Japan Release: 1954
Running Time: 96 minutes

Godzilla

ゴジラ
[Gojira]

A fishing vessel is mysteriously destroyed at sea. A sent rescue ship is also sunk, decimated in a flash of light. Natives of Odo Island, an area near the disasters and where radiation stricken survivors wash ashore before dying, warn of "Godzilla": a giant monster. Shortly afterwards, something visits Odo Island and leaves destruction in its wake. The Japanese government sends a research group to the area. They find a mammoth footprint, which turns out to be highly radioactive. The discovery is interrupted by an alarm, as the villagers run to the hills in time to see the head of Godzilla looming over them. Hearing of the beast, the Japanese military sends their fleet to the vicinity and begins using depth charges in an effort to kill it. News spreads, and the general public rejoices at the monster's death, before it rises out of the sea heading toward Tokyo...

Live Action Science Fiction Kaiju Godzilla

Titles

Godzilla

Godzilla, King of the Monsters
US Distributor: Trans World (1956) / Time: 80 Minutes

Godzilla: Monster of the Sea
[Sweden]

Japan: Under the Terror of the Monster
[Spain]

Monsters

Aliens, SDF & Misc.

Staff

Cast

Posters

Box Office

DVDs and Blu-rays

CD Soundtracks

Background and Trivia

• According to producer Tomoyuki Tanaka in 1985: “The theme of the film, from the beginning, was the terror of the Bomb. Mankind had created the Bomb, and now nature was going to take revenge on mankind.” His quote can be found in Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G" (ISBN 1550223488).
• When composer Akira Ifukube was asked about how the film and character have been described as a metaphor for death and warfare, he agreed with this statement. He also explained that he “felt sympathy for the monster” and “viewed him as a kind of symbol”. Ifukube elaborated that the beast “was bombarded by the same nuclear bombs that had struck Japan and he was attacked with modern technology”, having earlier noted that he felt Japan lost to American due to the advanced technology of America and making parallels to the beast and Japan. Ifukube's comments can be found in 1999's G-FAN #41.
• Working title for the production was “The Giant Monster from 20,000 Miles Beneath the Sea” via Tomoyuki Tanaka. Executive producer Iwao Mori changed this to “Project G”. Noted in Japan's Favorite Mon-Star (ISBN 1550223488).
• Shigeru Kayama was brought on board in May 1954 to assist in the creation of a workable story for Godzilla (1954). After working on the basis for a screenplay, he eventually created two novellas that were published as a single book in 1955 – "Godzilla in Tokyo" and "Godzilla in Osaka". The first novella generally represents the story beats of the 1954 film while the latter reflects the film's sequel, Godzilla Raids Again (1955). A full interview on the subject, featuring Jeffrey Angels, translator of the English Version of the book, can be found here.
• For the American version, the Trans World logo is superimposed on the Toho logo before the movie starts.

Concept Art

Cut Scenes

Godzilla Eats a Cow

When the village alarm bell tolls, everyone is forced to flee to the hills, believing that high ground would protect them from the oncoming terror. Running to the hilltop, the crowds of terrified populace were confronted by the image of a demon that rose over the ridge. Grasping a dead cow in its powerful maw, Godzilla had shown the world that he existed.

Background:
This cut scene was filmed with the intention of replacing the, now famous, introduction of Godzilla over the hill top. The scene was cut by special effects guru Eiji Tsuburaya, who felt the effect looked unconvincing. In order to be visible, the cow would have to be over 5 meters in contrast with Godzilla, throwing off a sense of proportion with the title monster. So, the shot was redone with just Godzilla coming over the ridge, and roaring down menacingly at the humans below. As a side note: no footage of this scene is believed to still exist to this day, and only very few pictures prove its existence.

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