Godzilla (1954 film)
From Wikizilla
Godzilla (ゴジラ Gojira) is the first movie in the Gojira saga, and also the first film in the "Showa" series. It is universally cited by all Japanese Godzilla films as the starting point of the Godzilla timeline.
The film was produced by Toho Productions, Limited, and had a budget of ~$250,000. (Adjusted for inflation about $6,000,000) It went on to garner large box-office revenues in Japan and America as well, when the Americanized version Godzilla, King of the Monsters was released in 1956.
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Synopsis
When Japanese fishing boats start mysteriously disappearing, the government searches for the cause. It turns out to be a gigantic dinosaur mutated by atomic testing, named Godzilla after an island legend. The 164-foot-tall (400 ft in the American version) beast soon rampages through Tokyo, killing millions. Japan struggles to defeat the monster and although some attacks did seem to hurt him, nothing was enough to permanently damage him.
Meanwhile, Dr. Serizawa has developed a weapon so terrible he cannot contemplate releasing it - the Oxygen Destroyer. It removes all oxygen from the nearby environment, destroying all living tissue in its wake. However, as Godzilla wreaks more and more destruction, and under pressure by his fiance, Dr. Serizawa finally uses the Oxygen Destroyer to kill the monster. Only bones are left of the mighty beast after the Oxygen Destroyer is unleashed. However, to ensure his terrible creation can never be used for evil, he burns his records and remains underwater when the Oxygen Destroyer detonates, so he is dissolved along with Godzilla (and, presumably, all the sea life for miles around).
Atomic Power
A powerful undercurrent in this film is derived from visual and psychological references to the atom bomb. Godzilla is not only radioactive, but after he smashes through a city, the ruins are quite reminiscent of Hiroshima or Nagasaki. The characters visit a radiation ward hosting victims who have been contaminated by proximity to Godzilla or his radioactive breath.
And of course Dr. Serizawa's reluctance to use his awful weapon is clearly intended to reference thermonuclear horror.
Japanese vs. American
In the United States, this film was released as Godzilla, King of the Monsters!. It starred Raymond Burr, and featured additional dubbing and re-editing, with footage of Burr worked into the film. While 20 minutes were added, 40 minutes were cut out for the American edition, including most of a wonderful scene in which journalists watch from Tokyo Tower as Godzilla approaches, heroically continuing their broadcast until they are killed.
For years it was difficult to obtain the original Japanese version in the West. It had a very limited release, mostly for film salesmen, in 1955 America and again in 2004 by Ratio pictures. But it finally has been released in a double-disc edition by Classic Media titled Gojira/Godzilla, permitting Godzilla fans to easily compare the film versions. The DVD soon won an award. A couple of other countries fallowed siut, including Australia and Germany. In Japan, both versions were released only in a double laserdisc version in 1994 and in 2004 a box set with all Godzilla films minus Godzilla: Final Wars.
Production
With war films becoming frowned upon in Japan's film industry after WWII, Toho (Also Called Shintoho) Studios looked for a new genre of films to make. Tomoyuki Tanaka, comming back to Japan after making progress on an over seas production, had a thought of "what if a giant monster awoke from nuclear radiation and attacked Japan, taking residence in Tokyo Bay". While nuclear radiated monsters started becoming popular at the time, the use of it in this film is due to the unfortunate accident of the Lucky Dragon No. 5 fishing boat when it was unknowingly catching fish too close to the Bikini Islands when an atom bomb test was conducted.
To direct was a veteran of the War Inoshiro Honda, who would later on direct a good half of the Godzilla series durring the Showa era. To do special effects was Eiji Tsuburaya and Yasuyuki Inoue. Eiji Tsuburaya was one of the greatest masters with miniature on film, including one of his WWII works being misteaken for actual war footage. Eiji Tsuburaya originaly wanted to do film Gojira in stop motion like a recent sci-fi blockbuster The Beast from 20,000 Fanthoms and the earlier classic and personaly faveorite of Tsuburaya's, King Kong. However, Haruo Nakajima quoted Tsuburaya in saying that "...it would take seven years to make..." so siutanimation was was born. The Godzilla siut was originaly brown, and weighed over 200 pounds. When siut actor Haruo Nakajima tried to move in it, it took a several minutes to try to move in it. A lighter siut was made along with a pair of suspended legs. The filming took all in approx. three months.
Reception
Gojira opened up in Japan in 1954 and gained alot of money for the time. While successful, it was small in relation to other works of the same year such as Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, which along with Gojira have become Japan's most famous films. A sequel was rushed into production. In America, the film was picked up, syndicated, and called Godzilla King of the Monsters. In America, it was also more successful than anticipated. The syndicated version of the film would saddly be shown all in Europe, which though looses the message of the original version, gained Godzilla an unpreceeded audience which has made Godzilla since an Icon as reconizable as Superman.
In the 1970s, the film was re-released in Italy in a crudely colorized version with clips of Rodan ,Godzilla Raids Again and World War 2 footage added. The film was not well recieved and was only put onto tv accouple of times. The colorized version has since been very rare.
Trivia
- Godzilla vs Megaguirus offers a different version of the movie that has Godzilla simply go away and then reappear at other times through history.
- In GMK, Godzilla is killed by the Oxygen Destroyer, but his body is later inhabited by the collective will of the dead from the World Wars.
- In the Kiryu Duology, Godzilla is killed by the Oxygen Destroyer but his skeleton survives and is used for Kiryu.
- In Godzilla vs. Destroyah it is said that the oxygen destroyer used by Dr. Serizawa created Destroyah.
- When they close-up into Godzilla either roaring or using his atomic breath they use a puppet.
- Godzilla's roar was made by Akira Ifukube by rubbing a leather glove on piano strings then slowing it down.
Reception
In its original release in Japan the film sold approximately 9.6 million tickets. On the movie reviewing site Rotten Tomatoes, Godzilla currently has a 93% rating out of 54 reviews.
Trailer
- Trailer for Gojira
