Gog

Not a bad little movie, with a touch more suspense than most movies of this type. The names of the two robots that are controlled by.....,well you should see the movie for that, Gog and Magog, comes from the Bible, Rev.20:8. They are the two nations to be led by Satan in the final battle at Armageddon against the kingdom of God. Is Ivan Tors trying to tell us that the Soviet Union is SATAN? Well, it was 1954! Worth the time if you can find it.

... and there are unforgettable images which have stayed with me, especially the horrific scene as Dr. Hubertus (Michael Fox, perfectly cast) finds himself trapped within the test chamber with the slowly oscillating window wiper, and the growing panic that follows with the grim realization that his screams for help cannot be heard. And then that stare through the glass as his spectacles ice over ...

Look for "Gog". There have to be copies out there somewhere.

Yes, I saw this as a kid during the Saturday Matinee era. Have seen it a few times on TV, and recorded a copy. I also enjoyed the early "Doctor Who" broadcasts. I wonder if the Doctor Who set designers were influenced by Gog and Magog when they conceived the Daleks? Think about it: Both robots were mobile via treads/rollers (no artificial legs); both robots have a similar body shape; both have a single, grasping arm, and both have a flamethrower-type arm. Coincidence?

"The Return of Gog" - sounds good doesn't it? Shot in 3-D, but unseen in that format for 50 years, GOG hit the big screen at the Hollywood Egyptian last weekend as part of a 3-D film festival. After its premiere in Hollywood, UA decided NOT to release GOG nationally in 3-D, setting the stage for a film which has been more read about than seen properly for decades. For, once its theatrical (non 3-D) release was completed, the film apparently was sold to TV in B&W prints which further robbed the film of its production lustre. Only in the last few years did a color print show up courtesy of Turner Television. And, now, a 3-D dual print (complete with intermission to change reels!) has been unearthed.

Sounds exciting?

Unfortunately, all this buildup is for a small, talky B-picture. It IS refreshing to look back at a time when SF films weren't just glorified Chase/Action films (ie: T3), but GOG is mostly banal. Still, there's a lot of gadgetry, political intrigue and genuine science (!) packed into its brief running time. The unseen enemy behind it all is clearly the old Soviet Union, setting the film apart from so many films which depict the science itself as evil or suspect.

Director Herbert Strock was there along with Joe Dante and Leonard Maltin. Dante interviewed Strock, who was still spry and proud of his film. Ironically, Strock (like Andre De Toth) has monocular vision and couldn't guage the 3-D effects himself. Indeed, Strock's decision to keep garish 3-D effects to a minimum also may have contributed to the studio's decision to forego a costly 3-D release. And even Strock was amused at a line in the film where someone is hospitalized by an overdose, "It was only a little radiation!"

Saw this film when I was about 10 years old. I loved Sci-Fi movies so naturally saw this one. But something was different. There was some unusually tense undercurrent in the story. Actually scared me. Years later I realized the nervous tension was due to the underlying theme of the 'cold war'. The Cold War was very real back in the 50's and as a kid you would hear, now and then, things that would scare the pants off of you. What came first? The chicken or the egg? Was this a sci-fi flick that used the cold war tension or was it overwhelmed by the omnipresent tensions of said war? Don't know but it scare the heck out of me back then.