Talkback: The War of the Gargantuas (1966)

[daveblackeye15]

Which is which? Export dub, do they name the Gargantuas? I distinctly remember one dub they were called 'brown' and 'green.' But I think that one had better dubbing with the lead scientist being very dry with some humor.
I always find myself feeling awfully sad as I watch them fighting and I see the volcano coming up. Not like I'm about to burst into tears but a sudden slight dip in my humor. I seem to forget it until I'm watching the movie.

[edgaguirus]

That trumpet music helps to capture the tragic moment.

[eabaker]

Which is which? Export dub, do they name the Gargantuas? I distinctly remember one dub they were called 'brown' and 'green.' But I think that one had better dubbing with the lead scientist being very dry with some humor.
I always find myself feeling awfully sad as I watch them fighting and I see the volcano coming up. Not like I'm about to burst into tears but a sudden slight dip in my humor. I seem to forget it until I'm watching the movie.

"Brown Gargantua" and "Green Gargantua" are the UPA dub.

[daveblackeye15]

I think the UPA dub was better even if they didn't give the monster's names.

[MaxRebo320]

I am certainly the most acquainted with the UPA cut having grown up with it and all (and it is ultimately the version I first think of when the film gets brought up), but I'm honestly not a fan of Glen Glen Sound's dub for it. I find Mizuno's voice mildly annoying, and it has this slightly unnerving "echo" sound throughout. It also features the smuggest Tamblyn of the lot, which can either be a good thing or bad thing depending on who you ask. And while I do enjoy "Terror Hunt" on its own merits, it gets pretty old after a while.

I have a pretty good feeling that if and when this movie hits home media again (though I'm not optimistic) whoever releases it (I'm assuming Criterion) will use the version streaming on HBO Max now - Toho's HD print with the export dub attached to it. I guarantee that, legally, the US version is long gone.

In fairness, Toho actually did release the UPA version (along with a sloppy FCTW reconstruction) as a bonus DVD in a boxset circa 2007, indicating they at least had some affinity for the cut...but given that was 15+ years ago now, so there's a good chance things have changed.

[MechaGoji Bro7503]

Rewatched this last night and I gotta say, that entire final battle is gorgeous. I love the way the larger buildings scale next to the Gargantuas, and the use of lightning with a plethora of nice shots putting the brothers in perspective. When we see Sanda trying to reconcile he is in the center of the frame facing the audience while it cuts to Gaira further away in a larger shot, restricted to the far right of the screen, as if to convey that it's already too late to get through to him. The maser assault in the finale is great too, the blue of the maser beams adds some nice bits of color throughout the fight. There was a shot earlier with Russ's character as he opens the curtains and we see Tokyo burst to life with neon signs and even skylights far off in the distance, I liked that. I could go on about the finale, the forest assault, the airport scene - hell even the fog scene with the hikers, but I'll just leave it at this film being top-notch in setting up interesting new stages for the kaiju.

[Major sssspielberg!]

I'm pretty sure that neon Tokyo skyline could be the same miniature one from the final scene of Matango, but I'll have to watch Matango again soon to really judge. Breathtaking either way!
I also *love* the little handheld flourishes during the final confrontation. I'm not a huge fan of shaky cam but in tokusatsu, in small doses? It's an incredibly effective tool.

[LegendZilla]

I just watched this movie last night with a friend on Tubi. The transfer beets the shit out of the Classic Media Release.

[canofhumdingers]

Is it the US dub?

[edgaguirus]

Mechagoji mentions the airport scene, and I agree that's it's a good sequence. When Gaira attacks, you can hear the panic and desperation in the controller's voice as he pleads with the plane not to land. There's also the lighting effect when the sun emerges from the clouds. It makes an effective scene.

[StardustGenius]

It's the International Dub with the Gengo dubber from Godzilla vs Gigan voicing Russ Tamblyn.

[SpiderZilla]

I don’t know of any streaming service which has the US/Saperstein edition. I checked HBO Max, YouTube, Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, and Freevee but they all have the Toho International edition.

[StardustGenius]

That's because for whatever reason, that version is not the "preferred" English version of the movie now. The opposite of the situation back in 2008, where the US version was their preferred version! This is why we should hold onto DVDs and tapes, and advocate for both versions, and supporting archiving them just in case.

[SpiderZilla]

That's because for whatever reason, that version is not the "preferred" English version of the movie now. The opposite of the situation back in 2008, where the US version was their preferred version!

I suspect it was a condition of the original contract. Saperstein probably had exclusive distribution rights for 50 years in the US. That shouldn’t preclude streaming services from showing Saperstein’s edition nowadays unless Toho has language in their streaming deal that restricts any streaming service from carrying both editions.

[UltramanGoji]

Might also be another case of Toho wanting to license versions of their movies that they 100% sure own without having to pay royalties or honor old contracts.

[StardustGenius]

On the subjects of dubs, I kinda prefer the Gengo voice dubber over Russ Tamblyn's voice over. He just sounds a whole lot more enthusiastic than Tamblyn does.

[Angilasman]

Svengoolie showed the UPA dub of Gargantuas the other day.

[SpiderZilla]

I’ve recently noticed new modern movie posters for WotG floating around:





They are quite stunning! Does anyone know how or why they came about?

[Major sssspielberg!]

^uhhh no idea but both of those are pretty freaky.

[SpiderZilla]

^uhhh no idea but both of those are pretty freaky.

I noticed the first one when some sites started using it for the movie’s thumbnail. I found the second one on IMDb.