Gamera or Gammera, the Invincible (大怪獣ガメラ, Daikaijū Gamera^?, Giant Monster Gamera) is a 1965 daikaiju eiga (giant-monster movie) about a giant turtle named Gamera. The film is similar in nature to the popular Godzilla films, and is also the first in a series of films about Gamera. It was one of the five Gamera films to be featured as episodes of the movie-mocking television show Mystery Science Theater 3000. Image File history File links Gamera_1965. ... Noriaki Yuasa (born 1933 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese director, most notable for his involvement in the Gamera film series. ... Brian Donlevy in The Big Combo Brian Donlevy (born Waldo Bruce Donlevy on February 9, 1901 in Cleveland, Ohio, died April 6, 1972 in Woodland Hills, California) was an American actor, known for many film roles from the 1930s to the 1960s. ... Albert Pekker (born December 20, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York; died May 5, 1968 in Hollywood, California) is an American character actor. ... Wes Farrell (born December 21, 1939, New York, New York - died February 29, 1996, Coconut Grove, Florida) was an American musician, songwriter and record producer, who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s. ... Kadokawa Pictures, Inc. ... Sundel Sandy Frank (born 1929 in Mount Kisco, New York) is an American television producer and film distributor. ... November 26 is the 330th day (331st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Theatrical poster Daikaijû kessen: Gamera tai Barugon (international title Gamera vs. ... // Events Top grossing films North America Mary Poppins The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews Goldfinger My Fair Lady Whats New Pussycat? Shenandoah The Sandpiper Father Goose Academy Awards Best Picture: The Sound of Music - Argyle, Twentieth Century-Fox Best Actor: Lee Marvin - Cat Ballou Best Actress: Julie Christie... KaijÅ« (怪獣) is a Japanese term that generically translates to monster. ... Japanese cinema (映画; Eiga) has a history in Japan that spans more than 100 years. ... Gamera ) is a giant, flying terrapin-like creature from a popular series of daikaiju eiga monster movies produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in Japan. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Mystery Science Theater 3000, often abbreviated MST3K, is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc. ...

Gamera opens with Gamera's awakening from the unintentional detonation of an atomic bomb during a dog fight between American and Russian fighters. Like other "giant monster" movies, Gamera wastes no time in causing a rampage of destruction, first destroying a research ship, then making his way to Japan to wreak havoc. In an attempt to stop the monster, Gamera is sedated and vast amounts of dynamite are placed under him. The explosion knocks the monster on his back and it seems as though the problem has been solved. This is not the case, however, as Gamera reveals his ability to fly. A second plan is devised to stop the monster, this time by baiting him into a rocket that is to be launched to Mars. The plan is successful and Earth is safe from Gamera. The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... Dog fight is a common term used to describe close-range aerial combat between military aircraft. ... Dynamite is an explosive based on the explosive potential of nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth (Kieselguhr) as an adsorbent. ... Adjectives: Martian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 0. ...

While Gamera does share many similarities with other "giant monster" films, especially the Godzilla series, it does contain one notable difference. At one point in the film, Gamera saves a small boy named Toshio Sakurai (renamed "Kenny" in the English version from Sandy Frank Productions) from death after knocking down a lighthouse. This leads the young boy to conclude that Gamera is not really destructive, but merely misunderstood and out of place in the world. This is a concept that would be seen in many monster movies to come.

American releases

This was the only film in the original Gamera series to be released to American theaters. It was originally presented in America by World Entertainment Corp. and Harris Associates, Inc. who named the star Gammera, the Invincible, with two "m"s. All subsequent entries in the series spelled the main character's name "Gamera," and were released directly to television by American International Productions Television (A.I.P.-TV). Gammera, the Invincible's American premiere was in New Orleans on December 15, 1966. The early AIP logo. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...

During the 1980s, Sandy Frank re-dubbed and distributed the Gamera series on VHS for home video (This was the version used for the Mystery Science episode). Sundel Sandy Frank (born 1929 in Mount Kisco, New York) is an American television producer and film distributor. ...

Trivia

• A tribute/spoof of Gamera was used in an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, when Billy and Irwin go to Japan to see monster fights. The monster's name was "Kragera" in the episode, though most of the features remain the same.

• The Invader Zim episode "Hamstergeddon" is a parody of Gamera in which the respective attitudes of the boy and the soldiers are reversed, with catastrophic consequences.

• This was the last giant monster movie to be filmed in black and white.

• This film is the only film in The Gamera series where Gamera does not fight another monster.

• In 1963, Daiei originally planned to make a low-budget monster film about an onslaught of giant rats rampage through Japan, using live rats feasting upon human dolls in a miniature set. In the end, the studio was infested with fleas before production started, and this convinced Daiei to make a man-in suit giant monster film.

• Gamera was one of the five gamera movies to be fetered on Mystery Science Theater 3000

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, created by Maxwell Atoms, is an American animated television series that currently airs on Cartoon Network and Teletoon. ... Invader Zim is an American animated television series created by comic book writer/artist Jhonen Vasquez and aired on Nickelodeon. ... Hamstergeddon is an episode of the television series Invader Zim. ... Species 50 species; see text *Several subfamilies of Muroids include animals called rats. ... Mystery Science Theater 3000, often abbreviated MST3K, is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc. ...

External links

• Daikaijû Gamera (1965) at the Internet Movie Database
• Gammera the Invincible/Daikaiju Gamera - Cast List, Synopsis, History, & Photos at MIN
• Free download at MightyZIM's Public Domain Classics

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

References

• Variety Weekly. December 27, 1967.