The Green Slime
Encyclopedia
is a 1968
science-fiction film produced by MGM
in the United States
and shot in Japan
at the studios of Toei Company
by director Kinji Fukasaku
. The film was spearheaded by the same creative team who produced similar Italian outings including Wild, Wild Planet
, Ivan Reiner and Walter Manley.
s set out to stop a giant asteroid
on a collision course with the planet Earth
. They land on the asteroid, plant explosive charges and destroy it. Afterwards they return to the staging area, a space station
called Gamma 3 in orbit around the Earth. Unfortunately, a scientist from the mission has unwittingly carried a luminous-green substance on the leg of his spacesuit which quickly mutates into one-eyed, tentacled monsters with the ability to discharge lethal bolts of electricity. The Gamma 3 crew fend off the alien creatures with their laser-based weaponry, only to discover the creatures feed off the energy which, in turn, allows them to multiply rapidly, sprouting the new creatures from their blood. As the creatures overrun the station the crew continues to fight back against overwhelming odds.
actors, including Robert Horton
(as Commander Jack Rankin) and Richard Jaeckel
(as Commander Vince Elliott), while the Italian actress, Luciana Paluzzi
, best known as the femme fatale in Thunderball
(1965), was cast as Dr. Lisa Benson.
The film was co-written by a group of screenwriters active in television and B-movies at the time: Charles Sinclair
, who had written episodes of the 1960s Batman TV series
, Bill Finger
, who was the uncredited co-creator of the character Batman
, and Tom Rowe. Ivan Reiner, who co-wrote Wild, Wild Planet
and other Italian-made science fiction movies of the 1960s, is credited with the story. Finger wrote or co-wrote other B-movies, such as Track of the Moon Beast
. The director, Kinji Fukasaku
, was a reliable and dynamic studio program director at the time, who was best known for his nihilistic gangster films (later unanimously lauded for The Yakuza Papers film series), maintains a frenetic pace for the narrative.
The American background players were recruited from the foreign community in Japan, as well as foreign amateur actors, which included Americans, Turks and Germans, many of whom had extensive experience working for Japanese filmmakers. Background players were supplemented by USAF
personnel from the Yokota Air Base
near Tokyo
, and female, American, fashion models based in Japan. Communication between the Japanese crew and the American actors was facilitated through ex-pat translators, namely production manager, William Ross
, who founded his own English-dubbing facility in Japan, Frontier Enterprises.
The film's visual effects were provided by Japan Special Effects Co. and directed by Akira Watanabe, while the monster suits were created by Ekisu Productions (or "Equis Productions") ; both companies formed by ex-Toho Studios employees, who worked under Eiji Tsuburaya
, the acknowledged "Father of Japanese Special Effects." Children were recruited as "suit actors" to play the majority of the monsters.
The psychedelic
theme song was composed by Charles Fox
, who made a name for himself creating high-profile soundtracks for films such as Barbarella
and The Incident
and would later write the theme for the TV series Wonder Woman. The song was later covered by the Fuzztones
.
.
The Japanese cut of Gamma 3: Operation Outer Space was 13 minutes shorter than the American version, and eliminated the Horton-Paluzzi-Jaeckel love triangle subplot (which would be boring for children), added different musical cues by Toshiaki Tsushima (notably absent was the infamous theme song), giving the film an increased action movie feel.
Green Slime's May 1969 U.S release was met with mostly negative critical reaction. The New York Times review was typical—on May 22, 1969, reviewer Howard Thomson wrote, "The dialogue is wooden, so is most of the acting by a cast including Robert Horton, Richard Jaeckel and Luciana Paluzzi. And a dull and obvious romantic triangle continually squashes the terror potential at the ripest moments."
However, the movie did achieve a popular success with American matinée audiences due, in part, to an extensive advertising campaign aimed at children. The MPAA rated the film G.
In Australia, the film was triple-billed with The Blob
and Beware! The Blob
(aka Son Of Blob).
Mystery Science Theater 3000
featured a portion of the American version in its unofficial and never-aired television pilot
episode. This episode was later shown in pieces on the MST Scrapbook tape, then uncut at a convention in 2008.
On October 26 2010, the U.S. version was released on R1 DVD as part of the Warner Archive Collection.
1968 in film
The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
science-fiction film produced by MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and shot in 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...
at the studios of Toei Company
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
by director Kinji Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasaku
was a Japanese film actor, screenwriter, and best known as a celebrated and innovative filmmaker. He was born in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan, and died in Tokyo, from prostate cancer...
. The film was spearheaded by the same creative team who produced similar Italian outings including Wild, Wild Planet
Wild, Wild Planet
Wild, Wild Planet is a 1965 Italian science fiction horror film directed by Antonio Margheriti and written by Renato Moretti and Ivan Reiner. Tony Russel stars as Commander Mike Halstead. Also featured are Lisa Gastoni, Franco Nero and Massimo Serato...
, Ivan Reiner and Walter Manley.
Summary
A group of astronautAstronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s set out to stop a giant asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
on a collision course with the planet Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. They land on the asteroid, plant explosive charges and destroy it. Afterwards they return to the staging area, a space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
called Gamma 3 in orbit around the Earth. Unfortunately, a scientist from the mission has unwittingly carried a luminous-green substance on the leg of his spacesuit which quickly mutates into one-eyed, tentacled monsters with the ability to discharge lethal bolts of electricity. The Gamma 3 crew fend off the alien creatures with their laser-based weaponry, only to discover the creatures feed off the energy which, in turn, allows them to multiply rapidly, sprouting the new creatures from their blood. As the creatures overrun the station the crew continues to fight back against overwhelming odds.
Production
Produced in 1968, under the title "Battle Beyond the Stars" the film was shot in Japan using a largely American cast of B-movieB-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
actors, including Robert Horton
Robert Horton (actor)
Robert Horton is an American television actor, who was most noted for the role of the frontier scout Flint McCullough in the NBC Western television series, Wagon Train...
(as Commander Jack Rankin) and Richard Jaeckel
Richard Jaeckel
Richard Hanley Jaeckel was an American actor of film and television.-Life and career:Jaeckel was born in Long Beach, New York. A short, but tough guy, he played a variety of characters during his fifty years in movies & television and became one of Hollywood's best known character actors...
(as Commander Vince Elliott), while the Italian actress, Luciana Paluzzi
Luciana Paluzzi
Luciana Paluzzi is an Italian actress. She is best known for playing SPECTRE assassin Fiona Volpe in the fourth James Bond film, Thunderball.-Career:...
, best known as the femme fatale in Thunderball
Thunderball (film)
Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham...
(1965), was cast as Dr. Lisa Benson.
The film was co-written by a group of screenwriters active in television and B-movies at the time: Charles Sinclair
Charles Sinclair
Charles Colin Sinclair was an Australian boxer who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics.In 1924 he was eliminated in the second round of the lightweight class after losing his fight to Alfred Genon.-External links:...
, who had written episodes of the 1960s Batman TV series
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, Bill Finger
Bill Finger
William "Bill" Finger was an American comic strip and comic book writer best known as the uncredited co-creator, with Bob Kane, of the DC Comics character Batman, as well as the co-architect of the series' development...
, who was the uncredited co-creator of the character Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, and Tom Rowe. Ivan Reiner, who co-wrote Wild, Wild Planet
Wild, Wild Planet
Wild, Wild Planet is a 1965 Italian science fiction horror film directed by Antonio Margheriti and written by Renato Moretti and Ivan Reiner. Tony Russel stars as Commander Mike Halstead. Also featured are Lisa Gastoni, Franco Nero and Massimo Serato...
and other Italian-made science fiction movies of the 1960s, is credited with the story. Finger wrote or co-wrote other B-movies, such as Track of the Moon Beast
Track of the Moon Beast
Track of the Moon Beast is a 1976 horror film, directed by Richard Ashe and written by Bill Finger and Charles Sinclair.-Plot:Mineralogist Paul Carlson is struck by a lunar meteorite while observing a meteor shower. Lodged in his brain, the meteorite causes him to transform into a strong and...
. The director, Kinji Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasaku
was a Japanese film actor, screenwriter, and best known as a celebrated and innovative filmmaker. He was born in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan, and died in Tokyo, from prostate cancer...
, was a reliable and dynamic studio program director at the time, who was best known for his nihilistic gangster films (later unanimously lauded for The Yakuza Papers film series), maintains a frenetic pace for the narrative.
The American background players were recruited from the foreign community in Japan, as well as foreign amateur actors, which included Americans, Turks and Germans, many of whom had extensive experience working for Japanese filmmakers. Background players were supplemented by USAF
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
personnel from the Yokota Air Base
Yokota Air Base
, is a United States Air Force base in the city of Fussa, one of 26 cities in the Tama Area, or Western Tokyo.The base houses 14,000 personnel. The base occupies a total area of and has a runway...
near Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and female, American, fashion models based in Japan. Communication between the Japanese crew and the American actors was facilitated through ex-pat translators, namely production manager, William Ross
William Ross
-Politicians:*William Ross, Baron Ross of Marnock , Secretary of State for Scotland in the 1960s*William Ross , merchant, ship builder and politician in Nova Scotia, Canada...
, who founded his own English-dubbing facility in Japan, Frontier Enterprises.
The film's visual effects were provided by Japan Special Effects Co. and directed by Akira Watanabe, while the monster suits were created by Ekisu Productions (or "Equis Productions") ; both companies formed by ex-Toho Studios employees, who worked under Eiji Tsuburaya
Eiji Tsuburaya
was the Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla series...
, the acknowledged "Father of Japanese Special Effects." Children were recruited as "suit actors" to play the majority of the monsters.
The psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
theme song was composed by Charles Fox
Charles Fox (composer)
Charles Ira Fox is an American composer for film and television. His most heard compositions are probably the "love themes" , and the dramatic theme music to ABC's Wide World of Sports and the original Monday Night Football.....
, who made a name for himself creating high-profile soundtracks for films such as Barbarella
Barbarella (film)
Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...
and The Incident
The Incident (film)
The Incident is a 1967 American film written by Nicholas E. Baehr , directed by Larry Peerce and starring Beau Bridges, Tony Musante, Brock Peters and Martin Sheen in his first film role...
and would later write the theme for the TV series Wonder Woman. The song was later covered by the Fuzztones
The Fuzztones
The Fuzztones are a garage rock revival band formed in 1980. Founded by singer-guitarist Rudi Protrudi The Fuzztones are a garage rock revival band formed in 1980. Founded by singer-guitarist Rudi Protrudi The Fuzztones are a garage rock revival band formed in 1980. Founded by singer-guitarist Rudi...
.
Release
The Japanese version was released on December 19, 1968, under the title Gamma 3: Operation Outer Space. This was intended for Toei's seasonal kiddie matinée series, Toei Chibiko Matsuri (Toei Children's Festival), which became the Toei Manga Matsuri (Toei Cartoon Festival), and is now known as the Toei Anime Fair. These are theatrical packages consisting of a feature film and several animated and live action shorts. The main feature was the U.S./Belgian co-production Pinocchio in Outer SpacePinocchio in Outer Space
Pinocchio in Outer Space was a Belgian-American animated film which sets Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio character on a rocketship adventure. Peter Lazer does the voice of Pinocchio...
.
The Japanese cut of Gamma 3: Operation Outer Space was 13 minutes shorter than the American version, and eliminated the Horton-Paluzzi-Jaeckel love triangle subplot (which would be boring for children), added different musical cues by Toshiaki Tsushima (notably absent was the infamous theme song), giving the film an increased action movie feel.
Green Slime's May 1969 U.S release was met with mostly negative critical reaction. The New York Times review was typical—on May 22, 1969, reviewer Howard Thomson wrote, "The dialogue is wooden, so is most of the acting by a cast including Robert Horton, Richard Jaeckel and Luciana Paluzzi. And a dull and obvious romantic triangle continually squashes the terror potential at the ripest moments."
However, the movie did achieve a popular success with American matinée audiences due, in part, to an extensive advertising campaign aimed at children. The MPAA rated the film G.
In Australia, the film was triple-billed with The Blob
The Blob
The Blob is an independently made 1958 American horror/science-fiction film that depicts a giant amoeba-like alien that terrorizes the small community of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania...
and Beware! The Blob
Beware! The Blob
Beware! The Blob is a 1972 sequel to horror science-fiction film The Blob. The film was directed by Larry Hagman. The screenplay was penned by Anthony Harris and Jack Woods III, based on a story by Jack H. Harris and Richard Clair...
(aka Son Of Blob).
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
featured a portion of the American version in its unofficial and never-aired television pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
episode. This episode was later shown in pieces on the MST Scrapbook tape, then uncut at a convention in 2008.
DVD release
The Japanese edit of the film was released on R2 DVD in 2004 by Toei.On October 26 2010, the U.S. version was released on R1 DVD as part of the Warner Archive Collection.
External links
- Green Slime Movie Trailer
- Synopsis and review from And You Call Yourself a Scientist
- The Green Slime at the Japanese Movie DatabaseJapanese Movie DatabaseThe , commonly referred to as 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 originally released in Japan. The site was started in 1997, and contains movies from Meiji...