Underplayed Gems

The War of the Gargantuas (1966)

The War of the Gargantuas poster
Original title
フランケンシュタインの怪獣 サンダ対ガイラ
Directed by
Ishirō Honda
Genre
horror film, science fiction film, kaiju
Country
Japan
Runtime
1h 16m
Rated
G
Rating
6.3 of 10 from 106 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like thisWatch the trailer

or watch the trailer on YouTube

How it feels

Scientists investigate two giant Frankenstein monsters named Sanda and Gaira. The creatures end up battling each other in Tokyo.

monsterdestructiveaction-packedsuspensefulretrodramaticintense

What happens

The War of the Gargantuas (Japanese: フランケンシュタインの怪獣 サンダ対ガイラ, Hepburn: Furankenshutain no Kaijū: Sanda tai Gaira; lit. 'Frankenstein's Monsters: Sanda vs. Gaira') is a 1966 kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Referred by film historian Stuart Galbraith IV as a "quasi–sequel" to Frankenstein vs. Baragon, the film was a Japanese-American co-production; it was the third and final collaboration between Toho Co., Ltd and Henry G. Saperstein. The film stars Russ Tamblyn, Kumi Mizuno, and Kenji Sahara, with Yû Sekida as Sanda and Haruo Nakajima as Gaira. In the film, scientists investigate the sudden appearance of two giant Frankenstein monsters named Sanda and Gaira. It culminates in a battle in Tokyo. The script's final draft was submitted in April 1966. Saperstein originally hired Tab Hunter to replace Nick Adams, but Tamblyn replaced Hunter during pre-production. Honda's contract was not renewed and he had to seek employment by speaking to Tanaka on a film-by-film basis. Honda, Saperstein, and chief assistant Seiji Tani noted that Tamblyn was difficult to work with. Tamblyn did the opposite of Honda's instructions, and improvised his lines without Honda's approval. Principal photography began in May 1966 and wrapped in June 1966, with effects photography concluding in July 1966. The War of the Gargantuas was theatrically released in Japan on July 31, 1966, followed by a theatrical release in the United States on July 29, 1970 on a double feature with Monster Zero. Since its release, the film has been regarded as a cult classic, drawing admiration from artists such as Brad Pitt, Hajime Isayama, Guillermo del Toro, Quentin Tarantino, and Tim Burton. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.