Talkback: Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

[Legion1979]

And wasn't the Symphonic Fantasia the very first time he combined the two themes you mentioned and included an intermediate motif between them?

I fine with the battle theme from KKvsG showing up in King Ghidorah. Without it that soundtrack would have been nothing but the two monster themes on repeat. But sticking the Farou Island chant in the middle of the Destroyah end credits made no sense to me even back when I first saw the movie. And doing it that way just because that's how he did it over a decade ago is definitely lazy.

[MogeGoji1994]

And wasn't the Symphonic Fantasia the very first time he combined the two themes you mentioned and included an intermediate motif between them?

I fine with the battle theme from KKvsG showing up in King Ghidorah. Without it that soundtrack would have been nothing but the two monster themes on repeat. But sticking the Farou Island chant in the middle of the Destroyah end credits made no sense to me even back when I first saw the movie. And doing it that way just because that's how he did it over a decade ago is definitely lazy.

It's included in the end credits because Ifukube was particularly proud of the Farou Island chant. When doing the Requiem for Godzilla vs Destoroyah, Ifukube felt he was writing his own funeral dirge.

[Terasawa]

From David Milner's 1995 Akira Ifukube interview

DM: What made you decide to use one of the themes from KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962) during the closing credits?

AI: They feature footage from Godzilla movies spanning more than forty years. It's easy to show clips from a number of the films in two and a half minutes, but it's impossible to perform themes from many of them in such a short amount of time.

I didn't want to use only motifs that I'd written for Godzilla because the end result would have sounded too much like my SYMPHONIC FANTASIA. So, I decided to use the Faroh Island theme from KING KONG VS. GODZILLA and the Adonoa Island theme from GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA. (SYMPHONIC FANTASIA is a suite featuring music from many of the science fiction movies that Mr. Ifukube scored.)

"The end result would have sounded too much like my SYMPHONIC FANTASIA" is ironic, to me, because the end credits sound very much like Symphonic Fantasia No. 1. Although the instrumentation is different, in both instances, the Godzilla main title plays twice, followed by the Faro Island chant. Despite what he says, I don't think there's any doubt he used SF1 as the template for the GvD credits cue.

[Missingno.]

I just got done watching this one, and I can't believe I forgot how shockingly good Terror of Mechagodzilla actually is since my last viewing about 6 years ago. The overall atmosphere, soundtrack, acting.. It all blends perfectly well to create what I feel the production team felt may have very well been the final Godzilla film, and I feel that mindset allowed them to crank out what is easily the best Godzilla film of the 1970's. I know film itself is an art, but with the way things were done here, really does feel like a work of art with how everything flows. The climax may conclude a bit too quickly, but it still wraps everything up by Mechagodzilla and his makers being defeated, as well as sending Titanosaurus to his ambiguous fate. If there is one tiny nitpick I have, it is wanting all of the big showdown to have taken place in Tokyo instead of transitioning to the empty countryside as almost every latter day Showa film did at one point, but I completely understand the budget prevented that from being possible. I just feel doing so would have added to the film's dreary and tense atmosphere, and additionally make the series really come full circle by Godzilla directly saving Tokyo from two other monsters attacking the same city he (or at least, another member of his species) laid waste to ~20 years prior. The crew worked with what they had though, and it still works very well. Aside from that gripe, which in itself doesn't hurt the film mind you, I have to say this one has really grown on me. I can firmly say I hold a much higher opinion of it now than I did before.

[LegendZilla]

The human aspect is among the most intriguing in the whole Showa era.

[SpiderZilla]

I was reading part two of Jacob Knight’s ranking of Godzilla films on Slash Film when I came across this blurb about Titanosaurus in the listing for ToMG: “Controlled by Professor Mifune (get it?) […]”. Overlooking for the moment that the author misspelled Mafune, what does “get it?” mean? There are no other references to Mafune / Mifune in the article. Did I miss a joke?

[edgaguirus]

Toshiro Mifune was an actor who worked frequently with Kurosawa.

[LegendZilla]

Being directed by Honda, this film does feel much more in line with the earlier Showa films that its 70's contemporaries.

[Voyager]

Being directed by Honda, this film does feel much more in line with the earlier Showa films that its 70's contemporaries.

It definitely feels more like Monster Zero, Ghidorah or Mothra vs Godzilla than Godzilla vs Gigan, for example.

[LegendZilla]

Being directed by Honda, this film does feel much more in line with the earlier Showa films that its 70's contemporaries.

It definitely feels more like Monster Zero, Ghidorah or Mothra vs Godzilla than Godzilla vs Gigan, for example.

And it’s immediate predecessor.

[eabaker]

I'd say the tragic undercurrents of ToMG result in a tone more like Gojira, Rodan and maybe Atragon and Frankenstein Conquers the World than like any of Honda's Godzilla efforts from the 60s.

[Voyager]

I agree, but it still has the bombast of those Golden Era films, especially during the special effects scenes.

[Legion1979]

I agree, but it still has the bombast of those Golden Era films, especially during the special effects scenes.

But the tone of that "bombast" is very different. Everything about this movie is heavy and dour. Even Godzilla's victory is pretty hollow because the main protagonists don't get an emotionally happy ending.

A Sekizawa-style Godzilla movie Terror of Mechagodzilla ain't.

[LegendZilla]

^One of Godzilla's most triumphant victories in the franchise, yet a Pyrrhic victory for the humans.

[Legion1979]

^One of Godzilla's most triumphant victories in the franchise, yet a Pyrrhic victory for the humans.

It's hard to feel too much triumph when a young woman had to commit suicide for Godzilla to defeat Mechagodzilla. Meanwhile there's a touch of tragedy in Titanosaurus' story that makes you feel bad that he needs to be beaten.

The final shot of Godzilla swimming away (in a murky sepia tone no less) doesn't really FEEL triumphant.

[LegendZilla]

^Goes to show that just because the world has a super-powered protector does not mean everyone is guaranteed a happy ending.

[eabaker]

It's certainly one of Godzilla's most hard-won victories.

[Voyager]

Has the best fight in the franchise. It’s very dramatic and entertaining.

[LegendZilla]

From David Milner's 1995 Akira Ifukube interview

DM: What made you decide to use one of the themes from KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962) during the closing credits?

AI: They feature footage from Godzilla movies spanning more than forty years. It's easy to show clips from a number of the films in two and a half minutes, but it's impossible to perform themes from many of them in such a short amount of time.

I didn't want to use only motifs that I'd written for Godzilla because the end result would have sounded too much like my SYMPHONIC FANTASIA. So, I decided to use the Faroh Island theme from KING KONG VS. GODZILLA and the Adonoa Island theme from GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA. (SYMPHONIC FANTASIA is a suite featuring music from many of the science fiction movies that Mr. Ifukube scored.)

"The end result would have sounded too much like my SYMPHONIC FANTASIA" is ironic, to me, because the end credits sound very much like Symphonic Fantasia No. 1. Although the instrumentation is different, in both instances, the Godzilla main title plays twice, followed by the Faro Island chant. Despite what he says, I don't think there's any doubt he used SF1 as the template for the GvD credits cue.

They used a bit of that symphonic fantasia in the trailer to G84.

[Omegamorph]

Has the best fight in the franchise. It’s very dramatic and entertaining.

Titanosaurus YEETING Godzilla into another universe of pain