Gorgo . Austin Chronicle . 03-30-98

Gorgo

DIRECTED BY: Eugčne Lourié

REVIEWED: 03-30-98

Eugene Lourie directed three giant-monster-on-the-loose films between 1953 and 1961, the seminal The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, The Giant Behemoth, and finally, Gorgo, which was every monster-loving kid's dream come true. The story is straightforward (at 79 minutes, it has to be): Enterprising salvage operators risk life and limb to capture a giant prehistoric beast and then put it on display in London, hoping to make a tidy profit. An unforeseen problem arises in the form of the monster's leviathan parent, which proceeds to smash London to matchsticks in an effort to free its young. The movie's denouement, with the triumphant parent and child returning to the sea, is both refreshing and moving. The Roan Group has remastered Gorgo from a 35mm print, and the film is presented in its original 1:66 to 1 screen ratio. Sadly, this version is rather dark, and some of the visuals (which were quite striking in their time) suffer as a consequence. Still, it's far superior to many VHS versions of the movie that were previously available. This letterboxed edition of Gorgo shows up sporadically on American Movie Classics, so potential buyers can view the film prior to purchase. In spite of the fact that Gorgo is a technological dinosaur in terms of special effects, the monsters are more believable and winning than the human characters in Spielberg's Lost World, and kids are almost guaranteed to love it.

--Bud Simons

Film Vault Suggested Links
Mexican Monsters on the March
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The Thing

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