Main Cast: Raymond Burr, Takashi Shimura, Momoko Kochi, Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata
Release Year: 1956
Country: US/JP
Run Time: 78 minutes
Plot
Filmed in 1954 as Gojira, this grandaddy of all Japanese giant-reptile epics was picked up for American distribution two years later, at which time several newly filmed inserts, featuring Raymond Burr as reporter Steve Martin, were rabetted into the original footage. In both the Japanese and American versions of Godzilla, the story is basically the same: a 400-foot amphibious monster, brought back to life by underwater nuclear testing, goes on a rampage in a tinker-toy Tokyo. An eccentric scientist (Takashi Shimura) does his best to destroy the beast with his heretofore discredited invention, the Oxygen Destroyer. Though Godzilla is apparently disintegrated in the climax, this didn't prevent Toho Studios from grinding out an endless series of sequels with the title character becoming less destructive and more lovable with each subsequent film. Hampered by a low budget which precluded stop-motion animation, special-effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya was forced to rely upon an actor (Haru Nakajima) in a rubber Godzilla suit. Incidentally, the name "Gojira", a combination of "gorilla" and "kujira", is Japanese slang for "big clumsy ox" and was allegedly the nickname of one of the Toho stagehands. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Sachio Sakai - Hagiwara; Fuyuki Murakami - Dr. Tabata; Ren Yamamoto - Sieji; Toranosuke Ogawa - President of Shipping Company; Kokuten Kodo - Gisaku, Oto Island Patriarch; Haruo Nakajima - Newspaper Employee (Japanese version only)/Power Subs; Kenji Sahara - Man aboard Ship; Kin Sugai - Miss Ozawa, member of Parliament; Katsumi Tezuka - Hagiwara's Editor (Japanese version only)/Gojira; Frank Iwanaga - Security Officer Tomo Iwanaga
Credit
Terrell O. Morse - Director, Terrell O. Morse - Editor, Guy Roe - Cinematographer, Shigeru Kayama - Short Story Author
