302 - GAMERA (11/26/1965; Japan; NR; 79m)

a.k.a. DAIKAIJU GAMERA (original/Japan)
a.k.a. GIANT MONSTER GAMERA
a.k.a. THE MONSTER GAMERA
a.k.a. GAMMERA
a.k.a. GAMMERA, THE INVINCIBLE (USA release)
a.k.a. GAMERA THE INVINCIBLE (variation)
a.k.a. IL MOSTRO INVINCIBILE
(Italy: The Invincible Monster)
not a.k.a. DAIGUNJU NEZURA
(working title/Japan: The Great Rat Swarm)

Ad: "See Gamera...Destroy Entire Cities! Attack from Outer Space! Fight the Mightiest Armies!"
Ad: "CAN PLAN "Z" STOP GAMMERA THE INVINCIBLE?"
Ad: "The Super-Monster Even the "H" Bomb Cannot Kill!"
Ad: "SEE...the Mystery of the Flying Saucers Solved!"
Video Ad: "He Squashes Cities, Squishes People...and Those Are His Good Points!"

Plot: In his first movie, Gamera is awakened by an atomic blast in the Arctic, goes on a rampage, but boy Kenny likes and understands him.

Exec: Masaichi Nagata (*304-Gamera Vs. Barugon; 308-Gamera Vs. Gaos; 312-Gamera Vs. Guiron; 316-Gamera Vs. Zigra)
Prod: Yonejiro Saito (Passion; pl/304)
Prod/USA: Sandy Frank*
Dir: Noriaki Yuasa*
Scr: Fumi Takahashi (304/308/312/316; Gamera Vs. Monster X)
Cin: Nobuo Munekawa a.k.a. Nobuo Nakashizu
Ed: Tatsuji Nakashizu (304/308)
SFX: Yonesaburo Tsukiji (retired after this movie)
Score: Tadashi Yamauchi (308; Passion)

Super Turtle / Gamera*
Dr. Hidaka / Eiji Funakoshi (312; Passion; Thousand Cranes)
Kyoko / Harumi Kiritachi
Nobuyo / Michiko Sugata
Sakurai / Yoshiro Kitahara (304/308; Buddha)
Dr. Murase / Jun Hamamura (Naked Youth)
Ayagi / Junichiro Yamashita (Youth in Fury)
kid Toshio / Yoshiro Uchida
engineer / Koji Fujiyama (304/308/316)
old man / Bozuke Hidari (The Human Vapor; The Seven Samurai)
na / Utaro Hojo (Return of Giant Magin)

Trivia: GAMMERA THE INVINCIBLE was the USA-released version which included extra scenes with an American cast (Albert Dekker, etc.) filmed in America. The scenes added nothing...just more people talking about Plan Z.

Contrary to some sources, the original working title for Dai Kaiju Gamera (Giant Monster Gamera) was not Dai Gunju Nezura (The Great Rat Swarm). The filming of Dai Gunju Nezura was never completed, supposedly because fleas from the live rats infested the film studio. All the miniature sets were then used in the first Gamera film instead.

All the MSTed Gamera movies were imported on video to the USA by SANDY FRANK. Frank also brought these other MSTed movies to America: 306-TIME OF THE APES; 310-FUGITIVE ALIEN; 314-MIGHTY JACK; 318-STAR FORCE; K21-LEGEND OF THE DINOSAUR; and K11-HUMANOID WOMAN, which was the only non-Japanese import.

If you're looking for somebody to blame for the entire Gamera oeuvre, look no further than NORIAKI YUASA who directed this and three other MSTed Gamera outings: 308-GAMERA VS. GAOS; 312-GAMERA VS. GUIRON; and 316-GAMERA VS. ZIGRA. Plus he supervised the special effects for 304-GAMERA VS. BARUGON. Yuasa also directed Gamera Vs. Viras; and Gamera Vs. Monster X.

In Japan, fans can play along with Gamera in the recently released video game Gamera 2000.

For the lyrics and their translation to the GAMERA THEME SONGS, see 312-GAMERA VS. GUIRON.

GAMERA's bio:
Species: Fire-breathing turtle
Height: 80 meters
Weight: 8 tons
Natural Habitats: Arctic regions, undersea, outerspace...everywhere!
Special Skills: Flies like flying saucer; spits fire; understands Japanese, dubbed languages.

GAMERA's filmography:
1965-GAMERA (302) a.k.a Gammera the Invincible
1966-GAMERA VS. BARUGON (304)
1967-GAMERA VS. GAOS (308) a.k.a Return of the Giant Monsters
1968-Gamera Vs. Space Monster Viras a.k.a. Destroy All Planets
1969-GAMERA VS. GUIRON (312) a.k.a. Attack of the Monsters
1970-Gamera Vs. Monster X a.k.a. Gamera Vs. Jiger
1971-GAMERA VS. ZIGRA (316)
1980-Gamera, Super Monster
1995-Gamera, Guardian of the Universe a.k.a. Gamera--Showdown of the Giant Monsters (made in honor of Gamera's 30th anniversary)
1996-Gamera 2: Legion Attacks! (Legion is the name of a monster)

For more about Gamera, check out Gowen's Gamera Page.

Last Updated: 6/21/1999