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Gorgo(1961); Discuss the film here and VCI DVD here
Topic Started: Feb 8 2006, 07:11 PM (4,596 Views)
packmule
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In 1961 Gorgo was released by MGM. The story: a salvage vessel is nearly wrecked by undersea volcanic activity off the Ireland coast. Two of the vessel's crew(played by Bill Travers and William Sylvester) go ashore into the local fishing village, befriending a boy and running afoul of the surly harbormaster. Nights later a 60-foot reptilian sea monster appears briefly, driven off by torchtossing villagers. The creature is subsequently captured by the salvage vessel crew, where it is brought back to London, and unceremoniously put on display as part of a circus show. In the meantime, the monster's 200 foot "mother" appears at Nara Island, wipes out the harbormaster's abode and then sets off to London to rescue her 'child"... Directed by Eugene Lourie. Produced by Frank and Maurice King. -- Post your thoughts and opinions about this film here. :)
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KaijuFanatic
Jul 27 2006, 06:26 AM
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The re-worked video of this film has, I think, addressed that complaint fairly well.


Thanks, Lee. I thought many of the night scenes looked better, at least I could see what was going on, I have the VHS and the original DVD release and that was always my complaint, just far too dark.

I have the original DVD release and you are right. The night scenes (Gorgo's London attack) is so dark it really isn't enjoyable to watch.
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packmule
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KaijuFanatic
Aug 2 2006, 08:17 AM
I know a few complaints are made about the look of baby and Mama Gorgo, with the wiggly ears and such, but I think the beasties look quite cool, actually.

Actually my only knock, and it's minor, is the absence of a tongue in both the adult and infant creatures from Gorgo. That said this in no way has ever diminished from my enjoyment of this film. As I have said before also, the opening score for this film is marvelous-a nice mix of melancholy and adventure. thumbs up

Image: a marvelous shot of "Mama Gorgo" approaching the Big Ben clock tower-from Gorgo(1961)
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KaijuFanatic
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:lol: You know, I never noticed the lack of a tongue on Mama or baby! tongue-1

Another great photo! thumbs up
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packmule
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KaijuFanatic
Aug 2 2006, 09:16 PM
You know, I never noticed the lack of a tongue on Mama or baby!

Funny, because I did right away. crazy

Image: a military official looks understandably worried as the 200 foot tall mama "Gorgo" makes landfall in London-from Gorgo(1961)
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KaijuFanatic
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Is Gorgo one of those rare occasions when the beastie or beasties actually walk off having survived any attempt to destroy them?
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Aug 8 2006, 06:01 AM
Is Gorgo one of those rare occasions when the beastie or beasties actually walk off having survived any attempt to destroy them?

I would imagine it is, as I cannot think of any other giant monster film where the kajiu remains alive at the end of the film. The major exception to this is Godzilla, in all but one(1) of his features(he was destroyed in Gojira(1954) of course). Also,
Mothra survived in Mothra(1961) and in the 1992 film Godzilla Vs Mothra.

You might be interested to know, regarding Gorgo(1961), a "small person", about the size of a disc jockey(or smaller), was used in the Gorgo "suit", to make it easier for the effects crew to construct the miniatures used on the sets of this film. The thinking was that a smaller suit(worn by a considerably smaller person) would enable the effects people to construct the miniatures a little larger, making it easier to add more detail to the sets.
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Johnny Rod
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A good film, I remember when I first saw it. It was on Channel 5 (Here in England) at about 3:00 AM so I set the tape to record and watched it first thing the next morning, GORGO was on about 5 years ago and it hasn't been on TV since, a shame really because to me it's one of the best British films ever made.
'The void is that which stands right in the middle between this and that. The void is all-inclusive, having no opposite — there is nothing which it excludes or opposes. It is living void, because all forms come out of it and whoever realizes the void is filled with life and power and the love of all things' - Bruce Lee
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Is Gorgo currently available on DVD in the UK, Johnny R? I often wonder if the UK classic sci-fi/horror fans are treated with a bit more respect, television-wise, than their U.S. counterparts?
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Aug 28 2006, 07:40 AM
Is Gorgo currently available on DVD in the UK, Johnny R? I often wonder if the UK classic sci-fi/horror fans are treated with a bit more respect, television-wise, than their U.S. counterparts?

No, I don't think there's any official Gorgo DVD's here in England. I've seen them on ebay but they're all "Region 0" which is a bit suspiscious.
'The void is that which stands right in the middle between this and that. The void is all-inclusive, having no opposite — there is nothing which it excludes or opposes. It is living void, because all forms come out of it and whoever realizes the void is filled with life and power and the love of all things' - Bruce Lee
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packmule
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Johnny Rod
Aug 28 2006, 12:58 PM
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Aug 28 2006, 07:40 AM
Is Gorgo currently available on DVD in the UK, Johnny R?  I often wonder if the UK classic sci-fi/horror fans are treated with a bit more respect, television-wise, than their U.S. counterparts?

No, I don't think there's any official Gorgo DVD's here in England. I've seen them on ebay but they're all "Region 0" which is a bit suspiscious.

Johnny, what DVD region is the UK? I forget. I know you can order the "Destruction Edition" DVD of Gorgo at VCI Home Entertainment(it's Region 1 though) for about $9.99 plus shipping. The print is a heckuva lot better and there is a decent 5.1 audio remix. There is a link I posted to VCI earlier(somewhere) in this thread. You can order it online directly from VCI. :)
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Johnny Rod
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Aug 28 2006, 11:17 PM
Johnny, what DVD region is the UK? I forget. I know you can order the "Destruction Edition" DVD of Gorgo at VCI Home Entertainment(it's Region 1 though) for about $9.99 plus shipping. The print is a heckuva lot better and there is a decent 5.1 audio remix. There is a link I posted to VCI earlier(somewhere) in this thread. You can order it online directly from VCI.  :)

UK is Region 2 (Just like Japan, South Africa, and the rest of Europe), that's why I don't think the DVD has officially been released here. Nevertheless my DVD player is multi-region so it woudn't matter where I got the DVD from anyway. :lol:
'The void is that which stands right in the middle between this and that. The void is all-inclusive, having no opposite — there is nothing which it excludes or opposes. It is living void, because all forms come out of it and whoever realizes the void is filled with life and power and the love of all things' - Bruce Lee
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Quote:
 
Nevertheless my DVD player is multi-region so it woudn't matter where I got the DVD from anyway.


Are most DVD players purchased in the UK or Europe for that matter, region-free right out of the box? The reason I ask is, I used to chat with someone from the UK and he was always purchasing R1 DVDs.
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Ro-Dan
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As confirmed by Johnny Rod, Europe is R2. Your friend more than likely has a region-free player.
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KaijuFanatic
Aug 30 2006, 12:39 PM
Are most DVD players purchased in the UK or Europe for that matter, region-free right out of the box?

Though I am no expert I see no reason why they wouldn't be. The multi-region DVD player I ordered and received was that way out of the box. Kimi, are you referring to the adjustments that techs can make to R1 players to make them multi-region? I know there are many services(and no doubt shysters as well tongue-1 ) on the internet that offer to change the configuration of your R1 DVD player so that it can play any region. eyebrow
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I purchased my first region-free player back in 2001. It also converts PAL-NTSC. About a year ago, I purchased a player from a Sam Goody store that was actually region-free and converted PAL-NTSC basically out of the box! It has a PAL/NTSC button on the remote and I tapped that a couple of times and that was all I needed to do in order to watch a DVD from any region. Other players I've purchased, I was able to 'make' region-free by using a code punched in on my remote. I was just curious if the European market offered players that can play any region and do NTSC-PAL right out of the box, becuase back in '99 and '00, to purchase a region-free player was still very pricey, here.
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packmule
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The monsters in the 1961 film Gorgo also would make it into a short comics feature. Click here for clarification.

Image: a cover of an issue of the Ditko Comics created Gorgo
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That's very cool that Gorgo also made it to a comic. thumbs up I wonder if this was a common practice to put popular film favorites in a comic?
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Sep 10 2006, 08:05 AM
I wonder if this was a common practice to put popular film favorites in a comic?

Well, 1961 was a year before I was even born. I would think the answer would be yes. Certainly not all "fim favorites" but certainly many of them. Example: Godzilla has appeared in 1970's Marvel Comics and also in Dark Horse Comics, with his own line. I have a handful of G's comics. thumbs up

Topic: are you aware, Kimi, that the 1961 film Gorgo is based on a book of the same name? In the chapter in which the parent Gorgo makes landfall in London, the chapter is, appropriately I think, entitled "Armageddon".
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Quote:
 
Topic: are you aware, Kimi, that the 1961 film Gorgo is based on a book of the same name? In the chapter in which the parent Gorgo makes landfall in London, the chapter is, appropriately I think, entitled "Armageddon".


I think I read somewhere a long time ago that this was based on a book, but I've obviously never seen the book, but think it would be a fun read!
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Sep 11 2006, 10:40 AM
... but I've obviously never seen the book, but think it would be a fun read!

I have been told this book is something of a collector's item, which=it's probably pricey. I also read a description of the book that described it as having some risque(violence and sex) elements, which were(the sex part anyways) absent from the film. eyebrow
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Ro-Dan
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Sep 10 2006, 07:05 AM
That's very cool that Gorgo also made it to a comic. thumbs up I wonder if this was a common practice to put popular film favorites in a comic?

Still is! Snakes on a Plane was recently adapted in comic form. There's a new Lone Ranger series that just debuted last week. Whenever there's a hit genre film a comic adaptation is usually right behind it.
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packmule
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Aug 31 2006, 07:11 AM
I purchased my first region-free player back in 2001. It also converts PAL-NTSC. About a year ago, I purchased a player from a Sam Goody store that was actually region-free and converted PAL-NTSC basically out of the box! It has a PAL/NTSC button on the remote and I tapped that a couple of times and that was all I needed to do in order to watch a DVD from any region.

In response to your post about this I looked over the remote to my Yamakawa multi-region DVD player and it does have a PAL/NTSC button. When I click this button I get options like PAL, PAL60, AUTO, and NTSC options. The owners manual recommends that the setting be kept on AUTO. Whenever this setting is on AUTO or NTSC I can play DVDs that are NTSC. I have mostly Reg 1 NTSC DVDs and a handful of Reg 2 NTSC DVDs. The problem: the Madman Entertainment Region 4 DVD I have is PAL and when I change the setting to PAL the TV screen becomes a fluttering mess. On the PAL60 setting the picture clears up and the DVD will play, but it's all B & W, that is, no color will appear correctly(and part of the Reg 4 Madman "Gojira" DVD is in color). My conclusion, which may or may not be correct, is that my multi-region player will NOT correcly play PAL DVDs, which irks me because I had planned on ordering a handful of PAL titles, most notably Goke Body Snatcher From Hell(from Xploited Cinema), and the Madman Reg 4 Destroy All Monsters. I am considering contacting the mfg by email about this, as I am unclear, from reading the owner's manual, as to whether this player will handle PAL DVD's or not. freak out
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Gorgo(1961)Revisited

Having watched Gorgo(1961) again within the last couple of days I wanted to revisit this film again. The DVD I watched was the re-release disc of this movie, with improved audio effects and print, the aspect ratio 1:85.1(widescreen) and no longer the 1:66.1 ratio that presented distortion issues(especially the opening logo sequence). I watched this disc with my external speakers and amplifier on, the audio most impressive for a film that is forty-six(46) years old.
A handful of films got me forever hooked on giant monsters: Godzilla King Of The Monsters(1956)(w/Raymond Burr), Godzilla Vs The Thing(1964)(AIP), Destroy All Monsters(1968)(first seen in a movie theater double billed with The Green Slime), and lastly, Gorgo(1961), a movie I first saw on television on some overnight "monster movie" feature. I remember struggling to stay awake to watch it while being careful not to turn up the volume on the television too much so as not to wake my parents.
Gorgo was directed by Eugene Lourie, who also directed two other favorites of mine, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms(1953) and The Giant Behemoth(1959). The two monsters in "Gorgo" were both suit actors. The opening score for this film is, IMO, marvelous, both majestic and melancholy at once. The two principal actors in this movie are William Sylvester("Sam Slade"), who would later star in 1968's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Bill Travers("Joe Ryan"), who also had a lead role in 1966's Born Free. Vincent Winter played "Sean", the orphaned Irish youngster who works for "MCCartin" on Nara Island.
The special effects are, admittedly, an often uneven affair-many of the effects shots are poor and there's a spate of WWII stock footage used during the British defense forces' early engagements with "mama" Gorgo.
Still, for me the positives abound:
-for much of the 200 foot tall "mama" Gorgo's attack on London high speed filming has been effectively used, slowing down the leviathan's movements as it demolishes much of London, looking for it's captured 60 foot "baby". The enormous monster's initial assaults on the city are fairly realistic-sirens going off, people everywhere running for their lives, the defense forces scrambling to try and maintain some semblance of order. One of the reason's I have always liked this movie so much is because director Lourie took the time to show the resulting confusion and utter chaos a 200 foot tall monster would cause after invading a major metropolitan city. Also, the use of landmarks in this film was a nice touch, especially London bridge and the Tower Of London, both unceremoniously trashed by the parent Gorgo.
-another memorable scene for me: the man adorned with a sign and shouting "Repent" over and over again, ironically being trampled to death by those around him
-the roars of the monsters, which sounded realistic and had an almost "marine" or aquatic like quality, which one would expect from creatures which presumably lived in a large undersea cavern

For anyone who has not seen this film on DVD in improved audio and video I hope you do soon. The movie can be ordered directly from VCI Entertainment's website:
http://www.vcientertainment.com/

Watch the trailer by clicking this link: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...eoID=1458050497
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KaijuFanatic
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Thanks for the re-visit, Lee, it's not been quite a year since I last watched this, but reading over your thoughts, I've decided to watch it, again. Mr Green
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Jul 8 2007, 09:34 PM
Thanks for the re-visit, Lee, it's not been quite a year since I last watched this, but reading over your thoughts, I've decided to watch it, again.

thumbs up

Some other observations about Gorgo(1961) from the mind of Packmule:

-the personality differences between Sam Slade(William Sylvester) and Joe Ryan(Bill Travers) were evident, to me, throughout this movie: Slade seemed more even tempered, introspective, and a bit brooding. Ryan, on the other hand, was markedly temperamental, and had a quick temper, as evidenced when he grabbed "McCartin"(Nara Island's harbormaster) by the lapels while they were in McCartin's "office", having a look at the contents of the harbormaster's safe. Ryan also seemed fairly quick to snap at the boy, Sean(Vincent Winter), one reason why I was satisfied to see Ryan bust his butt chasing after the boy into the streets of London as the 200 foot tall adult Gorgo made landfall.

-speaking of the monster's height, I have seen the adult Gorgo's height described, most commonly, as 200 feet, though this creature was probably taller. Why? The towers at London bridge are about 200 feet high and the adult monster was noticeably taller than either of them. The "Big Ben" bell tower is 316 feet tall, and mama Gorgo looked nearly as tall. freak out
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One aspect of this film I always enjoyed was, the ending. I don't want to give it away for anyone who may not have seen the film, but it's a satisfying ending for me.

Mama Gorgo was humongous! freak out I know some folks think the 'ears' looked too comical on the beasties, but I thought it all looked quite good. Perhaps it helps seeing some of these films as a child, but if it was all that bad, I;d think I might be disappointed as an adult and I rarely am. Wonder if this just proves, I'm extremely immature? eh?
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"KaijuFanatic"
 
Wonder if this just proves, I'm extremely immature?
Absolutely not.

I am going to attempt to locate the book Gorgo, on which the 1961 film is based. Any idea, Kimi, where I might find it? confused
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There's an online place I have seen tons of books, let me see if I can recall the name and I'll post it, here.
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Jul 14 2007, 08:07 PM
There's an online place I have seen tons of books, let me see if I can recall the name and I'll post it, here.

I found it. thumbs up It's for sale, used(in good condition), at Amazon.com. Here's a link that displays the book's cover: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~jimthing/reptilic.htm

The book was written in 1960, by Carson Bingham. Notice the price of the book(in the image), Kimi: it was 35 cents when it was first sold. freak out
I also was reading the text preview of the book's contents, part of which read like a Harlequin romance novel. very funny

The link to to see it on sale at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00...ion=collectible
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Great cover and not as high a price as I was expecting, either. That's great. Are you going to make the purchase, Lee or search around for a bit?
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