Gorgo
Directed by Eugene Lourie
Written by Robert L. Richards and Daniel James
1961/UK
King Brothers Production
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] Joe Ryan: What the hell’s the matter with you? This is the twentieth century. There must be some way of handling an overgrown animal![/box]
If you are in the mood to smile at a ridiculous monster and some bad special effects, this British Godzilla/King Kong rip-off could be just the ticket.
A couple greedy skin divers are searching for treasure off the coast of Ireland. The area has been declared off limits by an equally greedy harbor master. Finally the loss of several boats to a mysterious force convinces the harbor master to allow the divers’ boat to come to the rescue. They manage to capture the culprit, a 20-foot tall creature.
An Irish boy, the lone voice of reason in the film, urges the divers to leave the monster in the sea. However, they see marketing potential and take it live to London for exhibition. When will humankind ever learn? Soon enough the creature’s mama, who is 200 feet tall, arrives to save her baby, threatening the total annihilation of London in the process.
Gorgo’s monster follows in the Japanese man-in-a-rubber suit tradition. Unfortunately, Gorgo is no Godzilla. The combination of the monster’s face and the sub-par miniature work makes his workings all too obvious. On the other hand, Gorgo’s very ludicrousness gives the movie its goofy charm. Recommended to afficionados of this kind of thing.
Trailer – the picture and color were much better on Amazon Instant
