Who would have thought that a radioactive, fire breathing dragon, originally intended to be a metaphor for the firebombing of Tokyo during World War II, would have turned into a cultural icon known and loved (yes, loved) the world over? Certainly not the Japanese, but that’s exactly what happened with Godzilla.
Who also would have guessed that the 1954 Japanese original and its Americanized counterpart would inspire at least 25 sequels and/or remakes up to this point with the newest one having just opened in movie theaters all over the world? This latest installment cost 150 times what the original did and, unlike the original outside of Japan, it’s receiving mostly positive reviews (see mine this issue).
It all began when Japanese director Inoshiro Honda (no relation to the car company) saw the 1953 American sci-fi flick The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms about a radioactive dinosaur awakened by atomic testing. Honda took this basic idea and turned it not only into a warning of the dangers of atomic testing, but also a direct allegory of the firebombing of Tokyo by the Allies with its appalling number of civilian casualties.
Honda’s version featured a highly stylized creature out of Japanese mythology in the form of a dragon that not only had a devastating breath of fire but was also radioactive. Originally called Gojira in Japanese, Godzilla was an unparalleled destructive force with no redeeming features. He destroyed ships at sea, flattened cities and villages, and incinerated women and children.
The original’s somber tone was carried over into an Americanized version that featured new footage of a pre-Perry Mason Raymond Burr as reporter Steve Martin. This version was released two years later. Most of the carnage was left in, but references to the firebombing were removed. The creature was also renamed Godzilla for non-Japanese audiences, and his distinctive roar (made by rubbing the strings of a double bass with a leather glove and then altering the pitch) became his trademark. The movie was a worldwide hit.
In the best Hollywood tradition, the Japanese rushed a sequel into production (even though Godzilla had been thoroughly destroyed at the end of the first film) called Godzilla Raids Again. It took 4 years to reach the U.S where it was renamed Gigantis the Fire Monster for copyright reasons. This is the first time that Godzilla would do battle with another giant monster which would become a cornerstone of the later sequels.
Within less than a decade Godzilla had been transformed from a fearsome symbol of man’s inhumanity into the savior of Japan (and by association the rest of the Free World) by doing battle with various monsters and invaders and always emerging triumphant (except in 1962’s Godzilla –vs- King Kong where Kong was allowed to win in the American version).
Godzilla’s transformation from bad guy to good guy paralleled the rise of the Japanese economy in the 1970s and 80s and with success came formulaic repetition with the movies getting cheaper and cheaper and the character became little more than a live action cartoon with “the man in the rubber suit” origin of the character played strictly for laughs. He even uses kung fu in 1971’s Godzilla –vs- the Smog Monster.
For his 30th anniversary in 1984 an attempt was made to return the series to its serious roots. For Godzilla 1985 he doesn’t battle anything else and proceeds to destroy much of Tokyo before being lured away and falling into a live volcano. Raymond Burr was even brought in to comment on the action. The film was not a success and Godzilla disappeared from movie screens for over a decade.
After the success of Jurassic Park, a wholly reinvented Godzilla was launched in 1998 with Matthew Broderick in the lead and New York standing in for Tokyo. The creature looked nothing like the old one and the physical resemblance to Jurassic Park was quite pronounced. The story resembled The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and fans were not pleased.
The Japanese were so offended that they quickly made their own new version Godzilla 2000 to restore the monster’s honor and integrity. While the American version bombed (primarily due to its $100 million budget) the Japanese one was a modest success but it seemed that Godzilla had roared his last roar…until now.
The new Godzilla goes back to the beginning with man’s stupidity concerning nuclear power resulting in a disaster of spectacular proportions. Godzilla is now a force of nature needed to save the world (mostly San Francisco) from two rampaging, energy sucking creatures that are updates of the second great Japanese monster, Rodan.
At $150 million it’s the most expensive Godzilla movie yet and certainly the most realistic looking although it was the lack of realism that made the original series what it was. Godzilla may be 60 but with an opening weekend of almost $100 million there’s still plenty of life in the old boy yet.
