REVIEW: GOJIRA
REVIEW: GODZILLA
REVIEW: ISHIRO HONDA [ 1954 ] 96'
REVIEW: TOHO COMPANY LTD.
CAST: AKIRA TAKARADA, MOMOKO KOCHI,
CAST: AKIHIKO HIRATA, TAKASHI SHIMURA
WTFFILM RATING:

In preperation for the imminent arrival of a copy of Luigi Cozzi's failed 1977 revival of GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS (1956), I have taken it upon myself to review both the Japanese and American versions of the classic Toho film, GOJIRA (1954). I know many who would consider the two films to be one in the same, but I don't think this is the case. Both have distinct characters that drive their versions of the story along, and both are quite succesful on their own merits. As such, expect a review of GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS (1956) to appear tomorrow.

In the years since the 1954 release of the original film, Gojira (as a character) has escaped the borders of his homeland to become one of the most famous fictional characters to date. No doubt the largest pop culture icon ever concieved, Gojira even garnered himself a star on the Hollywood walk of fame in 2004. After 50 years of dilution and a string of increasingly mediocre sequals (particularly those films made between 1999 and 2004) it's easy to forget the realities that brought Gojira into existence in the first place.

In 1953, Ray Harrayhausen stunned audiences with his stop motion effects work for THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS. A classic in its own right, the film centered around a dinosaur frozen in the Arctic that is awakened by an atomic test. Pissed and confused, the pitiable creature eventually wades his way to New York, where he wreaks all manner of havoc before being destroyed in the Coney Island amusement park. The film was a big success and helped insure Harryhausen a wealth of projects throughout the 50's and 60's.

The financial potential of a film about a giant monster appealed to Toho studios, a film studio that was at the forefront of a number of film genres at the time. Ishiro Honda was given the task of directing the film. Instead of simply making a Japanese version of BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953), Honda weaved the various elements of the story together with a number of pertenent social issues at the time (including the irradiation of the Lucky Dragon, continued testing of bigger and better nuclear weapons, and even the effects of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki). What resulted was a far superior narrative and a creature with a depth and meaning never before seen.

The film begins with the destruction of a fishing vessal off the coast of Japan by a fiery boiling sea. Officials are stunned, but become truly frightened when their rescue ship meets the same fate. A third ship, belonging to a nearby island, is also destroyed (but after it manages to pick up a couple of survivors from one of the previous disasters). The public at large, not to mention shipping companies throughout Japan and the central government are truly worried by this point. Reporters eventually travel to Odo Island to question the locals about what they'd seen. There they find that many of the locals believe that the disasters were caused by a living creature of immense proportions.

After an exorcism ceremony meant to protect the islanders from the legendary monster Gojira, a storm ravages the island. In the wake buildings as well as the helicopter that brought the reporters are found crushed. A conference is held back in mainland Japan, where it is decided that a research party (headed by Dr. Yamane, played wonderfully by the late great Takashi Shimura) will be dispatched to the island.

Upon arrival, Yamane concludes that deep depressions in the earth seem to be the footprints left by an enormous creature. What's worse, the area of the island effected by the mysterious depressions has been irradiated, leaving wells unusable and the land dangerous to live on. Also discovered is a prehistoric arthropod called a "trilobite". Just as Yamane collects the specimen, the warning bell is tolled and the entire island is sent scurrying towards high ground. The reason is made quite apparant after Gojira, an enormous prehistoric reptile, shows itself from behind a hillside. Yamane and his fellow scientists are stunned by the discovery of this relic from the Jurrassic age.

Analysis of the trilobite, soil samples, and irradiated materials from the island lead Yamane to one conclusion. Gojira is a creature thrust out of his deep sea niche by atomic tests. Not only that, but he seems to have survived an impossibly large absorbtion of radiation. Yamane is amazed that Gojira has survived and insists on studying the creature. But the government thinks otherwise, and a depth charge attack on the newly discovered creature is launched. The attack fails, leaving Tokyo vulnerable to assault by the thirty-meter behemoth.

GOJIRA is a film that can be viewed on many levels. On one level, it is purely a monster film (and a very good one). The special effects created by maestro Eiji Tsubaraya (who had immense power among Toho executives and went on to win many Japanese oscars for special effects) are impressive to say the least. Some shots, featuring Gojira wading through the city with people running in fear in the foreground had never been seen before. It is easy for most to look back on a film over 50 years old and scoff at the effects work, but the miniature effects work utilized by Tsubaraya was miles ahead of any used by other film companies in Japan or elsewhere in the world at the time.

On another level, GOJIRA is a dark glimpse into the workings of post-war Japan. Scenes of the government meetings early on in the film show the country coming to terms with a form of government completely alien to them. Patience is thin, order is lost, and Yamane is left in the shadows as the powers that be determine what is to be done with Gojira. As well, many references are made to WWII (both subliminally and otherwise). People on a train bicker about having to find shelters again, people evacuate the big cities in favor of government provided safe-houses. And on a more subliminal level are Gojira's appearences themselves. Harolded by search lights and sirens, the echoing booms of Gojira's footsteps eerily mimic the thunder of anti-aircraft fire (a sound no doubt well remembered by the Japanese of the time).

And on yet another level, GOJIRA is a potent anti-nuclear weapons allegory. The opening shots of the film seem to be an artistic take on the irradiation of the Lucky Dragon earlier that year. Indeed, the radio operator of the Lucky Dragon was the first to succum to radiation poisoning. As such, Honda took special care to show the death of the radio operator on board the ship in the film. Akihiko Hirata's character in the film, Dr. Serizawa, is a scientist tormented by his involvement in the war as well as his creation (the Oxygen Destroyer). Just like the atom bomb, it's a weapon of unparallelled power that, in the wrong (or possibly even the right) hands could cause massive destruction. Serizawa eventually sacrifices his own life to insure that no one in the world will ever learn the secret to creating another Oxygen Destroyer.

And Gojira, the monster, is a cry for denuclearization himself. The world's largest hibakusha, his flesh is scarred from the heat of an atomic blast, his body carrying with it mass amounts of absorbed radiation. Even his psyche has been effected, as bright lights remind him of the atomic blast that thrust him into our world. Gojira is also a destructive force rivalling that of the atom bomb. Emitting heat rays from his mouth and capable of crushing anything in existence, Gojira leaves Tokyo a smoldering reminder of both the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the fire raids elsewhere that preceeded them.

Much ado has been made over the general silliness of the Gojira films from the late sixties and seventies as well as the mediocrity of the newer films. No such complaints can be drawn about the original film, a stark vision of horror and destruction but ultimately a hopeful tale, it leaves us with the thought that maybe, just maybe, we can make things better. Akira Ifukube should be commended for his score here, which is still one of the best he ever wrote for film. The somber themes and military marches do well to amplify the mood and atmosphere of the film.

GOJIRA is a monster film unlike any other. It is a gritty and realistic fable about the horrors of war and the terror of living in the nuclear age. And what's more, it is one of the greatest films ever made. Released the same year as Akira Kurosawa's SHINICHI NO SAMURAI (THE SEVEN SAMURAI; 1954), it rivals the Kurosawa classic and was nominated for Best Film at the time of its release. GOJIRA comes to you highly recommended, but don't expect a fun Harryhausen style monster romp or a brainless D grade travesty like Bert Gordon's BEGINNING OF THE END (1957). GOJIRA is serious stuff and it deserves to be treated as such.