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is a 1967 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by
Noriaki Yuasa (28 September 1933 – 14 June 2004) was a Japanese director. Yuasa was the main director of the Japanese film series ''Gamera'', about a giant flying turtle that befriends small boys and battles giant monsters; he directed seven of the first e ...
, with special effects by Yuasa. Produced by
Daiei Film Daiei Film Co. Ltd. ( Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga Kabushiki Kaisha'') was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese cinema, produci ...
, it is the third entry in the ''Gamera'' franchise and stars Kojiro Hongo, Kichijiro Ueda, Tatsuemon Kanamura, Reiko Kasahara, and Naoyuki Abe, with Teruo Aragaki as
Gamera is a fictional giant monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the Gamera, the Giant Monster, eponymous 1965 Japanese film. The character and the first film were intended to compete with the success of Toho's Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' ...
. In the film, Gamera and authorities must deal with the sudden appearance of a carnivorous winged creature awakened by volcanic eruptions. Plans for a third film were made immediately after the release of '' Gamera vs. Barugon'', with the film financed by the UniJapan Film Association. Due to the underperformance of the previous film, Yuasa was brought back as the director and special effects director, who decided to aim the film towards children. Gyaos was created as a response to Toho's '' Frankenstein Conquers the World'' and ''
The War of the Gargantuas 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; ...
'', with Yuasa pitching to writer Niisan Takahashi his idea to turn Dracula into a ''kaiju''. ''Gamera vs. Gyaos'' was theatrically released in Japan on March 15, 1967, on a double bill ''with Chiisai Tôbôsha''. That same year, it was released directly to television in the United States as ''Return of the Giant Monsters'' by
American International Television American International Pictures, LLC (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution comp ...
. The film was followed by '' Gamera vs. Viras'', released on March 20, 1968.


Plot

A series of mysterious volcanic eruptions in Japan impact shipping and aircraft flights. An eruption at
Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...
attracts the giant turtle ''
kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...
''
Gamera is a fictional giant monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the Gamera, the Giant Monster, eponymous 1965 Japanese film. The character and the first film were intended to compete with the success of Toho's Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' ...
, whose arrival is witnessed by a young boy named Eiichi. A research team of geologists is sent to investigate the phenomenon in
Shizuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,555,818 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Pref ...
, but are killed by a supersonic ray emitted from a cave which slices their helicopter in two. A reporter, Okabe, travels to a village nearby to investigate. The Chuo Expressway Corporation's plans for a roadway face challenges when the local villagers refuse to leave. The resistance is a ploy to increase the bid on the land. The foreman, Shiro Tsutsumi, and his crew are turned away by the locals as Okabe sneaks past. Eiichi finds Okabe in the woods and leads him to a cave where Gamera might be. Okabe abandons Eiichi as the cave collapses and is devoured by a winged creature. Gamera emerges and saves Eiichi from the winged beast but is wounded in the process by its supersonic ray. While interviewed by Dr. Aoki and authorities, Eiichi names the winged monster "Gyaos". Dr. Aoki deduces it was awakened by the volcanic eruptions, can produce a supersonic ray due to a forked tongue, and cannot turn its head due to having two spines. A daytime airstrike fails to neutralize Gyaos due to its ray. Meanwhile, Gamera recovers from its wounds beneath the sea. During a meeting, the villagers become divided on whether to sell their land or not due to Gyaos. Shiro's crew, save two, quit because of Gyaos. Despite Eiichi's claims that Gyaos is nocturnal, Gyaos ignores military flares and attacks
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
. Gamera appears and battles Gyaos once more, biting off its toes in the process. Dr. Aoki discovers that exposure to ultraviolet light, like the sun, causes the toes to shrink. A plan is formed to disorient Gyaos with a rotating platform for long enough for the sun to rise and kill it, using artificial blood as bait. Gyaos is lured out but the plan fails when the power station supplying electricity to the platform overheats and explodes. After learning that the expressway would be rerouted due to Gyaos, the villagers blame the headmaster, who ordered them to hold out. The headmaster regales a plan to Shiro, inspired by Eiichi, to start a forest fire to kill Gyaos. Gyaos depletes the fire with a yellow vapor, however, the fire attracts Gamera and engages Gyaos in a final showdown. Gamera kills Gyaos by dragging it into Mt. Fuji's crater. As the authorities celebrate, Shiro affirms to the villagers that work on the expressway will resume. Eiichi bids farewell to Gamera as it flies away.


Cast


Production

Production credits *
Noriaki Yuasa (28 September 1933 – 14 June 2004) was a Japanese director. Yuasa was the main director of the Japanese film series ''Gamera'', about a giant flying turtle that befriends small boys and battles giant monsters; he directed seven of the first e ...
– director, special effects director * Kazufumi Fuji – special effects photography * Shima Abe – assistant special effects director * Tomohisa Yano – special effects art director * Yuzo Kaneko – special effects synthesis * Masao Kobayashi – assistant director * Yukio Okumura – sound * Heihachi Kuboe – lighting * Akira Inoue – art director * Nobuyoshi Ogura – sound effects ''Gamera vs. Gyaos'' was planned immediately after the release of '' Gamera vs. Barugon'' and it was decided that the third film would be targeted towards children. The film was financed through the UniJapan Film Association. The film's production cost was ¥60 million ($167,000), however, this figure does not include studio overhead, cast and crew salaries under contract, nor print and advertisement. Due to the underperformance of ''Gamera vs. Barugon'', Daiei president
Masaichi Nagata was a Japanese businessman and served as president of Daiei Film. The self-proclaimed creator of Gamera, he produced the kaiju's second film ''Gamera vs. Barugon'', with the remainder of the Gamera#Films, Showa ''Gamera'' films produced instead ...
assigned
Noriaki Yuasa (28 September 1933 – 14 June 2004) was a Japanese director. Yuasa was the main director of the Japanese film series ''Gamera'', about a giant flying turtle that befriends small boys and battles giant monsters; he directed seven of the first e ...
as the director and special effects director due to the first ''Gamera'' film, directed by Yuasa, being a success. When Naoyuki Abe was cast, many mistook him as Yuasa's son. A real office in
Akasaka, Tokyo is a residential and commercial district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, located west of the government center in Nagatachō and north of the Roppongi district. Akasaka (including the neighboring area of Aoyama) was a ward of Tokyo City from 1878 t ...
was used for the road construction board meeting after Yuasa asked the son of the company's president (working for Daiei at the time) to arrange the location. Daiei's dubbing studio was used as a laboratory set in the film's opening, with a few set pieces attached. The park scenes were filmed in
Setagaya is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orchid, and its tree is the '' Ze ...
at the Futako-Tamagawa garden. Scenes of Nagoya Stadium were filmed at
Ajinomoto Stadium The , currently known as for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. The stadium was founded at Kantō Mura, the redevelopment area formerly used by United States Forces Japan, in March 2001. It was the first s ...
. The ending theme ''Gamera's Song'' was composed and arranged by Akira Komachi, lyrics by Hidemasa Nagata, and performed by the Hibari Children's Choir. The song was released by Daiei Records as a single. Historian August Ragone deduced that the song may have been inspired by the instrumental release of "Gammera" by The Moons, a song produced specifically for the American release of the first ''Gamera'' film. The film, along with ''Wrath of
Daimajin is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' series centering on an eponymous fictitious giant warrior god. It initially consisted of a film trilogy shot simultaneously and released in 1966 with three different directors and predominantly the same crew. The seri ...
'' (1966) and other Daiei Film productions, obtained tax-based loans from the governmental foundation , which was established under the influence from
Masaichi Nagata was a Japanese businessman and served as president of Daiei Film. The self-proclaimed creator of Gamera, he produced the kaiju's second film ''Gamera vs. Barugon'', with the remainder of the Gamera#Films, Showa ''Gamera'' films produced instead ...
to support declining domestic film industries by exporting productions to global markets. This resulted in appointing foreign cast members and enhanced child-friendly direction for subsequent Gamera films.Takeshi Tanigawa, August 2014, 海外輸出向けコンテンツとしての怪獣映画と日本映画輸出振興協会(輸振協)の活用,
International Research Center for Japanese Studies The , or Nichibunken (日文研), is an inter-university research institute in Kyoto. Along with the National Institute of Japanese Literature, the National Museum of Japanese History, and the National Museum of Ethnology (Japan), National Museum ...


Writing

Gyaos was created as a response to Toho's '' Frankenstein Conquers the World'' and ''
The War of the Gargantuas 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; ...
''. Yuasa pitched to writer Niisan Takahashi an idea to turn Dracula into a ''kaiju''. Yuasa approached the film like a children's book, after feeling that children became bored during the human scenes of the previous films. Yuasa held a meeting to discuss how to jump into the action scenes as quickly as possible to retain children's attention. The film's opening was inspired by real volcanic eruptions from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Kamchatka that were happening at the time of production, with fears that
Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...
would become active. The expressway protest was inspired by the Sanrizuka opposition against the construction of the New Tokyo International Airport. Producer and senior managing director Hidemasa Nagata wanted to include the protest because he found societal issues made films more interesting. Nagata also wanted a correlation between the protest, roadblocks, bid hike, and Gyaos' awakening, stating, "I want to let the children know that there were consequences for doing bad things." In an early draft, Takahashi used the working title ''Gamera vs. Vampire''. Gyaos was named "Vampyra" and stood 67 meters high with a wingspan of 172 meters. Nagata coined the name "Gyaos" for the monster. Yuasa "hated" adding scenes with military and scientific figures on the film, and other films as well, feeling that the characters were "useless" but seemed obligatory due to the 1954 film ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
''. On Eiichi's role, Yuasa stated, "we wanted all the ideas to come from the child. It may be a bit silly but we didn't want theories of the adults to work in the Gamera universe". Yuasa made Eiichi point out Gyaos' nocturnal nature, feeling that it was a detail only a child would notice. Yuasa felt one of the film's messages was to show the purity of children, stating, "I think the main point of the whole film is that Eiichi and Gamera had some sort of bond or one mind. I thought that was better than some needless exposition." The car split scene was added after Takahashi saw the Toyota Corolla deluxe at a motor show, as a result, the vehicle was not produced for the film.


Special effects

The special effects were directed by Noriaki Yuasa. Gyaos was designed by art director Akira Inoue. The Gamera suit was recycled from '' Gamera vs. Barugon'', however, the eyes were modified to look more friendly. The upper-half portion of the suit from '' Gamera, the Giant Monster'' was recycled for fire-breathing scenes. The Gamera shell that Eiichi rides was a full scale prop built at 20 meters square. The monster footage was filmed on an indoor soundstage set. Yuasa recalled spending time, energy, and money on the shot of the miniature volcano exploding, however, he later felt the result was not worth it. Yuasa disliked the oatmeal formula used to simulate flowing lava in other films and instead backlit translucent molds and had them pulled by hidden cables. Yuasa felt that nighttime matching shots were easier to achieve than daytime opticals due to film elements not requiring precision. The Gyaos cave was a set constructed at Daiei. For the scene with Okabe being lifted by Gyaos, the camera was tilted at a 90 degree angle while the background shifted horizontally. The full scale Gyaos claw was operated by three people that required them to pull on a cable attached to it. Historian Stuart Galbraith IV deduced that the giant Gyaos claw was recycled for Gyaos' severed toes. Gamera's blood was pumped manually by the crew, which Yuasa found difficult to match the animation to Gyaos' beam. For the shot of Eiichi climbing Gamera's shell, Yuasa filmed a stunt double climbing a ladder that was later layered into the shell. The Highland Park miniature was based on
Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, Yamanashi, Japan, owned and operated by the namesake Fuji Kyuko, Fuji Kyuko Co. It opened on 2 March 1968. The park is near the base of Mount Fuji. It has a nu ...
. The Hotel Hi-land miniature was inspired by the Hotel New Otani Tokyo, which upset the then-hotel president and told Daiei president
Masaichi Nagata was a Japanese businessman and served as president of Daiei Film. The self-proclaimed creator of Gamera, he produced the kaiju's second film ''Gamera vs. Barugon'', with the remainder of the Gamera#Films, Showa ''Gamera'' films produced instead ...
, "we're barely open yet Gamera has already broken it." For the scene of Gamera recovering underwater, a 20 centimeter prop was built and filmed in a fish tank. Lighting up Gamera's leg sockets for flying scenes cost ¥12,000 ($33) per socket. Gyaos' beam required optical work that cost ¥3,500 per cut.


English versions

Following the film's completion, Daiei commissioned Axis International to produce an English dub. This dub was recorded in
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
and was used as a "sales marketing tool" to attract international distribution. That same year, American International Productions Television acquired the film, along with '' Gamera vs. Barugon'' and '' Gamera vs. Viras'', for the American television market and commissioned a new English dub. Journalist James Flower deduced that the AIP–TV version may have been dubbed by the English Language Dubbers Association (ELDA) due to Gamera's name being mispronounced as "Guh-mer-ah", a fluke that is consistent in ELDA's dub of ''Gamera vs. Barugon''. AIP–TV retitled the film as ''Return of the Giant Monsters'', left it uncut, and added two brief insert shots replacing Japanese protest signs with English signs. ''Gamera's Song'' was cut from the AIP–TV version.


Release


Theatrical and television

''Gamera vs. Gyaos'' was released theatrically in Japan on March 15, 1967, on a double bill with ''Chiisai Tôbôsha''. Attendees were given Gyaos glider cutouts made out of construction paper and paper toy versions of Gamera and Barugon. A
Manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
adaptation was published in ''Shōnen'' comics as a special volume release. As a publicity stunt, a press conference was held featuring Gyaos promoting its involvement with the film, however, the stunt angered reporters called to the conference. The split car was displayed at the conference with Reiko Kasahara behind the wheel. The film was never released theatrically in the United States, and was released directly to television by
American International Television American International Pictures, LLC (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution comp ...
in 1967 as ''Return of the Giant Monsters''. In 2015, a digital restoration of the film was screen at the
Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...
.


Critical response

''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' reviewed the film after a screening in Tokyo, stating, "Gyaos is true to his own nature. Which is more than one can say for the now thoroughly domesticated and completely undignified Gamera. Perhaps it is because the man inside the suit swooping on wires or carefully crunching models of Nagoya is a born actor. Gyaos exhibits a strong sense of timing. A good deal of projection and consequently, generates an amount of empathy. He is obviously a Stanislavski monster."
Ishirō Honda was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 46 feature films in a career spanning five decades. He is acknowledged as the most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki and one of the founders of modern disaster film, wit ...
, director of various ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
'' films, sent Takahashi a new years card with high praises for the film. Film historian and critic
Stuart Galbraith IV Stuart Eugene Galbraith IV (born December 29, 1965) is an American film historian, film critic, essayist, and audio commentator. Early life and education Raised in Livonia, Michigan, Galbraith first worked professionally as a film reviewer and ...
wrote in
DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
that the film "strikes a pretty fair balance between epic scenes of destruction and the material more emphatically geared to children," with its "dark but outrageously unrealistic humor further support ngYuasa-Takahashi's child-like perspective." Writing in
AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...
, critic Donald Guarisco described the film as "tailor-made fun for the Japanese monster film crowd," and featuring "swift, colorful direction" that provides "a good example of the kid-friendly fun this ameraseries is all about."


Home media

In 1987, the Axis dub was released on VHS and television as ''Gamera vs. Gaos'' by
Sandy Frank Sandy Frank (born Sundel Francous; July 11, 1929) is an American television producer, distributor, and marketer of TV shows to US networks. Early life and career Frank grew up in Mount Kisco, New York. He started his career as a sales executive ...
. In 2004, Image Entertainment bundled
Pan and scan Pan and scan is a film editing technique used to modify widescreen images for display on a fullscreen screen. It involves cropping the sides of the original widescreen image and panning across it when the shot's focus changes. This cropping c ...
versions of the AIP–TV versions of ''Gamera vs. Gyaos'' and ''
The Magic Serpent is a 1966 ''kaiju'' film directed by Tetsuya Yamanochi and produced and distributed by Toei Company, loosely adapting the Japanese story of Jiraiya. Plot The Oumi Kingdom, ruled peacefully by Lord Ogata (Shinichiro Hayashi), was raided by his ...
'' on DVD. In September 2010,
Shout! Factory Shout! Factory, LLC, doing business as Shout! Studios (formerly doing business as Shout! Factory, its current legal name), is an American home video and music distributor founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued i ...
bundled the Japanese version, the Axis English dub, and the AIP–TV version on DVD, along with '' Gamera vs. Viras''. In 2011, Shout! Factory included the
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...
episode featuring the Sandy Frank version of the film on the ''MST3K vs. Gamera'' DVD collection. In 2014, Mill Creek Entertainment bundled the Japanese version with other Gamera titles on Blu-ray and DVD. In 2020, the Japanese version, the Axis English dub, and the AIP-TV version were included in the ''Gamera: The Complete Collection'' Blu-ray box set released by Arrow Video, which included all 12 films in the franchise.


Legacy

Following this film, numerous variants of Gyaos were introduced over the course of the series, including Space Gyaos in '' Gamera vs. Guiron'', Super Gyaos in '' Gamera: Guardian of the Universe'', Hyper Gyaos in '' Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris'' and a new version in '' Gamera the Brave'', referred to as "Original Gyaos" in supplementary material. In 2015, a new iteration of Gyaos was featured in proof-of-concept footage for a potential ''Gamera'' reboot.
Yukijirō Hotaru is a Japanese actor. He is best known for the role of Gonza Kurahashi in the ''Garo (TV series), Garo'' television franchise. He has played Tsutomu Osako, a recurring role in the Heisei Gamera trilogy, along with the 2003 independent film ''GAME ...
decided to play a recurring role in the Heisei Gamera trilogy due to Yukitarō Hotaru's involvement in ''Gamera vs. Gyaos''.
ASCII Media Works , formerly , is a Japanese Publishing, publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing headquartered in Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. It originally formed on April 1, 2008, as a result of a Mergers and acquisitions, merger bet ...
, 2014, ''Heisei Gamera Perfection'', p.274,
Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines ...
''Gamera vs. Gyaos'' was one of the few films featured twice on ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...
'' (both times as ''Gamera vs. Gaos''), the first time as part of the initial KTMA series (episode 6) and again in Season 3 (episode 8).Episode guide: 308- Gamera vs. Gaos
''Satellite News: The Official MST3K website''. Accessed July 20, 2015.


Notes


References


Sources

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External links

* * *

at
Japanese Movie Database The , more commonly known as simply JMDb, is an online database of information about Japanese movies, actors, and production crew personnel. It is similar to the Internet Movie Database but lists only those films initially released in Japan. Y. ...


{{DEFAULTSORT:Gamera vs. Gyaos 1967 films 1960s science fiction films Daiei Film films Films directed by Noriaki Yuasa Films set in Kanagawa Prefecture Films set in Nagoya Films set in Shizuoka Prefecture Gamera films Giant monster films Kaiju films Japanese sequel films Tokusatsu films 1960s monster movies 1960s Japanese films Mystery Science Theater 3000