Happy Birthday Godzilla

[Toby G Levy]

By William Arnold, P-I movie critic
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Even in its own time, the 1956 U.S. version of "Godzilla," was considered
a campy joke - the ultimate cheesy, ludicrously acted, clumsily dubbed
Japanese monster movie featuring an actor in a dinosaur suit tromping on
an obviously fake, miniature Tokyo. 

But two years before, there had been an earlier Japanese version of
"Godzilla," with a different structure and tone, and almost 40 minutes
that had not yet been cut to make room for a new subplot starring Raymond
Burr as a U.S. reporter observing the action. 

Now, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, this original version is
having its first U.S. release, and fans will find it, if not quite the
masterpiece some Japanese critics have proclaimed, at least a saner, more
poetic film. 

While the U.S. version opens on scenes of the prehistoric monster's
devastation and flashes back on his saga as seen by the Burr character,
the Japanese version opens more calmly and builds the mystery of Godzilla
and its narrative pace much more leisurely. 

It's roughly the same story: a slumbering monster is awakened from the
depths of the sea by H-bomb testing; he destroys a series of ships, and
he comes ashore on a remote island where he's observed by a sympathetic
paleontologist (Takashi Shimura). 

The scientist wants to save him, but it's not to be and, as the
scientist's daughter (Momoko Kochi), bounds between a handsome sailor
(Akira Takarada) and another scientist (Akihiko Hirata) who has invented
an effective monster-killer, Godzilla heads for Tokyo. 

Yet, while these plot swings are the same, it's a more ambitious film,
with snatches of humor, more suspense and character development, and
enough scenes with Shimura to justify the presence of one of Japan's
all-time great film actors ("The Seven Samuari," "Ikiru"). 

It's also more of a reaction to Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Not only does it
place additional emphasis on Godzilla's nuclear origin, it deals with
each of the characters' tragic relationship to the war. It's very much an
anti-nuke/anti-war movie. 

The ad campaign of the re-release claims this original "Godzilla" to be
one of the great classics of Japanese cinema, citing its "astonishing,
`Strangelove'-like black humor," its "exquisitely detailed" miniature
Tokyo and "tour de force special effects." 

That's a stretch: the '54 "Godzilla" is still one hokey and often
hilariously clumsy creature feature, especially when compared with the
inspired cycle of Universal Studios giant-monster movies of the '50s that
director Ishiro Honda was trying to emulate. 

But the new black-and-white print is gorgeous, the film plays well in
this broader key and it sets the historical record straight: In the
beginning, "Godzilla" was closer in spirit to "King Kong" than to its
U.S. retake or any of its five decades of ever-cheesier sequels. 
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