by Rodan » Wed Jul 06, 2016 1:01 am
I think this is my first actual post on Monster Zero. Previously only posted at TK.
Anyway, during a recent viewing, probably my second or third ever, I came away feeling Frankenstein vs. Baragon is quietly Toho's third best Showa monster film after Godzilla and Mothra vs. Godzilla. Of all the monster films Honda directed in the mid 1960s, it feels like he gave this and Mothra vs. Godzilla the most love -- they're tightly shot and edited, and the performances in both wind up a cut above the rest of Toho's output at the time (Adams and Mizuno are amazingly pleasant to watch together). Frankenstein winds up being an intensely political (I'd forgotten how bold it is, actually), humanist film, but its comparatively more down-to-Earth and down-beat style, from script to sets, plays with its fantastic content in a different way than most of Honda's other '60s work. Mothra vs. Godzilla and Frankenstein actually wind up turning over a lot of the same thematic and even structural beats, but the former is very Sekizawa while this is clearly a Kimura joint. They wind up making a wonderful pair -- though, unfortunately, like Mothra vs., Frankenstein is somewhat let down by its abrupt ending.
I think Frankenstein is a real highlight of the era while War of the Gargantuas/Sanda vs. Gaira is passably pleasant at best. It might be more colorful and fan-pleasing, and it's certainly more heartfelt than Western B-movies at the time, but I don't think it's any of its crew's best work -- not even Tsubaraya's. I believe even Honda has said that one felt a little phoned in, and that feeling definitely extends to its cast.
Re: Nick Adams: I find his story mostly a tragic one. He apparently never attained the level of success he desired -- though, as an actor, he was already quite successful to have made his art form his job, and it's a shame he couldn't find satisfaction in that. Such is the nature of depression and the pressure cooker of Hollywood. Perhaps s a result of his yearning though, you can tell he's putting 110 percent of his energy into his roles in Toho films, and that on-screen energy is infectious.
Re: Tamblyn: He's a great actor and I have an enormous fondness from him for his eccentric performance in Twin Peaks if nothing else. It's clear he doesn't want to be on set in WotG. Can't really blame him.