Gojira
Tags: allegory, cult

Plot synopsis:
Opening sceneA ship is at sea, the crew relaxes on deck as night begins to fall. Near the ship a flash of light baths the ship. Instantly the ship explodes and begins to sink.
Next morning Hideto Ogato (Akira Takarada) receives a phone call. Being a salvage expert the coast guard wants him to report immediately as a result of the sinking.A situation room is set up to investigate the sinking of the Eiko Maru. Its last position is known but the cause of the sinking is still a mystery, though an explosion is suspected. A rescue vessel "Bingo Maru" approaches the location of the sinking. Again a flash of light erupts out of the water and the Bingo Maru suffers the same fate as the Eiko Maru.The Coast Guard assures frantic families of the crews of the two ships, that everything is being done including more ships and helicopters committed to the search. Finally there are results as three survivors are found in the water. At the same time reports of the sinking of a fishing boat brings the total of lost ships to three.On Odo island, the port of the missing fishing boat, inhabitants are scanning the sea looking for signs of the boat. A raft is seen with Masaji Sieji (Ren Yamamoto) who lives on the island on board. The islanders pull the raft in Masajis says "A monster did it" And passes out close to death.Days later other fishing boats return to the island, complaining their nets are all empty. One of the elders claims it is Godzilla eating the fish. Other members of the village laugh at his quaint ways. The same day a helicopter lands on the island carrying a group of press and military - they interview Masajis who again claims it was a monster. The elder gets their attention and tells the legend of Godzilla. He then explains the history of sacrifices the island used to make to keep Godzilla happy. Now all that is left is the religious ceremony.During the night a typhoon hits the island. The islanders take shelter but along with the normal noise of such storms they can hear something huge moving around. The next morning 12 houses are found to have been destroyed during the night and at least 9 people have died. Discussions between the mayor and eyewitnesses uncover the fact that the destruction of the houses was unusual, and not caused by the storm.Professor Kyohei Yamane suggests a scientific task force go to the island to investigate the situation. As the vessel leaves, a number of passengers are surprised to see the reclusive Dr Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata) at the dock to see the expedition off.At the island the team gets to work, first they detect radiation around the ruined buildings and in the water wells. A series of huge shallow depressions are measured. It becomes apparent the depressions are giant foot prints. In one of the depressions they find a trilobite - a creature extinct for millions of years.On the other side of the island an alarm sounds, loud rhythmic thunder can be heard approaching. Many realize it is the same sound heard during the storm. The villagers start to climb the island's central ridge to see what is going on.A huge reptilian rears up and roars at the villagers and disappears. The villages continue towards the creature only to see it disappear into the ocean leaving a series of tracks along a beach.At a meeting convened to discuss the expeditions findings, Professor Yamane surmises Godzilla is a relic from the age of dinosaurs and has been disturbed by recent hydrogen bomb tests in the Pacific. He displays the trilobite and the radioactive sand found on the island as proof of his argument. Newspaper reports claim that up to 17 ships have been lost because of Godzilla. A special agency is set up to look into ways to counter the creature before all international trade is stopped with Japan. The Japanese navy goes into action depth charging any areas Godzilla was last seen.In Tokyo Bay a pleasure boat full of party goers sees Godzilla, rather than attack the boat, the creature seems intent on heading for shore. Professor Yammi struggles with the situation. He understands Godzilla needs to be destroyed but feels the creature deserves to live. After all it was man who disturbed and created the creature. He wants to understand what caused things to turn out the way it did.Orgata speaks to the professor Yammi's daughter and asks her to try and talk to talk to Professor Serizawa who is rumored to have a device that could destroy Godzilla. Newspaperman Hagiwara (Sachio Sakai) asks if he can come along to get a better idea of the true story.Serizawa is puzzled at the reporters questions. He denies such a weapon exists, but refuses to say what he is really working on. Emiko waits for the reporter go then presses Serizawa for more information, he relents and shows her what he is doing, but she has to be sworn to secrecy first. In the lab Serizawa shows her a process that turns a tank full of fish to skeletons in mere seconds.Emiko is shocked but validates her promise to Serizawa by not saying anything to Orgata when she returns home. Outside the house sirens sound, and the trade mark thundering steps can be heard in the distance. Godzilla nears the shore and the army opens fire with all the heavy weapons they can muster. Ignoring the armys efforts Godzilla comes ashore destroys a train, then moves into the downtown area. After a protracted battle with the army, the monster destroys a major bridge before heading back to sea.Next morning newspapers are full of images and stories of the attack. It is noted that scientists from all over the world have begun flying in to help defeat the creature. Quickly it is decided to evacuate the coastal areas around Tokyo Bay. Once this is completed an electrified barrier is to be built. Its hoped that by repeated electrocution Godzilla will be turned away and forced back to sea permanently.Now that a plan of action is in place Orgata decides now is a good time to ask Professor Yammi for his daughter Emikos hand in marriage. Yammi is completely uninterested in the advance. He is consumed with questions about Godzilla. Frustrated Orgata starts debating Yammi, ultimately Yammi throws him out of the house dashing Emikos hopes.At nightfall Godzilla is again seen heading for the shoreline. The newly installed electrical barrier is charged and the army takes up position with heavy artillery and tanks. As Godzilla pauses at the barrier the army sees its chance again attacks. Godzilla responds by setting huge fires across the city with its to date unseen radioactive breath.Realizing their plan has failed the authorities initiate code 129 This means rather than fight Godzilla they are only going to concentrate on getting civilians out of harms way. As the plan takes affect a wing of Japanese fighter craft try to distract the creature. Unexpectedly the attack seems to work and Godzilla retreats back to the waters of Tokyo Bay.Rescue efforts switch to high gear, but the sheer numbers of wounded, many suffering radiation sickness completely overwhelm hospitals. Despite their best effort the government knows there is little hope for survivors.Seeing the carnage Emiko confesses to Orgata what she really saw in the Professors lab There really is a way to destroy the creature. She goes on to describe how Serizawa dropped a device into a tank of fish, seconds later all the fish were just skeletons. Serizawa explains how the device sucks all oxygen from water causing any living creature caught by the process to liquefy instantly.Hearing this Orgata and Emiko agree to confront the Serizawa and convince him to use his discovery. Serizawa counters that to reveal the weapon to the world would unleash a force greater than even the atomic bomb. The only difference is the oxygen destroyer could ultimately kill all mankind.Serizawa is concerned that once the he uses the weapon the genie is out of the bottle and he does not know if he can get it back in. Serizawa is torn by his choice, but he cannot see any way to resolve it. He catches a sight from the TV of people all over the country praying that Godzilla wont return. He realizes he must act and deploy the weapon.With a new sense of purpose he begins to destroy data and equipment in his lab notes.At sea a ship with Orgato and Serizawa aboard a ship mounted with Geiger counters locates Godzilla. Orgata prepares to make the dive to deploy the weapon. Serizawa insists he goes with him. They only have one chance and one weapon, so it has to be done properly. Reaching the ocean floor they find Godzilla resting and begin the work to deploy the weapon. Serizawa unexpectedly signals Orgata to return to the surface. Reaching the surface alone Orgato realizes he has been fooled and Serizawas solution was to die deploying the weapon.With one final message Serizawa tells Orgata that the weapon worked and he hopes he and Emiko with be happy together. The weapons effect envelopes Godzilla. The creature struggles for a time before sinking to the bottom uttering one final defiant roar. Moments later nothing remains but a skeleton. Within minutes this is gone tooOnboard the ship Professor Yammi considers the concept that there must be more Godzillas out in the depths of the ocean. If man continues his experiments with atomic weapons, chances are extremely high another Godzilla will return to once again threaten our civilization.

Review: The original, Japanese version of "Gojira" is the best giant monster film I've ever seen.
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.
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.
This one started it all: the first and original Godzilla (Gojira) movie, and also serves as the beginning to a long line of sci-fi and monster (kaiju in Japan) movies from Toho Studios.
A great movie to begin a long and successful (in most cases) line of Godzilla and other monster/sci-fi films from Toho Studios.
Here in 2004, 50 years ago today after its release, American audiences finally get to see the film in its entirety, thanks to its long-awaited subtitled theatrical release by Rialto Pictures.Technically, Japanese monster movies began with the now-lost 1934 period fantasy, KING KONG HAS ARRIVED IN EDO (EDO NI ARAWARETA KINGU KONGU), which was obviously produced upon the success of the 1933 American classic, KING KONG.
Clearly inspired by the success of the 1953 hit, THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (released to Japan by Daiei early the same year), with a bit of KONG thrown in, Toho set out to make their own monster movie, not knowing that they would create a phenomenon that would last to this day!What more can I say?
Essentially a Japanese remake of Hollywood's 1953 classic 'The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms', 'Gojira' took the same formula and became so much more than simple giant-monster entertainment.Both films told stories about a pre-historic creature released/mutated by atomic testing.
I can only imagine how terrifying scenes like those would have been so soon after World War Two. These are scenes we don't to see, in contrast to the sheer joy of watching two giant monsters have at each other in a big metropolis with no apparent consequences (see: nearly every other Godzilla movie ever made, for starters) Interestingly enough, Godzilla was only 50 metres tall in this, and he left radioactive fallout wherever he went.
Gojira (not Godzilla, King of the Monsters, with Raymond Burr), stands as one of the best monster movies...and one of Japan's finest and most allegory pieces of cinema.
A woman on a subway noting that is seemed like she survived Nagaski only to die from Godzilla is an offhand but telling comment on Japan's unique view of the use of nuclear weapons.The story itself is makes a bit more sense than the patchwork used with Raymond Burr (though that version is also quite good for the genre that it helps perpetuate).
Along with the 1933-version of "King Kong", this original Japanese release of "Gojira" is THE most essential giant monster movie ever and one the very few horror movies that every film lover in general has to see at least once.
Of course, nearly every U.S. giant-monster fan has seen the recut-for-Americans version of this classic, with Raymond Burr sharing scenes with the backs of various anonymous heads standing in for members of the Japanese cast.
Also, Brian Washington ("Why in God's Green Earth Isn't This Version Shown More?", Brian Washington (Sargebri@att.net) from Los Angeles, California, 28 October 2003) adds insight to the film's anti-militarism message.*** Godzilla ("Gojira", 1954, Japan, Ishiro Honda's), concerning the return of everyone's favorite amphibian monster, is very dark and emotionally complex.
(Godzilla's vaporizing, death-ray vision is a very effective addition to an already formidable skill set, which includes the ability to destroy buildings with a single wag of his tail.) When fleeing humans appear in the same frame as the relentless, virtually inextinguishable beast, this is movie magic.Reviewers are split about Akira Ifukube's music; I like it.
Hollywood were perhaps familiar with the concept of this big-budget, special effects extravaganza involving a giant monster following 1933's King Kong and were perhaps more used to this genre by the time they'd seen Gojira.
I think the emphasis was always on delivering a film with an intriguing story and one with some sort of eerie message at its centre, much unlike today's extravaganzas and perhaps a lot less than 1933's King Kong although the message nearer the end could echo along the lines of: 'Just what exactly consists of entertainment these days?' But it's not Honda and Kayama's fault this is as big as it is today and it's not their fault I saw this on a DVD disc free with a newspaper, complete with huge build up from a preceding television advert, right here in the year 2008.
I don't think the producers were threatening people with a giant lizard that will come from the sea and destroy us but the ruined Tokyo shots are probably metaphors for the falling apart of society if Japan itself looses focus of who they actually are and buckles under the immense pressures of 20th Century modernising.Then there are the plot elements that declare Godzilla the result of nuclear testing.
More than a movie about a guy in a rubber suit breaking toy buildings, Gojira is a very serious consideration about the horrors of nuclear war.A few items to watch for include:The first scenes of Tokyo after having been leveled by Gojira (Godzilla) almost mirror the photographs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the bombings.The images of the injured people in the hospitals again, mirror the photographs of "survivors" of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.Look for references to the American nuclear tests on the Bikini atolls (they are abundant).Finally, keep in mind that Gojira is a symbol of nuclear war.
The only way to avoid it is to not be there in the first place.Gojira (Godzilla, King of the Monsters) is a definite must-see for anyone interested in film-making at its best..
Godzilla is not appearing for some purpose, he is there only for the plot, he is an unstoppable, blind force ready for destruction, and there's also a human's error of his interfere in nature, so by the looks of things, the large monster is some kind of "payback" from mother nature.The movie has good acting crew, excellent direction, an inspiring and brilliant music score by Akira Ifukube, who also made Godzilla roars, the special effects were also great, done by Eiiji Tsuburaya.
In the American version, Raymond Burr is obviously the main character, with a Japanese policeman as a kind of side kick which actually detracts much from the original story line without adding much except a (then) somewhat familiar American face to the cast.The original storyline is much richer, with better interaction amongst the main characters, namely Professor Yamane, his daughter, Emiko, and her arranged fiancé Dr. Serizawa, as well as her true love interest, Salvage Officer Ogata.
GODZILLA, it is pointed out that Gojira is a true monster born of radiation.This film is a very rewarding find if you watch it in the original Japanese, with subtitles of course.
Just like a giant cross between a dinosaur and dragon, it caused rampage all over Tokyo, it is born from the bombs of US, supposedly to go against the COld War, and nuclear weapons in general, it is not anti-US if that's what you're thinking, and sure it was black and white, Japanese, and the effects aren't as good as today's standards.
I think this is some of the best uses of lighting in a giant monster movie I've ever seen, it's dark enough to give mood but not too dark as so the audience won't be able to see anything.Okay, this maybe a given but if you don't like special effects that aren't up to par then this is not for you.
I can see why the first and original Godzilla movie started a hit mega-franchise that has spawned so many great monsters in film.
The reason for this is that it adds to the tension of the film.Throughout the franchise's fifty year history the only other giant monster movies that come close to matching it, in my opinion, are GMK, Godzilla 1984 and Gamera 3.Oh and another thing.
Here, however, there are major differences which set this movie apart from the others.The prolonged scenes of Godzilla's victims in the hospitals are disturbingly reminiscent of what really happened in the aftermaths of the atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki not even ten years before the film's release.
The memory of such tragedies was still relatively fresh in the minds of many Japanese moviegoers and thus the message was conveyed more eloquently than the usual route of a scientist and his monologue on the misuse of atomic weapons commonly found in American monster movies at the time.
For example, GMK (2001) has a fascinating perspective on contemporary Japan's view of WWII, while Godzilla versus King Ghidora (1991) is a wonderfully wicked skewering of 1990s America (which hated and feared Japan's economic power).The American version of Gojira (1954) currently out on DVD has been dubbed into English and features new footage of Raymond Burr inserted into the original.
And, even though I have a childhood affection for Raymond Burr's character, I must be forced to admit that, from the perspective of a modern-day film buff, the American reworking of the original is a terrible violation of a Japanese classic and should not be the only version of the movie out on DVD.
However, in the original release, you get a better feel of the story and the characters, as well as a better sense of the movies message on the evils of atomic power, and the consequences of tampering with nature.In the original version, you also get a much better sense of Dr. Serizawa's frustration and the dilemma he must face in giving the world the weapon that he had invented that could defeat Gojira (a dilemma that was probably shared by the scientists that helped develop the atomic bomb).Robot Ranchers rating: 8 out of 10.
Now it's the last and only hope against Godzilla, and it's use will seal Dr. Serizawa's fate...So goes the story of "Gojira", one of the two greatest classics of Japanese cinema (the other being "Shichinin no samurai", made the same year by the same film studios and even featuring some of the same actors - like Takashi Shimura).
Having seen GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS many times over the years, I couldn't help but notice a stark contrast between the two.GOJIRA was shown in it's original form, complete and uncut.
To top it off, the powerful score by Akira Ifukube complements the atmosphere of death and destruction perfectly.Having seen every Godzilla movie ever made(with the exception of the latest one released last month in Japan), GOJIRA is no doubt the first and the best.Rating: ***** out of *****.
The movie doesn't have a traditional beginning, middle and end in fact the finale really creeps on you and isn't all that great itself.Regardless of its flaws Godzilla has to be considered a classic that launched a franchise that is still ongoing over 6 decades later.The Good:Visually ahead of its timeThe Bad:Godzilla logistics make no senseOdd moments of literally no audioSome ropey editingWeak finaleThings I Learnt From This Movie:If nukes don't work on something, try bullets, if that doesn't get a pitchfork?Japan makes strong bridges!Japanese women are renound for overacting to fish sufferingPrayer accomplishes nothing, oh wait I already knew that.
If you want to watch this movie, go see the original Japanese, not the 1956 American edit ''Godzilla, King of the Monsters!'' Go see the original Gojira.This is my favorite movie and no movie will ever switch its place.
If you've never seen the original Japanese version or have only been familiar with the more juvenile sequels out of the 1960s, you're missing a very good and serious horror film with a message.Godzilla (Gojira) is an ancient creature who is awakened as a result of scientific experimentation with atom bombs.
The subject matter is taken very seriously and includes the element of human suffering, such as in a very moving scene where a desperate mother embraces her crying daughter amidst all the devastation and whispers that mother and child will "soon join daddy".GOJIRA is not a "perfect" film; it can occasionally drag just a bit, but it's still well considerable as a truly "great monster movie" and is required viewing for all fans of this genre.
That's the feeling I thought I would get, and did for a good lot of the time, in watching Ishiro Honda's original version of 1954's Godzilla.
What ends up happening in this big Tokyo attack, no doubt, is pretty silly at times, with a laugh-out-loud moment from seeing the reporters still on the roof of the broadcast building always reporting live even up until Godzilla comes up, to which the broadcaster says "Ok, Goodbye, everyone, Goodbye." But the film-making behind it is always of a professional caliber via Honda and special effects team led by the master Eiji Tsuburya, who became a legend in his own right with how he created Godzilla and designed the attacks on the cities and destruction.Then behind the monster and the action-film technical side is the story, and there is at least some good effort put into making it convincing, if only on the simplest of levels.
The resulting film was a mix of bad acting, static cinematography, and expensive but essentially "B" level special effects--but when Godzilla stomped up from Tokyo Bay with the worst breath this side of Osaka, the American public took him to heart, and he's been a cult icon ever since.In theory, the film is a serious and subtle commentary on the dangers of nuclear warfare--and it might actually read that way in the original Japanese version, which is not (unfortunately) widely available.
The monster, nicknamed Gojira by the Japanese after a mythical sea god, ravages Japan, while the scientists race to find a way to destroy it.There were two versions of this film released, the original Japanese version, and a version released in America with scenes of Raymond Burr as a visiting American shoehorned in while other scenes with the Japanese cast were omitted.
"Gojira", for the first time (strangely never officially released in the US with English subtitles for over 50 years) and then watching a bit of the American studio version (aka "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" with Raymond Burr), I could only come to one minor conclusion.
Most American moviegoers are used to Godzilla's film debut as featuring Raymond Burr as a reporter who is badly injured while covering the giant monster's attack on Tokyo.
"Gojira" is the original Godzilla film although viewers outside Japan may remember "Godzilla, King of the Monsters", which was dubbed in English and included tacked in scenes featuring Raymond Burr supposedly to make the film more palatable to Western audiences.
In fact, the opening scene where the monster attacks a shipping vessel was a direct reference to a real-life incident: a Japanese tuna fishing boat, the Lucky Dragon 5, was accidentally contaminated by the fallout of an American atomic bomb test in the Bikini Atoll.The film was good enough to be nominated for Best Picture by the Japan Movie Association, though it ultimately lost to Seven Samurai.A remarkably humane and melancholy drama.
This is it; the original Japanese version of "Gojira" (aka "Godzilla"), the film that introduced the now-legendary movie monster.
By the way, forget about the American-ized version, "Godzilla, King of the Monsters"; it's a sometimes clumsy reworking that ignores most of the original film's complexity..
The early scenes, with the ship being set on fire, resemble bomb explosions, while Godzilla's romp through Tokyo has a ferocity that rivals most action films, with the monster crushing train carriages, melting power lines with his radioactive breath & destroying buildings.
The use of music adds to the atmosphere as does the surprisingly effective acting."Gojira" may be flawed, but it stands the test of time as a fine film in general and a very entertaining monster movie.
Yes, I have seen the rather cheesy Americanized version of this film with the obviously inserted Raymond Burr scenes and while you do get to see Godzilla crush Tokyo you miss most the the plot from the original Japanese version.
Godzilla, or in Japanese Gojira the original giant Japanese monster in his debut in 1956 in the USA,with added scenes with Raymond burr (perry mason,ironside)i only seen the American version,but i would very much like to see the unedited Japanese version,the special effects are very good and Godzilla is a very big mean fire atomic breath firing monster to be reckoned with,filmed in black and white,Godzilla is no corny monster on the loose flick,its serious destructive stuff,if you recall all the other Godzilla movies in the mid sixties Godzilla was portrayed as a hero fighting baddies like Megalon and such.not this one.its the Japanese answer to beast from 20,000 fathoms which was also good.Raymond burr plays American reporter Steve martin(no not that Steve martin)who's in japan to visit an old friend.the dubbing is from good to bad,but who cares Godzilla stomps and stomps and the army and navy is useless with their weapons.this was directed by Inoshiro Honda,who went on to do many of the sequels.8 out of 10 a good movie..
NOTE: when referring to this film I'm only talking about the original version, not the one with Raymond Burr (which wasn't bad, by the way).GOJIRA is one dark, depressing mamma-jamma, simply a film that American monster movie makers would have been incapable of making.
What makes this Godzilla movie stand above the other monster-in-a-suit film is that there are real human drama involved.
In its original Japanese cut, Godzilla is arguably the best monster movie ever made.