Gamera: The Giant Monster (1965) Saturday Monster Movies

Toho wasn’t the only Japanese studio to jump on the nuclear fallout giant monster craze started by The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and Them!. Daiei Film quickly came up with their own movie monster, Gamera. Gamera is a giant turtle that can be rampageous and destructive, but really is a more heroic character. Right from the first of the twelve films he appears in, he is a protector of nature and innocents, particularly children.

In this first film, a boy named Toshio becomes fascinated with the monster, thinking him to be his pet turtle grown to stupendously giant size. The boy exhibits a faith in Gamera, and Gamera in turn does respond to and protect the boy. This quick and overt emphasis on the religious aspect of giant monsters—the awe inspired by their size and the trust people place in them for protection and salvation—is interesting. Most Kaiju films delve into this aspect and explore some degree of philosophy of religion. Gamera was presented right from the start as a children’s hero, and so explored this faith aspect more than most. (Although, to be fair I have not watched more than the first film personally.)