Gojira and Godzilla
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
It’s been a long time since I watched the original Godzilla movie but what better time to do that then while I am launching this blog. I purchased the fairly new release by Classic Media featuring both the original Gojira and the American remake, Godzilla.
Gojira was originally released in Japan in 1954. Gojira, who is more commonly referred to as Godzilla, was awakened and mutated by atomic testing. With the ability to breathe destructive radioactive breath, Godzilla goes on a rampage through Japan and ultimately destroys Tokyo.
Two years later, the American version, Godzilla, King of All Monsters was released. This version stars Raymond Burr and is more of a compilation of scenes cut directly out of the original Japanese version and new footage shot with Raymond Burr and others. There are scenes from the original move that now, through the magic of 1950’s movie editing, has Raymod Burr’s character interjected into them. It’s really great stuff especially when you watch both of them back to back.
Growing up, I had never seen the original Gojira, I had only seen the American version and while I still love that version for nostalgia sake, the original Japanese version is better. The American version becomes distracting when you know those scenes were shot without Raymond Burr and he was interjected for the Americanized version.
In either version I love the overshadowing “atomic” theme throughout this movie. Sure, Godzilla is a fun monster movie but it also speaks to the intimate knowledge that the Japanese had with atomic fallout destruction. Gojira came out just 9 years after we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Godzilla is a creature created out of testing Atomic Bombs. Later in the movie, a scientist accidentally discovers an “oxygen destroyer” that is more powerful than the atomic bomb and would kill Godzilla. It’s so powerful, the scientist doesn’t want anyone to know about it for fear that it would be misused. As Godzilla rampages through Tokyo, the scientist is posed with a difficult choice, does he unleash this new weapon on Godzilla, wiping out all living things in the surrounding ocean or does he hide this technology from the world, afraid that someone will use it for evil and hope that they find another way to stop Godzilla? It comes across as a very similar thought process to what we might expect America went through when deciding to drop the bomb on Japan. Very interesting stuff. it’s almost as if the creators behind Gojira were justifying Americas use of the atomic bomb.
If you are interested in Godzilla, check out some of the Godzilla figures and merchandise that we carry.
