I first saw "Gorgo" in England in late 1961, almost a year after it's initial release in the US in January of that year. I was 13 at the time and I managed to fool the ticket lady that I was 16. The film had an 'X' rating which meant that nobody under 16 was admitted even with a parent. Before I went into the cinema I viewed the lobby cards and quad poster outside. The full appearance of Gorgo was not revealed and I had to wait until the film was on the screen before her full face was revealed. The British poster art hid her face basing the idea on the name 'Gorgo' being derived from the Gorgon sisters. If you looked upon their faces you turned to stone. For the next eighty minutes I was mesmerized. I had no awareness, at that age, of what contribution Eugene Lourie, Freddie Young, Angelo Lavangnino and Technicolor were making and that this film would remain my firm favorite of the non stop-motion creatures of the big screen. The same Freddie Young that won Academy Awards for his work with David Lean is displayed here with the same technical brilliance that went into all his work. His photography really gives the film a touch of class an ingredient which undoubtedly adds immeasurably to the suspension of disbelief. The richness of the color, Gorgo's rich green scaly skin and the fiery red night skies of burning London are enhanced by the I.B. Technicolor process. Tom Howard's great visual effects work made a huge impression. Seven years later he would be my employer for five months! Angelo Lavagnino's memorable score captured perfectly the film's mood capturing the intimate side of the story as well as the dramatic traditional monster-on-the-loose music expected. Eugene Lourie has made a monster movie that is hard to top even with the wonders of today's CGI technology. Lourie gave the lead characters personality - difficult enough with a man in a suit character - and a feeling of relief for their preservation at the film's end. Another film with a 'monster in a suit' character also released in 1961, "Konga", unfortunately did not quite capture the same emotional level of "Gorgo" but regardless is respected by fans for other reasons, myself including. I have seen this film many times over the years and we have to thank the film makers for taking their job seriously and I feel it is that, that has made this film endure so well over the years.
Review of Gorgo
