GORGO

U.K. | 1961 Directed by Eugene Lourie Starring Bill Travers William Sylvester Vincent Winter Color | 76 Minutes | Not Rated Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC) VCI Entertainment

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New Blu-ray edition (March 2013)

7     5   10 = Highest Rating   Guest Review by Ryan S.

Ah, the giant monster movie — what could arguably be called the pinnacle of cultdom. With their trademark cheesy effects and preposterous plots, the general public is quick to turn their nose up at thought of popping such a film into their DVD player. But for the select few, for those who like their monsters big, loud and destructive... these are the people for whom Gorgo was made.     When a small crew of opportunistic treasure hunters find their latest salvage mission disturbed by seismic activity off the Irish coast, it doesn't take them long to realize the local villagers have more on their mind than a little water damage. It seems the underwater rumblings have released a prehistoric creature intent on leveling their quaint little village. But one man's tragedy is another man's bread and butter; our heroes offer to take care of the pesky reptile. That is, for a price.     With a little ingenuity they are able of subdue the beast and dope him up with enough tranquilizer to keep him cordial for a journey overseas. Gorgo is then used as a showpiece, paraded though the heart of London as a tourist attraction. Things are going well; tickets are being sold and with the exception of only a few naysayers, everyone seems happy to make Gorgo a permanent fixture in the British circus. Unfortunately, one of the protesters is more aggressive about voicing her objections... Gorgo's mother.     You could accuse Gorgo of being a British rehash of Godzilla that suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder and you wouldn't exactly be wrong, but at least it's a good British rehash of Godzilla that suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder. With a tight running time of under 76 minutes, we're quickly thrown into the action. Little time is wasted developing characters or explaining the who, what, when, where or whys of the plot and really, these are only barely missed. Gorgo is not a film of logic or deep purpose — it's a cheap thrill. As such, you could do a lot worse.     The trailer is not shy about touting the fact that the special effects are the work of two-time Academy Award winner Tom Howard, who won Oscar gold for 1947's Blithe Spirit and 1959's Tom Thumb. I'm sure it cost the producers a pretty penny to bring Mr. Howard aboard, but it was money well spent. If ever there were a sci-fi sub-genre that depended on decent effects to bring an audience into the theaters and keep them there, it would be the giant monster genre.     There is one glaring fault in the movie, though, one that cannot go unmentioned. The film is perpetually anticlimactic. It seems every time Gorgo gets himself worked up enough to cause some serious damage, the action is cut short. Not only that but, half the time, we don't even get to see how the problem was solved. Gorgo just begins to start some serious trouble and it cuts to a board meeting, or an otherwise bland environment, where someone says something like, "It's a good thing we were able to stop him in time." Perhaps the filmmakers were on damage control, reserving the real demolition for the finale. This would make sense but at least give us a punch line. Some sort of closure to the scene before moving on.     This problem aside, Gorgo is what it aims to be: a fairly entertaining, well constructed, tightly knit gargantuan-lizard-on-the-loose film. Perhaps if you have some friends you've been meaning to introduce to the genre, this would be a great place to start. Even if it's not their style, with such a short running time, they won't be able to voice their objection before it's over.

VCI's 2005 Destruction Edition of Gorgo is presented in 1.85:1 (non-anamorphic) widescreen, restoring it to the scope of its original exhibition. This is a step up from the fullframe presentation that fans have been limited to for so long. While source elements leave much to be desired, the film probably hasn't been seen this clearly since Gorgo first went rampaging through theaters back in '61. The soundtrack however, is another matter. Sound is maintained in the original Mono and the dialogue is clear on both audio tracks (English and French dubbed). The problem is that when played over a quality stereo, small arms and automatic gun fire sound more like the distorted clicking of an antique typewriter than the echoes of battle. This is perhaps most noticeable and distracting because the lows translate so well, providing a surprising amount of rumble for a film nearly fifty years old.     The extras are rather standard-issue equipment, with animated menus, scene selection and cast and crew bios/filmographies. Fans will want to check out the behind-the-scenes mini-documentary which details Gorgo's conceptual origins and why the ending is unconventionally kinder to the monsters than expected. Logically, the original theatrical trailer for Gorgo is included, along with a bizarre but eclectic mix of trailers for other VCI releases... Everything from 1964's giallo offering from Mario Bava, Blood and Black Lace, to the low budget horrors of a B&W thriller entitled City of the Dead (AKA Horror Hotel) from 1960. The third promo looks to be what must have passed for a Red Band trailer back in 1977, a clearly Exorcist-influenced flick called Ruby. Interestingly, the trailer for Horrors of the Black Museum is offered in "Hypno-vision", which supposedly "puts you in the picture!"... Gimmick, anyone? Last but not least we have a trailer for Dario Argento's Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970).     Again, the DVD may be subpar for this day and age but genre fans will find it a welcome addition to their collection. And it's cheap. 7/09/09

UPDATE In March 2013 VCI will issue a newly restored/remastered edition of Gorgo on both DVD and Blu-ray, to include a plethora of bonus material.

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