is a 1966 Japanese kaiju film directed by Shigeo Tanaka, with special effects by Noriaki Yuasa and Kazufumi Fujii. Produced by Daiei Film, it is the second entry in the Gamera franchise, and stars Kōjirō Hongō, Kyōko Enami, and Yūzō Hayakawa, with Teruo Aragaki as Gamera. In the film, Gamera returns to Earth to battle a reptilian monster born out of an opal brought to Japan by greedy entrepreneurs.
Due to the success of Gamera, the Giant Monster, studio president Masaichi Nagata pushed a sequel into production. Yunosaburo Saito was commissioned to write a story outline, which featured Gamera battling alien ice giants. Nagata instructed screenwriter Niisan Takahashi to write a "lavish" blockbuster and treat the monster spectacle seriously. Nagata promoted the project into an A-list production by approving a higher budget and attaching acclaimed talent. However, Yuasa, director of the previous film, was demoted to special effects director for this film. Principal photography for special effects began in January 1966 and ended in April 1966, while photography for drama scenes began in February 1966 and ended in April 1966.
Gamera vs. Barugon was theatrically released in Japan on April 17, 1966, on a double bill with Daimajin and underperformed at the Japanese box office. In 1968, it was released directly to television in the United States as War of the Monsters by American International Television. The film was followed by Gamera vs. Gyaos, released on March 15, 1967.
Plot Six months after the events of Gamera, the Giant Monster, a meteorite collides with the Z Plan rocket and frees Gamera, who returns to Earth and attacks Kurobe Dam in Japan. Ichiro, a World War II veteran, sends Kawajiri, Onodera, and his brother Keisuke, to the island of New Guinea to retrieve an opal he once found and hid in a cave. Despite warnings from the local villagers, the trio find and locate the opal, but Kawajiri dies from a fatal scorpion sting. Keisuke is betrayed by Onodera and nearly killed. Keisuke is rescued by the locals and tells one of them, Karen, about the opal they found. Karen reveals that the alleged "opal" is not really a jewel, and convinces Keisuke to take her to Japan to retrieve it.
En route to Japan, Onodera accidentally leaves the opal exposed to an infrared light. The heat incubates the opal - revealed to be an egg - and a lizard, Barugon, hatches. Upon arriving to Kobe Harbor, the ship is suddenly destroyed. Ichiro finds Onodera, who tells him that Keisuke and Kawajiri died in the jungle. Having grown to immense size, Barugon surfaces from the harbor and proceeds to attack. While debating how to recover the opal, which he still believes to be aboard the sunken ship, Onodera inadvertently blurts out that he killed his two companions and then murders both Ichiro and his wife to cover up his crime. Barugon's rainbow ray attracts Gamera and the two battle in Osaka. However, Barugon freezes Gamera in place. Keisuke and Karen find Onodera, subdue him, and leave him tied up in his home. Keisuke and Karen suggest a plan to the defense ministry by using a huge diamond to lure Barugon into a lake to drown.
The plan fails due to the diamond's insufficient radiation. Another attempt by irradiating the diamond with additional infrared radiation almost succeeds, until Onodera interferes and steals the gem. However, both he and the diamond are devoured by Barugon. Keisuke discovers that mirrors are not affected by Barugon's rainbow ray, so the military devises a plan to reflect its own rainbow emanation back with a giant mirror. Barugon is wounded, but realizing its mistake, does not shoot another rainbow. Gamera thaws out and attacks Barugon once again. After battling, Gamera drowns Barugon in Lake Biwa, then flies away. Keisuke mourns over the events caused by his greed, believing he is now alone. However, Karen holds his hand and tells him he is not alone.
Cast
Kojiro Hongo as Keisuke Hirata Kyōko Enami as Karen Yūzō Hayakawa as Kawajiri Takuya Fujioka as Dr. Satō Kōji Fujiyama as Onodera Akira Natsuki as Ichirō Hirata Yoshirō Kitahara as Professor Amano Ichirō Sugai as Dr. Matsushita Bontarō Miake as Self-Defense Force General Jutarō Hōjō as Self-Defense Force Commander Kazuko Wakamatsu as Sadae Hirata Yuka Konno as Onodera's lover Eiichi Takamura as Governor of Osaka Kenichi Tani as Lee Kōichi Itō as Metropolitan Police Superintendent-General Hikaru Hoshi as Awaji Maru captain Osamu Abe as Awaji Maru crewman Yoshihiro Hamaguchi as Awaji Maru crewman Teruo Aragaki as Gamera
Production Crew
Shigeo Tanaka – director Noriaki Yuasa – special effects director Kazufumi Fujii – special effects Atsuji Shibata – production designer Yonejiro Saito – planning Yukio Okumura – audio recording Masao Segawa – assistant director Yoshizo Numata – production manager Hiroshi Yamaguchi – art director Akira Inoue – art director
Development
Due to the commercial success of Gamera, the Giant Monster, the follow-up, Gamera vs. Barugon, had an expanded budget that effects director Noriaki Yuasa stated was ¥80 million. Producer and studio head Masaichi Nagata promoted the film into an A-list production, assigning acclaimed director Shigeo Tanaka and acclaimed composer Chuji Kinoshita to the film. Yuasa, director of the previous Gamera film, was demoted to special effects director for Gamera vs. Barugon, despite the previous film being a financial success. Despite his demotion, Yuasa later stated that he had a father/son relationship with Tanaka. Yuasa recalled that Daiei wanted to target the film to an adult audience, stating, "I thought that mixing melodrama and monsters was difficult to do."
With the film being produced as an A-list production, Nagata chose Kojiro Hongo for the lead after wanting him to headline a film for some time, despite Hongo's uncertainty. Hongo felt "stuck" with performing in the film and initially attempted to drop out by faking an illness, which caused production to delay for a month. Upon learning that the production manager and section manager were coming to see him, Hongo placed blood-stained tissues in the trash and pretended to have chills, which convinced the managers and agreed to wait for his recovery, to Hongo's dismay. Hongo did not read the script after receiving it, believing that little acting was involved due to Yuasa telling him where the monsters would be placed. However, Hongo was unaware there were two directors: one for special effects and one for acting scenes. Years later, Hongo admitted to being grateful and proud to have been involved with the Gamera and Daimajin films. A scene that featured Osamu Abe's character slipping on a banana peel was cut to remove the comedic tone of the scene. Principal photography for the drama scenes directed by Tanaka began on February 20, 1966, and wrapped on April 5, 1966.
Writing Screenwriter Niisan Takahashi was told to write a "lavish spectacle" and to treat the monster elements seriously. The film was originally developed as Gamera vs. the Ice Giants, which featured humanoid ice monsters bringing forth a new ice age on the world until Gamera returns to challenge them. The story outline was written by Yunosaburo Saito. This version began with volcanic eruptions and flying saucer sightings. The volcanic ash pollutes the atmosphere and ushers in a new ice age. Mankind learns that ice aliens are responsible for the eruptions. The aliens are described as hideous with their skeletons and organs transparent through their icy bodies. The aliens drop nuclear bombs into additional volcanoes to further xenoform the planet and enslave humanity. Gamera is freed from the Z-Plan rocket and returns to Earth as a battle breaks between humans and the aliens. The film's plot was also influenced by the 1936 French film They Were Five, as Takahashi was a fan of it.Risaku Kiridoshi (jp), December 10, 2016, 怪獣少年の“復讐”70年代怪獣ブームの光と影, p.55, Yosensha (jp)
Takahashi was inspired by the Jötnar from Norse mythology and the snow giants from The Conquest of the Pole, however, the ice creatures were redeveloped into Barugon. However, the ice giant idea was later redeveloped into Daimajin, dropping the ice element in favor of stone. Barugon's name was contracted from "Baru" (an aboriginal word for "crocodile's ancestor") and "Gon", derived from the English word for "dragon". The original screenplay had ideas and scene that were altered in the final film. The following are the noted differences. Barugon's back horns emitted different colors. The re-cap from the film's opening was added during post-production for audiences who had not seen the previous film. The script opened with Keisuke Hirata flying a Cessna with his instructor over Osaka, only to lose control due to radio interference. The scene then cuts to outer space where the Z-Plan rocket carrying Gamera nearly collides with a meteorite. Mission control manages to avoid a collision; however, the altered trajectory turns the rocket back to Earth and frees Gamera upon entering the Earth's atmosphere.
Gamera's attack on Kurobe Dam intercut with Keisuke on the Cessna. The establishing shot of women practicing koto was not in the script. The dancing female natives were originally topless. The quicksand scene was not featured in the script. The script featured a discussion between Keisuke and Onodera regarding bringing Kawajiri's bones back to Japan, with Onodera insisting there was no time. A scene from the script featured Onodera making his getaway at night by hijacking Dr. Matsushita's jeep. The script had Gamera flying over Onodera's ship in Kobe Bay, triggering the opal to glow. In his haste to see Gamera, Onodera kicks over the infrared lamp towards his coat pocket holding the opal. When Keisuke and Karen arrive in Japan, the dialogue remains the same as in the final film, but the script had Keisuke panicking and Karen unveil the diamond at this stage. Onodera learns about the diamond through a radio report while still tied up, as his mistress was not part of the script. In the original ending, in response to Keisuke saying he has nothing anymore, Karen asks if he has abandoned his dream of owning his own air service.
Special effects
The special effects were directed by Noriaki Yuasa. Yonesaburo Tsukiji, the effects director of the previous film, did not return due to leaving Daiei to form his own company. Yuasa began filming the effects on January 22, 1966, beginning with the Kurobe Dam attack scene. Effects photography wrapped on April 3, 1966, with the Lake Iwa battle. Effects filming lasted 73 days. Barugon's demise was originally intended to be filmed on the last day of production on April 2, 1966, however, the Barugon suit would not sink and delayed production for a full day. Suit creator Ryosaku Takayama (suit creator for the Ultraman series) removed the suit's head from the body, which allowed the prop to sink and complete production. Equis Productions, led by Masao Yagi and his family, created the film's scorpion props and the monster suits based on Akira Inoue's production designs. The Barugon suit was constructed by Takayama and detailed by the Yagi brothers.
After returning to Tokyo, Takayama worked in Equis’ workshop to build full scale suits and miniatures of both monsters and a gimmick version of Barugon capable of spraying mist from its tongue. Takayama was assisted by Keisu Murase from Equis. Teruo Aragaki (suit performer for the Ultraman series) was sent to Daiei to perform in the Gamera suit. While no documents have been released revealing the Barugon suit performer, Japanese fantasy expert August Ragone deduced that it may have been Umenosuke Izumi, due to Izumi being Aragaki's second and assuming the Gamera role in later films.