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

[Legion1979]

I think if people didn't know about Ghidrah's rushed production not a single person would be pointing that out as a flaw.

Just read my post from 12/8 on page 28 to get an idea of just how lavish this film was.

[Spuro]

There is nothing wrong with Ghidorah's special effects other than Godzilla'd atomic breath against Rodan.

And the overuse of bad puppets.

[LegendZilla]

It's strange that despite both this film and GRA being rushed into production, the latter gets the most of the flak for being so. Why does GTTHM get a free pass when the signs are arguably just as glaring as in 1955?

Because GTTHM is better.

How so? On a writing or technical level?

[LSD Jellyfish]

I think if people didn't know about Ghidrah's rushed production not a single person would be pointing that out as a flaw.

Just read my post from 12/8 on page 28 to get an idea of just how lavish this film was.

Yep. The fact that the production was a little tighter isn’t even a statement on the final product.

Added in 40 seconds:

How so? On a writing or technical level?

Everything!

[miguelnuva]

It's strange that despite both this film and GRA being rushed into production, the latter gets the most of the flak for being so. Why does GTTHM get a free pass when the signs are arguably just as glaring as in 1955?

Because GTTHM is better.

How so? On a writing or technical level?

What about Raids again holds a candle to GTTHM?

[Legion1979]

I think if people didn't know about Ghidrah's rushed production not a single person would be pointing that out as a flaw.

Just read my post from 12/8 on page 28 to get an idea of just how lavish this film was.

Yep. The fact that the production was a little tighter isn’t even a statement on the final product

But you know how fans are. They hear "rushed into production" and immediately they form the opinion that this automatically means Toho turned out a lesser product.

[Spuro]

Because GTTHM is better.

How so? On a writing or technical level?

What about Raids again holds a candle to GTTHM?

Well the puppets were slightly better.

Alright, alright, I'll shut my trap about the puppets.

[godjacob]

Okay we are seriously not gonna entertain the idea that Raids is comparable/better than GTTHM now are we? Ghidorah alone is a more impressive effects display than what you get in Raids and the better overall movie without question.

[edgaguirus]

How so? On a writing or technical level?

What about Raids again holds a candle to GTTHM?

Well the puppets were slightly better.

Alright, alright, I'll shut my trap about the puppets.

Don't let him pull your strings, Spuro. Defend the puppets if you like.

[DirektorSplennic]

Rodan poking his head up slowly from behind the rock after Ghidorah blasts him kills me everytime. I love how humanized the monsters are in this movie.

[JVM]

I've now seen the Japanese edit twice and I really love the changes to the beginning of the film bringing emphasis to all of the weather changes as it does a great job setting up a sense of mystery and dread well before King Ghidorah is revealed.

[JAGzilla]

Rewatching this now, for the first time since 2018-ish. The Criterion Blu-ray, so the Japanese version... I've only ever seen it subbed once, in 2012, whereas I've seen the American version around five times.

The first few minutes of this one are great. I love the apocalyptic vibe of unseasonal weather, disease outbreaks, and meteor showers, with a UFO group trying to understand the strangeness through the lens of New Age semi-religious beliefs. It's all an interesting combination of elements. Timeless natural phenomena running up against modern science and the latest cultural fads. The geology team, armed with their cutting edge knowledge and equipment, have to hike out into the mountains because the wind is too treacherous for helicopters. Nature is immediately shown to be stronger than man, but then there's a strange, outside alien element going on, too.

I love the magnetic anomalies around Ghidorah's meteor. They don't really have anything to do with his powers, but they add to his eerie presence.

EDIT: Done. I guess I'd have to watch them back to back and I'm not going to do that now, but I think the American cut's editing probably does improve the final battle's pacing somewhat. That long break from the monster action to follow the shootout feels kind of awkward, and some monster roars in the background were a good idea to help the two sequences feel more connected. The original version isn't bad the way it is, though.

The battle really is one of the better ones overall. It gets some flak because Ghidorah doesn't come across as being as overwhelming as modern fans might prefer and expect, but a pretty good job was done establishing that he's more than a match for Godzilla, Rodan, or Mothra individually. We do get scenes where he focuses on each one alone, and he clearly has the advantage. It's only when they come together at the end that the trio's numerical advantage really amounts to anything. Ghidorah was mostly whaling on them before that.

I love how each Earth monster's personality and fighting style feel distinct. Godzilla is the aggressive brawler, getting in Ghidorah's faces over and over again and trying to force a straight fight even as he gets blasted back. Mothra is brave and determined, but too small and weak to amount to anything much, whether she's spraying silk from the ground or biting Ghidorah's tail. Rodan is the brains of the operation, hanging back and picking his moments to attack, using cover to avoid the beam spam rather than just taking the abuse like Godzilla. He watches how things are going and realizes that Mothra riding on his back would put her in position to make a difference. It's all done really well.

The Mt. Fuji set is fantastic, too. The backgrounds are very convincing.

[edgaguirus]

Another great thing about the movie is how Shindo and his sister react to each other. The way they talk and act seem natural for siblings.