REVIEWS Godzilla (1954 Japanese Version) Monday, July 26, 2004 | Zeroplate It was not only inevitable, but probably necessary that the Larvae ATL crew would take a trip to see the recently re-released, 50th anniversary edition of Godzilla. For those who don't know, the original Godzilla with which American audiences are most familiar is not the same as the film that was released in Japan. For reasons that only make sense in a place like Hollywood, the original cut of the film was dubbed into english, had lots of references to H-bombs removed, and had incongruous scenes of Raymond Burr added to give U.S. audiences a well-known (read: white) star to focus on. The film that's touring around now is the original cut of the film, still in its native Japanese with English subtitles, and without Raymond Burr. To begin with, Godzilla has always had a dual nature as a schlocky, comedic piece of pop entertainment, and as a thinly veiled commentary on the nature of man, the destructive power of science when in the wrong hands, and the dangers of nuclear energy. It's hard to imagine these movies ever truly being terrifying, even in the 50's, but at least with this cut of Godzill I saw maybe for the first time, the dark and menacing source from which the story is born. Living in the States, just a few years after a demoralizing but by no means catastrophic in scale attack on our country, it's interesting to watch the way the event is handled and remembered, especially in entertainment. Spike Lee's 25th Hour was really the first film after September 11th that reflected on the aftermath of that event, and since then, no one has really been eager to follow with the exception of some documentary and politically-charged non-fiction films. We have yet to see the futuristic move (a la I, Robot) that shows the reconstructed tower in New York; no one has sent a cinematic plane crashing into a building or shown the destruction of real, American landmarks by terrorists or aliens or anything. I'm not sure that the American movie-going public isn't ready for those kinds of reminders, but clearly the people who make the movies are afraid that we aren't. Contrast that with this scene, then: The U.S. dropped the only two atomic weapons ever to be used against another country on Japan in 1945. These attacks by the most powerful weapons ever used in warfare in the history of civilization came after the fire-bombing of Tokyo that reduced most of that great city to burning rubble. The atomic bombs killed hundreds of thousands of people, completely destroyed cities and left the lingering devastation of radiation poisoning for future generations to deal with. Yet, in 1954, just 9 years after this massive and nation-wide tragedy, the Toho company made a film about it that was equal parts pulpy entertainment and somber reflection on a tremendous loss. That takes some will-power, but it's also indicative of the way other cultures look at film/entertainment/art. The original Godzilla is good for some laughes, especially when the model planes are trying to take the monster out by shooting roman candles past him! But, perhaps surprisingly, the film also has a couple of jaw-dropping, near-tear jerking scenes of people reflecting on the devastation wrought on their cities and villages. The scenes of burn victims being carted into and lined up in hospitals is eerily reminiscent of pictures from the fallout in Hiroshima. The shots of the flattened landscape of smoldering buildings and ashes looks like it could be post-H-Bomb newsreel footage. In short, the movie re-lives the destruction of the atomic bomb less than a decade after it really happened, but puts the blame on a giant monster and some H-Bomb testing (no one ever says who is doing the testing.) In a way, the film is almost going out of its way not to indict the U.S. for its actions, and it's focusing instead on the human toll of such a tragedy, regardless of who is to blame. Subsequent Godzilla films certainly don't touch on this theme with as much poignance, and now 50 years later, it's easier to watch with detached amusement as Godzilla stomps Tokyo to splinters. But it's worth seeing the original film, in Japanese, to get a sense of the kind of cloud of sadness and anger and loss that must have permeated everything after 1945. The film may not be well-executed, but it is strangely powerful upon reflection. Back to Top {1} Comments

MOVIES BY TITLE Godzilla (1954 Japanese Version)