Gorath
Encyclopedia
Gorath, released in Japan as , is a Japan
ese science fiction
tokusatsu
film produced by Toho
in 1962. The story for Gorath was by Jojiro Okami.
with Earth in the then-future decade of the 1980s. Even though it's smaller than Earth, with a mass over 6,000 times bigger than Earth, it will destroy the planet if it smashes into the planet. Now, as massive earthquakes and tsunamis crush Tokyo and kill millions, and as volcanic eruptions devastate entire areas around the globe, the people of planet Earth have to find a way to move the earth out of orbit before the star smashes it.
kaiju
(giant monster) featured in the Japan
ese science fiction
tokusatsu
film Gorath, released by Toho
in 1962
. Based upon the walrus
and named after subterranean molten rock (magma
), the Maguma suit was designed by special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya
, and worn by stuntman Haruo Nakajima
, who frequently performed kaiju in Toho films of the era (including their most famous monster character, Godzilla
). Maguma is the only monster in the film, the focus of which is a runaway collapsed star
on a collision course with Earth.
As Gorath approaches, several enormous rocket boosters are constructed in Antarctica and other parts of the world to push Earth out of the runaway star's path. The heat from the rockets has an unexpected consequence: releasing Maguma from the polar ice. As the monster ravages the South Pole base, the plan to evade Gorath is imperiled. Maguma is ultimately killed by a laser.
The sequence featuring Maguma only makes up approximately six minutes of the finished film, but played a key role in the film's advertising. The character was a late addition, after insistence by producer Tomoyuki Tanaka
, due to the box-office successes of Toho's kaiju eiga (monster movies) compared to its other mystery, horror, and science fiction offerings such The Mysterians
and Battle in Outer Space
.
Conversely, Maguma's role was completely removed from the U.S. release of the film.
, an antagonist from the Woody Woodpecker
cartoons popular at the time). As such, they removed the sequence for their cut of the film, and it has never been restored to the English-language edit, which was aired several times on television
throughout the 1960s and '70s.
The English dubbing was done by Ryder Sound Services, and scripted by Star Trek
writer John Lucas
. Only four voice actors were used to dub the film. Besides the voices, the audio track was modified, including adding a sound effect for the meteor which was not in the original Japanese version.
Brenco Pictures re-released the film on a double-bill with The Human Vapor
in 1968, but between the two releases never turned a profit on their investment in Gorath. The company closed in 1969 soon after the death of co-owner Edward L. Alperson on July 3 of that year. The film was purchased by Heritage Enterprises and distributed to U.S. television. Presumably, it was seen by more people on TV than by people who saw it between its two theatrical releases.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
film produced by Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
in 1962. The story for Gorath was by Jojiro Okami.
Synopsis
The film depicts a runaway star on a collision courseCollision course
A collision course, also known as a kamikaze run, is the deliberate maneuver by the operator of a moving object to collide with another object...
with Earth in the then-future decade of the 1980s. Even though it's smaller than Earth, with a mass over 6,000 times bigger than Earth, it will destroy the planet if it smashes into the planet. Now, as massive earthquakes and tsunamis crush Tokyo and kill millions, and as volcanic eruptions devastate entire areas around the globe, the people of planet Earth have to find a way to move the earth out of orbit before the star smashes it.
Maguma
Maguma is a fictionalFictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
(giant monster) featured in the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
film Gorath, released by Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
in 1962
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
. Based upon the walrus
Walrus
The walrus is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the Odobenidae family and Odobenus genus. It is subdivided into three subspecies: the Atlantic...
and named after subterranean molten rock (magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
), the Maguma suit was designed by special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya
Eiji Tsuburaya
was the Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla series...
, and worn by stuntman Haruo Nakajima
Haruo Nakajima
is a famous Japanese actor. He is best known for playing Godzilla and is considered by many to be the best suit actor in the long history of the franchise...
, who frequently performed kaiju in Toho films of the era (including their most famous monster character, Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
). Maguma is the only monster in the film, the focus of which is a runaway collapsed star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
on a collision course with Earth.
As Gorath approaches, several enormous rocket boosters are constructed in Antarctica and other parts of the world to push Earth out of the runaway star's path. The heat from the rockets has an unexpected consequence: releasing Maguma from the polar ice. As the monster ravages the South Pole base, the plan to evade Gorath is imperiled. Maguma is ultimately killed by a laser.
The sequence featuring Maguma only makes up approximately six minutes of the finished film, but played a key role in the film's advertising. The character was a late addition, after insistence by producer Tomoyuki Tanaka
Tomoyuki Tanaka
----Tomoyuki Tanaka was a Japanese film producer, most famous for creating the Godzilla series. He was born in Kashiwara, Osaka, Japan on April 26, 1910, and died in Tokyo on April 2, 1997. He died of a stroke at the age of 86....
, due to the box-office successes of Toho's kaiju eiga (monster movies) compared to its other mystery, horror, and science fiction offerings such The Mysterians
The Mysterians
The Mysterians, released in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1957. It was directed by the "Golden Duo" of Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya . It is notable for being the first tokusatsu filmed in TohoScope and the first Toho film to use...
and Battle in Outer Space
Battle in Outer Space
Battle in Outer Space, released in Japan as is a tokusatsu film produced and released by Toho Studios in Japan in 1959, and distributed worldwide in 1960 by Columbia Pictures...
.
Conversely, Maguma's role was completely removed from the U.S. release of the film.
U.S. release
The film was released in the US by Brenco Pictures. Most of the visual content was kept intact, but the six-minute sequence featuring the character Maguma was removed. The distributors found the character's appearance comical, even dubbing him "Wally the Walrus" (most likely inspired by Wally WalrusWally Walrus
Wally Walrus is a fictional animated cartoon character who appeared in several films produced by Walter Lantz Productions in the 1940s and '50s....
, an antagonist from the Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
cartoons popular at the time). As such, they removed the sequence for their cut of the film, and it has never been restored to the English-language edit, which was aired several times on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
throughout the 1960s and '70s.
The English dubbing was done by Ryder Sound Services, and scripted by Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
writer John Lucas
John Lucas
John Lucas is the name of:*John Lucas , philosopher*John Lucas II , retired American professional basketball player*John Lucas III , his son, current professional basketball player...
. Only four voice actors were used to dub the film. Besides the voices, the audio track was modified, including adding a sound effect for the meteor which was not in the original Japanese version.
Brenco Pictures re-released the film on a double-bill with The Human Vapor
The Human Vapor
The Human Vapor, known in Japan as , is a tokusatsu film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1960. The film was made by Toho's legendary Godzilla directing/special effects/producing team of Ishirō Honda, Eiji Tsuburaya, and Tomoyuki Tanaka...
in 1968, but between the two releases never turned a profit on their investment in Gorath. The company closed in 1969 soon after the death of co-owner Edward L. Alperson on July 3 of that year. The film was purchased by Heritage Enterprises and distributed to U.S. television. Presumably, it was seen by more people on TV than by people who saw it between its two theatrical releases.
Cast
- Dr. Tazawa - Ryo IkebeRyō Ikebewas a Japanese actor. He graduated from Rikkyō University and originally wanted to be a screenwriter, but ended up debuting as an actor at Tōhō in 1941. He did not achieve popularity until starring in a series of youth films in the late 1940s...
- Dr. Kawano - Ken UeharaKen Ueharawas a Japanese film actor. He appeared in over 200 films between 1935 and 1990. He starred in Entotsu no mieru basho, which was entered into the 3rd Berlin International Film Festival.His son is the singer and actor Yūzō Kayama.-Selected filmography:...
- Dr. Kensuke Sonoda - Takashi ShimuraTakashi Shimurawas a Japanese actor.He was born in Ikuno, Hyogo, Japan.His debut as actor was the film Akanishi Kakita and cast in the Kenji Mizoguchi's film Osaka Elegy ....
- Tomoko Sonoda - Yumi ShirakawaYumi Shirakawais a former Japanese actress.-Filmography:Filmography of Yumi Shirakawa include:* The Badger Palace aka The Princess of Badger Palace *Kiganjo no Boken*Gorath*Wall-Eyed Nippon...
- Hayao Sonoda - Fumio Sakashita
- Takiko Nomura - Kumi MizunoKumi Mizunois a Japanese actress most famous for appearing in several Toho Kaiju films of the 1960s and early 1970s....
- Seki, Prime Minister of Japan - Takamaru Sasaki
- Kinami, Minister of Justice - Eitaro Ozawa
- Tada, Minister of Finance - Seizaburo Kawazu
- Murata, Minister of Space - Ko NishimuraKô Nishimurawas a Japanese actor who appeared in supporting roles in such films as Akira Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well and Yojimbo, Kihachi Okamoto's Sword of Doom, Yoshitaro Nomura's Zero Focus, and Kon Ichikawa's The Burmese Harp .-Film:* The Burmese Harp *Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate（1957）*The...
- Murata's Secretary - Keiko Sata
- Raizo Sonoda, Captain of Spaceship JX-1 Hayabusa - Jun Tazaki
- Manabe, First Officer of Spaceship JX-1 Hayabusa - Nadao Kirino
- Operations Officer of Spaceship JX-1 Hayabusa - Koji SuzukiKoji SuzukiKoji Suzuki is a Japanese writer, who was born in Hamamatsu and currently lives in Tokyo. Suzuki is the author of the Ring cycle of novels, which has been adapted into a manga series. He has written several books on the subject of fatherhood...
- Communication Officer of Spaceship JX-1 Hayabusa - Kazuo Imai
- Navigator of Spaceship JX-1 Hayabusa - Wataru Omae
- Observation Crew of Spaceship JX-1 Hayabusa - Yasuo Araki
- Stoker Crew of Spaceship JX-1 Hayabusa - Akira Yamada
- Fuel Crew of Spaceship JX-1 Hayabusa - Tomosuke Suzuki
- Endo, Captain of Spaceship JX-2 Ootori - Akihiko HirataAkihiko Hiratawas a Japanese film actor. While Hirata starred in many movies , he is most well known for his work in the kaiju genre, including such films as King Kong vs. Godzilla, The Mysterians, and his most famous role of Dr...
- Saiki, First mate of Spaceship JX-2 Ootori - Kenji SaharaKenji SaharaKenji Sahara is a Japanese actor. He was born in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa. His real name is Masayoshi Kato...
- Tatsuma Kanai, Crew of Spaceship JX-2 Ootori - Akira KuboAkira KuboAkira Kubo is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in 75 films since 1952. He starred in the film Arashi, which was entered into the 7th Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:* Arashi...
- Wakabayashi, Crew of Spaceship JX-2 Ootori - Hiroshi Tachikawa
- Ito, Crew of Spaceship JX-2 Ootori - Masanori Nihei
- Operation Crew of Spaceship JX-2 Ootori - Koichi SatoKoichi Satois a Japanese actor.He is the son of veteran Japanese actor Rentarō Mikuni.-Films:*The Last Chushingura *Nobody to watch over me * Shonen Merikensack * The Magic Hour * Smile Seiya no Kiseki...
- Communication Crew of Spaceship JX-2 Ootori - Yasuhiko Saijo
- Navigator of Spaceship JX-2 Ootori - Tadashi Okabe
- Observation Crew of Spaceship JX-2 Ootori - Toshihiko Furuta
- Stoker Crew of Spaceship JX-2 Ootori - Rinsaku Ogata
- Crew of Spaceship JX-2 Ootori - Akira Hayami
- Observation Crew of Space Station - Kozo Nomura
- Sanada, Engineer of South Pole base - Ko Mishima
- Engineer of South Pole Base - Osman Yusef
- Dr. Gibson - Ross Bennett
- Dr. Huberman - George FurnessGeorge FurnessGeorge Furness was a Victorian construction engineer and benefactor. He described himself as a "contractor of public works". He worked all around the world, on railways, drainage, and brickwork among numerous other things.-Birth:Furness was born in Great Longstone, Derbyshire...
- Doctor of Space Bureau - Sachio Sakai
- Journalist - Shinpei Mitsui
- Taxi Driver - Ikio Sawamura
- Cabaret Customer - Hideyo AmamotoHideyo Amamotowas a prolific Japanese actor from the Wakamatsu ward of Kitakyūshū best known for portraying Dr. Shinigami in the original Kamen Rider series as well as many other characters in tokusatsu films and the Godzilla series. Amamoto also used the pseudonym of Eisei Amamoto for most of his career, Eisei...
- Miss Saturn Contestant - Mieko Kurenai
- Maguma - Haruo NakajimaHaruo Nakajimais a famous Japanese actor. He is best known for playing Godzilla and is considered by many to be the best suit actor in the long history of the franchise...
Production credits
- Executive Producer - Tomoyuki TanakaTomoyuki Tanaka----Tomoyuki Tanaka was a Japanese film producer, most famous for creating the Godzilla series. He was born in Kashiwara, Osaka, Japan on April 26, 1910, and died in Tokyo on April 2, 1997. He died of a stroke at the age of 86....
- Screenplay - Takeshi KimuraTakeshi KimuraTakeshi Kimura was a Japanese screenwriter who wrote many films for Toho studios. Kimura scripted several films for director Ishirō Honda, including Rodan, The Mysterians, Matango, Frankenstein Conquers the World, War of the Gargantuas, King Kong Escapes, Destroy All Monsters, and Godzilla vs....
- Original Story - Jojiro Okami
- Director - Ishirō HondaIshiro HondaIshirō Honda , sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", was a Japanese film director...
- Visual Effects Director - Eiji TsuburayaEiji Tsuburayawas the Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla series...
- Cinematography - Hajime Koizumi
- Production Designer - Takeo Kita and Teruaki Abe
- Lighting - Morio Takashima
- Sound Recording - Toshiya Ban
- Music - Kan IshiiKan Ishiiwas a Japanese composer, and the brother of composer Maki Ishii. His father, was a prominent Japanese ballet dancer. His Symphonia Ainu won a prize at the 1958 Art Festival, inspiring him to do further work inspired by nationalist primitivism. His musical style appeals directly to the emotions,...
- Sound Editor - Hisashi Shimonga
- Assistant Director - Koji Kajita
- Film Editor - Reiko Kaneko
- Film Development - Far East Laboratories
- Production Manager - Yasuaki Sakamoto
- Optical Photography - Rikio Yuki
- Visual Effects Photography - Sadamasa Arikawa and Sokei Tomioka
- Visual Effects Production Design - Akira WatanabeAkira WatanabeAkira Watanabe may refer to:*Akira Watanabe , 1978 motocross world champion*Akira Watanabe , Scout Association of Japan National President from 1974 to 2003...
- Visual Effects Lighting - Kuichiro Kishida
- Composites - Hiroshi Mukoyama
- Visual Effects Production Manager - Hiroshi Narita