The Green Slime
| The Green Slime | |
|---|---|
| File:Green Slime.jpg | |
| Directed by | Kinji Fukasaku |
| Written by | Bill Finger Tom Rowe Charles Sinclair Ivan Reiner (story) |
| Produced by | Walter Manley Ivan Reiner |
| Starring | Robert Horton Richard Jaeckel Luciana Paluzzi |
| Cinematography | Yoshikazu Yamasawa |
| Edited by | Osamu Tanaka |
| Music by | Toshiaki Tsushima Charles Fox |
| Distributed by | Toei (Japan) MGM (US) |
Release dates | December 19, 1968 (Japan) May 21, 1969 (US) |
Running time | 77 min (Japan) 90 min (US) |
| Countries | Japan United States |
| Languages | Japanese English |
The Green Slime (ガンマー第3号 宇宙大作戦, Ganmā daisan gō: uchū daisakusen, aka Gamma 3: Cosmic War) is a 1968 science-fiction film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. It was co-produced by the Toei Company in Japan and MGM in the United States.
Summary
A group of astronauts set out to stop a giant asteroid on a collision course with the planet Earth. They land on the asteroid, plant explosive charges and destroy it. Afterwards they return to the staging area, a space station called Gamma 3 in orbit around the Earth. Unfortunately, a scientist from the mission had unwittingly stowed a luminous-green substance on his back which quickly mutates into one-eyed, tentacled monsters with the ability to discharge lethal bolts of electricity. The Gamma 3 crew fend off the alien creatures with their laser-based weaponry, only to discover the creatures feed off the energy which, in turn, allows them to multiply rapidly, sprouting the new creatures from their blood. As the creatures overrun the station the crew continues to fight back against overwhelming odds.
Production
The Green Slime is a Japanese-American co-production financed by Toei in Japan and MGM in the United States. It was filmed in Japan in 1968 using a largely American cast of B-movie actors, including Robert Horton, Richard Jaeckel, and Luciana Paluzzi, along with American background players recruited from USAF officers at an airbase in Tokyo and female, American, fashion models based in Japan. Communication between the Japanese crew and the American actors proved to be a problem, as did the cheap sets, special effects, and the title creatures (clearly actors in rubber suits). While the basic plot found its way into 1970s science-fiction classics such as Alien (1979), Green Slime's May, 1969 U.S release was met with a nominal critical reception. However, it did achieve a popular success with American matinée audiences due, in part, to an extensive advertising campaign aimed at children. It also features a notoriously psychedelic theme song composed by Sherry Gaden.
Release
The Japanese version was released in December, 1968, under the title Gamma 3: Cosmic War. It was 13 minutes shorter than the American version and eliminated a love triangle subplot, added different musical cues (notably absent was the infamous theme song) and gave the film an increased militaristic feel.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 featured a portion of the American version in its pilot episode.[1]
References
- ^ "Season "Zero": KTMA-TV Channel 23 1988–1989". Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Unofficial Episode Guide. Satellite News. Retrieved 2007-08-27.