Reference no: EM133255713
In preparation for this response paper, you should have read the introductory page on Gojira and the linked article that provides more background into the filmmaker Ishiro Honda and his work. As noted, Honda himself had served in the Japanese military and witnessed the decimated ruins of Hiroshima when he returned to Japan after the end of World War II.
For your paper, how does Gojira comment upon the idea of nuclear weapons? Consider both explicit and implied references -- and include specific references to the film, such as particular scenes or lines of dialogue. Moreover, how does your viewing of the film compare/contrast with your reading of Toge Sankichi's "Poems of the Atomic Bomb"? What seems to be the film's attitudes toward war and science? Also, reflect on any other thoughts or impressions that you have about the film.
Introducing Gojira (1954)
This week we have our first narrative film screening for this course. Gojira is a Japanese monster film (or more accurately, a kaiju film) that spawned an entire franchise and has become parodied over the years for some of its earlier installments in which much of the action centers around an actor in a rubber monster suit stomping on miniature tanks and building replicas. In the United States, Gojira was romanized as "Godzilla," and no doubt that name should ring a few bells, either because you've seen the older films or the newer installments that continue to be produced by movie studios every few years. Godzilla has become a major pop cultural icon.
My own personal familiarity with the franchise originates with the Technicolor films in the 1960s and 1970s, in which Godzilla battled with increasingly absurd monsters and the films were memorable for their campiness more than anything else. And I'll admit, I haven't kept up with every single new installment in the series -- that's been on the backlog.
For this course though, I think it's useful to step back and examine the first film that was the genesis of the franchise. When the original Gojira was first released in 1954, I don't think anyone envisioned that the film would become a cheesy, almost buffoonish monster at times in the subsequent decades. The original film actually has much more gravitas and poignancy than I think most people would give the franchise credit for if they were just familiar with the latter products. The inclusion of this film is appropriate because not only is it a historical primary source document and cultural product but watching and analyzing this cultural product yields some insight into the anxieties of a nation and a world that had witnessed the dawning of a new era of destructive technology, especially after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Some considerations to keep in mind:
The film is Japanese, and you will watch a subtitled version. There is an American edited version of the same film with some critical differences that was released in the United States in 1956 as Godzilla, King of the Monsters. If you have watched that film, it's NOT the same as Gojira. The American film recycled the same footage, but also integrated a white American actor as the protagonist, which did not exist in the original film. There are also some subtle changes in the content to reflect American political sensibilities.
The film was shot in black-and-white. Strangely, this seems to be alienating to new viewers but understand that even today filmmakers sometimes shoot in black-and-white as a deliberate aesthetic choice. The black-and-white actually enhances this particular film.
The 1954 film also utilizes production techniques available at the time period. I have heard critiques of the "CGI quality" of this film when I have screened this before -- but understand that advanced "computer generated imagery" special effects did not exist during this time. Much of the effects come down to actual miniature physical sets, creative shot composition, superimposition, and film editing.
The director Ishiro Honda was drafted into the Japanese military and served in China. After Japan's defeat in World War II, Honda passed through the decimated ruins of Hiroshima. That memory is evoked in some of the scenes and images found in Gojira. Read the linked article that provides more insight into the film.
However, rather than simply being about World War II, Gojira was informed by more recent events around that time -- the continued testing of more and more destructive weapons by nations of the world, including America. This included the detonation of hydrogen bombs in the Pacific, some of which had direct impact on Japanese fishermen.