Talkback: Varan (1958)

[BARAGONZILLA]

This is probably the best movie I've ever seen. A true creature film.

[Space Hunter M]

Didn't know Gold Key (the same firm that had War in Space for a While) ever picked up VTU.

[Pkmatrix]

Unfortunately, I've only seen the American cut, and like pretty much everyone else it didn't impress me. It just seemed like a typical American monster B-Movie, in a way.

That's because that's exactly what Varan the Unbelievable is: a really run-of-the-mill low-grade American '50s monster movie, just released a few years late. Anybody who's only seen the American movie has really NOT seen Giant Monster Varan, and really needs to make a point of watching the Japanese movie.

IMO we really need to stop using the term "American version" when discussing the American film, because it gives people who haven't seen either movie the wrong idea. It's not a different version, it's a totally separate movie with completely different scripts, casts, and soundtracks. I think we should start referring to Varan the Unbelievable as a sequel or remake instead, those are more accurate terms. It could be a sequel in a similar vein to the Daimajin sequels, where it's another standalone story featuring the same monster. Or a remake, since it's taking the same monster footage and literally making a new movie around it.

But, it's not an "Americanization". It's not an "American cut" or "American version". Outside the title, some stock footage, and a single music cue, the two movies have nothing in common.

[Space Hunter M]

IMO we really need to stop using the term "American version" when discussing the American film, because it gives people who haven't seen either movie the wrong idea. It's not a different version, it's a totally separate movie with completely different scripts, casts, and soundtracks. I think we should start referring to Varan the Unbelievable as a sequel or remake instead, those are more accurate terms. It could be a sequel in a similar vein to the Daimajin sequels, where it's another standalone story featuring the same monster. Or a remake, since it's taking the same monster footage and literally making a new movie around it.

But, it's not an "Americanization". It's not an "American cut" or "American version". Outside the title, some stock footage, and a single music cue, the two movies have nothing in common.

Preach it mister.

[eabaker]

Yeah, it's an "American version" of the movie the same way that Horror of the Blood Monsters is an "American version" of Tagani...

Y'know, to use an example that's universally accessible.

[ThunderScore]

[eabaker]

^Okay, that's pretty cool. I think I may print a few copies of that out, and see if my wife wants to spend part of the weekend making strangely colored Varan posters.

The fact that she might very well actually want to do that should give you a good idea of why I am so madly in love with her.

[BARAGONZILLA]

I made some varan posters awhile back, I was going to sell them at G-fest but I never got around to making copies.

Unfortunately, I've only seen the American cut, and like pretty much everyone else it didn't impress me. It just seemed like a typical American monster B-Movie, in a way.

The American version is nothing compared to the Japanese version. You can watch the Japanese version a Youtube now, but the graphics are terrible. It says its the 1962 version but its not. The Japanese version is the way to get the full varan effect.

I cried when he died in the end. Varan is probably tied with baragon as my favorite kaiju. I mostly skip over the ending now.

[Lain Of The Wired]

Well, I've only seen the American version, what exactly ARE the differences between the Japanese and American versions?

[eabaker]

Well, I've only seen the American version, what exactly ARE the differences between the Japanese and American versions?

Literally every scene involving humans is completely different. They basically have entirely different storylines. Wikipedia has a pretty thorough plot summary for the Japanese version.

[Lain Of The Wired]

^ I just read the review on TK, and I can tell there's some MAJOR differences. If I remember correctly, the version I watched dropped the butterfly plot, and had a bunch of dicks wanting to conduct chemical experiments in a lake or something?

[eabaker]

^ I just read the review on TK, and I can tell there's some MAJOR differences. If I remember correctly, the version I watched dropped the butterfly plot, and had a bunch of dicks wanting to conduct chemical experiments in a lake or something?

Something like that.

I've only watched the American version once, and that was over twenty years ago. Bored me senseless.

[Lain Of The Wired]

^ I just read the review on TK, and I can tell there's some MAJOR differences. If I remember correctly, the version I watched dropped the butterfly plot, and had a bunch of dicks wanting to conduct chemical experiments in a lake or something?

Something like that.

I've only watched the American version once, and that was over twenty years ago. Bored me senseless.

I agree on that last part, when I watched it (about 3 years ago) It bored the living hell outta me, and that really made me sad, because I thought Varan was a really interesting character, with a unique design, and it all felt wasted because the movie was so dreadful.
Good to know the original Japanese version is a little better, really hoping it gets a Bluray release sometime soon, I'd love to pick this film up.

[Space Hunter M]

really hoping it gets a Bluray release sometime soon, I'd love to pick this film up.

I wonder how they'd present it, honestly. Varan has an AR closer to 2:1 or something. Also, both the "recreated" Perspecta mix and the 5.1 mix sound awful and were obviously done without stems. The mono is the only listenable track.

[Pkmatrix]

Well, I've only seen the American version, what exactly ARE the differences between the Japanese and American versions?

They are two completely different films with different plots, characters, and music. The only relations Giant Monster Varan has to Varan the Unbelievable are:

- Stock footage of the villagers from early in Giant Monster Varan;
- A single five-to-ten second cue of Akira Ifukube music;
- Varan himself, represented by some of the effects footage from Giant Monster Varan (quite a bit didn't make it into the film);
- Extremely brief cameos by Ayumi Sonoda and Fumindo Matsudo, the ONLY cast members to reappear in the American film as actual characters, but never have any lines as far as I remember and are only just pointed out as a "husband-wife reporter team" (they are two of the three main characters in the Japanese film, the hero of the original isn't in the US film at all from what I recall);
- Both films feature a scene where the protagonists are trapped in a cave by Varan.

If you read the plot summary on Wikipedia and get the impression that it sounds like a different movie than what you saw, don't be confused: it is. There's a reason why at the bottom it has two different lists for "Cast" and "US Cast" - the two cast lists are mutually exclusive.

EDIT: Actually, it would be an interesting experiment to go in and count up exactly how much of GMV is in VtU. I've got some time to kill, why not?

[ThunderScore]

[Pkmatrix]

Okay, done! \^o^/

Granted, my count is pretty rough, but after going through my DVD I've determined that out of a total runtime of about 67 minutes, Varan the Unbelievable uses only about 30 minutes of footage from Giant Monster Varan (a film that runs about 87 minutes).

And note, that's an OVER-estimation. When possible, I gave VTU the benefit of the doubt and rounded up for it.

The footage used from the Japanese film is primarily footage of the villagers from the beginning of the film, shots of the Japanese military moving or firing weapons, and of Varan himself. Literally none of the original film's plot or characters makes it into VTU in any way (I also must apologize, it's Kozo Nomura not Fumindo Matsuo who appears in the bit part of Paul Iso...and, despite being the character who dispatches Varan, NEVER HAS A SINGLE LINE). More than half of the GMV footage, about 17 minutes worth, is in the last 20 minutes of VTU.

Also, note that a LOT of the footage that IS used is used repeatedly - mainly the shots of the military firing on Varan and of people fleeing. I didn't differentiate between footage used and footage reused, so in reality there's probably far less than 30 minutes, possibly as little as 20 minutes, but I'm not interested in going that deep into it to be sure so I'm sticking with my 30 minute tally.

[edgaguirus]

I've only seen the Japanese GMV. I guess that's fortunate considering what I've heard about VTU.

[LSD Jellyfish]

VTU is shit but it doesn't mean the Japanese version is good. I'm actually fond of Varan but in his own movie sucks regardless of version. People are talking about how VTU is just any bland American 50s movie but the original Varan is pretty much the same.

The movie has the same scientists discussing and theorizing what the creature is and how to kill it. There's lots of pointless dialogue and subplots and characters that go nowhere.

Varan isn't threatening and is one of the blandest monsters despite having a cool design. He destroys a defenseless village and a single plane. Oh yeah he destroys an airport via Godzilla stockfootage. He's just not a threat like Godzilla or Rodan. He isn't an underdog like Mothra. He's not tragic like Frankenstien. He's just another monster. Baragon in FVB at least ate things and caused way more destruction.

Varan 1958 is probably Tohos worst kaiju film.

The single issue of Godzilla Rulers of Earth 5 that features a fight with Varan vs Rodan and then Gaira is way more interesting.

[eabaker]

Yeah, the Japanese Varan is a bland, generic monster movie with long stretches of basically narrative filler, and some of the most flat, unengaging characters in the genre's history, and even certain effects scenes are in places marred by the "Toho Pan Scope" element (initially, effects scenes were shot in standard ratio because the movie was intended for American TV distribution, and when the decision was made to give it a theatrical in Japan, those shots were cropped to create a faux-scope image).

Any praise I offer that movie is relative to the American version, which is just a stunning, horrifying example of lazy, inept filmmaking, one of the most unwatchably dull, pointless, smug attempts ever made to churn out a monster movie on the assumption that the audience had absolutely no discernment whatsoever. It is a middle finger to the entire genre.