Director Eugene Lourie specialized in giant monster films, having brought to life on the big screen, THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK, and THE GIANT BEHEMOTH. Back in the late 1950’s, the sibling producing team of Frank and Maurice King convinced Lourie to film a U.K-based giant monster production, GORGO. The producers of GORGO were unable to secure the services of Willis O’Brien or Ray Harryhausen, who provided the stop motion animation effects for Lourie’s earlier prehistoric monsters. So Tom Howard was hired to handle the special effects in a very similar manner to Japanese Kaiju (monster) productions, namely a man-in-a-monster-suit demolishing miniature cities and armies. Ironically, GORGO premiered first in Japan in 1960, and was very well received. Next, MGM released the film in North America to large box office receipts. Finally, GORGO played Europe last, where it garnered a favorable reviews and a successful box office take. GORGO showed up on TV in the 1970s and early 1980’s, but it soon disappeared (AMC aired it a few times in the 1990’s). During the golden age of VHS, the only way to see GORGO was on several unflattering VHS releases. Several years ago, GORGO was finally released in it’s original widescreen ratio on LaserDisc. But seeing how that format is now dead, few monsters fans were able to enjoy the widescreen destruction of London. Now, VCI Home Entertainment presents an uncut, widescreen Special Edition DVD of GORGO.

The cast of GORGO is highlighted by Bill (DUEL AT DIABLO) Travers as Joe, an enterprising underwater salvage worker. William (DEVIL DOLL) Sylvester plays Joe’s cerebral partner, Sam. Vincent (THE DARK AVENGER) Winter portrays little Irish lad, Sean, who wants to save the baby Gorgo. Christopher (SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL) Rhodes plays corrupt archeologist, McMartin. Martin Benson is Dorkin, the gaudy ringmaster who wants to exploit the baby Gorgo. Joseph (THE GORGON) O’Conner portrays wise scientist, Professor Hendricks. Unbelievably, there is not a single female presence in the entire film (excluding the Mama Gorgo, of course). Effects maestro Tom Howard supplied the visual effects for other genre films of the period, such as CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED, BATTLE BENEATH THE EARTH, and CAPTAIN SINBAD.

Two men, Joe (Bill Travers) and Sam (William Sylvester) operate a salvage vessel working off the coast of Ireland. The waters where they are working are rough and dangerous. The waters become particularly deadly when an undersea volcano suddenly erupts, causing massive tidal waves. Shortly after the eruption, Joe and Sam get into their rowboat and head towards a nearby island. On their way, they notice several dead prehistoric fish floating on the surface of the waters. Joe and Sam also encounter some fishermen who reveal that their underwater comrades have not returned. They conclude that the eruption has changed the geology of the ocean floor. When Joe and Sam arrive on the island, they meet shady archeologist McMartin (Christopher Rhodes), and his young assistant, Sean (Vincent Winter). McMartin tries to get rid of Joe and Sam, but Sean forms a bond with them.

That evening, a fifty-foot prehistoric menace wades out of the ocean and threatens the islanders, until the amphibious creature is driven back into the ocean via flaming torches. McMartin is worried because his workers (the local fishermen and divers) may riot; they want the money that McMartin owes them, so they can flee the island. Sam and Joe decide to use the resources at hand (including tranquilizers) to subdue the creature. When word of the monster’s existence reaches the mainland, Sam and Joe immediately receive offers from a Dublin scientific foundation to bring back the creature for a one time finder’s fee. They also get an offer from the London-based Dorkin Circus, for a percentage of the ticket sales. Joe and Sam decide to go for the second offer, and set course for London.

On the voyage back to the U.K., they discover that Sean has stowed away. The kid warns Joe and Sam to release the monster or there will be trouble. But greed gets the best of them, and soon the monster is put on display at the Dorkin Circus; where electrical wires keep the beast from escaping. While the monster languishes in captivity, some government scientists contact Joe and Sam, and invite them to their facility. There, they share their findings of the prehistoric beast with the men who captured it. The scientists identify the creature as Gorgo, based upon the Gorgon of Greek mythology. Furthermore, they reveal the reason why the monster was so easy to capture is because this Gorgo is an infant! With this revelation, the adult Gorgo (which is about five times the size of the infant) rises from the dark depths, and makes a beeline towards London. When the authorities detect the adult Gorgo, the British Navy is dispatched to halt the monster’s progress. Soon, every potent weapon at the disposal of England is put into action against the unstoppable creature. A TV reporter monitors the events closely and reports on the progress of the monster. Gorgo makes it ashore, and quickly destroys London (and everything else in it’s path) to rescue it’s captured offspring. But will England be able to withstand the fury of two monsters should they decide to destroy the country?

Much like the legends of Japan and China, the British isles all have their own ancient myths surrounding dragons and sea monsters. The filmmakers tapped into these myths for the screenplay and the look of the monsters. Director Eugene Lourie utilized his own experience and creativity to bring the story of these British myths to the big screen. In spite of the visions of Eugene Lourie, and the painstaking artistry of the cinema technicians, GORGO fails in its attempt to add a new human dimension (except for the conclusion) to the classic monster scenario. The picture’s attempt to squeeze in some sort of message about man’s mercenary motivations at the expense of the finer things in life (such as the respect of Mother Nature and her creations) is largely abortive. Another shortcoming to GORGO, is the failure to exploit the potential element of fear and horror. The adult Gorgo and it’s offspring are impressive creations, but they lack the personality to frighten the audience.

Many of the plot mechanisms do not hold water, such as the subplot (that goes nowhere) concerning the archaeologist, McMartin. Despite a journeyman cast of capable actors, most of them turn in one-note performances (it’s as though they are embarrassed to be in a monster movie). Travers, Sylvester, and Winters perform well enough, but the background characters do little more than observe. The film’s denouement, with the triumphant adult Gorgo returning to sea with its infant, is both refreshing and moving. Because of this ending, GORGO struck a vibe with kids across the globe. After all, you would never see the monsters victorious in any Hollywood monster films. It is interesting to note how Lourie focuses the camera on the perspective of a TV reporter who observes the destruction. The reporter covers the carnage in the same tones the British heard when London survived the World War II blitz; this lends an air of realism to the movie. Lourie has done an exceptional job handling mob panic and the military retaliatory scenes. Lourie includes some nods to BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, with the diving bell scene, and later, the destruction of a roller coaster.

Tom Howard’s main-in-a-suit techniques work fairly well, and are equal to similar techniques employed in Japanese special effects films of the time. The destruction of London is quite good. The miniature buildings have structure to them, rather than just looking like balsa wood. The guy playing the adult Gorgo plays it straight, and does not resort to any camp tactics. The underwater volcanic eruption (which manifests itself as tidal waves only, with no ash or lava) is the only real special effect that is laughable. You’ll witness the crumbling of London Bridge, the Tower of London, Big Ben, the Parliament building, and Picadilly Circus. To wit, the military use everything in their arsenal (short of nuclear weapons) to stop Gorgo. At sea, the creature is shelled by 9mm guns, depth-charged, missiled by the air force, and the ocean around Gorgo is covered with oil and set afire. On land, Gorgo receives more punishment in the form of cannons, tanks, more planes, and machine guns.

For much of this attack footage, Eugene Lourie employs tons of stock footage to fill in the gaps. After all, in the forties, fifties, and sixties, stock footage was all the rage. It was just something that was accepted back then. All major studios kept a library of stock shots for their productions. Most of the stock footage in GORGO involves the mobilization of the nautical fleet, and the launching and attack of the fighter planes. Subsequent stock shots involve military personnel loading weapons and firing them at the adult Gorgo (such as the depth charge sequence). Some of the stock footage hurts the continuity of the film. For example, one scene clearly shows American Navy planes taking off from an aircraft carrier, but their planes and markings change to British while in the air. When the planes land back on the carrier, they have reverted back to U.S. markings! Viewing GORGO is not an intellectual experience, but the movie delivers B-movie entertainment for all age groups.

VCI Home Entertainment has come a long way with their DVD menuing systems and related features. Their earlier releases featured a static main menu without any sound or animation. This GORGO special edition DVD features an impressive animation of Gorgo towering over some futuristic buildings. You hear the roar of the monster and the crushing footsteps in powerful Dolby Surround sound. From the opening menu (which depicts crushed buildings in flames), you can select the Special Features, Chapter Stops, or Trailers. If you select the Special Features menu, you can access the photo gallery, which displays a dozen shots of production stills and poster artwork. Sadly, these shots are mounted in a tilted billboard frame (and the pictures don’t even fill the screen). The talent bios are for Eugene Lourie, Bill Travers, and William Sylvester. VCI has assembled an all-new documentary on the genesis of GORGO. This fascinating documentary is written by genre author Tom Weaver (who also supplied the liner notes) and narrated by Steve Garfinkel, who has an appropriately British accent. The documentary is widescreen, with mono sound, and runs 9:50. Also included is the entertaining original theatrical trailer, which is widescreen and runs 2:30. You have to love how the trailer uses hyperbole like, "This towering apparition from before the dawn of history!", "Shockingly convincing!" , and "Incredibly realistic!" 

Also included are trailers for these other VCI DVD genre releases:

-  Darren Collette