Godzilla (1954) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Godzilla
Year: 1954
Director: Ishiro Honda
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese

Initially the atomic bomb was considered one more catastrophe in a catastrophic war. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were just two of many ruined Japanese cities—the firebombing of Tokyo had been no less horrible. Slowly however, the bomb began to mean much more and nuclear anxiety heightened in the early-mid 1950's. Addressing nuclear doomsday from the perspective of the only nation in the world to have suffered an atomic bomb, Godzilla was an important topic of the day.

In this film, American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable, dinosaur-like beast.

Initially seeming like a Japanese imitation of the American film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953),and an updated version of the classic King Kong (1933), Godzilla proved to be a wholly original work that proved to be the most expensive movie made in Japan at that time. It cost ten times the amount a traditional Japanese feature did, but considering the mileage they have got from the creature (twenty-eight sequels over forty years) I'd say it was worth the cost.

For the Japanese audience, Godzilla successfully captured the dramatic nature of World War Two and its aftermath much like how German Expressionism captured Germany's mood following World War One. Godzilla is filled with images of panic, but also images of collectivism and solidarity despite the growing threat that looms around Tokyo. One could argue that this is a very patriotic picture.

Despite how much Godzilla has changed over the years, the original Japanese picture remains quite imaginative and paints a great picture of how just unbalanced the world was following the second world war. Both destroyer and victim, the monster inspires terror and empathy—perhaps even admiration. It is poetry in the face of madness.