THE GIANT BEHEMOTH was essentially England's version of THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS. The films even shared the same director, who would later also do GORGO. Originally, the film was to feature a radioactive blob rising from the sea, but the producers insisted on having a dinosaur for the poster. The result is a really nice display of stop motion monster action. Fairly unique to the genre, the film even has some stop-motion tracking shots. When in the water, a stiff prop head and neck represent the beastie, and it's an ill match to the stop motion puppet. Gene Evans is the American star. I believe the version currently on DVD has a snippet missing toward the climax likely due to sprocket damage. It's nothing big, but it does tie off an issue raised in the first reel. My memories could be off, but I remember different editing of the moment when I saw the film on television as a kid.
No comments:
Post a Comment