This is sibling rivalry on an epic scale!
I have admit that when I saw that the 1966 Japanese monster movie War of the Gargantuas was going to be the feature film on Svengoolie this week I actually got a bit giddy. I have always had a soft spot for this titanic monster family slug fest ever since I first saw it back in the 80s on the weekday afternoon movie program Dialing for Dollars in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A quick note on Dialing for Dollars, in case you couldn't guess the premise, the host of the film would pick a name out of the phone book and call it. If the person who answers can name the movie that person won a hundred bucks, a years supply of taco shells or something like that.
Okay back to the movie.
Japan finds itself in real trouble when a pair of fraternal twin mutant giant monsters decide to solve their backyard squabble with some hard core wrestling moves from the remote countryside to downtown Tokyo. The military runs up a huge electric bill trying to fry one of the Gargantua brothers before the other shows to save him.
Family takes care of family.
The warm and fuzzy moments don't last long and before you can say “Different body, same mind” (a famous Japanese proverb) the two titans remember why they hate each other and it's on like Donkey Kong.
War of the Gargantuas, released in Japan as Frankenstein's Monsters: Sanda versus Gaira (フランケンシュタインの怪獣 サンダ対ガイラ, Furankenshutain no Kaijū: Sanda tai Gaira?), is a 1966 daikaiju eiga (giant monster movie), and a semisequel to Frankenstein vs. Baragon.
It introduces two giant, hairy humanoids called Gargantuas, which spawned from the discarded cells of Frankenstein's monster from the previous film and are described as brothers. The Green Gargantua is violent and savage, preying upon human beings; as he lives in sea water, he is given the name Gaira (ガイラ?, from kai, "sea"). The Brown Gargantua had been raised in captivity, and is docile and gentle; because he resides in the Japan Alps, he is called Sanda (サンダ?, from san, "mountain"). The film follows the investigation and military engagements of these creatures until their climatic confrontation in Tokyo.
Several ambiguous references are made to Frankenstein vs. Baragon, but the only direct link between the films is the term "Frankenstein", which appears in the title and is used to refer to the Gargantuas ("Frankensteins") in the original Japanese dialogue. Like the previous film, which starred Nick Adams, War of the Gargantuas features a Hollywood actor (Russ Tamblyn) in the lead as a scientist, Kumi Mizuno as his colleague, and another Japanese scientist (previously Tadao Takashima, here Kenji Sahara). The similar casting has led to speculation that the film was intended to feature recurring characters. Eiji Tsuburaya helmed the special effects crew with monster suit actor Haruo Nakajima portraying the antagonistic Gaira.
The film itself is rather vague as to where (if at all) War of the Gargantuas falls in regard to the continuity of Toho's other kaiju films, or even if it should be considered a canonical part of the Godzilla series. In 2002's Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, however, specific reference to the Gargantuas is made, indicating that (in this variation on Godzilla continuity, in any case) War of the Gargantuas is considered by Toho to be a legitimate part of the Godzilla universe. - Publicity for the DVD release.
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