Classic Horrors Club

Twice recently I’ve seen a giant monster movie in which the characters and story steal the spotlight from the destruction and mayhem. The first, or course, was Godzilla Minus One, and now it’s The Whale God (1962) aka Killer Whale aka Kuijira gami. To be clear, though, this one features a real monster rather than a fictional one and I’m not sure how legitimately it can be called “kaiju.”

Sadly, I’ve never read Moby Dick, but The Whale God is supposedly a variation of the story. From what I do know of it, instead of being about the obsession of a ship’s captain who lost his leg to a giant whale, it’s about the obsession of a young spearfisher, Shaki (Kojiro Hongo) who lost his grandfather and father to a giant whale.

Maybe that makes for a less selfish, more heroic… hero. He wants only revenge, even if it means he loses his life. He’s not interested in the village elder’s promise to deliver wealth (as well as his beautiful daughter) to the person that finally kills the “whale god.” He also has a rival, Kishu (Shintaro Katsu), a bully from another town, to act as the selfish one.

After three tense attacks on whale hunters in their long row boats, one before the credits roll, The Whale God doesn’t deliver more action at sea until the climax, roughly a year into the story when the whale returns during his annual migration. That’s a long time to hold an audience’s attention, but it does through its characters and drama.

 For example, when Shaki is chosen by the elder to go first when attacking the whale, Kishu performs a violent act against Shaki’s love, Ei (Shah Fujimura.) As singularly focused as he is, Shaki still takes responsibility for the consequences of this act. He doesn’t care how this looks to the villagers. He repeats for the umpteenth time, “All I want is to kill the whale god.” 

When the climax comes, it compensates for any shortcomings up to that point. It’s spectacular, brutal, and thrilling. Shaki ultimately gets his time on the back of the whale, repeatedly stabbing it with a knife, releasing a lifetime of emotions. He’s not careless, but he’s committed to doing whatever it takes.

Black blood spurts from every hole a weapon makes. The close-ups are more effective than the long shots at indicating the size of the whale. Either way is realistic, although it doesn’t look exactly like a common whale that you or I would recognize. Perhaps it’s more a creature of legend after all. When we finally see one of its eyes, we become unexpectedly sympathetic to the monster.

Accompanying all this is a terrific score by Akira Ifukube. I found it more powerful in its quiet moments, though, than in its violent ones. Nevertheless, it contributes to the impact of the climax. Then, there’s an epilogue that again toys with our emotions. Shaki’s journey has been a self-fulfilling prophecy, but The Whale God might be less authentic if it hadn’t.