KTMA.
  • Gamera vs. Zigra was released in theaters exactly a week before Godzilla vs. Hedorah, another kaiju film dealing with pollution and its effects on sea life.
  • Gamera vs. Zigra was filmed on location at Kamogawa Sea World and around Kamogowa City. The special effects scenes were also filmed on a small set of the area around Sea World, with none of the miniatures destroyed.

References

This is a list of references for Gamera vs. Zigra. 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]

  1. Stuart Galbraith IV (1998). Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo!. Feral House. p. 74. ISBN 0-922915-47-4.

Comments

Showing 29 comments. When commenting, please remain respectful of other users, stay on topic, and avoid role-playing and excessive punctuation. Comments which violate these guidelines may be removed by administrators.

<comments voting="Plus" />

Daiei
Era Icon - Showa.png
Movie
Era Icon - Gamera.png
Era Icon - Zigra.png