Stardate 07.23.2020.A: Holy Mother Of Dragons! The Gamera Collection looks Ultra Spiffy!

I've mentioned many, many times before (probably too many to recall) that I grew up in the great American Heartland that is, ultimately, better known as Nowhere, USA.  Back in the day, I was lucky to get a handful of television channels, most of which were local affiliates out of small towns in somewhat central Illinois; and these were the kind of stations that didn't have any original programming to speak of, yet offered a solid line-up of syndicated programs, many of which were imports.

Probably because the franchise was cheaper than Godzilla, I knew Gamera as my first giant, hulking behemoth before the signature lizard king.  While kids elsewhere were jazzing their time away watching that other monster chew scenery in downtown Tokyo, I was captivated by this somehow rocket-powered turtle/creature who never got enough cinema love.

Thankfully, it looks like the good people at Arrow Video are about to set things right: this coming August they're releasing The Gamera Collection -- all twelve films -- in one incredible Blu-ray box set.  I'll be copying and pasting the materials below so dare to behold ...
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For the first time ever worldwide, all twelve tales of the adventures of everyone's favorite titanic terrapin are collected together in one deluxe Blu-ray boxset!

This limited edition collectors' set traces the decades-long evolution of Gamera, from the "friend of all children" in his more light-hearted earlier films, to the Guardian of the Universe in the groundbreaking 1990s reboot series, often hailed as three of the best kaiju films ever made.


COLLECTOR'S EDITION BOX SET CONTENTS

• Limited collectors' edition packaging, housed in a large-format rigid box, fully illustrated by Matt Frank
• Casebound, fully-illustrated disc book containing eight Blu-ray discs
• High Definition (1080p) versions of all twelve films, with lossless original Japanese audio and a complete collection of English dub tracks, including classic American International dubs on the Showa-era films remastered from original MGM elements
• Hardback 130-page comic book including a full-colour reprint of the four-issue Gamera comic series originally released by Dark Horse Comics in 1996, and the first-ever English-language printing of the prequel comic The Last Hope by Matt Frank and Joshua Bugosh
• Perfect-bound 80-page book including a new retrospective on the series by Patrick Macias, an archive interview with Noriaki Yuasa by David Milner, kaiju X-ray illustrations by Jolyon Yates, Fangoria set reports on the Heisei trilogy by Norman England, and a viewers' guide to the English-dubbed versions of the films
• Double-sided four-panel poster of "Gamera's Map of Japan" in both Japanese and English
• Collectors' artcards for each film, featuring new artwork by Matt Frank

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DISC THREE - GAMERA VS. VIRAS / GAMERA VS. GUIRON

• High Definition (1080p) transfers of Gamera vs. Viras and Gamera vs. Guiron, with lossless original Japanese and dubbed English mono audio, and optional English subtitles
• Choice of three different versions of Gamera vs. Viras via seamless branching (72-minute Theatrical Version, 81-minute Director's Version and 90-minute US Extended Version)
• Commentary on Gamera vs. Viras by Carl Craig and Jim Cironella
• Commentary on Gamera vs. Guiron by David Kalat
• Newly filmed introductions to both films by August Ragone
• New featurette with actor Carl Craig showing his souvenirs and props from Gamera vs. Viras
• Highlights from the G-FEST X convention in 2003, featuring Noriaki Yuasa and Carl Craig
• The 4th Nippon Jamboree, a promotional film for the Boy Scouts of Japan directed by Yuasa in 1966
• Alternate English credits for both films
• Trailer and image galleries

DISC FOUR - GAMERA VS. JIGER / GAMERA VS. ZIGRA / GAMERA SUPER MONSTER

• High Definition (1080p) transfers of Gamera vs. Jiger, Gamera vs. Zigra and Gamera Super Monster, with lossless original Japanese and dubbed English mono audio, and optional English subtitles
• Commentary on Gamera vs. Jiger by Edward L. Holland
• Commentary on Gamera vs. Zigra by Sean Rhoads & Brooke McCorkle
• Commentary on Gamera Super Monster by Richard Pusateri
• Newly filmed introductions to all three films by August Ragone
• Alternate English credits for all three films
• Trailer and image galleries

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DISC FIVE - GAMERA THE GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE

• High Definition (1080p) transfer of Gamera the Guardian of the Universe, from a 4K restoration by Kadokawa Pictures
• Original Japanese and dubbed English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio, with optional English subtitles
• Commentary by Matt Frank
• Newly filmed introduction by August Ragone
• A Testimony of 15 Years: Part 1, the first in an epic three-part documentary interviewing cast and crew of the Heisei Trilogy
• Interviews with director Shusuke Kaneko and SFX director Shinji Higuchi, filmed by Jörg Buttgereit in 2002
• Extended 90-min interview with Shinji Higuchi from 2001, focusing on the trilogy's special effects
• Behind the scenes featurettes tracing the film's production from announcement to release
• Alternate English credits
• Trailer and image galleries

DISC SIX - GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION

• High Definition (1080p) transfer of Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, from a 4K restoration by Kadokawa Pictures
• Original Japanese and dubbed English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio, with optional English subtitles
• Commentary by Kyle Yount
• Newly filmed introduction by August Ragone
• A Testimony of 15 Years: Part 2, the next part of the documentary interviewing cast and crew of the Heisei Trilogy
• On-set footage from the shooting of the film's main unit and special effects filming
• Behind the scenes featurettes tracing the film's production from announcement to release
• Alternate English credits
• "Lake Texarkana" comedic dub track
• Trailer and image galleries

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DISC SEVEN - GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS

• High Definition (1080p) transfer of Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris, from a 4K restoration by Kadokawa Pictures
• Original Japanese and dubbed English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio, with optional English subtitles
• Commentary by Steve Ryfle & Ed Godziszewski
• Newly filmed introduction by August Ragone
• A Testimony of 15 Years: Part 3, the final part of the documentary interviewing cast and crew of the Heisei Trilogy
• Newly filmed interview with Kaho Tsutsumi about the DNA Tokasatsu exhibition in Tokyo, by kaiju historian Edward L. Holland
• Behind the scenes featurettes tracing the film's production from announcement to release
• Deleted Scenes
• The Awakening of Irys (Remix), a montage of behind-the-scenes footage and work-in-progress special effects footage
• Alternate English credits
• Spoof commentary by "Gamera" & "Soldier No.6"
• Trailer and image galleries

DISC EIGHT - GAMERA THE BRAVE

• High Definition (1080p) transfer of Gamera the Brave
• Original Japanese and dubbed English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio, with optional English subtitles
• Commentary by Keith Aiken & Bob Johnson
• How to Make a Gamera Movie, a featurette hosted by director Ryuta Tasaki
• Behind The Scenes of Gamera the Brave, an all-access on-set documentary
• The Men That Made Gamera, a documentary looking back at the series from start to finish, featuring interviews with cast and crew
• Opening Day Premiere, a featurette showing the cast and crew presenting the film at its first showing
• Kaho's Summer, an interview with the film's young star
• Special Effects Supercut, a montage of effects shots overseen by FX supervisor Hajime Matsumoto
• Trailer and image galleries

Details

Directors: Noriaki Yuasa, Sandy Howard, Shigeo Tanaka, Shusuke Kaneko, Ryuta Tasaki
Cast: Eiji Funakoshi, Albert Dekker, Kojiro Hongo, Nobuhiro Kashima, Tsutomu Takakuwa, Eiko Yanami, Mach Fumiake, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Toshiyuki Nagashima, Shinobu Nakayama, Ryo Tomioka


SRP: $179.95
Format: BLU-RAY
SKU: AV275
UPC: 760137365983
Street Date: 08/18/20
Label: Arrow Video 
Run Time: 1174 mins
Number of Discs: 8Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1965
Region Code: 0
Language: Japanese
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