Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Mr_Goji_and_Watch »

Gojirawars 03 wrote: Nah, just the fact that Godzilla barely shows up until like an hour in, and even then, his design looks off (even for mid-Showa suit standards) and his personality is more like that of King Kong, due to the sudden replacement, which I assume is the only reason Godzilla is as "heroic" as he is in this film. Not to mention the fight is literally just a game of 1965 green-screen volleyball.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Terasawa »

Godzilla doesn't show up until an hour into Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah either, which as I recall may be one of your favorites. It's also not like nothing of any interest happens in that hour, unless you only watch these movies for the monsters. And "when does Godzilla first show up?" generally isn't established as a solid critique of a film. Fine if you don't like it for that reason but it's not a reason the movie is "definitely not good." Neither is "Godzilla looks weird." I agree it's far from the very best Godzilla costume but it's not the only time Toho has produced a subpar monster suit. I mean, I think Rodan looks weird in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II but I try not to use that as my strongest criticism of that movie.

Also you've assumed wrong. The only sequence where Godzilla is portrayed heroically is when he saves Daiyo from the Giant Condor and then admires her. That's almost certainly a direct carry over from the film's origins as a King Kong vehicle. Otherwise Godzilla is feared by pretty much everyone, even Daiyo in that very same sequence. If that's not enough for you, consider the reactions of the male characters: they cower in terror and so Godzilla won't see them. Only at the end do the same characters try to get Godzilla to leave the island before it 'splodes. Ichino also states his belief that Godzilla won't destroy the world. This is a reflection of the character's growth over the last two films in which, when acting of his own accord, Godzilla in fact doesn't try to destroy the world. Aside from occasional talks with Mothra, dancing, and Young Guy impressions, Godzilla's characterization from 1964-1968 isn't too different from his characterization in the later Heisei films.

There's been a discussion about that in this very thread since your last post.

It's also not literally just rock volleyball. (And while we're at it, the technique the FX artists used to composite a rock into frame is probably very much like the technique used to do this.) Godzilla blasts Ebirah a few times and the two fight in close proximity both under the surface and above it. Their rematch at the end of the film doesn't have a volleyball match either but of course the detractors of this film aren't going to mention that because it doesn't support their biases. Or maybe they just weren't watching (their loss).
Last edited by Terasawa on Mon Mar 11, 2019 8:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Mr_Goji_and_Watch »

Terasawa wrote:And while we're at it, the technique the FX artists used to composite a rock into frame is probably very much like the technique used to do this.
I forgot how goofy this looked lol. Tanaka really did go back to the franchise's realistic roots and made up for the mistakes in the Showa series....
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by MorgansTShirt »

Gojirawars 03 wrote:Nah, just the fact that Godzilla barely shows up until like an hour in, and even then, his design looks off (even for mid-Showa suit standards) and his personality is more like that of King Kong, due to the sudden replacement, which I assume is the only reason Godzilla is as "heroic" as he is in this film. Not to mention the fight is literally just a game of 1965 green-screen volleyball.
I don't understand how your points make this movie "not good." It sounds more like there are some minor details you dislike, which is different from saying it's not a good movie.

If it had actors with zero charisma, characters who are written inconsistently, effects more shoddy than godzilla vs megalon, and camera angles that focus on some random trees and walls while the characters are talking about important details, then I'd say "Wow, this is definitely not good." But Godzilla showing up a little late doesn't exactly make it a bad or displeasing experience. And I don't think this is a Godzilla movie as much as it is an adventure movie that happens to feature Godzilla and Mothra, which is what a lot of kaiju movies were like around this time.

And I don't fully agree with those who say Godzilla acts like Kong in this movie. Aside from his vague, very vague, crush on Dayo(Daiyo?), I don't see anything especially Kong-like about him. Godzilla was already demonstrating very anthropomorphic tendencies in the last couple of films, and even used boulders as weapons. And even in the case with Dayo, it's not like he carried her around like a barbie doll.

And even if Godzilla did act like Kong, even if Godzilla pounded his fists on his chest and walked around like a gorilla and, I don't know, ate bananas, that still doesn't say anything about the quality of the film in itself as it plays out.
Last edited by MorgansTShirt on Mon Mar 11, 2019 8:46 am, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by MechaGoji Bro7503 »

Ugh, it never ceases to amaze me when people complain bout Godzilla not showing up till half way through, especially when a film actually has entertaining, well acted characters.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Godzillian »

Now here is a something I'm not saying to troll, why do people like these characters so much? I always found them a bit dull. What makes you guys like them so much? Their acting is all fine but I just can't get invested in them (except for Takarada and Daio)

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Terasawa wrote:Godzilla doesn't show up until an hour into Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah either, which as I recall may be one of your favorites. It's also not like nothing of any interest happens in that hour, unless you only watch these movies for the monsters.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Ivo-goji »

It's a much, much better cast than most of the films from the following nine years of the Showa series, granting a couple of exceptions.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Terasawa »

Godzillian wrote:Now here is a something I'm not saying to troll, why do people like these characters so much? I always found them a bit dull. What makes you guys like them so much? Their acting is all fine but I just can't get invested in them (except for Takarada and Daio)
I think you're right for the most part. Takarada and Mizuno are the stars and they don't disappoint, although this obviously isn't either's best role.

Toru Watanabe (playing Ryota) gives a very one-note performance as the young man dedicated to finding his brother, but to his credit, at least he's convincing. This is a character I identified with as a kid and always considered him the "lead." (He's like eighth billed in the Japanese version even though his character gets everyone to the island.) Nita (Hideo Sunazuka) is the comic relief so Sunazuka's performance is also very one-dimensional but he has a few nice scenes with the Infant Island slaves.

Chotaro Togin, as Ichino, is given the least to do. Among the initial cast his is the character with the least defined personality. Only when Ryota escapes to Infant Island and Nita is captured does Togin get to show out (and then not for very long). Ichino creates the plan to wake Godzilla and is also (I think) the first human character in one of these movies to suggest that Godzilla isn't just a big destructive monster. (Yoshimura: "And Godzilla would [destroy the world.]" Ichino: "No, he wouldn't. I know that.") This is a really nice scene for him: Takarada is a bit reserved here and Togin definitely steals the spotlight from him as he convinces Yoshimura and Daiyo to wake Godzilla. The only Toho tokusatsu movie with a showy role for Togin is Yog and unfortunately for him I don't think "angry" was his type. He doesn't get any opportunities in his other films (bit parts in SOG and Revenge and he's totally overshadowed as Akira Kubo's SY-3 co-pilot in DAM) but I'd still like to see what else he could do in other genres.

I have nothing at all against these^ performers and I actually like that Fukuda or Tanaka decided to go with younger actors. But it's no surprise that the best supporting player in the movie is Akihiko Hirata. He didn't usually play villains in these movies but he totally shines here. I wish he'd had more scenes against Akira Takarada, maybe one in which he thinks he's finally caught his pray but is killed as Takarada escapes.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Gojirawars 03 »

Terasawa wrote:Godzilla doesn't show up until an hour into Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah either, which as I recall may be one of your favorites. It's also not like nothing of any interest happens in that hour, unless you only watch these movies for the monsters. And "when does Godzilla first show up?" generally isn't established as a solid critique of a film. Fine if you don't like it for that reason but it's not a reason the movie is "definitely not good." Neither is "Godzilla looks weird." I think Rodan looks weird in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II!
Yes, it technically takes Godzilla around an hour to show up in GvKG, but at least in that film , when he shows up, it feels worth the wait. Not to mention we're watching actually interesting plot and characters in the meantime while the movie builds up his arrival. Plus we get stuff like the Godzillasaurus attack on Lagos or King Ghidorah's rampage to tide us over in terms of monster action. What do we get in EHotD? A bunch of guys stuck on an island while a puppet claw shows up to smash a toy boat every 25 minutes or so. Also, disliking the design of kaiju is a perfectly relevant criticism of a film, especially when the focus of these films are the monsters. Ebirah looks fine, I guess. But I'm actually holding in laughter every time I see these guys "cowering in fear" at the Cookie Monster suit.
Terasawa wrote:Also you've assumed wrong. The only sequence where Godzilla is portrayed heroically is when he saves Daiyo from the Giant Condor and then admires her. That's almost certainly a direct carry over from the film's origins as a King Kong vehicle. Otherwise Godzilla is feared by pretty much everyone, even Daiyo in that very same sequence. If that's not enough for you, consider the reactions of the male characters: they cower in terror and so Godzilla won't see them. Only at the end do the same characters try to get Godzilla to leave the island before it 'splodes. Ichino also states his belief that Godzilla won't destroy the world. This is a reflection of the character's growth over the last two films in which, when acting on his own, Godzilla in fact doesn't try to destroy the world. Aside from occasional talks with Mothra, dancing, and Young Guy impressions, Godzilla's characterization from 1964-1968 isn't too different from his characterization in the later Heisei films.

There's been a discussion about that in this very thread since your last post.
No. Godzilla in 1964-1968 is not much like his Heisei counterpart. The Showa Godzilla, even if reluctantly at first, becomes a sot of hero. Godzilla of the Heisei era is never a real hero. You sympathize with him, but he only really fights other monsters that threaten him directly, or his son in later films.
Terasawa wrote:It's also not literally just rock volleyball. (And while we're at it, the technique the FX artists used to composite a rock into frame is probably very much like the technique used to do this.) Godzilla blasts Ebirah a few times and the two fight in close proximity both under the surface and above it. Their rematch at the end of the film doesn't have a volleyball match either but of course the detractors of this film aren't going to mention that because it doesn't support their biases. Or maybe they just weren't watching (their loss).
Well, from what I recall, the actual fighting happens almost entirley underwater, so it's nearly impossible to see.

But then, I'm trying to criticize a Showa film on Toho Kingdom forums, so I assume my replies will fall on deaf ears.
Last edited by Gojirawars 03 on Tue Mar 12, 2019 10:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Godzillian »

Gojirawars 03 wrote:But then, I'm trying to criticize a Showa film on Toho Kingdom forums, so I assume my replies will fall on deaf ears.
Or maybe if your criticism wasn't middle school tier and isn't summed up in the phrase "when Godzilla?" people would take you seriously
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by MorgansTShirt »

Gojirawars 03 wrote:But then, I'm trying to criticize a Showa film on Toho Kingdom forums, so I assume my replies will fall on deaf ears.
The problem isn't that you're criticizing a movie; the problem is you're kinda sorta bad at criticizing a movie. The majority of your points are opinionated issues over the most minor, shallow details that have little to do with the quality of the film, and you don't really expound any of those points either.

You say Godzilla vs King Ghidorah has an "interesting plot and characters", but that's pretty much just your vaguely worded opinion. You state it as thought it were an undeniable fact, so am I an aberration of nature for finding that film kinda boring, even if I do appreciate its strong points? You say Godzilla's appearance in GvKG was "worth the wait", and yet I found Godzilla's appearance in Ebirah to be worth the wait as well. I thought it had good, simple buildup.

And while the appearance of monsters is a legitimate criticism, it's hardly the major driving point of the film itself. This movie isn't exactly about the monsters; it's about the people and their relationship with the monsters and how they use them. It's not like this movie's lead actor is Godzilla; it's not like this movie is about Godzilla's daily existence and struggles. It's about a group of heroes and their plan to escape an island and free its prisoners, using the monsters at hand to their advantage. Godzilla is only a star in that everyone recognizes him and wants to see him in action, and for plenty of people around here, what he does in this movie is satisfying.

Also, the way you try to simplify and exaggerate the movie doesn't help your case. You say the movie is about "a bunch of guys stuck on an island while a puppet claw shows up to smash a toy boat every 25 minutes or so", and yet I can easily do that to any of your favorite movies as well. I could say "GvKG is about some poorly acted white guys from the future who want to replace Godzilla with a bunch of furbies", and unfairly put it down in an argument.

Ebirah isn't even one of my favorite Godzilla films, btw. It's one I can enjoy but also live without. I just like to analyze most things critically, deeply, and fairly.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Terasawa »

MorgansTShirt got his comment in before me and we cover a lot of the same ground in our responses... but I spent some time typing this up so I'm going to post it anyway. I hope it's clear that I'm not trying to gang up on Gojirawars 03, this is just how the timing of these posts worked out. In regards to MorgansTShirt, he really states the same things I'm trying to say much more articulately. If you have to respond to one post I hope it's his.
Gojirawars 03 wrote:Yes, it technically takes Godzilla around an hour to show up in GvKG, but at least in that film , when he shows up, it feels worth the wait. Not to mention we're watching actually interesting plot and characters in the meantime while the movie builds up his arrival. Plus we get stuff like the Godzillasaurus attack on Lagos or King Ghidorah's rampage to tide us over in terms of monster action. What do we get in EHotD? A bunch of guys stuck on an island while a puppet claw shows up to smash a toy boat every 25 minutes or so.
OK, so you don't think anything that happens in the first ~50 minutes of the movie is engaging. You aren't caught up in the frequent chases and the sneaking around the villains' base. Why aren't the characters or plot in this film interesting?

You keep throwing out comments like "puppet claw," "toy boat," and "Cookie Monster suit" to show your disdain for this movie. Are you aware that anyone can find similar examples in the movies you like? That puppet claw isn't too different in execution from the Godzillasaurus prop foot or tail that's haphazardly composited into shots of actors laying down on a beach. The model tanks that G-Force sends at Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II aren't exactly photo-realistic either.
Also, disliking the design of kaiju is a perfectly relevant criticism of a film, especially when the focus of these films are the monsters. Ebirah looks fine, I guess. But I'm actually holding in laughter every time I see these guys "cowering in fear" at the Cookie Monster suit.
Yeah that's fair. Godzilla is the star of the film and his appearance is a product of Toho's special effects staff. An extreme hypothetical comparison would be like a Bond film in which the costumers only gave Daniel Craig a ratty t-shirt or the makeup crew didn't touch up any noticeable blemishes on his face. But at least Godzilla is still Godzilla here. I'm sorry for any fans that can't get past what the monsters look like. For example, King Kong vs. Godzilla is a fun film despite the all-time worst version of Kong. I think the Mire-Goji costume is embarrassingly bad in a lot of shots in Godzilla 2000 but I don't let that draw me out of the movie. "Godzilla looks weird" is a relevant criticism, I'll give you that, but it's not the only one.
No. Godzilla in 1964-1968 is not much like his Heisei counterpart. The Showa Godzilla, even if reluctantly at first, becomes a sot of hero. Godzilla of the Heisei era is never a real hero. You sympathize with him, but he only really fights other monsters that threaten him directly, or his son in later films.
Where else does Godzilla act especially heroically from 1964-68? Off the top of my head I can think of two: teaming up with Mothra and Rodan to fight Ghidrah, as well as the sequence I mentioned from this film. How are his fights against Ghidrah in Monster Zero all that different from the Heisei Godzilla who only fights monsters that "threaten him directly"? What about in this film, where Godzilla rises from hibernation and spends the last 35 minutes of the film fighting Ebirah, the Red Bamboo, and the adult Mothra in self defense? What about in Son of Godzilla where all three monster fights involve Godzilla protecting Minya? Or in DAM, where Godzilla is contained at Monsterland (not exactly a response to a hero, is it?) and only fights of his own free will at the end of the film against the Kilaak base and the Fire Dragon -- two elements of the same threat that had previously placed him under their control and had just sent Ghidrah to fight him and the other monsters.

I also provided examples in this film in which the characters (both good and bad) react in total fear to Godzilla. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah notably have characters admiring Godzilla (even crying at his death in the latter!) which isn't too different from the characters trying to tell Godzilla to escape Letchi Island at the end of this movie. Like it or not, the late '60s Godzilla was something of an anti-hero too. He was just given more humorous pop culture references than the '90s version of the character.
Well, from what I recall, the actual fighting happens almost entirley underwater, so it's nearly impossible to see.
How are you watching the movie? It's not "nearly impossible to see" if you watch the Sony/Kraken releases. It's no more obscure than Godzilla and Battra's underwater battle in Godzilla vs. Mothra. In fact, in that film, that fight is more than nearly impossible to see because of the way it's edited and especially because of those damn bubbles.
But then, I'm trying to criticize a Showa film on Toho Kingdom forums, so I assume my replies will fall on deaf ears.
No one is telling you you have to like this movie any more than any other Godzilla movie. But you come in here with the statement that it's "definitely not good" and when you're asked to elaborate on it you choose to criticize stuff like the Godzilla costume and a single monster fight (which you recalled incorrectly anyway). It's not that your critique is falling on deaf ears because we're all too high on Showa movies, it's that no one who's responded to you thinks you've offered any solid arguments as to why this movie is "definitely not good." As MorgansTShirt said the other day:
MorgansTShirt wrote:I don't understand how your points make this movie "not good." It sounds more like there are some minor details you dislike, which is different from saying it's not a good movie.
Last edited by Terasawa on Tue Mar 12, 2019 11:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Ivo-goji »

Minor correction, Godzilla was actually under human mind control at the end of DAM.

But yes, Showa Godzilla didn't become a really proactive hero until Godzilla vs Hedorah, before then he mostly fights other kaiju out of self-interest much like Heisei Godzilla.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

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Ivo-goji wrote:Minor correction, Godzilla was actually under human mind control at the end of DAM.
I was actually referring to Godzilla's attack on the underground base which happens after the Fire Dragon destroys the human control device on Monsterland. Katsuro says something like "The monsters don't need the control device, they know their natural enemy."
But yes, Showa Godzilla didn't become a really proactive hero until Godzilla vs Hedorah, before then he mostly fights other kaiju out of self-interest much like Heisei Godzilla.
Even Ichiro, the biggest Godzilla fanboy in 1969 Japan, is afraid of him at the end of his dream in Godzilla's Revenge. Godzilla wasn't directly against mankind in the late '60s (only when under alien influence or in the case of this film where he's first attacked by the Red Bamboo) but he was still very much feared. DAM is usually placed at the end of the Showa timeline but its treatment of the monsters is obviously more rooted in the late '60s approach than what we saw later. The monsters are caged in DAM because they'd caused frequent destruction and mankind couldn't trust them. Putting them on Monsterland allowed them to study them but also to keep them from rampaging, either willfully or accidentally, like if Godzilla created some collateral damage while trying to fight another monster.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Ivo-goji »

Terasawa wrote:
I was actually referring to Godzilla's attack on the underground base which happens after the Fire Dragon destroys the human control device on Monsterland. Katsuro says something like "The monsters don't need the control device, they know their natural enemy."
Herp. Completely forgot about that.
DAM is usually placed at the end of the Showa timeline but its treatment of the monsters is obviously more rooted in the late '60s approach than what we saw later.
The focus on the aliens controlling the kaiju in DAM conveniently makes Godzilla's less hostile personality at the end of the Showa series non-problematic. Humanity of course would be inclined to exercise maximum caution with every kaiju and try to contain Godzilla regardless of his temperament, as you say.
Last edited by Ivo-goji on Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Terasawa »

Ivo-goji wrote:
Terasawa wrote:DAM is usually placed at the end of the Showa timeline but its treatment of the monsters is obviously more rooted in the late '60s approach than what we saw later.
The focus on the aliens controlling the kaiju in DAM conveniently makes Godzilla's less hostile personality at the end of the Showa series non-problematic. Humanity of course would be inclined to exercise maximum caution with every kaiju and try to contain Godzilla regardless of his temperament, as you say.
See, I don't think it really fits with the characterization of the '70s Godzilla. In vs. Megalon at least no one cares that this potentially destructive creature should show up in Japan. In fact, his appearance in Japan is part of an SDF operation. Then flash to the late '90s and the same creature and his son are effectively imprisoned by the UN. Of course we don't know what happened between 1975 and 1999 and I don't care to make up any events to make it all fit. It's just another quirk of having DAM set in the future and the decision to not let the next six films be influenced by those developments. In my opinion that's all the more reason to watch the Showa films in their release order, but that's a discussion for another day. ;) We both agree that the '60s Godzilla was not the overtly heroic version introduced in the '70s.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Mr_Goji_and_Watch »

Gojirawars 03 wrote:.
But then, I'm trying to criticize a Showa film on Toho Kingdom forums, so I assume my replies will fall on deaf ears.
Why do you throw this out as a shield to preemptively dismiss any contradictory opinions instead of crtiscising elements of the films form and content? Try posting more than surface level complaints that ultimately have no real bearing on the visual storytelling before you assume the dreaded Showa elitists are gonna ignore you on the premise of disliking a showa movie.
Last edited by Mr_Goji_and_Watch on Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by Ben Shapiro »

Mr_Goji_and_Watch wrote:
Gojirawars 03 wrote:.
But then, I'm trying to criticize a Showa film on Toho Kingdom forums, so I assume my replies will fall on deaf ears.
Why do you throw this out as a shield to preemptively dismiss any contradictory opinions instead of crtiscising elements of the films form and content? Try posting more than surface level complaints that ultimately have no real bearing on the visual storytelling before you assume the dreaded Showa elitists are gonna ignore you on the premise of disliking a showa movie.
+1

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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

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Have no doubts that people here will respond to what is said when they have an opinion.
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ApexOversteer
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Re: Talkback Thread #7: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Post by ApexOversteer »

I wrote the piece below a few months back, thought some might enjoy it here...



The Cherished Nightmare: Horror Of The Deep
By T.A. Bell


I met him on a sunny Saturday afternoon, in the autumn of 1979. I was seven years old. Rindge, New Hampshire borders Massachusetts, just 75 miles from Boston, and in 1979 there still existed the greatest television station to ever broadcast, WLVI UHF56, home of The Creature Double Feature. On a clear day, with a well aimed roof antenna, you could almost get a decent picture out of a floor-console RCA black and white television.

That Saturday, as I consumed my normal morning diet of cartoons, I knew nothing of Japan, Toho, atomic testing or bombs, allegories or World Wars. I lived in a world of Luke Skywalker, dinosaurs, Hot Wheels and Looney Toons.

I don’t know what compelled me to spin the dial on the TV, searching for the elusive UHF signal from Boston, rarely attained, and even more rarely worth the effort, but what greeted me when the static cleared was literally life changing.

Four Asian men, aboard a sailing yacht named “Yahlen” had sailed into a storm, and they were in serious trouble. The sails tore, the helm destroyed, they had little hope of survival, when the most horrifying thing imaginable appeared, accompanied confusingly by James Bond’s theme music; the claw of an enormous crustacean.

Any New England child will instantly recognize a lobster when they see one, and the moment I saw that claw, I knew what it meant. Beneath those waves, there lurked an armored marine villain of frightening proportions.

Terrified, but transfixed, unable to move from mere inches in front of the RCA, I watched as the monster “Eb-i-rah” later speared those poor escaping Infant Islanders, their brothers and sisters forced to create the yellow liquid keeping the creature at bay, protecting the evil Red Bamboo Army, whose intentions I could not understand.

I was simply not prepared to be introduced to first Mothra, and then the great one himself, the slumbering Godzilla, within a scant ninety seconds of each other. My mind reeled at the sensory overload, the unknowns these monsters represented.

Could Godzilla be worse than Ebirah? Would Mothra awaken and save them all?

The hour that followed is still to me, some of the most exciting, thrilling, and yes, terrifying that these films have ever been. The cruelty of man on display in a way I hadn’t yet become accustomed to, juxtaposed by the collaboration of our heroes and the Infant Islanders, the anarchic actions of Godzilla and at the very end, the glorious Deus Ex Machina of Mothra, cemented these films into my very soul as the greatest cinematic genre on Earth.

Or at least, it would, when I learned that it actually was a genre. I would not learn the title of the film, or that there were more of them, until the following Monday morning, when my best friend explained these things to me on the playground during recess.

He breathlessly explained there were more movies, perhaps as many as ten more. It instantly became my life to see them all, to experience those thrills, those horrors again.

Of course, as we all know, it never quite feels like your first time, ever again, and it never has.

There are only two cinematic monsters that have ever featured in my nightmares, and both will still occasionally appear, even now as I approach my late 40’s, in times of anxiety or illness; H.R. Giger’s Alien, and Ebirah, Horror of the Deep.

Godzilla Versus The Sea Monster is not my favorite Godzilla film, but it will forever be my first Godzilla film, The Cherished Nightmare.
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