50 Years With Big G

He is arguably the biggest movie star in the world. He will soon star in his 28th film, making his film series the longest running in world cinema history. His name is known far and wide as a pop culture icon of global proportions. He has inspired song lyrics, plays, novels, comics and numerous jokes on The Simpsons. James Bond? Superman? Michael Jackson? Nope.

Godzilla.

Created in 1954 by Toho studios, Godzilla – or as he is known as in Japan, Gojira – is possibly the most well known of Japan’s exports. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the big guy’s debut as well as heralding change for the King of the Monsters. However, before looking forward, let’s take a quick look back.

The 1950’s was a time when the world was trying to put the horrors of the Second World War behind it. Nuclear power and the dangers inherent in it’s use was a popular theme in the horror and science fiction films of the day. Many a mutated, giant bug ran rampant across theater screens of this era. However, most of these films were American in origin and despite the monsters unleashed in these movies, nuclear power was still conveyed as a good thing, albeit something that needed careful handling. Then along came Godzilla, from the only country on Earth to have firsthand experience with atomic warfare. Here, it was man’s folly in playing with things beyond his ability to control that leads to the awakening of Godzilla, who is portrayed as force of nature as uncontrollable as a typhoon or earthquake. Deeply symbolic and allegorical, Godzilla King of the Monsters was a hit both in Japan (where it was known simply as Gojira) and the U.S., aided by Ishiro Honda’s direction and the haunting music by Akira Ifukube, whose themes are still used today. Both men would work on many of the later films in the series and are each considered to be the best in their respective fields at Toho studios.

Godzilla would go on to star in fourteen more films which would ultimately come to be called the Showa series: Godzilla (1954), Godzilla Raids Again (1955), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964), Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964), Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (1965), Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966), Son of Godzilla (1967), Destroy All Monsters (1968), Godzilla’s Revenge (1969), Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) and Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975).

Maintaining an often uneven continuity, these films became more and more campy as the years went by, with Godzilla being represented as less a colossal threat and more of a big lumbering, but well meaning defender of Earth. The designs for the Godzilla suits reflected this change as well, with big G becoming trimmer and, dare I say, goofier in appearance. The hard times that befell the Japanese film industry in the 70’s hit Big G hard, with several films using stock footage from earlier entries in the series and very little in the way of originality. Finally, by the middle of the decade, Toho opted to put the big guy out to pasture.

The years would go by, but in the same way that a lack of new material did not prevent Star Trek fans from blossoming, a new generation would discover Godzilla and his many films as they played endlessly on Saturday afternoon and evening TV monster matinees. I count myself among this group, and have fond memories of “playing” Godzilla with my model train sets and toys.

Finally, the demand for Godzilla’s return was too great for Toho to ignore, and in 1984 the studio released Godzilla 1985. This film ignored the continuity of the Showa series and was presented as a direct sequel to the original 1954 film. This time around, the studio wanted to keep a more serious tone, so gone was the “good guy” Godzilla of earlier films. Instead, Godzilla was once again portrayed as an indestructible force of nature. A hit, this film kick started a whole new series of films known as the Heisei series which would adhere to the same continuity. In 1989 the next film, Godzilla vs. Biollante debuted, followed by Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla & Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla (1994) and Godzilla vs. Destroyah (1995).

These seven films would stick with the darker themes of Godzilla 1985, but would also include time travel elements as well as environmental issues. In addition, a new origin was created for Godzilla. No longer was he a previously unknown lizard from the ancient past awoken from his prehistoric slumber by an atomic bomb, but now he was an actual dinosaur living on a south pacific island mutated by the radiation released by atomic testing. The suits used in this series again reflected the tone of the character. While, retaining the basics, Godzilla lost his comedic look and once again looked mean and lethal.

Again, by the mid nineties, interest had waned somewhat and creative bankruptcy was starting to set in, evidenced by the appalling Spacegodzilla film. Toho decided once more that it was time to give Godzilla a rest, so in the final film of the Heisei series, Godzilla vs. Destroyah, they actually killed him off! After years of dealing with the radiation that had mutated him, Godzilla finally went out in a literal blaze of glory, eaten away by the radiation that had once fueled him. Not wanting to put the final nail in the coffin, Toho did leave the door open for more films, stating that the franchise would be revived in ten years or so. However that was not to be, and for once, it was a good thing.

May of 1998 saw the release of Tristar’s American made Godzilla, produced by the team that had scored success with Stargate and Independence Day. A massive advertising campaign was initiated to hype the film and near ubiquitous ads could be spotted on buses, billboards and even buildings. In fact, in my area, aside from the buses painted green with the giant words “his foot is a long as this bus,” one entire side of a ten story building in down town San Francisco was similarly painted green with massive white letters that read “He’s twice as tall as this building.” Promoted with the tagline “size does matter” the movie opened marginally big (no doubt due to all that hype), but it quickly became apparent that things like plot, character and excitement mattered as well, and the movie rapidly fell down the money making charts.

The reasons for Godzilla’s failure are many (and I just might make them the focus of some future column) and diverse, but the outcry from devoted G fans was unanimous: this was not the real Godzilla. In fact, the monster of the Tristar film is now referred to by fans as GINO or Godzilla In Name Only. Things looked pretty bleak, and soon the fans demanded the return of the real Godzilla.

Toho, not pleased one bit about the changes made to their beloved icon for the American film, but contractually obliged to live with it, decided it was time to show the world the real Godzilla ahead of their planned schedule. Beginning what is now called the Shinsei series, 1999’s Godzilla 2000 (or Godzilla Millenium) was the first imported Godzilla film to play U.S. theaters since Godzilla 1985. Sadly, the box office earnings were not exactly stellar, and all subsequent films have debuted on video or TV in these parts. Across the pacific however, the film was a big success and was quickly followed with Godzilla vs. Megaguiras: The G Extermination Command (2000), Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), Godzilla X Mechagodzilla (2002), Godzilla x Mothra x Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003) and the forthcoming Godzilla: Final Wars (2004).

These films, aside from having the most cumbersome names of the entire franchise, also have their own unique continuity. Each film is considered a direct sequel to the original 1954 film and are not related to one another, with the exception being Godzilla x Mothra x Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS, which was a direct sequel to Godzilla X Mechagodzilla (NOTE: “X” is used to mean “vs.” or more accurately, “against” in the Japanese titles). Again, the G suit changed from film to film, and this series saw some of the biggest changes made to Godzilla’s look in years. His coloring changed from grey to green and back again. His back ridges started off with the traditional look of the previous 40 odd years, became much more pointed and dagger-like, went back to the old look and then returned to the new look again. His eyes have changed coloring and he’s even gained and lost weight in his legs.

These films have also upped the ante in portraying Godzilla as mankind’s nemesis. While the Heisei series showcased him as a force of nature that couldn’t be stopped, the Shinsei series started out by presenting him as a natural part of earth’s ecosystem that should be studied but quickly changed gears and portrayed Godzilla as the embodiment of evil, out to destroy and kill anything that crosses his path. Indeed, the last few films have featured the meanest and smartest Godzilla ever.

Now we find ourselves at the end of the Shinsei series. Godzilla: Final Wars is due to be released in Japan this coming December and will be the 28th Godzilla outing, as well as the 50th anniversary film. It will feature a great many of the monsters that appeared in earlier films, especially from the Showa series. As the name implies, this will be the last Godzilla movie for some time. Toho has said that it will be five to ten years before the franchise will be resurrected, which seems just the right amount of time for a new generation to discover Big G.

In addition to the new film, the original 1954 film will be released in the U.S. on DVD for the first time in it’s uncut Japanese version. No more of the silly scenes of Raymond Burr edited in to appeal to Americans that were produced for the stateside release. While Godzilla King of the Monsters is an excellent film, Gojira will restore many scenes that bring to life the characters as well as bring back the original ending, which was given a much more positive spin in the American version.

While I look forward to Final Wars, it does sadden me that Godzilla will be going away for a few years. I know that that is really a good thing (B & B, are you listening?), but it still feels on some odd level that a childhood friend is going on an extended trip. I credit Godzilla with really starting my love for and obsession with monsters, and while the annals of film history are filled with some truly creepy, hideous and wonderful beasts, for me there will be only one true KING of the monsters – Godzilla.

Long Live the King.

- Shadow

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