909 - Gorgo

The infant...the adult!

Gorgo time. (I didn't go with "Big Bent" because of what "bent" means in English slang.)

Considering my love of Godzilla, it’s no surprise some daikaiju or “giant monster” movies are among my favorite MST episodes. It’s two things I love going great together! But that doesn’t mean they always do. Sometimes, combining two great things results in peanut butter and jelly, and other times in peanut butter and hamburgers. Some kaiju movies, like the Gamera series, are full of fast paced and bizarre plots, goofy monsters, grating kid characters, and are perfectly suited to be riffed on by the SOL crew.

Then there’s Gorgo, a classy British Godzilla knock-off that features solid acting, decent effects, well done sets and lighting, and a more serious tone while still being a fun monster movie. Sam and Joe are two treasure hunters who are off the coast of Ireland when a volcano erupts, putting something of a hamper on their excursion. How are they gonna recoup the costs? Maybe the 30 foot aquatic dinosaur that comes onto land will help. With a little fishing net and local kid Sean in tow, they’re taking the monster, Gorgo, to London to be put in the circus and shown to the world. Slight hitch, though. Turns out it’s just a baby, and 200 foot tall Mama Gorgo is coming to London to get custody back, minus solicitors and courts. 

Fawlty Tower Bridge. Thank you, I'm outta here!

Because the movie’s effects are decent and the monster suit isn’t too goofy, there’s not the usual stuff for the Best Brains to latch onto. There’s no freewheeling cavalcade of jokes at the expense of the special effects or pleas for an annoying “Kenny” kid character to shut up. Not that there aren’t monster movie riffs, like when baby Gorgo is backed into his pen, Tom saying, “I left instructions with Mothra! If I don’t get in touch he’s gonna wreck this place.” But the riffing feels more subdued and sparse at times, like the film is almost too decent to provide good riffing material. Thank God this movie takes place in England and Ireland! “In Ireland. Send real food,” Crow says as someone sends a telegraph.  And, when Gorgo roars, showing rows of grisly fangs, Mike quips, “Hey, the best teeth in England.” There’s even sillier jokes, like Mike wondering during Gorgo’s rampage, “Maybe Mary Poppins will come in and kick his ass,” and, as Baby Gorgo is run out from a village by a torch wielding mob, Crow says, “Fine, I’ll spend my Euros elsewhere.” And of course they get in some obscure references, such as when the main characters examine a bathysphere, and Mike says, “Bought it from the government. Says it’s called ‘Fatman’ or something.” And there’s a great nod to H.P. Lovecraft when Crow says, “Hi, I’m Gorgo, but I’m not Mormo or the Thousand Faced Moon.” They have fun, but it does feel like they’re grasping at things to make fun of, especially when they get to the name of the circus showing off Baby Gorgo: “Dorkin.” “Don’t bother the man, he’s Dorkin!” and “Truly this is a black day for Dorkin,” are just a few of the examples. It feels a little desperate, but it’s not terrible, and over all they get a lot of quality riffing and variety of jokes out of a rather dry and decent movie.

The movie does give them opportunities for some solid host segment skits as well. The presence of actor William Sylvester (previously of Devil Doll and Riding with Death) gives Mike the chance to bust out his copy of Trivial Pursuit: William Sylvester Edition, much to Tom and Crow’s palpable ambivalence. And, with parts of the movie being in Ireland, one of the characters looking like Samuel Beckett, and then the movie’s damn title, you get the practically preordained “Waiting for Gorgo” skit. 

I always appreciate MST3K's attempts to enlighten its audience with classic theater. And putting monsters into it.

But the other big moment from this episode is the cameo from acclaimed film critic Leonard Maltin. Pearl visits him while she’s in California, and it’s he that recommends he movie, albeit saying he does like it. It’s a cool moment, one of too few run-ins the critical jokers of the SOL have had with actual, paid film critics. 
 

He may not like Godzilla movies, but I still like him.

 

Still, despite its issues of the movie almost being too quality to provide riffing material, Mike and the Bots make do for a solid, if unspectacular, episode. There’s better kaiju joviality to be had with the likes of the Gamera movies, but if you’re in the mood for monsters and United Kingdom bashing, and a cool cameo to boot, this one’s worth a look.

Episode in a Riff:

McRoar! O’Growl! -Mike

Random Asides:

                

-I’d seen this movie numerous times before seeing it on the show. At first, I wasn’t a fan of the episode, but on my second and now third or fourth viewing, I’ve come around to appreciating it. I’d still rather just watch the original, though.

                    

-I’m a little surprised they got Maltin on the show after the extreme diss they handed him during episode 806 – The Undead. I believe they have him say he’s consorted with prostitutes and that his book is overpriced. Bygones and all that, I guess!

-I love Bobo and Brain Guy arm wrestling in the intro. Nice to see Bobo be confident for once.

-The director of Gorgo, Eugène Lourié, also directed the Ray Harryhausen effects-laden Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, which would go on to inspire Godzilla. So, he’s directed a Godzilla precursor and knock off!

                  

-The documentary included by Shout! on the DVD about the making of Gorgo and its director is one of the best extras they’ve included. Too bad the clips from the movie are from a restored print, showing just how colorful and well done the movie is and how poor a copy MST had to work with.

-The “Leonard Maltin Explains Something” extra, where he pimps his newest book and reveals he has clones, is also fun!

-I like how the main characters want to get rid of Baby Gorgo so they can salvage gold, after already finding Viking relics. Yeah, Viking weapons and a living fossil, who’d pay to see that?

 -Sean, the young kid who is attached to Gorgo, is by far the least annoying kid in any giant monster movie ever.

-Who is applauding their performance of Waiting for Gorgo? Did all the Servos roaming around just show up to fill seats?

-As far as I can tell, there isn’t a single named female character in the movie. Mike and the Bots had to freeze background and group shots to find any. Unless Adult Gorgo is a Mom. In which case, I’m counting her.

-I could go on about how good Gorgo is, from the great composite shots to the suit having digitigrade legs to the use of color, darkness and lighting. But the one thing I want to focus on is that the monsters don’t die and in fact get a happy ending! Humans kidnap a baby monster, the mom comes to make them pay and get her baby back, she does, leaving a city in ruins and the monsters to return to the sea happily ever after! My kind of flick.

Additional Links:

Satellite News Review

Brandon's Cult Movie's Review of Gorgo