GAMERA VS. BARUGON
Japan | 1966
Directed by Shigeo Tanaka
Starring
Kojiro Hongo
Kyôko Enami
Yuzo Hayakawa
Color | 106 Minutes | Not Rated
Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC)
Shout! Factory
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Review by
Troy Guinn
Film:8
DVD:10
Gamera, the giant, flying, fire-breathing turtle, is often referred to as "the poor man's Godzilla" — and normally called that by folks who are pretty dismissive of Godzilla films in the first place. Still, despite having starred in less than half the number of films as his radioactive rival, Gamera has endured to become a widely recognized and popular icon, and the image of him in flight, with rotating shell emitting jets of flame, is nearly as distinctive and familiar as the fins on Godzilla's back that glow with energy when he breathes fire. In the 1990s Daiei Studios dramatically re-launched the Gamera series with a dark, exciting trilogy directed by Shasuke Kaneko, followed by 2007's Gamera the Brave, which returned Gamera to his role as "friend of children" but is as charming and touching as anything by Pixar Studios. One could make the argument that Toho Studios has struggled to match the quality of these recent Gamera adventures with their own latest run of Godzilla films.
    However, as Shout! Factory's excellent new DVD releases of the original run of eight Gamera films demonstrates, the tusked turtle was originally poised to give Godzilla a run for his money even back in the 1960s, and managed two entries of exceptional quality before the films began their quick slide into camp and cheapness. After the franchise was launched with Gamera: The Giant Monster, an even better sophomore effort followed with Gamera vs. Barugon.
    Picking right up where Gamera: The Giant Monster concludes, Gamera has been trapped in a giant capsule and has been launched into the deep reaches of space. However, the capsule collides with a meteor and Gamera is freed, whereupon he immediately heads back to Earth. Ever hungry to feed on sources of energy, he destroys Koruba Dam before flying off to munch on a distant volcano. Meanwhile, Ichiro Hirata (Akira Natsuki), a hobbled war veteran, is assembling a team of men to retrieve a priceless opal he found and hid in a cave while stationed in New Guinea. Unable to go because of his injuries, he is sending his younger brother, Keisuke (Kojiro Hongo), a pilot who needs money to start his own travel company, in his place. Keisuke's companions will be the amiable Kawajiri (Yuzo Hayakawa) and the somewhat shady Onodera (Koji Fujiyama).
    Arriving in New Guinea, the trio enters a village, and meets a striking native girl, Karen (Kyoko Enami), who has learned English from Dr. Matsuhita, a Japanese man who has been living among the natives for ten years. Upon learning that the men want to enter the "Valley of the Rainbows", Karen and the doctor warn them that the cave is full of evil spirits, and the villagers try to forcibly prevent the expedition from continuing. Blinded by their greed, Keisuke and his companions elude the natives and begin a perilous trek through the jungle, during which they barely manage to rescue Onodera from sinking into quicksand. They find the cave, and also find the opal, but procuring it comes with a price: Kawajiri is fatally stung by a scorpion, a tragedy Onodera could have prevented, but he isn't interested in sharing the treasure with anyone else. After using explosives to trap Keisuke in the cave, Onodera makes his way back to civilization as the sole possessor of the jewel.
    Onodera returns to Japan, but just as he arrives in port, the opal, which is actually an egg, hatches the baby Barugon. The chameleon-like lizard instantly grows to gigantic size and begins attacking the city. Among the monster's weapons is a tongue that emits a freezing vapor, and Barugon literally leaves everything in his wake covered in ice and snow. Keisuke's brother, Ichiro, finds Onodera, who tells him that Keisuke and Kawajiri died accidentally during the hunt for the opal. Ichiro sees through his lies, and the two men fight. Onodera leaves Ichiro to die in a burning building, and joins the rest of the crowds fleeing before Barugon.
    Back in New Guinea, Keisuke has been rescued from the collapsed cave by the natives, and is nursed back to health by Dr. Matsuhita. Karen tells Keisuke that his actions have set terrible events into motion, and that she must travel to Japan with him so that they can prevent the wrath of the gods. Barugon continues to decimate the city of Kobe, while revealing yet another weapon: a rainbow that projects from his back, vaporizing everything it touches. Gamera is drawn by the rainbow's energy, and the two monsters have their first battle. Gamera loses Round One when he is frozen solid by Barugon's icy vapor breath.
    Karen knows that exposure to water will weaken and eventually kill Barugon, and she also knows he is drawn to the power of a large diamond she has in her possession. The Japanese military uses the diamond in an attempt to lure the relentless lizard into Lake Biwa. The plan is thwarted when Onodera, crazed with greed and regret over losing out on the opal, steals the diamond for himself. Onodera and the diamond are promptly eaten by Barugon, and humanity's hope of defeating the monster appear to have gone down the beast's gullet along with the treacherous thief. However, Gamera has been slowly thawing out after his initial bout with Barugon, and he soon arrives at Lake Biwa, ready to face the interloping lizard in a final battle!
    After reading the synopsis, if you've any passing familiarity with the Gamera franchise, you're probably asking, "Okay, but where's the annoying little kid?" The fact is, Gamera vs. Barugon is the only film of the original series that does not feature a child whom Gamera saves/bonds with, nor has Gamera yet become the go-to savior of Earth, as we see from his destruction of the dam at the film's beginning. The character arc of Gamera is similar to Godzilla's (villain, to anti-hero, to hero), but while Godzilla's development took about two decades, Gamera's identity was decided after only three films. In Gamera: The Giant Monster, the fearsome turtle saves a boy (perhaps even accidentally) yet burns and stomps many citizens as he wrecks the cities. Here in GVSB, he "saves" the Earth from Barugon, but his character is ambiguous; does he only fight to protect his turf and siphon Barugon's energy? By the third film, Gamera vs. Gyaos, a child once again takes center stage, and Gamera is in full-on heroic mode, where he would remain for the rest of the series.
    Having no child as the main character allows GVSB to have a more adult story, with character elements not found in the later Gamera films. Keisuke, though basically a kindhearted man, is willing to throw in with dubious characters like Onodera, to disregard the natives' beliefs and rob their sacred artifacts, and to lie and bluff his way towards gaining the wealth he needs to become a businessman. When Keisuke's actions ultimately lead to Barugon's reign of terror, he is wracked with agonies of guilt over what he has caused. GVSB has a somber, eerie tone, with an unusual aura of realism for a classic Gamera film. The jungle scenes teem with sweat and humidity, and the cave sequence, with its bats and skeletons and vicious scorpion attack, actually creeped me out as a child, and is probably the most suspenseful and disturbing sequence of any kaiju film. In GVSB, the adults are allowed to act like adults, and there is even an erotically charged moment between Keisuke and Karen; when he hurts his hand after fighting Onondera, she kneels and kisses (sucks at?) his wound, getting his blood on her mouth.
    Speaking of blood, it tended to flow more in Gamera films than in Toho's kaiju series. Gamera and Barugon might bleed green and purple, respectively, but bleed they do, conveying the real carnage and pain of their struggles. In that classic touch that only the Japanese can manage, the titanic beasts are depicted as both animals and gods; Barugon's rainbow lends the creature a certain magical, godlike quality, and even his destruction of the city has a certain beauty, as he blankets the ruins in a peaceful, still cover of snow. The film takes place almost completely at night, filmed in deep tones of blues and greens that compliment the dark mood of the story.
    Having the advantage of a decent budget behind him, Noriaki Yuasa's special effects work in GVSB is comparable to the best of the venerable Eiji Tsubaraya of Toho fame. Gamera's attack on Koruba Dam is a spectacular visual achievement, and there's no question Daiei was proud of it; the footage turns up time and again in the subsequent Gamera films, to the detriment of those films' obvious cheaper quality. The wire, miniature, and optical work are all topnotch, and there are some astounding composite shots incorporating live actors, matte paintings and miniatures. The Gamera costume is the best of the series, and while Barugon's design is not as interesting as later monsters such as Gaos and Guiron, his skin is always covered in moisture, making him appear more organic. The often-brilliant placement and motion of the camera around the monster battles makes us forget we're watching two men in costumes crawling on their hands and knees among model buildings.
    Sadly, Daiei Studio would soon fall into financial difficulty, forcing it to drastically reduce the budgets for the Gamera films, incorporating more and more use of stock footage and designing the stories to appeal to young children. The Gamera series would subsequently become more campy and outlandish, but that isn't to suggest they are without merit or that you should avoid any of the 6 films that followed Gamera vs. Barugon; they aren't and you shouldn't.
Shout! Factory's Gamera series was one of 2010's most welcome DVD projects, wonderful in both design and consideration for the fans. The films themselves look great (presented anamorphic widescreen), and whatever the quality of the remaining Gamera films, their cartoonish, colorful nature should make them a feast for the eyes in the DVD format. As with Gamera: The Giant Monster, the DVD of Gamera vs. Barugon features reproductions of the movie program, stills, posters and other publicity items, as well as a commentary from kaiju experts August Ragone and Jason Varney. Some corny jokes aside, the two commentators provide a wealth of information, particularly in the career histories of nearly every actor in the film with a speaking part.
    I wholeheartedly recommend giving the entire series a try (the remaining six films will be released as double features, making them even more of a bargain). While you might find the subsequent Gamera films to be something of a "guilty pleasure", I have no guilt whatsoever in stating that Gamera vs. Barugon belongs in the list of the very best Japanese giant monster films of the 1960s. 2/07/11
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