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| packmule | Jun 22 2009, 03:51 AM |
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Objects In Motion: Gorath(1962) - Revisited "End of the world" science fictions films are nothing new to Hollywood. A commonly used scenario in these movies has our planet placed in great peril by another celestial object that is on a collision course with Earth. The earliest entry in this kind of storyline is 1953's When Worlds Collide. More recent films that embrace this plot device include Meteor(1979), Deep Impact(1998) and Armageddon(1998). Among Toho's various science fiction films is a movie that also explores this particular "end of the world" motif: Gorath, produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka, directed by Inoshiro Honda and originally released to theaters in Japan back in March, 1962. The film's story: a spaceship, the "JX-1", is destroyed by a runaway star's tremendous gravitational pull. Before the rocket is destroyed it's valiant and determined crew send back data to Earth on this rogue star, subsequently named "Gorath" by scientists. The data helps scientists quickly determine that Gorath, two thirds the size of Earth but with 6000 times greater mass(weight), is on a collision course with our planet. This news, predictably, causes great anxiety among the scientific community and world populace. A possible solution is presented to the United Nations by a group of scientists to save Earth from annihilation: move the planet out of Gorath's projected path with gigantic and super powerful atomic "jets" installed below the ground at the south pole, these jets providing enough propulsion power to move the entire planet out of Gorath's way! The proposed method for saving the Earth is approved and a massive construction project begins in Antarctica, while Gorath continues to move closer to Earth...(no other spoilers) Observations - Thumbs up: 1. the special effects overall, which are solid. The outer space sequences are quite good. The miniature effects in this film are IMO outstanding and arguably the best miniature work of any Toho film not named "Mothra". 2. the score, by Kan Ishii: very urgent, very deliberate, sometimes a bit conservative but heavy on the strings and horns and a score appropriate for the theme of the film. 3. the "bath tub" scene with "Takiko Nomura", who is played by the lovely Kumo Mizuno. For a moment we get a shot of Kumi Mizuno washing her leg in a bathtub... for fans of this beautiful actress this scene is indelible and virtually impossible to forget  4. the presence of so many familiar faces in this movie. Gorath abounds with a galaxy of Toho actors/actresses that we have become accustomed to seeing in other Toho movies: Kenji Sahara, Akira Kubo, Jun Takazi, Takashi Shimura, Kumi Mizuno, and Akihiko Hirata 5. comic relief, of sorts, provided by JX-2 rocket crewman "Hanai", played by Akira Kubo: his efforts to woo "Takiko Nomura" are somewhat bumbling, but he is persistent. Given the particular person who is the object of his advances, I can't say I blame him for keeping at it.  6. Magma, the giant walrus kaiju that appears in the movie. I can't say that the sequence involving this creature makes much difference in the film's storyline but I did like the rendering of the monster and the audio effects of it's roar. The creature is ably suited by Haruo Nakajima.  7. "Captain Raizo Sonoda", the CO of the JX-1 rocket, played by Jun Takazi: despite his and his crew's impending death by collision with "Gorath" he showed great leadership and bravery, demanding that his crew continue to do their jobs, right up until the end. Thumbs down: 1. JX-2 crewman Hanai's "amnesia" problem: I wasn't too enamored with this part of the film's storyline. This movie was released to American theaters in 1964 by Brenco Pictures and without the sequences of the monster "Magma". The movie has appeared on TV(in the 1960's and 1970's) and there are some copies of the Americanized version on the market at eBay and Amazon. I own the Region 2 DVD, the original Toho title "Yosei Gorasu", as well as an English subbed DVD-R of the movie in it's original 2:35.1 widescreen aspect ratio. The original Toho release has never been released on official Region 1 DVD. The trailer for the original Toho film: The Region 2 DVD of Gorath, for sale at CDJapan: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=TDV-2769D |
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5:39 PM Nov 24
