Godzilla (1954)

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Japan's iconic movie monster, Godzilla. The new American version is being released next week, so it felt like a good time to look back at the 1954 original which created a monster legend.

Boats are being destroyed off the coast of Odo Island. The island's native people believe it to be the work of a mthical creature they call "Godzilla". A team of reporters travel to the island and discover that Godzilla actually exists. A team of scientists, including the paleontologist, Dr Yamane, and his daughter Emiko, travel to Odo Island and find out that  "Godzilla" is a prehistoric beast that was woken by atomic tests. The scientists return to the mainland and warn the Government, who then prepare to fight the monster. 

When Godzilla attacks Tokyo, attempts at fighting the monster prove futile. The only thing that could possibly harm Godzilla is the Oxygen Destroyer, a tool created by Emiko's fiance, Dr Serizawa. However, Serizawa is unwilling to use the Oxygen Destroyer, in case the Japanese Government adopts it as a weapon.

Inevitably, Dr Serizawa is persuaded to use the device. Before doing so, he destroys his notes and after setting off the Oxygen Destroyer, he dies along with Godzilla to prevent others.

One thing that marks this out from the other original Godzilla series is the anti-nuclear theme. One of my favourite scenes is when a group of civilians on a train are casually talking about Nagasaki. For a modern viewer like myself, it really does drive home the fact that the people of 1954 had actually experienced these dark times. I doubt this was highly original for the times, and this is still primarily a monster action movie, but the themes help to give it a bit of weight.

There are four main human characters in this film who form a sort of family unit. Dr Yamane's daughter, Emiko, is engaged to Serizawa, but secretly likes the sailor Ogata. Serizawa is distant, but favoured by Dr Yamane. The two young leads, Ogata and Emiko are fairly standard good guys, with little memorable features. The two scientists are slightly more interesting in that they have to change their opinions in light of the Godzilla crisis. Yamane initially wants the Government to capture Godzilla alive for scientific research and is angry at plans to kill it. Dr Serizawa refuses to use the Oxygen Destroyer. The destruction of Tokyo forces both men to change their minds. Dr Yamane heads the Anti-Godzilla movement while Dr Serizawa is finally persuaded to use the Oxygen Destroyer against the monster.

The whole film has a much harsher tone than the later Godzilla films. A particularly memorable moment is when a woman is hugging her daughter, telling her that she will "see her father in heaven soon" before they are attacked by Godzilla. It's a grim scene. The scenes in the hospital after Godzilla's attack, with crying children and wounded adults help to remind the audience of that there are human victims in all of this. Many later kaiju films had monsters smashing buildings without showing the effect on human life, and those films suffered for that. The ending, with two human descending into the ocean to use the Oxygen Destroyer, is more mournful than the later, brash attacks of the 60s and 70s Godzilla films.

The Godzilla monster itself one of the more impressive versions. The man in a suit look may look old fashioned these days but it was pretty impressive for its time. The monster is used sparingly and its appearance is built up to. Its trademark atomic breath is not shown until very late in the film, adding an element of surprise to the creature. Setting the scenes of the attack on Tokyo at night help to keep the creature in darkness, making it appear more menacing

Whatever your opinion of monster movies, this is an important pop culture event. Whether or not the new film revives interest in the monster remains to be seen.

8/10