Seeing 'Frankenstein Conquers the World' and 'War of the Gargantuas' As They Were Meant to Be Seen!

Inside the Shin Bungeiza theater. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Thursday, September 10, I saw Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965) in 35mm at the Shin Bungeiza theater in Ikebukuro. Then, on Friday, September 11, I took in a screening of The War of the Gargantuas (1966), which was also presented in 35mm, at the same venue.

The print for FCTW in particular was incredible; there was a barely a noticeable flaw. WOTG, on the other hand, had its share of scratches and imperfections but was still duly impressive. It was certainly a cool double feature, even if it took place on separate days.

For the last 15 or so years, I've been somewhat perplexed by the fact that FCTW is often cited by tokusatsu fans as one of the best kaiju movies of the Showa era. I mean, I like it, too, but it's always felt more like a dress rehearsal for WOTG to me than anything else. It's just missing that certain something to push it over the top. It's hard not to come away with the distinct impression that Nick Adams was more enthusiastic about making the film than everybody else was.  

It doesn't help matters that Baragon is a JTTS whose sole purpose is to get beaten up by Frankenstein and make him look good. The monster scenes are a bit underwhelming.

I first saw FCTW in the spring of 1994 when it aired in TNT's 100% Weird late-night programming block. Even though I had mostly stopped watching Godzilla and other giant monster movies at this point, I was still looking for movies like this -- especially Destroy All Monsters (1968), the holiest of holy grails -- to air on cable TV.

I set my VCR to record it (since it was airing overnight) and probably watched it the next day. My reaction wasn't very strong; I thought it was fine but quickly moved on to other things. It wouldn't be until we discovered DAM and the post-Biollante Heisei movies later that year that we really got back into tokusatsu in a big way.

The version of FCTW I saw used the giant-octopus ending, which is notable. It's not the first time I've seen this cut theatrically in Japan, so I wonder if the original version has now been officially supplanted. I do prefer the original ending, and I think the giant-octopus ending is best left as a curiosity than the actual conclusion of the film, but it is what it is, and things are as they are.

I first saw WOTG when I was about eight years old on Super Scary Saturday, and I've loved it ever since. The battle between the Gargantuas is much more compelling than the one in the previous film, as Sanda and Gaira are not only more evenly matched, but we also know why they're fighting, apart from the fact that they're huge monsters, and that's just what huge monsters do. 

For all the criticism he gets, I don't think Russ Tamblyn is that bad in the role of Dr. Paul Stewart. His character as written doesn't have much going on in the first place, and his performance more or less suits the part of a slightly awkward scientist who was probably too devoted to his work to have much of a social life.

Contrast that with Nick Adams' acting choices in FCTW as Dr. James Bowen, which sort of make you wonder how such a happenin' hodad who gives a too-cool-for-school finger point to bid farewell to Yoshio Tsuchiya's character ever had the patience to earn his seven Ph.D.s from the University of Higher Learning.  

The only real downside to the WOTG screening is that it wasn't the UPA release, which is definitive for me. That dub is one of the best of all time.

Overall, it was a fun couple of nights at the flicks, and I had a blast. Let's do it again soon!

Brand-New Content on Vantage Point Interviews!

Gigi Perreau with Nick Adams during the making of The Rebel.

Check out my new interview with actress Gigi Perreau, who stars in the American version of the Toho actioner Conflagration (1975), which was released domestically as High Seas Hijack (1977). She also appears in the sci-fi cult classic Journey to the Center of Time (1967), which is another topic of discussion. Moreover, she comments on working with Nick Adams, Raymond Burr, and Chuck Connors. All this and more can be found on Vantage Point Interviews!

THE KILLING BOTTLE! Toho's Long Lost Spy Adventure Is Lost No More!

I recently had the privilege of watching the third Toho movie the late Nick Adams made for the studio, The Killing Bottle (1967). The fifth and final installment in Toho's International Secret Police series, The Killing Bottle was directed by Senkichi Taniguchi (The Lost World of Sinbad) and stars Tatsuya Mihashi (The Human Vapor), Kumi Mizuno (Monster Zero), and Makoto Sato (Message from Space), Akihiko Hirata (Godzilla), Yoshio Tsuchiya (Battle in Outer Space), and Jun Tazaki (Atragon).

Having aired on cable TV in Japan recently, I was able to see the film for the first time, and I'd like to offer a few initial thoughts. Here goes. 

According to Toho's English-language sales materials, the Prime Minister of Buddhabal (Jun Tazaki) is the target of an assassination by the underworld organization ZZZ, who have already offed an International Secret Police (ISP) agent investigating the ring. Their weapon of choice: the killing bottle! Once opened, the killing bottle dispenses a shaving cream-like substance that overwhelms its victims until they've expired. 

Can ISP agents John Carter (Nick Adams) and Kitami (Tatsuya Mihashi) work together, in tandem with the somewhat mysterious Lady X (Kumi Mizuno), to keep the Prime Minister alive? If all this sounds rather serious, then I've probably stuck to the official Toho synopses I've read a little too closely. For the most part, The Killing Bottle is a goofy spy thriller that seems to parody James Bond more than imitate him. Though there are moments of seriousness, they seem out of place in a movie that's mostly all about having fun.

I mean, just look at Jun Tazaki! Doesn't he look like he's having the greatest time in the world? It's amazing that any organization would want to take down this leader. Who wouldn't want this guy in charge? Tazaki's Prime Minister can be seen riding the teacups (!), operating a motorboat, and having a blast on a roller coaster -- all while the nefarious members of ZZZ try to eliminate him.

For the most part, The Killing Bottle is an amusing entertainment, but Taniguchi's direction sometimes lets the film drag, and some of the killing scenes are handled a little too darkly for the less-than-serious subject matter. The movie seems to forget its generally silly tone during some of the sequences involving agent John Carter and Ken Hayata (Makoto Sato) which seem like they belong in an entirely different movie.

Despite these criticisms, I think The Killing Bottle is overall a good film and worth checking out. I would love to see it subtitled sometime, but the film's action is broad enough that subtitles are not all that necessary for a non-Japanese to enjoy it.

THE REBEL AND THE KING: A New Nick Adams Biography Is Coming This August!

The front and back covers to The Rebel and the King, the brand-new book that documents the friendship between music legend Elvis Presley and Oscar-nominated actor Nick Adams.

Nick Adams' daughter Allyson is set to launch her new book, detailing her father's friendship with one of the world's biggest stars, Elvis Presley. According to the book's official Web site:

Elvis Presley had just exploded on the American scene and was filming his first movie, Love Me Tender, when he introduced himself to Nick Adams on the backlot of 20th Century Fox. Nick was a struggling actor, part of the Rebel Without A Cause gang and showed Elvis the town, introducing him to Natalie Wood. Nick was infamous for writing about his famous friends and now the POSTHUMOUS PUBLICATION of Nick Adams raw, unedited manuscript, The Rebel & The King, details his close friendship and whirlwind eight days in Memphis with Elvis, during the famous singer’s Tupelo Homecoming the summer of 56.

Your humble blogmeister poses with Allyson Adams in November 2009 in Los Angeles, CA.

I interviewed Allyson a few years ago at the time she was working on this project. I was interested to read what she had uncovered about her father. Now, this coming August, everyone will be able to find out for him/herself!

Allyson has also just started to new blog, which can be found here. News about the book will surely be posted in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled!

You can pre-order the book here.

The Green Slime 40th anniversary pictures

Brett with Nika Solomon and Luciana Paluzzi at her autograph table.

I'm writing a report on the event for G-FAN, but for right now, here are some pictures from the event. Enjoy!

Brett meets Robert Horton for the first time.

Robert Horton with his wife Marilynn at his autograph table.

Convention organizer Bruce Schwartz interviews Mr. Horton and Ms. Paluzzi. Bruce used my interview with Robert Horton in G-FAN #86 to help formulate questions.

With Nick Adams' daughter Allyson after wrapping up an interview with her about her father.