After a dinosaur-like beast - awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing - ravages Tokyo, a scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.After a dinosaur-like beast - awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing - ravages Tokyo, a scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.After a dinosaur-like beast - awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing - ravages Tokyo, a scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 2 nominations total
- The Old Fisherman
- (as Kuninori Kôdô)
Featured reviews
The special effects are very effective especially considering the time. There is no hiding the miniatures but they are generally done well. The production is relatively big for a monster movie. And Godzilla's roar is second to none. It's great to see the model planes fire little rockets like fireworks at Godzilla. It even has a compelling message. It's a fine B-movie that deserves its iconic status.
Japan was best fit to make a film about the effects of nuclear radiation since they had experience the atomic bomb first hand nearly a decade earlier. It was a powerful statement for the time. I really wish more people would give this movie a chance and realize how smart it is.
Besides the powerful message, the film is best known for its pioneering special effects. Yes, by today's standards, the suits and miniatures are pretty archaic. But they still look great over sixty years later. The destruction that Godzilla causes is both exciting and horrifying. Few monster movies have the emotion and smarts that this one has. Of course, their is the monster himself. What a sight. The design has changed greatly over the years but this one is the most iconic of course. The menacing eyes, roar and towering size make him a sight to behold. I highly recommend checking out the behind the scenes features that talk about the making of the famous suit, it's really interesting.
Then there's the most underrated part of the movie, the cast. Most Godzilla fans will recognize Akira Takarada as the lead. He's very good here and would continue to Star in the series for many years. The biggest name here is Takashi Shimura. He's of course best known for appearing in several Akira Kurosawa classics such as Seven Samurai and Ikiru.
Godzilla gets a bad rep because of some mediocre to atrocious sequels with some gems here and there. But the original stands above them like a atomic breath breathing monster. Godzilla is essential cinema that can be enjoyed for many different reasons.
Little needs to be explained in the way of the film's story, I feel, but the basic idea concerns the awakening of a towering behemoth thanks to prolific nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese are petrified of the destruction possible with this creature lurking around, find their government is content on hiding and obscuring facts related to the issue, and see a dissenting country in the mix of deciding what to do with the monster. While a good majority of the people, understandably, want this monster extinct and destroyed as soon as possible, Dr. Yamane Emiko (Momoko Kōchi) finds the possibility for research and analysis on Godzilla invaluable and has the ambition to try and capture him alive. Dr. Emiko is in the minority on this view, but he sees the long-term value in the creature, while the townspeople, acting on impulse and responding to an immediate conception of fear, want nothing to do with the creature.
This ignites an idea brought on by classic Universal monster movies of the 1930's and 1940's about humans' role in these man-made disasters, or whether or not humans have the responsibility to "play God" in any way. This idea, in conjunction with relativistic looks at the Japanese mindset in the 1940's and 1950's, after the repercussions of World War II, the basic elements of human fear, and what Godzilla metaphorically represents, are all relative in analyzing this particular piece, and it may indeed be the only franchise where the first film is looked at and critiqued in an entirely different light than its successors.
Following the boom of the Japanese film industry in the 1950's and 1960's, American activities such as golf were beginning to become prominent in Japan, along with the ubiquity of home Television sets, which saw exponential sales from a few thousands to two million during the mid to late 1960's. As a result, Japan's successful film industry became short-lived, as less and less people flocked out to the theaters due to the lack of popularity of the establishments comparative to the United States. The company that released Gojira, Toho and its director Ishirō Honda, began catering to the lowest common-denominator, not filling their follow-up efforts to Godzilla with thought-provoking commentary on Japanese culture and topical events, but instead, loading them with the kind of cheesiness and glitz expected to attract young children or a late-night audience. The Godzilla films became more concerned with the sounds-and-lights aesthetic, ridiculous and often ludicrous monsters that were totally geared towards selling action figures, and a line of comic books and video games to license the everlasting hell out of Godzilla name.
This kind of franchise and international ubiquity obscured the original film not only for its datedness but made its justifications for social commentary laughable to those uninformed about Japanese culture at the time . This is one of the many things licensing does to hurt a brand or product in the long-term sense, for it alienates consumers because they can't seem to escape it no matter which way they turn, but the reasons for the greatness of the original product become lessened or forgotten due to the constant influx of new material related to the original work.
Gojira may find itself crude in parts, with its assembly of miniatures optimistically passing off as a rogue monstrosity devastating a large community, or its evident aspects showcasing overacting, but it's nonetheless enjoyable on an entertainment level and thoughtful on a commentary-level. This is one of the few films that can be so relevant and topical while playing one of the most simplistic but effective instrumental tracks, and that in its own right is uncommonly beautiful.
Starring: Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura. Directed by: Ishirō Honda.
"Gojira" (1954) is a surprisingly good Godzilla film, with well-developed story, screenplay and characters. Despite the dated effects and the behavior of Emiko, the plot is engaging and holds the attention of the viewer to the last scene. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Godzilla"
This film is quite different from the 20+ sequels that followed. Here, Godzilla is not so much a creature as he is a walking incarnation of the atomic bomb. His death ray, which became a rather amusing cartoon laser blast in later films, is here depicted as a sort of radioactive mist that sets its victims on fire. These "radioactive horror" images still resonate today - and imagine the impact they must've had on Japanese audiences fifty years ago.
From a production standpoint, the film holds up well. Godzilla's costume is much more convincing than the silly monkey suits that featured in the 60s and 70s Toho films, and due to the grayscale photography, the model cityscapes look convincing in most shots - or at least respectable. Ifkube's music score is stirring (you know it has to be good, as they kept recycling it in later movies), and director Honda makes great use of camera angles and imaginative special effects to give Godzilla a genuine aura of menace.
For once, the human characters don't let the side down. There's a compelling love triangle, and a dramatic sacrifice made at the end of the film that adds enormously to its emotional impact. The American version ("Godzilla: King of the Monsters") cut out much of the character development, and is thus clearly inferior; but never fear, Rialto is apparently releasing "Gojira," in all its original glory, sometime this year (2004).
In the later Godzilla films, the destruction he causes is almost incidental. Here, it's the whole point - he's a force of nature. Impressive.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAn often-repeated myth is that the productions of both this film and Seven Samurai (1954) nearly drove Toho into bankruptcy. This neglects to mention a third Toho film made that year, Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954). All three of them were the most expensive Japanese films made up to that point and big financial risks for Toho. However, there is little evidence to suggest that Toho was ever at risk for bankruptcy. Toho released a total of 68 feature films that year, the most successful of which were "Seven Samurai", "Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto", and "Godzilla", in that order.
- GoofsSeveral characters in the film, including Dr. Yamane, Japan's leading paleontologist, insist that the Jurassic Period was 2 million years ago. This is off by 143.5 million years.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Dr. Kyohei Yamane: I can't believe that Godzilla was the last of his species. If nuclear testing continues, then someday, somewhere in the world, another Godzilla may appear.
- Alternate versionsIn the scene where Godzilla destroys the train, shots of terrified people watching were cut from the U.S. version of the film.
- ConnectionsEdited into Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
- SoundtracksPrayer for Peace
(uncredited)
Performed by students of the Toho High School of Music
Lyrics by Shigeru Kayama
Composed by Akira Ifukube
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Japón bajo el terror del monstruo
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $175,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $562,711
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $38,030
- May 9, 2004
- Gross worldwide
- $590,796
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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