Unlike the overall aura of horror and cruelty of movies featuring rampaging prehistoric beasts ("Godzilla", "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms"), "Gorgo" stunned everyone by ultimately turning out as a glorious tribute to the endurance and strength of mother love.......it's certainly not Mama Gorgo's fault she decimates London in search of her baby imprisoned and exploited as a circus attraction. What's 200 a foot tall reptile to do when her only child's been kidnapped and enslaved by dinosaur traffickers?
Before anyone thinks of mocking this film, the BQ proudly stands up for it. For 1961, it still looks spectacular, even though produced by the notoriously cheapjack B-movie-quickie producers, the King brothers. (Frank King, the bossman, was hilariously played by John Goodman in "Trumbo", depicting Frank's hiring of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo for "The Brave One"....for which Trumbo won an Academy Award under an assumed name)
The Kings decided to base their monster-stompin' rally in Britain, which gave the film a coating of civility and class, as well as access to a slew of better actors than you'd normally find in a lizard demolition derby. There's Bill Travers, from "Born Free" and William Sylvester, who later earned iconic status playing the public relations-minded scientist in "2001:A Space Odyssey".
Visually, it's a feast ten times better than you'd expect, photographed by no less than Freddie Young.......yes, the guy who served as director of photography on "Lawrence Of Arabia", "Dr. Zhivago" and "You Only Live Twice". If you thought Peter 'O Toole cut a dashing desert figure in his white robes, that's nothing compared to how Young beautifully photographs the stuntman in the Mama Gorgo rubber suit, turning London landmarks into rubble and squishing fleeing pedestrians. (In this movie, London bridge really does come falling down.....along with Big Ben and everything else.)
And we offer extra applause to composer Angelo Francesco Lavagnino, scoring some the film as if it's a heartfelt tale of love......which rings especially true in the film's final image....mother and child reunited at last, the only giant reptile film with a happy ending. (Well, not so happy for the roughly 80,000 or so Londoners left dead or dying in the monster's wake, but let's not quibble...)
Happy Mother's Day to one and all......the BQ celebrates with the movie that proves nobody has your back like your Mom.....even if your back is green and scaly and your mouth's filled with five hundred sharp teeth. . We sentimentally give 4 maternal stars (****).....a loving tribute to Mom equal to a thousand Hallmark cards.
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