How is ‘Godzilla’ (1954) the best and most poignant monster movie of all time?

The destruction and devastation of World War Two touched many lives. It changed continents forever, it changed the way people thought and it affected us all so greatly that we vowed never to repeat the same mistakes. Among the horrors and twisted events of the war, the one that ended it all came with a swift and monstrous blow that levelled two cities and in total, decimated approximately 185,000 Japanese people. The effects of the atomic bomb were resolute. It successfully managed to break the spirit of Japan, along with creating their fear of the nuclear threat. 9 years later, a ToHo movie production studio produced a film titled ‘Gojira’, directed by Ishiro Honda. The film was to be portray a reptilian beast targeting the Japanese coastline, and then onto Tokyo itself, resulting in fire and Armageddon. At this time, Japan was still reeling from the effects of the bomb, and this was Honda’s way of presenting the essence of an entire generation, in the guise of a movie about a giant lizard. Godzilla represented everything Japan feared, a threat of nuclear holocaust and the terror of the bomb, a “symbol of a world gone wrong, a work of man that once created cannot be taken back or deleted.” (Jacobson, 2014)

In 1954, ToHo originally planned to start production on ‘In the Shadow of Glory’, a Japanese-Indonesian co-production about the Japanese occupation of Indonesia, but due to the anti-Japanese attitudes in Indonesia, the film crew were denied permits to film there, meaning they had to come up with something else, which they could film on their home-turf. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka flew to Indonesia to negotiate, but ultimately came back empty handed, if it wasn’t for the great idea he had on the plane back to Japan. Tanaka wanted to make a monster movie, in the same vein as ‘The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms’ which had released the year prior and had been received well, as well as the 1952 re-release of ‘King Kong’. Tanaka also had noticed the increased news on nuclear fears, as well as the success of giant monster movies. The film began development, firstly as ‘The Beast from 20,000 leagues From Under The Sea’, and then simply ‘Project G’. It was at this time that the film gained a director, someone who had war-time experience, Ishiro Honda. Honda was also chosen as he was one of the only directors to offer to take it seriously. Science-Fiction was looked down upon in Japan at the time, so it was agreed that ‘Godzilla’ would be filmed as if documentary, with serious tones. It was during this time that the beast was to be an allegory for the nuclear bomb, and the fear of the Japanese people. Honda stated that “if our hearts were not in it 100% it would not have worked. We wanted the monster to possess the terrifying characteristics of an atomic bomb. This was our approach, without any reservations.” (Ryfle & Godziszewski, Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa., 2017).

Once the film was released in Japan, it was met with mixed to negative reviews. The film was accused of exploiting the destruction that the bomb has caused, and profiteering off the fear of the general public. Honda later stated in the Tokyo Journal that they called it “grotesque junk, and said it looked like something you’d spit up.” (Ryfle, Japan’s Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G, 1998). Honda stated that the Japanese critics began to change their minds once US reviewers began to like the film, and notice it’s relation the horrors of the atomic bomb, “the assessment began to impact critics in Japan and they changed their opinions over the years.” (Ishida, 2013). In 1984, Kinema Junpo magazine listed ‘Godzilla’ as one of the top 20 Japanese films ever made, and a survey done by 370 Japanese movie critics listed it as the 27th best Japanese film of all time. (Ryfle, Japan’s Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G, 1998). Today, ‘Godzilla’ can be seen echoed in popular culture, from the 2014 remake by Gareth Edwards, to the inspiration for Steven Spielberg when creating ‘Jurassic Park’.

Godzilla destroys train.

As revered as it is, it is not just the thematic qualities of the film that make this a classic. From the cinematography, to the score, ‘Godzilla’ is brimming with technical mastery. The scene that I think portrays this the most, has to be Godzilla’s destruction of Shinagawa. Even in Black & White, the contrast of the fire against the falling building and this great lumbering beast work together in perfect harmony to create a harrowing and depressing scene. All too often, modern films gloss over the destruction of the cities, regular people are forgotten amidst all of the chaos, in favour of our superheroes, or monsters. Surely that building that the Hulk smashed into had people in it? Surely that building that Superman just levelled had children inside? The weightlessness of the devastation in these films is perhaps due to audience desensitization, but the decision to include a mother and her children, accepting death and crying, whilst saying ‘Don’t cry, we’ll be with Daddy soon. Just a few more minutes and we’ll be with Daddy soon.’ Shows that ‘Godzilla’ puts the human cost right before the audience’s eyes. The emotional resonance of this scene coupled with scenes of the aftermath of Godzilla’s rampage really strike the point home about the reality of this film’s true message, this is not a film about a giant lizard attacking a city, It is “the best window into post-war attitudes towards nuclear power we’ve got – as seen from the perspective of it’s greatest victims.” (Merchant, 2013). While Shingawa is obviously a model, there is no denying that there is a disturbing sense of plastic reality, the sense that this is not just a model, it is a memory. It is a window into the past that can never be forgotten.

With films like ‘Godzilla’, it is easy to mock and laugh at the makeshift special effects. The challenge is looking past this, and appreciating the workmanship behind the monster. Originally, the film was going to utilize stop-motion, a Harryhausen-esque monster much like King Kong, this was then later changed to suitmation, involving a large, man-sized suit which an actor would step inside and become Godzilla. The first suit that was constructed was so heavy that the actor they hired to get in it, fell down immediately. A second suit was constructed, but Nakajima was only able to last 3 minutes before passing out and lost 20 pounds in total after the production had finished. Despite being a giant lizard, there are political and cultural undertones to his character, most of these are reflections of what the Japanese felt during WWII. Most audiences actually sympathised with Godzilla and found him a relatable character, as he was a product of the bomb the US dropped on Japan. In this way, it could be said that this was a way of blaming the US for the aftermath and hardships the Japanese faced after the war. There are direct references to the effects of the bomb, even in Godzilla’s skin, he does not have scales, but rather an irradiated hide similar to the scaring seem on the survivors of the bomb. Although, there is sympathy on both sides, which can be seen in the climax of the film, when Dr Shirazawa gets ready for his descent into the ocean to release the Hydrogen bomb that will ultimately destroy Godzilla. Shirazawa’s fear and apprehension of releasing the bomb could be seen as a perspective from the US when deciding to drop the atomic bomb. Sherizawa is no less scared of Godzilla than he is of human evil, ultimately taking his own life with the Hydrogen bomb in order to stop humanity from adding another weapon to its arsenal and taking part in the vicious circle.

A ruined city.

‘Godzilla’ deserves to be remembered as a fantastic film. A poignant and hard-hitting allegory for human destruction and the threat of nuclear war. A perspective into both sides of the use of atomic bomb, and harrowing look into the past. A single frame can capture the essence of an entire generation. Films are a reflection of the society in which they are made, especially when we are faced with hardships, and sometimes those films can used as coping mechanisms. 9/11 was potentially the last biggest disaster to happen, and there are countless films which deal with the aftermath, from many different viewpoints, as a way of allowing a look into that world. Nuclear threat is always on the horizon, as seen in the HBO minseries ‘Chernobyl’, a grim look into the destruction of an entire city by an invisible enemy. What will be the next film to show us our misgivings? To show us where we went wrong? ‘Godzilla’ reminds us still today, to never forget our past.

Bibliography

Ishida, H. (2013). Memories of Ishiro Honda. Twenty Years After The Passing Of Godzilla’s Famed Director (Pgs 19-20 ed.). -: Movieland Classics LLC.

Jacobson, M. (2014, May 16). What Does Godzilla Mean? The Evolution of a Monster Metaphor. Retrieved from Vulture: https://www.vulture.com/2014/05/godzilla-meaning-monster-metaphors.html

Merchant, B. (2013, Aug 25). A Brief History of Godzilla, Our Never-Ending Nuclear Nightmare. Retrieved from Vice: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8gd4e3/a-brief-history-of-godzilla-our-never-ending-nuclear-nightmare

Ryfle, S. (1998). Japan’s Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G. -: ECW Press.

Ryfle, S., & Godziszewski, E. (2017). Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa. -: Wesleyan University Press.

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