Godzilla (1954) - view and thoughts
04-01-06, 02:19 PM
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Godzilla (1954) - view and thoughts
Godzilla (1954) R2 BFI DVD - 4.5/5
Very good film indeed. Really liked this (if thats the right word). Very moving.
Now, while this shares the basic plot with the later Godzilla movies of the 60's and 70's and even King Kong in the sense that they're fantasy films about prehistoric monsters who come to life wreak havoc and destruction on big modern cities. the original Godzilla also has a much more serious subtext which is played completely straight, about the dangers of nuclear weapons and testing and the horrific damage they can do. Some people in the film want to kill Godzilla and others want to study him for scientific purposes (you can draw parallels with Kong here again actually IMO, Carl Denham wants to use Kong for entertainment, some want him killed and, in the 2005 version at least, Ann Darrow pleads that Kong not be killed, he is not a "beast" unless he is pushed to be).
The events of 1945 (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) would still have been very fresh in people's minds, and the nuclear tests by the US in the Pacific at Bikini Atoll were in 1954 (I think), so it could be said that this film is a reaction to that.
Yes, Godzilla is a "big monster" movie, but I feel its really not as goofy as you may expect. You really feel for the people who are caught up in the destruction (even if they're not the main characters).
In contrast, in Kong (1933 and 2005) the film focuses on the more fantastic aspects and is less serious IMO. Both are great movies for different reasons though.
Very good film indeed. Really liked this (if thats the right word). Very moving.
Now, while this shares the basic plot with the later Godzilla movies of the 60's and 70's and even King Kong in the sense that they're fantasy films about prehistoric monsters who come to life wreak havoc and destruction on big modern cities. the original Godzilla also has a much more serious subtext which is played completely straight, about the dangers of nuclear weapons and testing and the horrific damage they can do. Some people in the film want to kill Godzilla and others want to study him for scientific purposes (you can draw parallels with Kong here again actually IMO, Carl Denham wants to use Kong for entertainment, some want him killed and, in the 2005 version at least, Ann Darrow pleads that Kong not be killed, he is not a "beast" unless he is pushed to be).
The events of 1945 (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) would still have been very fresh in people's minds, and the nuclear tests by the US in the Pacific at Bikini Atoll were in 1954 (I think), so it could be said that this film is a reaction to that.
Yes, Godzilla is a "big monster" movie, but I feel its really not as goofy as you may expect. You really feel for the people who are caught up in the destruction (even if they're not the main characters).
In contrast, in Kong (1933 and 2005) the film focuses on the more fantastic aspects and is less serious IMO. Both are great movies for different reasons though.
04-08-06, 03:06 AM
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Yeah the story is better but both are great movies 
I found Godzilla to be more of a nuclear protest film dressed up as a big monster movie. The movie isnt just about the scenes with Godzilla stomping on Tokyo.
I found Godzilla to be more of a nuclear protest film dressed up as a big monster movie. The movie isnt just about the scenes with Godzilla stomping on Tokyo.
