All Monsters Attack [Godzilla’s Revenge] [Gojira-Minira-Gabara: Oru kaijû daishingeki] * (1969, Tomonori Yazaki, Hideyo Amamoto, Kenji Sahara, Haruo Nakajima, Marchan the Dwarf) – Classic Movie Review 6110

‘See: Prehistoric Monsters Crawl Out of the Hidden Depths of the Earth and Take Revenge Against the Living!’ Director Ishirō Honda’s resourceful but cost-cutting 1969 Japanese science fiction kaiju film features Godzilla, and is produced and distributed by Toho. It was originally titled Gojira-Minira-Gabara: Ōru Kaijū Daishingeki [Godzilla, Minilla and Gabara: All Monsters Attack].

The tenth film in the Godzilla franchise, it stars Tomonori Yazaki, Hideyo Amamoto, and Kenji Sahara, with Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla, Marchan the Dwarf as Minilla, and Yasuhiko Kakuyuki as Gabara. The special effects are directed in a small studio by Honda and his assistant Teruyoshi Nakano. Eiji Tsuburaya was credited as the film’s special effects director ‘out of respect’ but not actively involved.

Ishiro Honda directs Minilla (Marchan the Dwarf) and Ichiro (Tomonori Yazaki).

Tomonori Yazaki plays bullied Kawasaki schoolboy Ichiro Miki, who dreams of travelling to Monster Island, where he sees Godzilla battle three Kamacuras and Ebirah, the giant sea monster.

To save money, All Monsters Attack includes extensive stock footage from Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, Son of Godzilla, King Kong Escapes and Destroy All Monsters. The Godzilla suit for Destroy All Monsters is used.

The film is despised by many Godzilla fans because of this heavy use of stock footage, its childish plot, its annoying child hero, its focus on the disliked talking monster Minilla, and the controversial message of its story.

The film was released in Japan on 20 December 1969 and in the US in 1971 in an edited, English-language dubbed version by Maron Films as Godzilla’s Revenge in a double bill with Night of the Big Heat [Island of the Burning Damned]. The original Japanese version was released on DVD in the US in 2007.

Haruo Nakajima died on 7 August 2017, aged 88. He played Gojira in 12 films, more than any other actor. He said: ‘I am the original, the real thing, My Godzilla was the best.’

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6110

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