Gojira (1954) [Tokusatsu Review]

Gojira 1954; or, Rise of the King!

      Following Odo Island tradition, I propose for the time being that we call this creature Godzilla. We encountered Godzilla on Odo Island. This is a photo of its head. We can estimate that it stands approximately 165 feet tall. Why such a creature would appear in our territorial waters is the next question. It was probably hidden away in a deep sea cave, providing for its own survival, and perhaps others like it. However, repeated underwater H-bomb tests have completely destroyed its natural habitat. To put it simply, hydrogen-bomb testing has driven it from its sanctuary.

This time let’s take a closer look at the movie that sparked one of the longest lasting franchises and also had a profound influence on the shape and later development of Kaiju genre. Oh, come on! You knew it was coming. How can we talk about Japanese cinema without mentioning one its most famous cultural icons: Godzilla, the King of the Monsters!

Release Info

Directed by: Ishirō Honda Starring: Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata, Momoko Kōchi, Takashi Shimura

Language: Japanese Original Title: ゴジラ Runtime: 96 min

Synopsis

The plot of this film couldn’t have been simpler: a giant monster appears out of the blue and wreaks havoc on the defenceless population of Tokyo. After mysterious destructions of naval ships as well as an isolated fishing village, a paleontologist, Kyohei Yamane (Takashi Shimura), is sent down to Odo Island to investigate the matter. Apart from encountering such unsettling things as a trilobite and radioactive giant footprints, the scientist also manages to take a snapshot of Godzilla himself!

Horrified authorities try to come up with some ideas to destroy the vicious monster before his probable attack on Japan, but eventually, they end up building a line of tall electrical towers along the coast of Tokyo, which proves totally useless. In view of this, the only hope for salvation of Tokyo’s citizens is Dr Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata) and his mysterious invention called the Oxygen Destroyer…

Something more than just another monster movie

Gojira directed by Ishirō Honda (Kurosawa’s apprentice) is quite an unsettling motion picture to watch, especially when considering that it’s been 60 years since its original release and over 30 sequels/reboots that redefined the character of Godzilla. What I have in mind is that, surprisingly, this is not a movie about Godzilla. King of the monsters is just a pretext to induce a mortifying feeling of post-war trauma among the Japanese audiences. The middle of the night, sounds of sirens, raging chaos of fire storm outside, and ravaged streets. Gojira stands out of the rest of Kaiju movies because it employs its titular monster as a metaphor for nuclear annihilation. The King swiftly epitomises the horrors of World War II as well as foreshadows what may become of mankind after further advancements in the field of atomic weaponry. Honda himself stated that Godzilla is the embodiment of nature that takes revenge on the human recklessness.

At the time of its release, some of the special effects looked quite crude; however, if you expect some proper action like in later Godzilla sequels, you may feel disappointed due to uneven pacing and shifting narrative focus. What I mean by pacing is that the film starts almost right off bat (as if someone accidentally pushed a fast-forward button), thus the opening feels chopped. The destruction of the ships and the village are just shown for the sake of introducing the story and the viewers don’t have time to process the things they see. It is not until the 20th minute of the picture when the King appears in its full grace and when the action picks up, just to gradually slow down towards the end.

This brings us to another problem with narrative focus. Namely, the movie doesn’t have any particular human lead. Yes, humans never were that much relevant in Godzilla movies, but we have so many characters on screen that it is very hard for us to relate to their internal dilemmas. Firstly, there is Dr Yamane, an old-school scientist who glorifies the King (as all of us should do) and thinks that it would be better to study him rather than killing. Then we have Hideo Ogata (Akira Takarada), a salvage ship captain who is madly in love with Yamane’s daughter, Emiko (Momoko Kochi). The captain believes that destroying Godzilla is the only rational thing to do, because the alternative would be the King destroying them. Emiko, on the other hand, does not have an opinion. She is of course frightened, but at the same time torn between the affection for two men, Ogata and Dr Serizawa. In contrast to Ogata, Serizawa is a war veteran and a (mad) scientist (looking extremely cool in a lab coat and with an eye-patch). Nevertheless, he refuses to use the Oxygen Destroyer against Godzilla because he is afraid that the government may later use his invention for military purposes.

Nonetheless, the aforementioned things don’t entirely disrupt the pleasure of watching the picture. Whenever the King appears, things get extremely epic, especially with Akira Ifukube’s memorable soundtrack. Moreover, black and white colours only amplify the feeling of eeriness and fear to the serious tone of the film. In addition, the ending sequence is remarkably moving, almost poetic. I even dare to say that such a level of emotional depth was achieved only once more in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).

Recommendations

I recommend this movie to everyone who is a Godzilla fan. It is simply a must-see. However, speaking of all those who are not so devoted followers of the King, if you want to see something unique, out of the ordinary and culturally important, this is also a choice for you. All in all, Gojira (1954) is one of those movies that shall never be forgotten. No matter how old you are or how epic the recent blockbusters are, the King will still be around us, stomping and roaring with all his might.

Overall score: 9/10