Truly a collector's edition, jam-packed with history and almost as much heart as the original film.
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It was worth it. Ask any kid who grew up watching Fifties' monster movies. No matter how dull or expositional the plot got, and whether there was a romantic thread or not, the real star of the film was the creature. And it didn't matter if the warm-up acts tuned up and played a few songs before the star took the stage . . . and demolished everything.
That's the way it was with "Godzilla: King of the Monsters." For two thirds of the film you'd watch Raymond Burr play Perry Mason, standing in the background and observing crowds panic or scientists, politicians, and police debate, and then finally everyone would get out of the way so that Jurassic creature could toddle out of the water and destroy Tokyo.
If you've got a fondness for monster movies, this new DVD from Toho/Classic media is for you. But it's especially for those who appreciate Japanese filmmaking and this early example of anti-nuclear advocacy.
"Gojira" gives you the original 1954 Japanese masterpiece by Ishiro Honda, as well as the Terry Morse version that American kids saw: a 1956 release of the original that was shortened from 98 minutes to 80 minutes and recut adding footage of Burr throughout, using body doubles and trick editing. Watch them as a double feature and you'll see that the original stomps the stuffing out of the Americanized version.
Classic Media isn't touting this as a definitive version, but it certainly feels like one. The transfer is as good as it gets, considering the poor quality of the original source materials (some of the scenes incorporated 16mm stock WWII military shots!) and the treatment is almost scholarly. Film experts Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski offer full-length commentaries for each version that are pretty extraordinary in their scope and depth. They've done an incredible amount of research, and it shows. Plus, there's zero dead air, nothing self-serving, and no nervous chatter except for one "Brokeback Mountain" reference. Everything they have to say seems substantial. They point out body doubles in the Americanized version, talk about the film's reputation and whether it's deserved or not, address Burr's involvement and the story of how "Gojira" came to be Americanized, address controversies, point out factual inaccuracies in the films, and comment on differences between the two versions and how it effects the underlying theme of the movie: peace!
I'm sure that I would have spent plenty of time in the lobby waiting in the popcorn line had the original film played in movie houses, but as an adult I found the original "Gojira" fascinating for its somber tone, its noir-like staging and lighting, its many references to nuclear testing (which were dropped in the American version), and, perhaps most of all, the way that humanity was showcased before the monster—a metaphor for nuclear holocaust—destroys everything. As an adult, it's also easy to see parallels between this film and the original "King Kong" and the first mutant monster movie, "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms." But the thing that really struck me this time around was how the original "Gojira" was more subtle, even poetic.
In the Japanese version, "Godzilla" isn't clearly a mutant monster. Some of the islanders of Odo think he's an ancient mythical beast that's been awakened, so there's that ambiguity. For another thing, "Gojira" could have been awfully anti-American, but instead the filmmakers concentrated on making a strong anti-war and anti-nuclear testing and proliferation statement. "Godzilla" may symbolize the nuclear test the U.S. conducted near Bimini that affected a Japanese tuna boat, and his atomic breath and glowing dorsal plates may be atomic power personified, but the film also offers balance. The Japanese scientist who will eventually descend into the ocean with his "oxygen destroyer" to defeat Godzilla is also a metaphor for the moral dilemma facing scientists who create devices that can be used by the military-industrialist complex.
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[release]19908[/release]