Godzilla (film)
"Godzilla" is a 1954 Japanese science fiction and horror film directed by Ishiro Honda, originally titled "Gojira." The story, penned by Shigeru Kayama, revolves around a giant monster awakened by nuclear testing, which causes destruction across Japan. The film showcases significant special effects created by Tsuburaya Eiji, notable for its use of rubber monster suits worn by actors, including the portrayal of Godzilla by Nakajima Haru. An American version, "Godzilla, King of the Monsters," was released in 1956, featuring American actor Raymond Burr to enhance its appeal to Western audiences.
The plot follows scientists and officials as they grapple with the threat posed by Godzilla, ultimately leading to the development of a powerful weapon called the oxygen destroyer. This moral dilemma reinforces the film's themes, touching on the dangers of technology, nuclear warfare, and humanity's relationship with nature. The film emerged in a post-World War II context, reflecting Japanese anxieties about the atomic bomb and its consequences. Renowned for its groundbreaking special effects and significant cultural impact, "Godzilla" laid the foundation for a genre that would resonate globally and inspire numerous sequels and adaptations.
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Godzilla (film)
- Release Date: 1954
- Director(s): Inoshiro Honda
- Writer(s): Ishirō Honda; Tomoyuki Tanaka
Godzilla is a science fiction and horror film released in 1954. The monster movie was originally released as a 98-minute Japanese film called Gojira, directed by Ishiro Honda. The screenplay for the film is based on a story by Shigeru Kayama. The film was released in 1956 in the United States under the name Godzilla, King of the Monsters.
The film was a box-office hit and is best known for its special effects, which were created by the mastermind Tsuburaya Eiji, and its giant creature, Godzilla. Director Honda chose not to use stop-motion animation because it was expensive and not time effective. Instead, the film used monster suits made of rubber, which were worn by actors. Japanese actor Nakajima Haru played Godzilla. For the American version of the film, American actor Raymond Burr starred in some scenes so Godzilla would appeal to American audiences.
Toho Film Studio produced Godzilla, and after its great success went on to produce many more science fiction horror films that used special effects and bypassed stop-motion animation. The film was one of the first Japanese films to be made with special effects. The film’s success resulted in more monster horror films that were part of tokusatsu, or "special filming." Godzilla started a new genre of films that became popular in Japan and around the world.
Plot
The film is set in Japan. Godzilla, a giant monster, has spawned from the remnants of waste from nuclear testing. At first, the Japanese people believe ships are disappearing because of underwater seismic activity or mines. To investigate the disturbances, some officials take a trip to Odo Island where many of the incidents have occurred. They observe something coming ashore and attacking houses and people. Later, another expedition to the island is more conclusive. Professor Yamane, his daughter Emiko, and a young captain, Hideto Ogata, learn something more traumatic. They see a giant monster that stands 164-feet tall. They also learn that the native people to the island call the monster Gojira.
Worried that Godzilla will destroy the island, its inhabitants, all of Japan—and perhaps even the world—the professor presents what he has observed at Odo and the information he has gathered about the monster to officials in Tokyo.
In the American version of the film, Raymond Burr plays a reporter who is taken to a hospital where there are many victims of the wrath of Godzilla. Soon enough, he is able to record Godzilla in action. In an attempt to stop Godzilla from attacking more houses and people on the island, the Japanese set up a series of electrical fences. That night, Godzilla resurfaces and breaks through the electrical fences.
After this disaster, Professor Yamane meets with his doctor friend Daisuke Serizawa, who has developed a special secret machine called an oxygen destroyer. The doctor has successfully tested his invention on fish. Emiko and Ogato try to persuade Dr. Serizawa to use his invention to kill Godzilla. This decision goes against what the doctor thinks is morally right. He is worried about the potential of the weapon, and how someone who does not have a moral conscience could use it. He and Professor Yamane put the invention in Tokyo Bay. He activates it and the oxygen destroyer does its job: Godzilla dies. Yet the doctor perishes, too, by his own hand. He decides not to save himself after killing Godzilla even though he has the opportunity to do so.
Significance
The timing of the film and when it was released sets the tone for its significance. United States and Allied Power occupation of Japan after World War II ended in April 1952. The film was released about two years after occupation ended. The end of World War II (of the entire war and the end of the war in the Pacific) resulted from Japan’s surrender to the United States after the second atomic bomb was dropped (the first in Hiroshima and the second in Nagasaki) in August 1945.
When the United States government under Harry S. Truman was trying to decide whether to drop the atomic bomb or not, nuclear testing was already taking place in the Pacific. Even after the bombs were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bomb testing continued. The radioactive waste that created the monster Godzilla was also the alarm that woke the monster.
The film’s themes are focused on nature, morality, technology, capitalism, and tradition; they are strongly evident in the film, as are the search for a healthy balance in harmony with nature. The film remarks on the dangers that technology and the military can have on society and harmony. Even the last lines of the film hint at the film’s message and take on atomic war: "The menace [Godzilla] was gone . . . so was a great man [Doctor Serizawa]. But the whole world can wake up and live again."
The set design, created by Tsuburaya Eiji, was praised. He built a miniature set of Tokyo for Godzilla to attack. The scenes appeared to be real. Puppets of Godzilla were also used so shots could be taken of the monster opening and closing its mouth. Other techniques that were used in the film included optical compositing. In this technique, images of people running away from Godzilla were put with those of Godzilla crushing through the set in the studio. The film received the Japanese equivalent of the Academy Award for best visual effects. In 2014, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the film’s release in Japan, a digitally remastered version was created and released.
Bibliography
Brothers, Peter H. Atomic Dreams and the Nuclear Nightmare: The Making of Godzilla (1954). Seattle: CreateSpace, 2015. Print.
Shapiro, Jerome. Atomic Bomb Cinema: The Apocalyptic Imagination on Film. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Kalat, David. A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series. 2nd ed. Jefferson: McFarland, 2010. Print.
Ragone, August. Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters: Defending the Earth with Ultraman, Godzilla, and Friends in the Golden Age. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2014. Print.
Tsutsu, William M. Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters. New York: Palgrave, 2004. Print.
Vaz, Mark Cotta. Godzilla: The Art of Destruction. San Rafael: Insight, 2014. Print.