I saw LATITUDE ZERO!

[amphiboid]

I can't really think of anything much to say because I found the movie so....so swanky and so overwhelmingly bizarre! And the costumes were so..........

.....flambouyant!

But I saw it about an hour ago, and wow. Wow!

[Xenorama ™]

i like it a lot- and i didn't see it until about 1989, fullscreen on tv. very weird to see at that point, since Japanese fantasy films had pretty much disappeared from local tv completely.

they aired it twice, then it was gone. i have a pretty good lb copy from somewhere.

David

[Torgaman]

I didn't enjoy it that much.Only the last twenty minutes or so are enjoyable.The rest of the film is rather talky and the submarine duel rather than exciting almost put me to sleep.

[Zone Fighter]

I've never seen it. I like submarine movies though. I just bought "The Enemy Beneath", "Run Silent, Run Deep", "Das Boot Directors Cut", "Submarine X-1" (war movies) and "Gray Lady Down" about a Nuclear sub which colides with a ship and then sinks. "Gray Lady Down" is Navy code for Nuclear Sub in jeapordy.

[Xenorama ™]

i think you would like it- some groovy effects, a good story, a giant monster, other human type monsters (Cesar Romero finally gets to boss around some batmen!) and some slinky babes.

what more could you want?

David

[amphiboid]

It's a "whacky" picture, so I judge it by "whacky" standards. Fun entertaining delirium.

[Giganfan]

"Whacky" is the word I'd choose to describe LZ. I really like the basic storyline. Tsuburaya's effects in this movie always make me wonder how far he would have gone in the field had he lived longer. Or had been born a bit later on. Definate softspot for this one.

[Xenorama ™]

those damn cigarettes!

it's sad he passed on, but he was 69 or so, which back then was a ripe old age. i wish both he and Honda could be able to see G-Fests and all, and know they really had an influence on kids- Eiji would have loved knowing that.

this is such a fun colorful movie.

David

[Gwangi]

I didn't see this myself until 1991. At first, I didn't think much of it. But it's grown on me, and you have probably the best assortment of Hollywood actors, Joseph Cotton, Cesar Romero and Richard Jaeckel coming to Japan to do a kaiju (how many stars would do such a thing today?).

Some effects work better than others. The events at Black Rock are really, really, bizarre, even surreal, that personally, I always like to believe we were looking at Richard Jacekel's dream which is why when he comes back to the our world, no one believes him and there is no evidence of him being there (except of course for the diamonds that were safely deposited to his account in a bank).

[Zone Fighter]

So how do I get a copy of this movie?

[Xenorama ™]

you can get a nice DVDr from me, if you want.

[Zone Fighter]

That would be great.

[Torgaman]

I'm curious,was this film an American coproduction or was Toho doing an english movie to better break into the American market?If the latter why not use a Godzilla movie since he had name value?

[Xenorama ™]

if i remember correctly, it started out as a co-production, but the US financiers dropped the ball, leaving Toho to do it alone.

as far as not using Godzilla, well, even in the late 60s giant monster movies were derided by US critics so they may have just wanted to go with this story, since it was based on a US series.

David

[Zone Fighter]

Dave, thanks for the DVD-Rs.

"Quick men, hit the super hero button!"
[I don't know why but that line from FJR keeps cracking me up)

[Torgaman]

Which US series is LATTITUDE ZERO based on?

[Xenorama ™]

it's a book by Ted Sheridan, i think. or a series of books, i'm not sure. probably on basic similarities to the movie though.

sure is loads of fun!

David

[celamowari]

Whoever "Don Sharp" is, he was the American producer involved in making it happen initially.

Ted Sherdeman was the name of the writer of the original stories, which I seem to recall were radio plays. LATITUDE ZERO is his last listed credit on IMDB, but you guys would know one of his films quite well - the giant ant movie THEM!

[Zone Fighter]

Only took me about a year and half but I finally watched Latitude Zero. I liked it. Although I would have liked to have seen more of the griffin.

[August]

You guys must be aware of the deluxe R2 DVD box set from Toho that was released this past summer -- with the English version (the film was shot entirely in English; this version is longer than the Japanese theatrical version), the Japanese version (dubbed in Japanese) and the Kiddie Matinee re-release (shorter version, dubbed in Japanese)?

www.toho-a-park.com/video/new/ido0/d_index.html

So, you must also know that the film is also coming out early next year from Media Blasters on a R1 DVD? Media Blasters is also releasing FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON (1965)!

I have seen LATITUDE ZERO twice on the big screen, and let me just say that video does not do the film justice -- the miniature work is spectacular on a giant theater screen! Bigger than life!

Dr. Nakamura: "You're a monster!"

Malec: "No! I'm a genius!"

[Xenorama ™]

i'm so getting this from Media Blasters when it comes out. and they can't even screw with the English soundtrack! i wonder if they will have a dubbed version available with English subs! then what will the sub-elitists say?

i love this movie.