‘Like nothing you’ve ever seen before!’
Gorgo is a 1961 British sci-fi monster movie about greedy sailors that capture a giant lizard off the coast of Ireland and sell it to a London circus, inciting the wrath of the creature’s much-larger mother.
The film was directed by Eugène Lourié (The Giant Behemoth; The Colossus of New York; The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms) from a screenplay by John Loring and Daniel Hyatt. The movie stars Bill Travers and William Sylvester (Devil Doll, Devils of Darkness, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark). Gorgo unashamedly borrows elements from other monster movies, such as Godzilla and King Kong.
Plot:
A volcanic eruption in the North Atlantic brings to the surface a 65-foot prehistoric monster. Two treasure divers capture the creature and take him to London, where he becomes the star attraction at a circus.
A scientist points out that the sailor’s bonanza is only an infant, and that a full-grown specimen would be over 200 feet in height. Sure enough, Gorgo’s mother comes thundering ashore, reclaims her offspring, and heads back to sea but not before she trashes a large section of central London…
The film was originally set to take place in Japan; this was then changed to France, and then finally to the UK. According to Bill Warren’s film book Keep Watching the Skies, Australia was also considered for a locale, but the producers supposedly decided that audiences “wouldn’t care” if a monster attacked Australia; Australia’s alleged lack of worldwide recognisable landmarks for Gorgo to destroy was also cited as a consideration.
Gorgo’s special effects were achieved by ‘suitmation’ and miniaturisation, a technique pioneered in the Godzilla films. The younger Gorgo was smaller than the usual giant monsters, so the sets around him were built to a larger scale, leading to a greater sense of realism and believability. The creatures were also shot with the then-pricey slow-motion cameras to create a sense of scale. The effects were complex and are well-respected by special effects artists and fans. The film is also sometimes praised for its innovative ending, which seems to have an environmentalist moral. Unusually for such films, the monsters, which are presented as innocent victims of human interference, survive and prevail.
From 1961 to 1965 Charlton Comics published 23 issues of the comic Gorgo. It included work by Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko. The series was renamed Fantastic Giants with issue #24, which turned out to be the last issue of the series.
Ninth Wonder Of The World: The Making of Gorgo” a new documentary by Daniel Griffith
Gorgo – Video Comic Book and Comic Book Cover Gallery
Extensive Lobby Card and Poster Gallery
Photo Gallery
Gorgo Toys and Collectibles Gallery
Production Notes
Original Theatrical Trailer
Pressbook Gallery
Star Ciné Cosmos – French-language “fumetto” (comic book)
Restoration Video Before and After
Buy Blu-ray from Amazon.com
“The special effects are often inconsistent (many see-through moments, for example) but ultimately successful. The city destruction scenes – especially the trashing of Tower Bridge – are terrific. I don’t know how they made the models, but it sure looks good, better than balsa wood and plastic.” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers book
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“Director Lourié handles his scenes of crowd panic convincingly and Howard’s special effects of the destruction of London are superb.” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction book
Gorgo – free on YouTube in 1080p HD:
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