Godzilla - King of the Monsters

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Godzilla relaxing with Momoko Kôchi (star of the original 1954 Godzilla)
As Z Z Top says, "girls go crazy for a sharp dressed man"
Note: This article borrows heavily from the long-time research done by August Ragone, Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski and David Kalat (as well as The Kaijucast podcast). Gentlemen, we salute you (with floppy rubber claws). Also, for convenience, I will be using the name "Godzilla", rather than the original japanese "Gojira". My deepest apologies (and sympathies) if this offends you.

As we approach the May 2014 of the latest American re-interpretation of "Japan's Favorite Mon-Star", we figured it would be a good time to look back to the beginning... 60 years ago to the original 1954 Godzilla. And appropriately enough for giant monster, it began with a giant problem...

GODZILLA: King Of The (Rubber Suit) Monsters

It's the spring of 1954, and movie producer Tomoyuki Tanaka is the one with the problem. For the past while he has been spearheading a project to make "Beyond The Glory", a big budget epic which he planned to film in Indonesia.  Unfortunately for him, the country had blocked the film from being made. In World War 2, Japan was (shall we say) unpleasant to the countries it tried to invade (including Indonesia). There is still a lot of animosity now, nearly 70 years after the end of WWII, so you can imagine what it was like only nine years since. 

So Toho Studios (Tanaka's employer) was stuck without an big budget event film for the year. He needed a good idea, and he needed it fast. In Stephen King's book "On Writing", he talks about how new ideas are created when two separate ideas smash together. Tanaka knew that one of the most successful movies from last year was "The Beast From 20000 Fathoms", an action packed film about a dinosaur revived by a bomb test that goes on a rampage in New York City and dies at an amusement park. 

Radiation and monsters...

It goes without saying that Japan was, and is, the only country where atomic bombs were used offensively on it. In Japan, radiation wasn't science fiction but real serious issue. He also knew about a recent tragedy where a fishing boat wandered too close to an US atomic bomb test and got dosed with radiation.

Tragedy...

As Mr. King might put it, "POW!"

What about a serious drama about a bomb test that unleashes a creature that goes on a rampage? The creature as metaphor for... whatever you want it to. The effects of unrestrained technology. The creature becoming a personification of the bomb itself. And how do you defeat such a creature? What are the ethical issues in creating worse and worse weapons? The story potential was limitless.

Tanaka knew he had his new event movie.

He also must have known henow had an unusual new problem: how to make it.

At this point in the history of film, "giant monster" movies of any kind were pretty rare. You could count all the ones made in America on the fingers on one hand, and the Japanese ones on the fingers on one foot. And so, like the old man in The Seven Samurai (which also came out in 1954), he needed to assemble his team.

First he needed a director. A serious director.

A Serious Director:

Ishirō Honda, was a director of serious dramas about serious issues. In addition, he also directed several movies about WWII. These movies required complicated special effects shots at a time where other Japanese directors considered special effects shots to be "cheating". And he had seen the aftermath of the bombing in Hiroshima first hand. A perfect fit.

But a giant monster movie without a giant monster isn't much of a movie (unless you count Cloverfield). Tanaka would need a veritable movie wizard to make this film happen.

The Wizard of F/X

Enter Eiji Tsuburaya, possibly the only special effects artist in the world to be condemned as a war criminal (albeit incorrectly). During the war, the Japanese film industry was pumping out propaganda film just as the US film industry was. For one of these films, Tsuburaya recreated the attack on Pearl Harbor using miniature special effects. When the war was over and the Americans were occupying Japan, they found the film. The effects were so good that they assumed that the movie was genuine war footage. And if this Tsuburaya guy who "created" them must have really got them through some secret evil means from the government itself. Perhaps he was even a spy of some kind? He wasn't, of course. What he was, was crazy about special effects. He had already made 30 special effects movies in his career before Godzilla came along. He also had a print of King Kong in his personal collection. 

With the visual side of the film in place, Tanaka now needed somebody to take care of the audio side. 

The Music Man

Akira Ifukube was the other member of the triumvirate that Tanaka put together. An award winning classical composer, he drifted into movie compositions and would eventually work on over 250 movies over his career. And in Ifukube, Tanaka got an unexpected bonus to the sound effects department. When nobody could figure out how to make an epic roar for Godzilla, he solved the problem with leather glove rubbing against the strings of a contrabass. Incidentally, May 31 of this year (2014) would have been his 100th birthday.

With his core team set they could now begin making the movie. And since that story is so long that whole books could be written about it (and have), so I'm going to skip to the end. How did they do?

Godzilla's Legacy

First, this group kept making Godzilla movies (as well as other science fiction films) for Toho for the next 20 years. Eventually, between 1954 and 2004, 28 Godzilla films will be made. (I've listed them below).

It has also lead to an army of toys and model kits.

Godzilla cake.jpg

From Amazon.com: The Godzilla Cake!

There's also the song from Blue Oyster Cult:

And of course theres the mountain of Godzilla clones from Gamera to Pacific Rim.

And the new film that kicked off this article in the first place

How can I bring some Godzilla into my life?

As the heroic scientist in Godzilla 2000 says, "there's a little godzilla in all of us." But if you want to own the movies, nearly every one has been relased on DVD or Blu-Ray (some with new editions to capitalize on the new film) If you want a really good deal on Godzilla, pick up "The Godzilla Collection" at amazon for $21. It includes

  • Godzilla (1954) (both the Japanese and American versions),
  • Godzilla Raids Again (1955),
  • Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964),
  • Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964),
  • Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965),
  • All Monsters Attack (1969), and
  • Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975).

Each film has a commentary track from a noted Godzilla expert, as well as mini documentaries on various elements of the making of the films.

And if you like those, you might want to pick up the japanese giant monster double feature "Rodan / War Of The Gargantuas". It also includes the fantastic documentary "Bringing Godzilla down to size". During the 2012 Oscars, this nobody had some nice things to say about the Gargantuas movie when he talked about his first movie memory:

So, here's a list of the Godzillas, along with how much you can expect to pay for them on Amazon.

#

Title

Year

Director

About

1

Gojira / Godzilla

1954

Ishiro Honda

The original. 'nuff said.

This film is currently available on DVD or Blu Ray from Criterion. It is also available on DVD from "Classic Media". 

2

Godzilla Raids Again / (Gigantis, the Fire Monster)

1955

Motoyoshi Oda

The quickie sequel. Not bad, but basically clone of the original.

Available on DVD from "Classic Media".

3

King Kong vs. Godzilla

1962

Ishiro Honda

Godzilla, now in colour!

King Kong, now in a ratty ape suit!

Available on DVD (and soon Blu-Ray) from Universal for about $12.

4

Mothra vs. Godzilla

1964

Ishiro Honda

Available on DVD from "Classic Media".

5

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

1964

Ishiro Honda

Available on DVD from "Classic Media".

6

Invasion of Astro-Monster  / Godzilla vs. Monster Zero;

1965

Ishiro Honda

Available on DVD from "Classic Media".

7

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep / Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster

1966

Jun Fukuda

One of two Godzilla movies featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000. You'll notice that it's NOT directed by Honda.

It was out of print for a while, but Kraken Releasing will be releasing it in May. Until then the DVD is $320

8

Son of Godzilla

1967

Jun Fukuda

Out of print from Sony DVD. $50. Not worth it!!

9

Destroy All Monsters

1968

Ishiro Honda

Available from Media Blasters for $40.

10

All Monsters Attack / (Godzilla's Revenge)

1969

Ishiro Honda

Available on DVD from "Classic Media".

11

Godzilla vs. Hedorah / (Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster)

1971

Yoshimitsu Banno

Another one from Kraken. Until then, it's $90

12

Godzilla vs. Gigan / (Godzilla on Monster Island)

1972

Jun Fukuda

Another one from Kraken. Until then it's $110

13

Godzilla vs. Megalon

1973

Jun Fukuda

The other of of two Godzilla movies featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000. You'll notice that it's NOT directed by Honda.

Released on DVD by Media Blasters. It was originally going to be released on Blu-Ray. It was also going to have all sorts of special features, but they were scuttled at the last minute.. In the mean time, it $16.

14

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla / (Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster; Godzilla vs. the Bionic Monster)

1974

Jun Fukuda

Available on DVD from Sony, but it may be out of print since it goes for $75 on Amazon.

15

Terror of Mechagodzilla / (The Terror of Godzilla;

1975

Ishiro Honda

Available on DVD from "Classic Media".

16

The Return of Godzilla / (Godzilla 1985)

1984

Koji Hashimoto

Nobody has this, unfortunately. The rights are all tied up in a mystery tied up in an enigma. You can get it on VHS for $50.

17

Godzilla vs. Biollante

1989

Kazuki Omori

Echo Bridge Eantertainment. It's only $7!

18

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

1991

Kazuki Omori

Available on DVD from Sony, along with the next film, for $10. 

*breaking news below*

19

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth

1992

Takao Okawara

see above

20

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II

1993

Takao Okawara

Available on DVD from Sony, for $10

*breaking news below*

21

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla

1994

Kensho Yamashita

Available on DVD from Sony, along with the next film, for $10

*breaking news below*

22

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah / (Godzilla vs. Destroyer)

1995

Takao Okawara

see above

23

Godzilla 2000: Millennium / (Godzilla 2000)

1999

Takao Okawara

Available on DVD from Sony, for $7

24

Godzilla vs. Megaguirus

2000

Masaaki Tezuka

Available on DVD from Sony, for $11

*breaking news below*

25

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack

2001

Shusuke Kaneko

Available on DVD from Sony, for $11

26

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla

2002

Masaaki Tezuka

Available on DVD from Sony, for $12

27

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. / (Godzilla x Mothra x Mechagodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.)

2003

Masaaki Tezuka

Available on DVD from Sony, for $10

*breaking news below*

28

Godzilla: Final Wars

2004

Ryuhei Kitamura

Available on DVD from Sony, for $14

*breaking news below*

And, uh, yeah. Apparently there was some sort of American movie that came out in 1998 that was calling itself Godzilla. It's better known to the fans as GINO (Godzilla In Name Only).

BREAKING GODZILLA NEWS!

August Ragone is reporting on his website, a pile of the Sony Godzilla films will be released in May on Blu-Ray as double features. 

  • GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH (1991) & GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA (1992)
  • GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II (1993) & GODZILLA VS. SPACE GODZILLA (1994)
  • GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH (1995) & GODZILLA VS. MEGAGUIRUS (2000)
  • GODZILLA: TOKYO SOS (2003) & GODZILLA FINAL WARS (2004)

There's no word on what special features (if any) there will be on the disks, or whether they will be in English or the original Japanese. 

How do you feel about the new Godzilla movie?
  
pollcode.com free polls 

2 Comments

Does the article include an appealing introduction? Explain.

Good intro, it puts you in context and states the relevance of the feature article.

Does the article include a discussion of the history? Explain.

Yes! There is much detail on the history of the Godzilla films. Very interesting.


Does the article include a meaningful conclusion? Explain.

I like how you made suggestions for people who may not have the extensive knowledge that you have. It was a good way to close off the article.

Did the writer include images and a catchy title? Explain or describe.

Yes! Nice work.

Does the writer include an effective balance of research, both primary and secondary? Describe or explain your answer.

You clearly demonstrated your knowledge of this subject. Not sure you even had to do secondary research ;)

Do the paragraphs utilize effective topic sentences? Describe and explain your answer.

For the most part, yes. However, there are some paragraphs that seem to include more than one idea or paragraphs that jump from one idea to another. Make sure to review this and ensure there is a clear focus.

Does the author provide specific information? Explain why or why not and point out information that is too general.

Yes! Very specific!

Are the paragraphs are unified? Identify paragraphs that contain more than one main idea and paragraphs which lack focus.

Within the paragraphs, you are good. Just have to focus and include more transitions to go from one paragraph to the other.

Does the writer include transitions between paragraphs? Identify transitions.

See above comment.

Does the writer include headings? Point out places where headings are missing.

No. Headings would probably make this article easier to read. Because of the specific nature of the information, headings could put the reader in context in each section.

Is sentence structure effective? Including but no limited to effective passive constructions and active voice?

Some sentences need revision. For example: "A serious tragedy about a bomb test that unleashes a creature that goes on a rampage."

Does the article clearly address a specific audience. Describe this audience and other audiences which you believe might be interested in this topic.

Yes! Movie/Sci-fi fanatics!

Are spelling, grammar, and punctuation correct?

Maybe just a read-through would allow you to revise any grammatical errors. There aren't many but a simple review and you should be good! :)

Does the article include an appealing introduction? Explain.

Yes. You mention an upcoming anniversary which explains the look back.

Does the article include a discussion of the history? Explain.

Yes. That is the purpose of this piece and you certainly provide the history.

Does the article include a discussion of the cultural significance? Explain.

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Does the article include a meaningful conclusion? Explain.

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Did the writer include images and a catchy title? Explain or describe.

I like that you changed the top image to the black and white snap. It adds the historical air appropriate to the piece. The other images are colourful and glitzy. Love the one portraying the toys.

Does the writer include an effective balance of research, both primary and secondary? Describe or explain your answer.

I see lots of research coupled with your own extensive knowledge of the subject matter.

Do the paragraphs utilize effective topic sentences? Describe and explain your answer.

Generally, but some paragraphs don't focus on one topic or they jump a bit. I'm not sure the reference to Stephen King's book is well-placed. My favourite paragraph is the one about Tsuburaya, the special effects individual.

Does the author provide specific information? Explain why or why not and point out information that is too general.

This piece is chock-a-block with information and details. At times I felt a bit overwhelmed by them.

Are the paragraphs unified? Identify paragraphs that contain more than one main idea and paragraphs which lack focus.

The flow is a little jagged. I refer again to the placement of the Stephen King book, for example.

Does the writer include transitions between paragraphs? Identify transitions.

Yes, I liked the use of the lines "first he needed a director" and "so how did they do?" They lead you right into the next idea/paragraph.

Does the writer include headings? Point out places where headings are missing.

No. A few would be useful, given the amount and type of information provided. Maybe a "Buying Guide" or something similar could be one sub-heading.

Is sentence structure effective? Including but no limited to effective passive constructions and active voice?

As I mentioned in the workshop for the first draft, I would recommend reading the piece out loud to locate some incomplete sentences.

Does the article clearly address a specific audience? Describe this audience and other audiences which you believe might be interested in this topic.

There is no doubt this is directed to lovers of the sci-fi film. While some description is included to assist the uninitiated, such as the buying guide, it is clearly geared toward the extremely knowledgeable, well-versed audience. I'd still like to see an explanation of "tent-pole" film.

Are spelling, grammar, and punctuation correct?

I reiterate my suggestion for a re-read to catch incomplete sentences and inconsistencies (the use of both WW2 and WWII has not been corrected from the first draft; we have "tent pole" and tent-pole, and no definition). You could use a word such as "incidentally" instead of "BTW". That will give the line a more formal feel.

All in all, a very detailed piece that clearly outlines your love and knowledge of this type of film.

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