Gamera: The Giant Monster
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Noriaki Yuasa |
| Produced by | Hidemasa Nagata |
| Screenplay by | Fumi Takahashi |
| Based on | An idea by Yonejiro Saito |
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| Cinematography | Nobuo Nakashizu |
| Edited by | Tatsuji Nakashizu |
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Release date
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Running time
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86 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Budget | ¥40 million |
Gamera the Giant Monster(大怪獣ガメラ Daikaijū Gamera, lit. Giant Monster Gamera) is a 1965 Japanese kaiju film directed by Noriaki Yuasa and starring Eiji Funakoshi, Harumi Kiritachi, and Junichiro Yamashita. It is the first entry in the Gamera film series, and was the only film in the original series released theatrically in the United States. .
In an icy North American region, an unknown aircraft is shot down by an American fighter jet. The aircraft crashes and its cargo, a low-level atomic bomb, explodes. The resulting cataclysm awakens a giant, prehistoric monster called Gamera, who has the appearance of a giant turtle with teeth and large tusks. Japanese scientists on an expedition (including Dr. Hidaka, Kyoko, and Aoyagi) nearby are given a "devil stone" by an Eskimo chieftain, who explains that the creature is called Gamera.
Gamera destroys the American jet with his fire breath and escapes into the sea. The monster heads to Japan and surfaces from Sagami Bay, where Toshio, a boy releasing his own pet turtle, sees him. Gamera destroys the city of Fujisawa and a lighthouse. However, he also rescues Toshio from falling from that same lighthouse and then retreats back into the sea. Scientists and government officials hold a conference to discuss killing the monster.
Gamera destroys a research ship, kills the crew and then heads to Tokyo. He is attacked with freeze bombs and blown up, falling onto his back as a result. The scientists indicate that a turtle cannot right itself once on its back and that Gamera will therefore die of starvation. Gamera then pulls his head, limbs and tail into his shell, emits flames out of his arm and leg cavities and flies away by rising up into and spinning around through the air like a flying saucer.
Toshio and his family decide to stay with an uncle in Tokyo because they have nowhere else to go. Toshio explains to the professor that Gamera is lonely and like regular turtles, he is not evil. Dr. Hidaka, meanwhile, has observed that Gamera consumes fossil fuels, and may seek out atomic bombs for the energy they provide. He also emits radio signals. This leads the Japan Atomic Energy Commission to figure out what to do with its stockpiles. Meanwhile, disasters and accidents start to occur: Koto Ward is struck by flash floods and ships collide in Tokyo Bay. Dr. Hidaka claims that Gamera has caused these accidents because he is hiding in the bay.
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Wikipedia