Gamera vs. Barugon

Gamera vs. Barugon
Gamera vs. Barugon
	Theatrical poster
Directed by	Shigeo Tanaka
Written by	Nisan Takahashi
Produced by	Masaichi Nagata
Starring	Kōjirō Hongō; Kyōko Enami
Cinematography	Michio Takahashi
Edited by	Tatsuji Nakashizu
Music by	Chūji Kinoshita
Production; company	Daiei Film
Distributed by	Daiei Film (Japan); AIP-TV (USA)
Release date	April 17, 1966;
Running time	100 min. (Original); 88 min. (USA)
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Gamera vs. Barugon (大怪獣決闘ガメラ対バルゴン, Daikaijū Kettō: Gamera Tai Barugon, Giant Monster Duel: Gamera Versus Barugon, released in the U.S. as War of the Monsters) is a 1966 daikaiju eiga (Japanese giant monster film) featuring the giant turtle Gamera produced and distributed by Daiei Motion Picture Company. The film is the second to feature Gamera. It was released straight to television in the United States by AIP-TV as War of the Monsters, and then later by Sandy Frank as Gamera vs. Barugon. It was one of five Gamera films to appear in the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Plot

Set after the events of Gamera, a meteorite collides with the rocket transporting the creature to Mars. Now free, Gamera returns to Earth and destroys Kurobe Dam in Japan. At the same time three mercenaries are sent by Kano, a WWII veteran, to an island in the South Pacific to retrieve a huge opal he once found and hid in a cave. Despite warnings from the local villagers, the trio find and locate the opal, although one dies from a fatal scorpion sting. The second man, Keisuke, brother of the man who once found the opal, is betrayed by colleague Onodera and apparently killed in a cave-in.

En route back to Japan, Onodera accidentally leaves the opal exposed to an infrared light. The heat incubates the opal - actually an egg - and a lizard eventually hatches. Growing to enormous size very quickly, the lizard destroys the ship and Kobe Harbor. Keisuke, having survived the cave-in, awakens in the care of the villagers. He then returns to Japan with a village girl called Karen, who refers to the lizard as Barugon. Barugon wreaks havoc in Osaka with a freezing ray and prevents a retaliative missile strike with a rainbow emanation from its back. Barugon encounters Gamera and the two battle, with Gamera eventually being frozen solid.

After finding Onodera, who has killed Kano, Keisuke and Karen subdue him and leave him tied up in Kano's home. The pair then travel to the Japanese defense ministry, and suggest a plan using a huge diamond to lure Barugon into a lake to drown. The plan fails and another attempt coupled with infrared radiation almost succeeds until Onodera, having escaped, steal the diamond. Both he and the diamond, however, are devoured by Barugon. The lizard is wounded when the military reflect its own rainbow emanation back at it courtesy of a giant mirror, but despite prompting Barugon cannot be goaded into repeating their mistake. Gamera thaws outs and attacks Barugon once again, and after a destructive battle drowns Barugon in Lake Biwa. Gamera then flies into the horizon.

Cast

Kōjirō Hongō as Keisuke
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

2010 DVD release

The Japanese version of the film has been officially released in the United States as part of Shout! Factory's Japanese Gamera movie collection. It was released on July 6, 2010.

DVD and Blu Ray releases

Alpha Video

Released: June 24, 2003
Note: Features the American version of the film, War of the Monsters.

Vintage Home Entertainment

Released: May 17, 2005
Note: Gamera: The Ultimate Collection three-film DVD set. Features the American version of the film, War of the Monsters. Also includes Gamera and Gamera vs. Viras.

St. Clair Entertainment

Released: February 19, 2008
Note: Monsters Unleashed nine-film DVD set. Features the American version of the film, War of the Monsters. Also includes Gamera, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Jiger, Yonggary, Daikyojū Gappa, Warning from Space, and The Giant Gila Monster.

Shout! Factory

Released: July 6, 2010
Note: contains the Japanese version of the film with English subtitles

Shout! Factory

Released: August 2, 2011
Note: Contained in the MST3K Volume XXI set that features all the Season 3 Gamera episodes

Mill Creek Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Released April 2014
Part of Gamera Volume 1, which includes Japanese versions of Gamera the Giant Monster, Gamera vs Barugon, Gamera vs Gyaos, and Gamera vs Viras.

References

External links

Gamera web archive (Japanese)
Gamera vs. Barugon at IMDb
Gamera vs. Barugon is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
Gamera vs. Barugon at AllMovie
"大怪獣決闘ガメラ対バルゴン (Daikaijū kessen: Gamera tai Barugon)" (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-07-17.

Mystery Science Theater 3000