GOJIRA

(vt Godzilla, King of the Monsters; vt Godzilla)

   Film (1954 Japan; exp with new footage 1956 US). Toho/Embassy. Dir Inoshiro Honda, starring Takashi Shimura, Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata (and Raymond Burr in USversion). Screenplay Takeo Murata, Honda, based on a story by Shigeru Kayama. 98 mins cut to 81 mins for US release. B/w.

   This was the first of along series of Japanese (JAPAN) films featuring Gojira (anglicized as Godzilla), a 400ft (120m) amphibious dinosaur that breathes fire; the nameis a portmanteau word from "gorilla" and "kujira" ("whale"). The film was bought by a US company which released it internationally in 1956 as Godzilla, King of the Monsters (vt Godzilla), replacing segments featuringa Japanese reporter by footage starring Raymond Burr. This first Gojira film was basically a conventional MONSTER MOVIE (nuclear radiation revives a prehistoric monster in the Pacific Ocean and it proceeds to devastate Tokyo), but over the years the sequels have become increasingly esoteric,not to say silly. Originally Toho Studio's special effects (supervised until his death in 1970 by Eiji Tsuburaya) for the Gojira series were fairly impressive, but they became more perfunctory. Unlike Willis H. O'BRIEN's and Ray HARRYHAUSEN's monsters - achieved with stop-motionanimation of puppets - Gojira was created using either a man in a suit or small mechanized models.Between Gojira and GOJIRA 1985 (1985) there were 14 other Gojira films: Gigantis (1955; vt Gojira No Gyakushu) released inEnglish as Gigantis the Fire Monster (1959; vt Godzilla Raids Again; vt The Return of Godzilla), with the monster's name changed; King Kong Tai Gojira (1962), released in English as King Kong vs. Godzilla, very successful financially; Mosura Tai Gojira (1964; vt Gojira Tai Mothra), released in English as Godzilla vs. The Thing (vt Godzilla vs. Mothra), featuring the likeable giant moth from MOSURA (1961) and thought by some to be the best of the series; Kaiju Daisenso (1965), released in English as Invasion of Astro-Monster (vt Battle of the Astros; vt Monster Zero; vt Invasion of Planet X), in which Gojira and RADON for the first time areweapons of rather than threateners of Earth; Ghidorah Sandai Kaiju Chikyu Saidai No Kessan (1965; vt Chikyu Saidai No Kessan), released in Englishas Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster, in which Gojira, Radon and Mosura defend Earth from the nastiest of Toho's monsters, previously introduced in Kaiju Daisenso; Nankai No Daiketto (1966), dir Jun Fukuda, released in English as Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (vt Godzilla vs. the Sea-Monster),in which giant crab Ebirah is defeated, the first of the series not to be directed by Honda; Gojira No Musuko (1967), dir Fukuda, released in English as Son of Godzilla, a comical children's film; Kaiju Soshingeki(1968), dir Honda, released in English as Destroy All Monsters (vt Operation Monsterland; vt The March of the Monsters), in which all 11 Toho monsters to date are feebly on display; Oru Kaiju Daishingeki (1969), dir Honda, released in English as Godzilla's Revenge, too much a rerun of oldfootage; Gojira Tai Hedora (1971), dir Yoshimitsu Banno, released in English as Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster (vt Godzilla Versus Hedora), inwhich the emphasis changes from anti-nuclear-weaponry-and-radiation to anti-pollution, and Gojira has become an undignified, friendly buffoon; Gojira Tai Gaigan (1972), dir Fukuda, released in English as War of theMonsters (vt Godzilla on Monster Island), in which pollution-ridden aliens try to take over Earth; Gojira Tai Megaron (1973), dir Fukuda, released in English as Godzilla vs. Megalon, in which Megalon is a giant cockroach;Gojira Tai Mekagojira (1974), dir Fukuda, released in English as Godzilla vs. the Bionic Monster (vt Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster), in which Gojira battles his alien-controlled cyborg double; Mekagojira No Gyakushu(1975), dir Honda to celebrate Gojira's 20th birthday, released in English as Terror of Mechagodzilla (vt The Escape of Megagodzilla; vt Monsters from the Unknown Planet), a partial return to form, in which aliens again use bad monsters in an invasion of Earth fought off by good monsters.

   PN

   See also: CINEMA; COMICS; GREAT AND SMALL.