Know Your Monster: 6
GAMERA
After Toho Studios earned breakout success with Godzilla, the rival Daiei Motion Picture Co., fired back by introducing its own movie monster — the giant turtle Gamera. Actually, Gamera is like no turtle known to man. Besides boasting the ability to fly using spinning jet turbines, Gamera can stand upright in the heat of battle. He also has large, protruding tusks and a mouth full of sharp teeth — physical characteristics unseen in turtles since prehistoric times. In addition, Gamera can breath fire — a byproduct of ingesting a steady diet of petroleum.
Much like Godzilla, Gamera is a nuclear freak released from suspended animation in the Arctic ice over Alaska after a Russian plane intercepted by American fighter jets drops its payload — an atomic bomb. The re-emergence of the creature fulfills an Eskimo legend about a mythic turtle monster their tribe has dubbed “Gamera.” Gamera’s hard shell renders him practically invincible in battle. He has exhibited only one weakness — a pronounced aversion to ice and cold weather, perhaps a reflex response to the many eons he existed in a frozen state.
Gamera made his first screen appearance in 1965 and, all told, has starred in a dozen features over the years, battling an array of fierce opponents including Jiger, Gyaos, Viras and Zedus, all of whom will be profiled later in our month-long Know Your Monster series.
Here is the original 1968 trailer from Gamera Vs. Viras, also known as Destroy All Planets. Longtime Call Me Stormy readers will be familiar with this title as we presented it as a Trillion Dollar Feature back on June 15, 2012. If the trailer whets your appetite to see the full movie, simply click http://callmestormy.com/2012/06/15/trillion-dollar-movie-6-15-12/
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The theme song from Gamera Vs. Guillon (1969).
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Tomorrow’s Featured Monster: Gappa.
