|
|
Post by snsurone on May 5, 2019 15:44:24 GMT
I realize that they were cheaply made and undoubtedly not to be taken seriously, but dammit--it's fun to watch Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodin horsing around together and then teaming against an enemy threatening Tokyo.
One of them was Gidrah, the three-headed monster, who actually became their ally in a later flick!
Does anyone else like these movies?
And are they available on DVD?
|
|
|
|
Post by marianne48 on May 5, 2019 17:39:50 GMT
The original Gojira (the 1954 film, before the dubbing and the editing out of much of the love triangle and the H-bomb discussions, and the editing in of Raymond Burr)
is still an effective monster classic--IMO, right up there with the original King Kong. Terrific soundtrack, too.
|
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on May 5, 2019 18:42:59 GMT
Nice movies.
|
|
|
|
Post by Captain Spencer on May 5, 2019 20:02:27 GMT
I loved those movies when I was a kid. Everytime they were on TV I'd always watch them. Gamera was another favorite of mine.
|
|
|
|
Post by Prime etc. on May 5, 2019 20:07:25 GMT
The original Burr-less Godzilla is quite good.
I also like the H-Man (not really a giant monster movie though).
Monster Zero is my favorite of the 60s Godzilla ones.
Soon I will check out the AIP dub of Destroy All Monsters which is said to be far superior to the international english dub.
|
|
|
|
Post by snsurone on May 5, 2019 22:49:12 GMT
The original Gojira (the 1954 film, before the dubbing and the editing out of much of the love triangle and the H-bomb discussions, and the editing in of Raymond Burr) is still an effective monster classic--IMO, right up there with the original King Kong. Terrific soundtrack, too. Thank you, marianne, but I really prefer the more light-hearted ones where the monsters escape with their lives and live happily ever after--after doing who-knows-what-$$ damage, LOL. In fact, in most of these films, the creatures are considered heroes!
|
|
|
|
Post by Prime etc. on May 5, 2019 23:49:19 GMT
I think the monster as hero was something that came out of some other Japanese cultural tradition once they aimed them at kids.
There's a funny story about one of them where Godzilla does an impromptu jig and the director hated it but the spfx guy said "that's what the kids expect."
|
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 6, 2019 8:45:35 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by manfromplanetx on May 6, 2019 9:20:30 GMT
Fuminori Ohashi as the ape like Yeti (Monster Snowman) in the rarely seen Jû jin yuki otoko dir. Ishirô Honda released in Japan on 15 August 1955 the film was pulled from distribution shortly after due to its negative depiction of the native villagers Toho had created a self-imposed ban on the film and it has never had an official re-release. Beware of Imitations !... Widely recognized, yet mostly anonymous & uncredited are the artistic works, the collective creative labours of Fuminori Ohashi . A pioneer of special effects from the early days of of Japanese cinema, he helped supervise the development of the suit for the original Gojira (1954), and created lighter-weight materials for other ape like monsters. Ohashi also served as a technical advisor and designer for the attractions at the original Disneyland, and he also worked, uncredited on developing the makeup materials for Planet of the Apes (1968). Creative and Influential, Ohashi's name is obscure even in his own country , however he played a significant role in the history of special monster effects & cinema techniques.  
|
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 6, 2019 9:40:09 GMT
It's amazing just how divisive Godzilla movies are to the fans. Some prefer it when it's the enemy of man, others when it's the saviour of man.
Favourites of mine >
Mekagojira no gyakushu (1975)   
Godzilla (1954)  
Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
   
Gojira vs. Mekagojira (1993)
   
|
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 6, 2019 9:46:38 GMT
I think the monster as hero was something that came out of some other Japanese cultural tradition once they aimed them at kids. There's a funny story about one of them where Godzilla does an impromptu jig and the director hated it but the spfx guy said "that's what the kids expect." Ah yes, the infamous Shay Dance scene. It's from Invasion of Astro-Monster, I've included a pic of it in my post above. It's an otherwise great Zilla film though, bonkers and cartoon like but thoroughly enjoyable.
|
|
|
|
Post by snsurone on May 6, 2019 12:40:02 GMT
Japan's post-WWII economy must have been really booming in order to make these movies.
In fact, it was then when their movie industry really blossomed, with such classics as RASHOMON and THRONE OF BLOOD.
Of course, with today's CGI, it would be pretty easy to remake these monster pix.
In fact, on a much earlier thread, I had suggested that GORGO be remade.
But I don't know how well they would be received by today's audiences.
After all, there was a remake of GODZILLA in 1998, and it bombed at the box office.
|
|
|
|
Post by vegalyra on May 8, 2019 13:27:10 GMT
I liked these movies as a kid but never really knew any of their names outside of Godzilla. Most of them were shown on the local UHF station on weekends (sometimes early mornings). That one shot of Godzilla from the '54 movie is interesting with the Japanese Zero airplanes. I wonder if the Japanese were still using Zeros for second line airplanes or if the movie studio just had a bunch of model kits lying around?
Fun stuff!
|
|
|
|
Post by TheGoodMan19 on May 8, 2019 19:12:18 GMT
They were a big part of my youth. Saturday's TV was 2-4 hours of the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner show. Then you had an hour of pro wrestling. Then "Monster Theater" with all the rubber suit monster flicks. Outside, what's that? And, when you were a kid, you didn't notice how God awful most of them were between fights
Destroy All Monsters was the best.
|
|
|
|
Post by snsurone on May 29, 2019 22:15:58 GMT
I remember a '70's Hanna/Barbera cartoon series called GODZILLA.
When I first heard about it, I thought, "Don't tell me; let me guess! He is the friend of a group of obnoxious teenagers why NEVER change their clothes, NEVER attend school, have absolutely NO adult supervision, and spend their time solving mysteries and catching criminals!"
And there HAD to be a cartoony pet as comic relief.
Well, I was partially correct.
Godzilla was the friend of a pair of married oceanographers (who were dead from the neck down), the wife's obnoxious 10-year old nephew who never attended school, their dorky African-American assistant, and, of course, the "funny" pet--int this case a baby dino.
Godzilla himself was designed in the fashion that everyone believed T-Rex carried himself.
Of course, this was many years before JURASSIC PARK corrected that misconception.
|
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on May 30, 2019 1:24:13 GMT
I remember a '70's Hanna/Barbera cartoon series called GODZILLA. When I first heard about it, I thought, "Don't tell me; let me guess! He is the friend of a group of obnoxious teenagers why NEVER change their clothes, NEVER attend school, have absolutely NO adult supervision, and spend their time solving mysteries and catching criminals!" And there HAD to be a cartoony pet as comic relief. Well, I was partially correct. Godzilla was the friend of a pair of married oceanographers (who were dead from the neck down), the wife's obnoxious 10-year old nephew who never attended school, their dorky African-American assistant, and, of course, the "funny" pet--int this case a baby dino. Godzilla himself was designed in the fashion that everyone believed T-Rex carried himself. Of course, this was many years before JURASSIC PARK corrected that misconception. The Godzilla Power Hour? I remember reruns of that.
|
|
|
|
Post by pimpinainteasy on May 30, 2019 7:49:21 GMT
there was a TV series called GIANT ROBOT which used to be telecast on indian television. used to love it as a kid. in one episode, giant robot took on GODZILLA.
|
|
|
|
Post by fangirl1975 on May 31, 2019 1:59:32 GMT
I dig the old Japanese monster movies.
|
|
