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GODZILLA
by Peter Sobczynski

July 2, 2004

(out of 4 stars)

FILM CREDITS: Written by Takeo Murata and Ishiro Honda. Directed by Ishiro Honda. Starring Takashi Shimura, Momoko Kochi, Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata and Haruo Nakajima. MPAA Rating (Not Rated). Distributed by Rialto Pictures.

Let us assume that back in 1975, some enterprising Japanese studio got a hold of the rights to distribute Steven Spielberg’s "Jaws" in their homeland. They might have decided, for example, to quickly and cheaply redub the entire thing on the theory that no self-respecting Japanese would want to read pesky subtitles to know what was going on. They might have also decided to cut out much of the political subtext (and yes, it was there), social commentary and humor on the assumption that such details wouldn’t travel very well. In a final burst of "inspiration", they might have decided to make it seem more Japanese by hiring a couple of B-level performers-maybe the two girls from Pink Lady-and spending a day shooting brief scenes of them floating in a tank on a rowboat that could be cut randomly into the film; of course, even more of the original footage would have to be removed to make room for such additions. If this did happen, I suspect that Japanese audiences would have laughed it off the screen and regarded "Jaws" as a cheesy and idiotic monster movie and if you suggested that the original uncut version was incomparably better, they would probably look at you as if you were nuts.

This is a goofy premise, I admit, but it is essentially what happened in 1954 to Ishiro Honda’s "Godzilla", his epic monster movie in which he gave physical embodiment to the fears of post-Hiroshima Japan in the shape of an enormous monster awoken by atomic testing who wreaks havoc on Tokyo. Although the most expensive Japanese film ever made at the time and an enormous hit in its homeland, it wound up having its American rights purchased two years later by a low-budget distributor who recut and redubbed the film, shot new scenes with Raymond Burr awkwardly spliced into the main action and tossed it out on the monster-movie marketplace as "Godzilla: King of the Monsters". It did well, but the cheesiness of the "improvements" (along with the fact that many Americans were unaware of the changes done to the original in the first place) meant that it would always be looked at as nothing more than a low-rent knock-off of films like "King Kong" and fit only for kiddie matinees and late-night horror hosts-the fate that befell the sequels and rip-offs that would follow over the years (none more appalling than the 1998 American remake.)

As a 50th anniversary present, the original, unexpurgated version of "Godzilla" is finally getting a long-overdue release in America. Although hard-core fans of Godzilla have probably seen this version at some point, for most audiences, seeing the film as it was meant to be seen will prove to be a stunning revelation. Rather than being just a campy exercise in nostalgia, it turns out to be a surprisingly effective epic that has more than stood up to the test of time. For those who know it only from the recut version, it will feel as if they are seeing the film for the first time-which, in a way, they are.

Right from the beginning, the differences are obvious and striking. While the U.S. version was told in flashback by the Burr character, who narrates after the destruction has already occurred, the Japanese version is told in a chronological manner. Other scenes deleted from the American version gave more screen time to the character of Dr. Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata), a scientist who is reluctant to inform anyone of the awesomely destructive Oxygen Destroyer weapon that he has developed, even when it becomes clear it may be the only way to stop Godzilla, and the tense love triangle involving him, Emiko (Momoko Kochi), the girl that he is engaged to, and Ogata (Akira Takarada), the man she really loves. Surprisingly, nearly every scene of humor-including a TV reporter delivering a play-by-play account of Godzilla’s rampage-was deleted as well, leaving the recut version a far more dour experience than the original. (Perhaps this is why people latched on the dubbing as a source of humor-they had nothing else to give them relief.)

Not surprisingly, the most significant deletions and revisions involved references to the A-Bomb, a subject that touched nerves in Japan coming less than a decade after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This version includes scenes in which it is theorized that Godzilla was brought to life because of A-Bomb testing, a scene where commuters bemoan the fact that they may have to evacuate again and, most shattering, a moment amidst the carnage in which a mother embraces her child as the destruction approaches and tells her "We’ll be joining Daddy soon." Even more pointedly, Godzilla is at one point called "a menace to all Japanese, like the H-bomb" and, after the Oxygen Destroyer does its work in the finale, a character muses about how continued nuclear testing might bring on another Godzilla. None of these items made it into the American version-that final musing was rewritten so that Raymond Burr remarked that "the world can now wake up and live again" because the big monster was defeated by an even-more powerful weapon. (This would seem to be a contradiction-especially when you consider what Serizawa does to ensure that his weapon will never again be used-until you remember who it was written by and for.)

Regarding the special effects, which have been much derided over the years for using a man in a Godzilla suits stomping model buildings instead of stop-motion animation (which does appear in a couple of shots)-personally, I think that they hold up pretty well. There is a tactility to the scenes of destruction-thanks to the fact that something real and tangible is busting up something equally real-that comes as a relief after all the patently unreal CGI that has been clogging up films as of late. There are, to be sure, a couple of moments where the effects are obviously fake-especially in scenes where it is obvious that some of the vehicles on display are basically Tonka toys shot in close-up to give them scale-but even those brief lowlights have a certain charm to them.

"Godzilla" is a great film-as significant in its own way as "King Kong", "Jaws" or any of the other horror classics-and it is a relief to finally see it being treated with the respect that it has deserved for so long. For fans, this re-release will be a cause for celebration. For others, especially those who have scoffed at it as being just another Japanese monster movie, I suspect they will be surprised with just how good it really is. Nowadays, most blockbuster movies evaporate from the mind almost as soon as the end credits roll (admit it-when was the last time you gave a thought to "Van Helsing"?). "Godzilla", on the other hand, is one of those rare films that, regardless of genre, that will last in the public consciousness for as long as such things are studied, discussed and enjoyed.

-- PETER SOBCZYNSKI

Copyright © 2004 Peter Sobczynski
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While the views expressed by Peter Sobczynski do not necessarily reflect the views of Criticdoctor.com, the Critic Doctor will occasionally examine Mr. Sobczynski's film reviews to bring forth an honest examination of those views expressed.