Godzilla 『ゴジラ』
The original Toho Studio classic examines the Japanese reaction when a giant, irradiated monster rises from the depths of the sea and proceeds to rampage through Tokyo. However, despite spawning a franchise that would focus mostly on monster versus monster battles, the seminal film is an allegory for the destructive nature of nuclear power: a topic that would have been much on the minds of the Japanese following the incidents at Hiroshima and Nagasaki only a few years before.
In dealing with the Godzilla crisis, two camps emerge. One side would like to capture Godzilla and study it, while the other wants to destroy it by any means necessary. In the end, it is decided that the Japanese must fight "fire with fire" and attack the beast with an equivalent weapon of mass destruction. This comes in the form of Dr. Serizawa's Oxygen Destroyer. The scientist himself chooses to detonate the weapon, but at what cost?
In 1956, the original Japanese film was re-edited into the American version, Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, co-directed by Terry O. Morse and Ishirō Honda. The film was dubbed mostly into English and cut several minutes of the film in order to include newly recorded portions starring actor Raymond Burr. Notably, anti-nuclear sentiment was removed from the film, significantly changing its message.
Godzilla can be purchased at retailers such as Amazon.com.
_thumb.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
