Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
Audio Commentary by Keith Aiken and Bob Johnson
Classic Media DVD - 2007
Classic Media DVD - 2012
Classic Media DVD Box Set - The Godzilla Collection
SciFi Japan co-founders Keith Aiken and Bob Johnson provided this audio commentary for the English-dubbed version of Terror of Mechagodzilla, a reconstruction of the Fall 1978 US television cut for which Henry Saperstein added a lengthy prologue full of stock footage from Monster Zero and Godzilla's Revenge.
This is a fact-filled commentary track, noticeably scripted but lively and interesting. Aiken and Johnson begin during the prologue by discussing the film's history of American releases. Two minutes in, Johnson plays an original US radio spot advertising the movie's Summer 1978 theatrical run under the title The Terror of Godzilla. Once the main title appears, they spend the opening credits talking about the state of the Japanese film industry by the time Toho produced this movie.
During the scene with the submarine searching for Mechagodzilla's remains, Aiken cites screenwriter Yukiko Takayama's with Cult Movies magazine. Johnson then provides background info on director of photography Mototaka Tomioka.
Aiken and Johnson offer details on the cast, the production, the music and the special effects throughout the film. They point out scenes that were cut from the US theatrical version, instances of Toho stock footage, and a couple of Ultraman monster diagrams that pop up in the background. The biggest downside to this commentary is that there are several stretches of silence where we just hear the movie. Additionally, much of what they say amounts to describing the plot and the character arcs, frequently offering some insightful perspective but occasionally just saying what's happening in the movie.
When Titanosaurus attacks the second submarine, they provide details on suit actor Tatsumi Nikamoto, Takayama's original idea for how to portray Titanosaurus, and Ifukube's theme for the monster. At 51 minutes, when Titanosaurus is attacking on land, Johnson points out the shot of Katsura and Ikio Sawamura's character walking behind a truck and suddenly disappearing from the shot altogether. He says it's unclear whether it was an editing mistake or meant to depict some sort of alien trick but he opines that it was unintentional because we never see it again. However, we do see Katsura pull a similar disappearing trick in another shot a few seconds later, at the 51:19 mark right after Sawamura's character steps out of the shot. Maybe that disappearing effect really was intentional, just like Katsura's sudden eye powers a few scenes later.
Aiken quotes special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano when Godzilla makes his entrance for the final battle. At the 74-minute mark, he plays a recording of producer Henry Saperstein describing the appeal of Godzilla to American audiences. After Godzilla runs through Mechagodzilla's weapons barrage and starts beating the hell out of his robotic double, Johnson recalls how drive-in theatergoers in 1978 were honking their car horns in approval at that scene.
As Godzilla wades off into the ocean at the end, marking the first time that the series went dormant, Johnson points out how Godzilla was currently in his third cinematic retirement at that point in 2007. "If there is one thing cinematic history has taught us," he says, "Godzilla will always return." Ain't that the truth!
