Godzilla: King of the Monsters!

Just a few weeks ago, I watched the original Japanese version of Godzilla. So now, I just also watched the American-edited version with new scenes of Raymond Burr as American reporter Steve Martin narrating most of the movie with some of the Japanese scenes dubbed in English. Other than those new scenes, the movie has most of the same narrative with only a few scenes cut out. Burr as the reporter is quite effective when narrating or talking into a tape machine meant for his boss to receive. And it's mainly because of that narration that I'm giving this version called Godzilla: King of the Monsters! an 8 while I gave the original version a 7.

Godzilla is truly a legendary icon who has really stood the test of time for more than fifty years. His first film back in 1954 was very serious compared to most monster movies at the time. Most agree that it's a typical story of a prehistoric creature mutated by radiation rising up to challenge the world with his newfound power, but it's a little more than that. How so? Everything seems to be taken seriously by both filmmakers and the characters in the story. In this U.S. version, dubbing is kept to a very minimum by the lead characters while everyone else is speaking Japanese, which brings a small sense of realism. Godzilla himself is taken seriously by the filmmakers because while the primitive effects are obvious, his actions are like how a real animal reacts to a certain situation like when he approaches the electrical barrier and pauses to look at it curiously or when he snarls at a ringing clock tower because he thinks it might be another animal. He doesn't "attack" Tokyo just for the hell of it, he's just lashing out at whatever attacked him. After Tokyo is destroyed, the scene where the people mourn for the dead and dying truly moved me because the "attack" was treated like an actual disaster. I truly respect that.

Tomoyuki Tanaka really knew how to tell a war related story (war films in Japan were illegal at the time) and make his dinosaur the biggest star (literally) in the world. Steve Martin(Raymond Burr) and Dr. Serizawa are among the best known human characters in the entire series. I give this movie little more credit than before because of how it was made and the angle it was going for. Long live the King!

In its original form, GODZILLA (GOJIRA) was meant as an analogy for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending Japan's involvement in World War II. The monster was a representation of nuclear holocaust and its aftermath. Director Ishiro Honda was ingenious in his use of the big lizard as a metaphor for his nation's greatest human tragedy.

Before it could be shown in the United States, big changes had to be made, including the addition of actor Raymond Burr as an extraneous character, and to provide voice-over narration. Burr's character would tell us what was "really" going on. Perhaps, distributors were afraid that American audiences were simply too dense to understand Honda's vision. More than likely, they didn't get it themselves!

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS was born.

Unfortunately, much of the story's devastating power was lost in the process. Even so, the Americanized version still packs a punch. Honda's idea shines through, and Burr isn't bad in his role, just unnecessary. If this is the only version you've ever seen, then it's advisable to watch the original for some context...

The abuse and destruction unleashed on this Japanese city Tokyo is nothing short of epic in stature. The city, through the various romps of the titular character, literally swirls in flames, buildings fall at amazing speed , and just about every human form of transportation is reduced to rubble. This is the setting for much of the film, Godzilla - King of the Monsters. Despite being nothing more than a film with a man in a rubber suit trashing a miniature Tokyo set, this first Godzilla has much going for it. It is well-paced, and the action is engrossing and climactic. I saw the Americanized version with Raymond Burr, and thought Burr did a fine job playing foreign correspondent Steve Martin. Burr really helps create and add tension in the film with his narration and through the events we see through his eyes. The Japanese actors are very good as is the direction. Really the only low-point of the film for me was the inept dubbing, particularly the Brooklyn accent given to one of the chief Japanese scientists. Quite a gem!

The 1954 classic was apparently not good enough for American audiences. They remade the film with Raymond Burr narrating the action and starring as a reporter covering the incident.

Rather than a subtitled film, we get one dubbed. At least they left some of the Japanese dialog.

Stars of the original film, Takashi Shimura, Momoko Kôchi, and Akira Takarada, took second billing to Burr, who dominated throughout.

Godzilla was a grave representation of the horrors of the H bomb; horrors that Japan knew all too well. Scenes of the destruction caused by Godzilla, and of the broken, burning bodies pulled from the rubble, look authentic enough to be documentary footage of Hiroshima or Nagasaki. The film, a huge hit in the original form, must have been therapeutic for the Japanese people.