Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Directors:

Ishirô Honda
Terry O. Morse

Writers:

Ishirô Honda (writer)
Shigeru Kayama (story)

Release Date:

27 April 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Action

Tagline:

Makes KING KONG look like a Midget!

Plot:

A 400-foot (122-meter) dinosaur-like beast, awoken from undersea hibernation off the Japanese coast by atomic-bomb testing, attacks Tokyo.

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Japan | Monster | Reporter | Japanese

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Raymond Burr	...	Steve Martin
Takashi Shimura	...	Dr. Kyohei Yamane
Akira Takarada	...	Hideto Ogata
Momoko Kôchi	...	Emiko Yamane
Akihiko Hirata	...	Dr. Daisuke Serizawa
Frank Iwanaga	...	Security Officer Tomo Iwanaga
Toyoaki Suzuki	...	The Boy from Oto Island
Toranosuke Ogawa	...	President of Nankai Shipping Company
Takeo Oikawa	...	Chief of Emergency Headquarters
Kokuten Kodo	...	Old Man on Hill on Oto Island
Fuyuki Murakami	...	Scientist with Geiger Counter
Mikel Conrad	...	George Lawrence
Ren Yamamoto	...	The Boy's Older Brother [Bit]
Sachio Sakai	...	Interviewing Official on Oto Island [Bit]
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Miki Hayashi	...	(unconfirmed)
Kin Sugai	...	(unconfirmed)
Sammee Tong	...	Dr. Yamane (voice)

Also Known As:

Godzilla (USA) (video title)
Godzilla the Sea Beast (USA) (working title)
Kaijû-ô Gojira (Japan)

Runtime:

80 min (original U.S. theatrical release version) | USA:78 min (DVD release)

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

In the original Japanese version, there were several references not only to the atomic-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but also to the firebombing of Tokyo. These were deleted in the American version of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the American version scene where Masaji washes ashore on the raft, it said that he died shortly after the raft was brought on shore. However, he is very much alive When the reporter, Hagiwara, is interviewing the islanders and just before the house collapses When Godzilla comes ashore during the typhoon.

Quotes:

Dr. Kyohei Yamane: They are so wrong. Godzilla should not be destroyed, he should be studied.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

Excellent movie, but the Japanese version is a WHOLE LOT BETTER!!!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters was one of the first Godzilla films I ever saw. In fact, it was the fourth. And right off from the first time I saw some previews on the internet and places like that, I knew I would love it. So I watched it and immediately I was hooked on the film. But then I realized that this version is just an Americanized re-edited version from the original, Japanese classic from Ishiro Honda. So before long, once I had gained enough money, I purchased that.

Before I go on, I must tell everyone reading this that the Japanese version, titled "Gojira" is much better than this version. And I highly recommend it over this one.

But this film's marvelous enough as it is. Motion picture star Raymond Burr did a great job as one of the few survivors of Godzilla's unstoppable rampage. The dubbing is, for once, rather decent. But the real greatness of this film comes from the fact that most of its dramatic moments are directly from the original classic.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a great monster movie. Not as dramatic and powerful as its original Japanese version, but still a great film that dwarfs a lot of the later Godzilla films.