"Godzilla (original Japanese version)"
In 1956 the American public was wowed when Japan's
Toho Pictures released the westernized version of
"Godzilla: King of the Monsters" starring Raymond
Burr. The man-in-a-rubber-suit monster flick went on
to spawn 20+ sequels over a couple of decades. But,
did you know that there is an original, Japanese
version of this cautionary tale that eschews nuclear
weapons testing, has subtitles and not one bit of our
beloved Perry Mason in it? If not, you will soon get
the chance to see the original story about the monster
that terrified Tokyo in "Godzilla."
I have been a fan of the original Americanized
"Godzilla" since I was a kid and learned, a long time
ago, about that film's own roots. About ten years ago,
a friend got hold of a copy of the Japanese language
film, first titled "Gojira," and lent it to me. The
tape had been duped down so many times that it was
nearly unwatchable, but I sat really close to the TV
and was able to make sense out of the fuzzy images. I
stuck with it and was amazed to see that the original
film had almost nothing to do, story wise, with the
bastardized American version.
By cutting out about 40 minutes of footage from the
original and plunking in a bunch of scenes with
Raymond Burr, the producers of "King of the Monsters"
succeeded in taking any social relevance the original
offered and turned it into nothing more than a monster
movie – albeit one that has given kids a lot of
pleasure for a lot of years. The scenes with Burr are
often woefully mismatched from the rest of the film
and the cautionary tale of man's self-destruction from
the H-bomb is virtually eliminated as "The End" pops
up on the screen.
The far superior original film - starring Akira
Kurosawa-regular Taka**** ****mura, Akira Takarada,
Momomoko Kochi and Akihito Hirata (not a Caucasian
face to be seen) – immediately places nuclear weapons
testing as the cause of the rise of Big G. The
radioactive creature from the deep has been released
from his lair following H-bomb tests in the Pacific. A
hapless freighter is his first victim with all hands
lost at sea. Soon, the angry critter is heading,
inexorably, toward Tokyo Harbor where he will lay
waste the island capital. Every military resource is
brought to bear on the marauding monster to no avail
and Tokyo is almost totally destroyed.
The city is paralyzed by Godzilla wanton destruction
and the government and military are helpless to stop
him. One-eyed scientist Serizawa (Akihito Hirata) is
enlisted in the life-and-death battle but he must be
convinced that his invention – a formula that will
destroy the oxygen in water – will be used for good
and not as a weapon against mankind. Serizawa finally,
and reluctantly, agrees to use his discovery against
Godzilla but sacrifices himself, too, to ensure that
his creation will die with him and the monster. As the
picture draws to an end, wise old scientist Yamane
(Taka**** ****mura) leaves us with the plea to stop
nuclear testing or the world will undoubtedly face the
terrible destruction of another Godzilla set free by
technology run amok.
"Godzilla," even in its original form, is not a great
film. It is, after all, about a man in a rubber suit
kicking the stuffing out of a bunch of Tonka toys and
a miniature Tokyo. But, the warnings put forth in the
film, at a time when nuclear war was very much a
possibility, have a poignancy that is palpable and
very real. The film appeared less than ten years after
the nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiro****ma and
Nagasaki and those horrific events carry resonance in
the film. Having grown up during the worst years of
the Cold War, "Godzilla" still has an emotional
impact, even today.
Fans of the "Godzilla" franchise, while not getting
the same monster story that they know and love, should
get a huge kick out of having the chance to see the
original, very different version of the
creature-from-the-deep yarn. Kudos to Rialto Picture
for making the effort to bring to light a true
classic. Helen (of Troy) may have had the face that
launched a thousand ****ps, but Godzilla sure had the
puss to launch decades of franchises and remakes. It
may not be great filmmaking but it sure is an
original. I give it a B+.
For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com
robin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
37946
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1286166
X-RT-TitleID: 1081460
X-RT-SourceID: 386
X-RT-AuthorID: 1488
X-RT-RatingText: B+
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