Gamera vs. Barugon

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shigeo Tanaka directs. Michio Takahashi behind the camera. Chūji Kinoshita scores. Tatsuji Nakashizu cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 160 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
• 2Part of the "Gamera (Showa) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
• 3Directed by Shigeo Tanaka, shot by Michio Takahashi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by Chūji Kinoshita. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Editor Tatsuji Nakashizu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6Kōjirō Hongō and Kyōko Enami and Yūzō Hayakawa carry the top of the cast.
• 7Marketing tagline: "Gamera burns the streets of Osaka in an instant! Barugon freezes Osaka Castle with a single gust! An underwater clash at Lake Biwa!".
• 8IMDB entry: tt0060446 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 9Only 99 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
• 10Classified under 14 themes, including "japan", "helicopter", "monster", "cave".
• 11Released under 19 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography

Michio Takahashi

Original score

Chūji Kinoshita

Editing

Tatsuji Nakashizu

Production design

Atsuji Shibata

Costume design

Ryosaku Takayama

Runtime

106 min · 1h 46m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Original language

JA

Certification (US)

NR

IMDB

Gamera vs. Barugon (1966) ↗

IMDB rating

5.1/10 · 2,926 votes

MPAA

Not Rated

Part of

Gamera (Showa) Collection

Gamera (ガメラ) is a giant turtle kaiju (giant monster) from a series of popular giant monster films produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in Japan. Created in 1965 to rival the success of Toho Studios' Godzilla during the daikaiju boom of the mid-to-late 1960s, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own right.

• 
  Gamera, the Giant Monster

  1965
• 
  Gamera vs. Barugon

  1966 · this one
• 
  Gamera vs. Gyaos

  1967
• 
  Gamera vs. Viras

  1968
• 
  Gamera vs. Guiron

  1969
• 
  Gamera vs. Jiger

  1970
• 
  Gamera vs. Zigra

  1971
• 
  Gamera Super Monster

  1980

Also by

Shigeo Tanaka

• 
  The Day England Falls

  1942 · ★ 10.0
• 
  The Woman Gambler's Supplication

  1968 · ★ 10.0
• 
  Tainted Flowers

  1958 · ★ 10.0
• 
  Ripe and Marriageable

  1959 · ★ 10.0
• 
  I'll Cry Alone

  1965 · ★ 10.0
• 
  Champion Woman Gambler

  1968 · ★ 9.0

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper Wallpaper

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Daiei Film

  JP

Key crew

• EditorTatsuji Nakashizu
• Special EffectsNoriaki Yuasa
• Production DesignAtsuji Shibata
• Visual Effects DirectorNoriaki Yuasa
• Executive ProducerMasaichi Nagata
• Sound RecordistYukio Okumura
• Lighting TechnicianTsunekichi Shibata
• First Assistant DirectorMasao Segawa
• Production ManagerYoshizo Numata
• Visual Effects Art DirectorHiroshi Yamaguchi
• Visual Effects Art DirectorAkira Inoue
• Lighting TechnicianMamoru Ishizaka
• VFX Lighting ArtistMamoru Ishizaka
• Special EffectsShima Abe
• Special Effects AssistantShima Abe
• Visual Effects DirectorShima Abe
• ProducerYonejirô Saitô
• Visual EffectsYuzo Kaneko
• Visual Effects CompositorYuzo Kaneko
• Special EffectsKazufumi Fujii
• VFX Director of PhotographyKazufumi Fujii
• Special EffectsHideo Erikawa
• Visual Effects Production ManagerKiyoshi Kawamura
• Costume DesignRyosaku Takayama

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• japan
• helicopter
• monster
• cave
• giant monster
• turtle
• sequel
• dam
• quicksand
• tropical island
• scorpion
• kaiju
• gamera (giant turtle)
• tokusatsu

Release history · US

When it landed

• Physical1987-07-14· King Features Entertainment/Celebrity Home Entertainment VHS. Uses the Axis International export dub.
• Physical2021-01-26NR· Arrow Video Blu-ray set

Also known as

International titles

• Gamera Strikes AgainUS
• War of the MonstersUS
• Attenzione! arrivano i mostriIT
• Gamera gegen Barugon - Frankensteins Drache aus dem DschungelDE
• Dragonwars - Krieg der MonsterDE
• Gamera gegen GodzillaDE
• Godzilla - Monster des GrauensDE
• Panik - Dinosaurier bedrohen die WeltDE
• Gamera vs. BarugonDE
• Daikaijū Kettō: Gamera tai BarugonJP
• Daikaijû kettô: Gamera tai BarugonJP
• Godzilla der Drache aus dem DschungelDE
• Gamera: Το Τέρας της ΖούγκλαςGR
• Πόλεμος των ΤεράτωνGR
• Gamera Vs. BarugonGB