Gojira (1954)

[Glock 17]

Here in the U.S. the official Toho studios 1954 classic, Godzilla, King Of The Monsters (Gojira) has been released in a 2 disc set, the second one being the Americanized version with the now deceased Raymond Burr.  The fist disc is the original Japanese language\English-subtitled version.   You get a 16 page book with it and 2 disc extras explain the development of the film from it's concept to completion.  All you wanted to know about Godzilla, but were afraid to ask because you couldn't speak Japanese

Great buy at $19.95 U.S. too!  Other films Toho is releasing as official items are the second film, Godzilla Raids Again,   Frankenstein Conquers The World and Space Amoeba aka Yog, Monster From Space

[Mike’s Monsters]

And to add to that... The original is nothing like the american cut... The original is actually quite scary.

[CPL HICKS]

"What did you see old man?"......Gojira.....Gojira.
Part from the last Godzilla movie starring Matthew Broderick.
I guess it was so-so, nothing to write home about though.

[Mike’s Monsters]

the american godzilla movie isnt a godzilla movie in my eyes... they don't capture the elements of the old movies... especially the original. the original is so dark and godzilla is menacing not a scared running away from everything iguana... I probably woulda liked the american version if it wasnt called godzilla

[Glock 17]

And to add to that... The original is nothing like the american cut... The original is actually quite scary.

Amen to that, Mikey   The black and white imagery and the overall tone of helplessness and destruction really made for a great film (and one of the longest running fun movie franchises in history.)
It also led to one of Japan's first officially licensed characters.  Right now, as it stands, Ultraman is also #2 or 3 in Japan's list of licensed characters.

To testify to Godzilla's scariness-As a kid, I used to walk home from school, and there was this one huge mountain I used to have to pass on the way home. I was always afraid that Godzilla would rear his head and pop over the mountain (like he did in that classic scene from the 1954 movie). And I used to imagine the thundering footsteps as I walked past, and always used to think he was gonna' get me.

[Mike’s Monsters]

i was never afraid of godzilla when i was young. I am a huge godzilla fan. Much bigger than avp to me. I have been a goji fan til around 2 years old for me. Godzilla didnt ever scare me until the original japanese cut that I finally saw last year. Godzilla was always a hero even if he was kinda a bad guy but in the 1954 version i didnt have the same view as the other movies. I want to see another one like it. To change up the mood. GMK was close but not as successful.

[Snore]

Yeah. I grew up knowing only what the American cut was like. After seeing the Japanese cut and rewatching the American cut, It dawned on me that the guys filming all the Burr stuff REALLY put effort into making sure it all matched.

[SiL]

I got a one-disc 50th anniversary edition of Godzilla, with both movies on a single disc. Saw the Japanese version first, then the American re-edit, and the recut has NOTHING on the original. But it is quite entertaining.

[Mike’s Monsters]

to me... the original is amazing... the recut... meh...

[Glock 17]

Yeah. I grew up knowing only what the American cut was like. After seeing the Japanese cut and rewatching the American cut, It dawned on me that the guys filming all the Burr stuff REALLY put effort into making sure it all matched.

Well for all the good they did with the Raymond Burr version, Hollywood mudered the Japanese version of Varan The Unbelievable.  See the Japanese version, Daikaiju Baran and no other.    But yes, the American version of the 1954 Godzilla was equally effective, and it suprised most people fromthat time period that they could pull it off.

Sadly, aside from the newer monster designs, the final film "Godzilla-Final Wars"  from 2004 wasn't that cool. It was a remix of Destroy All Monsters and really offered nothing.  The new Mecha-Gigan really ripped some serious ass though.

[Mike’s Monsters]

I actually enjoyed final wars because it was somethin different and fun from the series that was actually going on at the time. Yeah the new design gigan was cheezy with the big chainsaws but I kinda give them credit for tryin somethin a lil different... Monster X and Kaizer Ghidorah were crap though...

[DB]

This is one of my favorite movies of all time.

I got a one-disc 50th anniversary edition of Godzilla, with both movies on a single disc. Saw the Japanese version first, then the American re-edit, and the recut has NOTHING on the original. But it is quite entertaining.

Agreed.

I would have found Final Wars more entertaining if it actually delivered what I expected it to - good monster battles. I can understand having several monsters as fodder for Godzilla, but the only real fight was with Monster X. Most of the others were too short. I also didn't like how Godzilla's role was basically "get lured in by humans to beat things up".

[ShadowPred]

One of the best movies i have ever seen.

[Glock 17]

I would have found Final Wars more entertaining if it actually delivered what I expected it to - good monster battles. I can understand having several monsters as fodder for Godzilla, but the only real fight was with Monster X. Most of the others were too short. I also didn't like how Godzilla's role was basically "get lured in by humans to beat things up".

Agreed. The hyper fast battles were a bit cheesy. But the director of Versus, Ryuhei Kitamura, was in charge and he favored that Matrix-style fighting. And because of it the film was very rushed in some of the fights. Longer fights at the normal Toho pace would have been a great bonus to the film.

What was cool, was to see Sho Kosugi's son, Kane, as the one main good guy. In his close up's you can see that he is every bit his father. He has those burning eyes and Ninja sneer his father had. He had a good role.

Also, Akira Takarada, who starred in the original 1954 Gojira returned as the one character alongside veteran actress Kumi Mizuno, who herself starred alongside Takarada in "Godzilla VS. The Sea Monster." All we would need now is for Akira Ifukube to have returned for the muscial score. Ifukube is a Toho legend, having done the music for almost all of Godzilla's films, srating with the 1954 classic that started it all.

[Mike’s Monsters]

Its so sad that ifukube died... he was my all time favorite movie musician