Talkback Thread #5: Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster(1964)

[miguelnuva]

hmm ill check it out. i have the classic media dvd on its way to me now. I dont see how it would die form the fight though since Godzilla really didnt hurt either one of them much.
at what point in the movie (japanese version) do they sate that?

He blasted at them with his atomic breath numerous times...exposure to the radiation could have done some serious damage, and he whacked the living sh*t out of one of them pretty good with his tail...very easy to see how one of them could have died from injuries later on...

Yeah one larval took a major beating from Godzilla before the other one showed up to help. Imagine of both larva showed up in GTTHM and then one returned in MZ and then we had a Mothra that was the guardian of infant island and one Mothra that stayed with Godzilla in the Showa series.

Man I can just imagine a Mothra alongside Godzilla in Hedorah, Gigan and terror of MechaG.

[locomike65]

ok. i have both versions on their way to me. the classic video one. ive only seen english one to date . on that one in the scene you are referring to. it clearly states "the old one" died. But the other way would at least mention that theyre down to one.
i dont see how radiation would harm them since infant island was irradiated (stated in the 64 film) but i do remember the one taking a beating but its seemed fine after and fought on. theyre ususally able to hold up to that kind of punishment but , maybee for storys sake, they wrote it that way.
another explanation that, i believe, fits the long term story line alot better. On accasion 2 Mothras exist at the same time but never for very long. If they are indeed just host bodies inhabited by the Goddess (as hinted at in the 64 film right after the "sacred springs" scene), maybee she preferrs to only have 1 body functioning at a time adn with drew form the 2nd after the fight and it passed away. if you watch every movie that has Mothra in it. this explanation does make sense, though TOHO direct sources, to my knowledge, dont actually address this event.
Anyway, I cant wait to see both versions and check out the commentary on this one. Thanks for the into and comments guys!

[Goji]

I don't see why it's such a big deal. One of the larva died, which is mentioned in the film. We don't need to know any of the smaller details because it's not something that further progresses the story. It isn't need-to-know information.

[locomike65]

lol. to me its a point of curiosity. im following Mothra through out all her movie appearances. My curiosity stems from that, not from the story line of this movie only.

[Reaper Man]

One of my personal favorites. The original Toho monster mash.

[Goji]

lol. to me its a point of curiosity. im following Mothra through out all her movie appearances. My curiosity stems from that, not from the story line of this movie only.

wut

The thing your complaining about can't even be considered a fault with the movie. Not knowing exactly how one of the larva died from it's injuries doesn't suddenly make the film worse. The audience doesn't need to know that information.

While it may be "a point of curiosity" to you, I can't imagine how something so small could ruin your enjoyment of the movie.

[locomike65]

it doesnt ruin the movie for me, i liked it anyway . anyway nowthat i know that the explanation just didnt make to the american version (the only i had seen at the point i posted the question) so its really all moot now.

[Lain Of The Wired]

Can anyone help me find the vid of the unused Ghidorah "birth" scene from the meteor/egg? Because I heared that there's a version far more superior than the one used in the film

[Space Hunter M]

Can anyone help me find the vid of the unused Ghidorah "birth" scene from the meteor/egg? Because I heared that there's a version far more superior than the one used in the film

It's actually more like the raw cell animation than an alternate take, and here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6iVZwWpAQ8

[Trekkie313]

I guess I'm more used to the Heisei and Millenium series, but this movie was severely lacking in screen-time for giant monsters fighting. Also the current releases PQ leaves much to be desired.

[JGAR]

One of my personal favorites. The original Toho monster mash.

Pretty much this. This film was sorta like the Monsters Avengers back in the day, and Destroy All Monsters 0.5 .

[MustafaDaisenso]

I think Ghidorah is tad overrated. Its extremely talky, and the two storylines (the monsters and the princess) are so disconnected as to make two totally different movies altogether. Also, I think the monster scenes tend to be way too short, and the movie tends to cut away from them frequently to less interesting scenes.

The american pacing is better, but I miss Ifukube's music, and the scene re-arrangment is nonsensical at times.

[Pkmatrix]

I've come to love this movie more and more as I've gotten older.

I love the human plotlines, I think the story is one of the most engaging in the series. I love the continuity the movie shares with Mothra vs. Godzilla and Rodan. Yeah, the movie is weak on the monster side - their story comes across more like comedy relief than anything else - but, I love the idea of the monster mash here and would love to see this whole movie revisited. Too bad this wasn't used as the basis for Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.

[eabaker]

This is a movie that I appreciate primarily for individual effective moments. Some of the effects shots of Ghidorah's rampage are breathtaking (they get a lot of mileage out of very little screentime), Yosuke Natsuki is frequently strangely charming as Shindo, and Akiko Wakabayashi is eerily affecting in her alien possession scenes. It doesn't all gel into a cohesive whole, and as such is one of the more forgettable entries of its era (despite the massive and resonant tonal shift it brings to the series), but its high points are very high indeed.

And, as usual, Hajime Koizumi and Sadamasa Arikawa lend some beautiful compositions to the photography of their respective portions.

[GojiraFan1999]

I Like It My 2nd Favorite Godzilla Movies/Films Before Godzilla VS Mechagodzilla (1974) Like WOW!

[20th Century Boy]

I just watched this again for the first time in a while, and I thought it was an absolute blast. In fact, it may very well be my fifth favorite in the franchise, and that's saying something. The human element was interesting and entertaining, mainly due to the actors, and it made the movie watchable and engaging even when the monsters weren't on the screen. But when the monsters were on screen, it was glorious. The monster fights were full of action, lots of movement, and plenty of comedic touches. Personality is the key word; the monsters themselves were characters, and their interactions and fights were the highlight of the movie. Actually, the entire movie had a very fun, lively feeling but didn't to overboard to the point where it became a comedy, like KKvG. Not that that's a bad thing, but the balance between serious and comedic was able to satisfy my tastes in any mood.

In short, this is one of my favorite movies. I just forgot it for a while.

[edgaguirus]

It's one of my favorites, too. I enjoy the human plot. The characters seem real in the way they react to eachother, and the pacing is pretty good. The monsters receive some actual personality here, and it's interesting to hear the monster's view of humans. It provides some insight into them.

[H-Man]

This was one of my favorites growing up. I'm not sure if it's still up there, but it's fun. My observations on the differences between the two versions:

- The Japanese version makes a bigger deal about the heat wave in the middle of winter.
- The English version makes the geologist character Naoko's boyfriend. In the Japanese version, he's just someone that she interviews for her program.
- There is some scene shuffling going on in the American version.
- Stock cues (including one from The Black Scorpion) replace Ifukube's score during Godzilla's attack on Yokohama and the scene where Rodan picks up Godzilla and drops him on the power lines.
- In the English version, the Prophetess says she's from Mars. In the Japanese version, she's apparently from Venus. In the Portuguese subtitles, she's from Jupiter.
- The assassination attempt on the cliff is played out in silence in the Japanese. I prefer the English version, which tries to include suspense-generating drum rolls.
- In the American version, Godzilla rises from the sea, sees Rodan, and apparently follows him to Yokohama, where he sees him again. In the Japanese version, Godzilla doesn't see Rodan until he reaches Yokohama, which gives us a prolonged scene of Godzilla staring at the sky. I prefer the American approach.
- When the Shobijin (the Fairy twins) call Mothra in the American version, they sing "Mosura" twice and the monster already leaves the island. In the Japanese version, they sing the complete song again (they had already sung it during their TV appearance). Once again, points to the American version.

Anything I miss?

[Space Hunter M]

Stock cues (including one from The Black Scorpion) replace Ifukube's score during Godzilla's attack on Yokohama and the scene where Rodan picks up Godzilla and drops him on the power lines.

Where does the cue play in The Black Scorpion? I know Ghidrah recycles some cues from The Sadist. Also, I made a new, much better reconstruction of the U.S. cut in widescreen a few weeks ago, with the Walter Reade Logo and original end title reinstated. Saw the Champion Festival version a while back too.

[skuzzy-punk-kid]

Am I the only one laughing watching the scene where Mothra shoots silk at Godzilla during the Godzilla-Rodan brawl, seeing Rodan chuckle at Godzilla's misfortune...only for Rodan himself to get silked?