Gorgo (film)
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Gorgo is a 1961 British giant monster film produced by King Brothers Productions. It was released to Japanese theaters on January 10, 1961, to American theaters on March 29, 1961, and to British theaters on October 27, 1961.
Plot
Captain Joe Ryan 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 harbor, they discover the floating carcasses of 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 giant 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. The people of the island finally drive it off.
Ryan and his crew manage to capture the monster and haul it aboard their ship, tying it to the deck. Soon, university scientists arrive on Nara, hoping to collect 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 Gorgon sisters of Greek mythology. It is exhibited to the public in Battersea Park.
The scientists examine Gorgo, and conclude that he is not yet an adult, and that his mother must be at least 200 feet tall. On that note of foreboding, we cut to Nara Island as Ogra, the mother of Gorgo, attacks. Ogra trashes the island, sinks a Royal Navy vessel, and resists attack from other warships. Later, Ogra comes ashore in London, still looking for her son, and rampages throughout the city, despite being bombarded by the military. Fighter jets attack Ogra, but have no effect at all. Having demolished much of London, Ogra rescues Gorgo, and both mother and son return to the sea.
Cast
- Bill Travers as Captain Joe Ryan
- William Sylvester as Sam Slade
- Vincent Winter as Sean
- Christopher Rhodes as McCartin
- Joseph O'Conor as Professor Hendricks
- Bruce Seton as Professor Flaherty
- Martin Benson as Mr. Dorkin
- Basil Dignam as Admiral Brooks
- Mick Dillon as Gorgo
Appearances
Monsters
Video Releases
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: Cropped to 1.78.1.
Trivia
- During production, the setting of this film was originally set to be Japan, as an homage to Godzilla. It was then shifted to France, and finally the United Kingdom. Southern Australia was also considered.
- Gorgo was riffed on the show Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1998. However, the episode was only aired twice, both on July 18, 1998, due to a rights issue.[2] It was released on DVD in 2013 by Shout! Factory, as part of the Mystery Science Theater 3000: 25th Anniversary Edition set.
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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