Godzilla (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD]

One of my all-time favorite monster movies. Most people know this classic story, especially since the basic plot is very similar to several other 50's-era monster movies. Atomic testing in the south pacific resurrects a hibernating prehistoric dinosaur, mutating it into a horrific nuclear-powered engine of destruction who then rises from the depths to unleash his terrible vengeance on the nearest land mass: Japan. An eccentric scientist has created a device that might be capable of destroying the beast, but he fears his invention might be more deadly than the monster itself. Will he build the device and use it to stop Godzilla or will he destroy the blueprints? What would YOU do? And even if he builds the device... will it work? There's a reason why GOJIRA is listed by Japanese film critics as one of the top five greatest motion pictures ever made in Japan. It's unashamed anti-nuclear message is laid bare to see if you're paying attention and resonates so much more powerfully when you consider that the country which made the film had just become the first peoples on earth to survive a direct nuclear attack less than a decode before. With that said it also manages to be a gripping, rousingly intense horror-adventure film as well. This film is POWERFUL and its raw, semi-documentary style really helps underscore the seriousness of its subject matter. The U.S. version is a little more watered down, but the visuals are still strong stuff. You rarely, if ever, saw the aftermath of creature attacks in US-made monster flicks. In those movies the Hero vanquishes the monster, wins The Girl, saves the day and then stands basking in glow of triumphant victory as the final credits roll. Here in stark contrast, the nation's capitol city has been burned to the ground. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, are either dead or dying, with untold more buried beneath the scorched rubble. Even for the survivors there is no clear-cut cause for celebration, since they themselves may soon succumb to a slow, torturous death from radiation poisoning due to being too close to Godzilla during his rampage. At this film's end, only the self-sacrifice of a tortured anti-hero has narrowly wrestled victory from the jaws of defeat, while the remaining members of the cast are left to mourn the noble scientist, some saluting, some crying their eyes out. Whew! That's pretty potent stuff for a "kiddie monster movie." Somber-voiced Raymond Burr stars as determined United World News reporter Steve Martin, in one of his first heroic film roles. The infamously 'Americanized' version of the film removes 20 minutes of original footage, substituting newly-shot scenes which turn Burr into the de facto lead of the picture. It's quite cleverly done and holds up pretty well considering the rushed schedule and miniscule budget. American footage director Terry Morse cranked out a lot of product in his career and turned in another solid effort here, quickly getting all the needed shots, (allegedly filmed in anywhere from one day to a week, depending on who you ask), to blend Burr into the Japanese footage fairly seamlessly. Burr was the PERFECT choice for the part. His voice-over narration contains some of the most iconic lines ever put on film and is one of the reasons this version has gone on to become a bona fide classic of the genre. Prior to this Burr had predominantly played heavies in film, and it was his portrayal of the doggedly determined reporter that helped him transition into 'good guy' roles and, according to Burr himself, helped him land the role with which he is most famously associated: championing TV lawyer Perry Mason. Those movie viewers accustomed to rapid-fire editing styles and hyper-realistic CGI effects may have a tough time sticking with the film's slow pacing and the long stretches where the title monster isn't stomping across the screen. They may also laugh at the primitive visual effects, but more's the pity for them. Personally I love this film. It's powerful, gripping, emotionally draining at times, and great (if extremely somber) entertainment, and of course it launched one of the longest-running franchises in movie history. Godzilla himself has gone on to become one of the most widely-recognized pop culture icons on Earth. That's a pretty impressive feat for a handful of guys, (producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, director Ishiro Honda, special effects creator Eiji Tsuburaya, and composer Akira Ifukube), who took on the task of creating a movie that was based on another movie (The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms), which was based on a short story (Ray Bradbury's "The Foghorn")! Film composer Akira Ifukube wrote the entire powerfully iconic score for the film in less than a week, without ever having seen a single frame of the film... just the shooting script and a few pieces of concept art(!). He also cleverly created Godzilla's one-of-a-kind, instantly-recognizable signature roar, rubbing a resin-coated leather glove across the loosened stings of a contra bass, with a microphone placed inside. The combined efforts of these gentlemen has gone on to become one of the cornerstone films in the history of science fiction / monster movies. The special effects techniques utilized in this film were more or less made up as they went along. Tsuburaya wanted to create them using stop-motion animation, the same way the effects in his favorite film, KING KONG, had been achieved. But he knew that no one (including himself) was well-versed enough in the technique to do it in a convincing, esthetically pleasing manner, and certainly not in the allotted time they had to get the effect shots in the can in order to meet the film's targeted release date. Instead they constructed intricately-detail miniature landscape & cityscape sets, a technique Tsuburaya had honed in his movie-making years prior to World War II. Then he & his team fabricated a huge suit out of bamboo, wire mesh and layers of rubber. The thing reportedly weighed around 200lbs and only had a handful of pea-sized holes cut into the neck area for Haruo Nakajima, (the stuntman/actor who portrayed big G in his first dozen screen adventures), to see & breath out of. He reportedly lost 10lbs a day inside the stifling costume and had to have it opened every few minutes to allow fresh air in or he risked suffocation. He was cut by the raw edges of bamboo strips used to reinforce the suit and stabbed by internally-exposed sections of wire mesh used to give the rubber shape & mass, but toughed it out to give the world a truly monstrous performance. This man-in-a-suit style helped launch an entire sub-industry and F/X style (suitmation) all their own that is still used to this day. As expected, Criterion treats this classic atomic age monster with the respect it so richly deserves. They report that their master was made from the best possible film elements but, to be brutally honest, it's still not much better-looking than the Sony double-disc release of Gojira/Godzilla from a few years ago. It's a shame that someone hasn't ponied up the dough needed to do a total frame-by-frame restoration, complete with elimination of all print defects/damage. It would be terrific to have the original Japanese version AND the equally iconic American adaption looking like they'd just been filmed yesterday. Perhaps when the next generation of home video media is created (4k?) this can be done. There are some excellent supplements included iwth the film, which features the original full length, unedited Japanese version, w/ subtitles and the Americanized 1956 adaption with Burr. GODZILLA is a 5 STAR film in either version and, all-in-all, this Criterion release is also a 5 STAR recommendation.

It's apparent that Godzilla, the Japanese and U.S. release versions, have had a number of DVD and Blu-ray transfers, some of which have been abysmal. Beware of the reviews here as Amazon sadly lumps them all together by the film title and be certain which disc the review covers. In my opinion Criterion did an excellent job with a difficult task of restoring and transferring not one, but two films to Blu-ray, the 1954 original Japanese release, and the 1956 recut, reedited U.S. release with English dubbing and added Raymond Burr footage (shot in US). These are the best restorations and transfers yet; excellent given the condition of the film prints used. Highlights and shadows generally retain details, grayscale is even throughout and there are few flaws. Some film damage with scratches and pinholes can be occasionally seen but I believe attempting to fix what didn't get repaired in the restoration and cleaning would have done more harm than good. Audio restoration seems quite good given the poor fidelity of the original mono soundtrack. There is some audible distortion but believe it to be firmly entrenched in the original sound recording; i did not detect any obvious hiss. On the othe hand, Godzilla's roaring and foot stomping thumps sound quite good, a pleasant surprise. The Criterion Blu-ray is the best and most comprehensive Godzilla transfer to date. Criterion includes BOTH complete versions of the film - the original 1954 Japanese one released in Japan, and the recut and reedited 1956 U.S. version with Raymond Burr and English dubbing. The Japan release is the main film and the US release in its entirety is in the "supplement" section of the disc menu. Purists generally bemoan, sometimes stridently, the cutting, editing and added Raymond Burr footage in the US version, which converts the film from traditional narrative into a film noir style. The basic story is not lost, nor is some of the anti-nuke testing morality statement (albeit toned down a bit). Had the Japanese release been imported with only English subtitles - as had been done with other Japnese films, Godzilla would have come and gone quietly with distribution limited to the handful of independent Art Film theaters in major metropolitan areas. The recutting and reediting with added Raymond Burr footage and English dubbing in key places enabled the film to be much more widely distributed and enjoy substantially wider acceptance by US moviegoers. While we might cringe about it now, it was the right business decision at the time with box office success beyond wildest imagination. We can appreciate the Japanese version as the original film and concept, but should remember the US import version is what gave Godzilla its global cult status. It's also what we saw in the grindhouse theaters in their Saturday morning and matinee B-movie monster fests, and on Saturday afternoons on independent TV stations (non-network affiliates) - which is when I first saw Godzilla in the 1960's. Bear in mind this film was made in Japan just months after the massive Castle Bravo H-bomb test done by the US in the Marshall Islands - on Japan's doorstep in the Pacific - one of many - but perhaps the most notorious as the largest ever detonated by the US, above ground, with a massive 15 Megaton yield that was 3x more than its grossly underestimated 4-6 Megaton yield. As a consequence, the exclusion zone around ground zero was much too small, and fallout contamination affected the entire region with the largest radiological "accident" in US history. It also generated major diplomatic problems in the region (not just with Japan). Just like the Space Race a decade later, the Cold War was in a major H-bomb race, with the Soviets in the lead with the first practical H-bomb (deliverable weapon) by several months. This and other bomb tests spurred the many 1950's horror B-movies with monsters created by radiation exposure. Godzilla was among the first of them, and is the most famous and widely recognized - adding the "zilla" slang suffix to the English lexical - to characterize the noun it modifies as a grotesqely gargantuan monstrosity. The 1998 remake was a box office success but a critical failure. In my opinion still worth seeing (in spite of its glitzy schlockiness) but there is nothing like the cult classic original - Japan or US version, take your pick

I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Criterion's smashing release of this classic, the first original "Godzilla" movie, came in a box specially tailored for film nerds and geeks of all ages. Open up the cover with its exquisite print painting of the colossus itself, its huge tail dangling in the path of fire and destruction it leaves behind, and flip it open to reveal a cut-out pop-up of Godzilla. It reminds me of a postcard I once received as a child, which upon opening delivers a pop-out madness of huge dinosaurs and octopi destroying skyscrapers and crossroads. There is something inherently fascinating and thrilling about huge prehistoric and other-worldly monsters coming into our safe urban environments and creating chaos. And this is the movie that gave new life to a film genre that had been fleetingly touched upon by the appearance of King Kong some twenty years earlier. Upon watching this gem of classic suspense movies, which now has over half a century under its waist, I was struck by how timeless it seems. Even though the hand-made special effects and action is no longer awesome or frightening in any way, the drama is rather touching. The film, despite its insufficient technical qualities, feels very earnest, and it is rather moving sometimes. The sentiments expressed are very Japanese, but also very human, and considering the time when it was made (so soon, no more than a decade and a half after Hiroshima) its poignancy is not lost upon us all the way to today. When you discover that an actual fishing crew really came upon an H-bomb testing in the sea outside of Japan and that they almost died from radiation poisoning, and that this inspired the making of the film, it is perhaps not very surprising to perceive the film as very earnest and realistic despite its fantastical metaphorical nature. For a metaphor it is, the magnificent terrorist monster Godzilla, a metaphor of the destruction we humankind often inflict upon other people and ourselves. Warfare, atomic bombs, mass terror and mass destruction, all too common subjects back in post-Second World War society. Simply the roots to all science fiction and modern horror where huge monsters created through science spread chaos, the examples are endless. And even though Hiroshima and WWII are soon to be remnants of modern history, no more than mere souvenirs of the past, the genre and subgenres persist and will live on, because as long as there is disaster and conflict in the world, the themes will be sorely needed. We will probably need to have all our fears materialized in a large monster which can be defeated by heroes and eventually is, just for some time longer to come. As I said before, this old movie may look corny today, with its plastic models of Tokyo and armies being crushed by a fake monster lizard in an obvious suit and the intercut sections of people running away from a rubber doll, "Godzilla" from 1954 still has something to offer that modern adventures with all the eye-popping effects they provide can still lack. That is the ingenuity, the craftsmanship, the storytelling. And the depth that this seemingly simple-minded matiné actually possesses. For although Godzilla is a rather silly, rather cute, very obviously home-made puppet, the people's tragedy is all too real, and its acted and produced in such a fashion as to almost make one feel as if this is a documentary about the hardships endured by the Japanese people of the 1940s and '50s that is sporadically interspersed with some anti-nuclear propaganda as symbolized by Godzilla itself. I say never mind the special effects, never mind the visuals or anything else about the film that shows its age. Just sit back and enjoy the purity of this chaos as therapeutic fantasy for trauma victims and anyone who needs the kick that comes out of seeing fleeing masses trampled underfoot, a kick we all need at times, surely? Thanks to Criterion for giving me this opportunity for some harmless indulgence and allowing me to find this thrill from the most unexpected place, a film I would probably never have seen otherwise.

The original, 1954 Japanese version of GODZILLA is surely my favorite monster movie ever. Maybe even my favorite movie ever. While most westerners equate Godzilla movies with hokey monsters, model cities, and bad dubbing, the original Japanese film transcends the genre that birthed it, and in its day, transformed that genre into something altogether new and different. Countless words have been written about Godzilla being a metaphor for the nuclear horror Japan experienced at the close of World War II, so I'll not belabor that point. While the U.S. version, with its added footage of Raymond Burr, retained at least a portion of the original's power, the Japanese version may be viewed through the same "serious" lens one would view Japanese classics such as SEVEN SAMURAI, RASHOMON, and IKIRU, and find it in no way wanting. Despite some crudities in its special effects, the film's grimness and documentary-style narrative imbues it with a sense of real-world horror that no other monster film, Japanese or otherwise, has ever achieved. Its limited U.S. theatrical release in the early 2000s received almost unanimous accolades from critics, and in a sense, opened a lot of eyes to a product that most American viewers only thought they knew. The intersecting stories of Emiko Yamane (Momoko Kochi), Ogata (Akira Takarada), and Dr. Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata) propel the drama, but Godzilla is the fourth character in this relationship, affecting and influencing the human characters' every decision. Emiko and Serizawa are engaged, their marriage having been arranged when they were young; however, Emiko and Ogata are in love and wish to marry, but both have deep feelings for Serizawa and have no desire to hurt him. Serizawa, in his scientific research, has discovered an unusual energy force with the power to destroy oxygen molecules, and his dilemma is whether to use it against the monster and risk it falling into the hands of politicians -- the one thing he fears more than Godzilla -- or allow Godzilla to trample Japan unimpeded. It's his sense of honor as well as his compassion for Ogata and Emiko that motivate him to make the decision he does. Tangential to the "love triangle" is the character of Dr. Yamane, Emiko's father and Japan's preeminent paleontologist, who fervently opposes the government's position that Godzilla must be destroyed, preferring that the monster be studied for its unique in its ability to survive both untold millions of years as well as massive doses of radiation from hydrogen bomb tests. Yamane is less susceptible than Serizawa to Ogata and Emiko's efforts to convince him that Godzilla must be destroyed, despite his recognition of the fact that Godzilla might inflict upon Japan a nuclear holocaust far worse than Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Only toward the end, after Tokyo has been reduced to ashes, does he appear to be reconciled to the destruction of the greatest laboratory sample the world has ever produced. The American version retains the better part of the original plot, but too much of the character development has been edited out to make room for Raymond Burr for the story to come across as more than melodrama. That's not to say the scenes with Raymond Burr, directed by Terry Morse, are totally superfluous; certainly, for American audiences of the day, relatively soon after World War II, having a recognizable American star to participate in the drama, in effect becoming the audience's eyes and ears, served to make the original Japanese story more palatable. While the added scenes are occasionally too obvious -- especially when stand-ins are used for the original Japanese actors -- they are played very straight, and oftentimes blend in surprisingly well. For all its flaws, the Americanization did allow much of the original to remain undubbed, and Burr's scenes occasionally add an additional touch of suspense, such as during the storm when Godzilla first appears on Odo Island. While most American audiences would probably never know the difference, Godzilla's rampage in the original Japanese version is far superior, in that Tokyo has been wonderfully reproduced in miniature, with Godzilla making a logical and accurate progression through the city. To Japanese audiences, the reshuffled scenes must appear quite confusing. Having Godzilla attack at night was a wise move, since the darkness adds immeasurably to the sense of menace and also offers the practical advantage of concealing flaws in the effects. Regardless, Eiji Tsuburaya's work in this film is masterful, particularly when one considers the limited budget, the time constraints, and the fact that it was all new and largely experimental at the time. Akira Ifukube scored the film and also created the ominous sound effects for Godzilla's roar and footsteps. Many of the themes that fans explicitly identify with Godzilla originated in this film, and it's all the more remarkable that Ifukube composed the score without having seen a frame of film. He was instructed to write music for "something big." I believe he succeeded beyond anyone's wildest expectations. The Criterion Collection DVD release is a true masterpiece. The Japanese and U.S. versions come on two separate discs (single Blu-Ray disc), and each film features a commentary track by noted author/film historian David Kalat. Extra features include interviews with actor Akira Takarada, Godzilla suit actor Haruo Nakajima, effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai, soundtrack composer Akira Ifukube, and film critic Tado Sato. The prints of both versions have been painstakingly restored to near-mint condition, and the soundtracks have never been more impressive. I couldn't give a higher recommendation to the presentation of these films. Some have complained about the art on the packaging, but I find it quite effective, if not spectacular. While the Criterion release is no doubt the definitive release of Godzilla, the earlier Classic Media edition at least offers several noteworthy extra features. It pays to own both.

Thank you Criterion for making available this wonderful quality release (2012) with the ORIGINAL 1954 version of "Godzilla". After years of seeing only the re-cut 1956 USA version with Raymond Burr inset, it is wonderful to see the original film as created. My gosh, what concepts: ...Character Development, original Plot, proper timing in delivery of the Story, and the atomic sub-plot in full play (fully removed from the USA version). Further, that sub-plot and its ancillary effect is central to the main characters in the film, explaining WHY they do what they do. The original 1954 film is SO MUCH BETTER. It is a 5-star film (the re-cut version ranks by me as only 2-star cult film). Why is it that for so many years, we could only see the USA cut versus the original? The shame is that the censored atomic sub-plot deemed unacceptable in a Japanese made movie, was central to the entire series of mutant radiation USA sci-fi films of the fifties ("..Beast..20,000", "Them", "..Incredible Colossus", "..Shrinking Man", etc.). I leave it to the cultural historians to discuss the merits, politics and foibles. With the sub-plot in place, the original movie works at many more levels than just a stomp and burn monster film. DVD transfer is good, best available, digitally enhanced, 1.37:1 original frame, audio remastered. Subtitles are good. Supplemental material is outstanding, very interesting both for the making of the film and its special effects. The booklet is a wealth of information, worth reading. Yes, the 1956 is also similarly enhanced. Ignore the thirty plus sequels and derivative monsters. For the best, the most interesting, the most factual (a dubious term for a fictional story), always go to the Original source. This original is well worth seeing. Note: the booklet explains the original name "Gojira" is a combination of the Japanese word for whale (kujira) with the adopted English word for gorilla (gorira). Seems fitting.

Both great Kaiju movies. One being the OG Godzilla, the one that started it off. The second being the U.S. revision. The Japanese version, Godzilla, is on both the UHD 4K disc and the Bluray disk. The English dialog is only available with the commentary turned on. If you don't want the commentary, you'll either need the subtitles, or be able to understand Japanese. Godzilla, King of Monsters ONLY appears on the Bluray, not the UHD 4K disc. BOTH movies are not widescreen, but are pretty close to old-school TV dimensions. The Japanese version has been cleaner up pretty good and for the most part, you can't tell its origins was film. The American version, unfortunately does show its film source origins in parts. I give it 4 out of 5 stars because the American version is only on the Bluray and could have been cleaned up better.

I just got my copy in the mail a day early and have just sat down to watch the American Version with Raymond Burr. I also own the Classic Media version that came out a few years back [The two disc set that's titled "Gojira"]. I have two computers side by side and decided to do a side by side compare of the two versions. My efforts have resulted in this conclusion. Both versions are nice for a film this old. Each has its good points and bad points. The earlier version by Classic Media has better, more balanced lighting. But it does show up more dirt specs and lines. Not a lot more i should add. The Criterion version has less specs and lines and is darker in dark areas and brighter in bright areas. The Criterion version has more contrast, Both films are very watchable. If i had to put a number on it, i would say the Criterion version is at least 20% better looking [video quality] than the older version. And the newer versions sound quality is 50% better than the older version. Here's the big major difference between the two. It appears that the Criterion version is giving us the absolute whole image from side to side and top to bottom. In the older version there are items in the film on the outer edges that are cut off more than the newer version. Its like the older version was mastered slightly zoomed in for whatever reason. If you didn't compare, you really wouldn't notice much difference. I have not watched anything else yet on the two discs, so cant comment on that "yet". Will update more then. In my opinion, this is worth double dipping. Another difference with the new version is the beginning opening titles. This new version has the old original Trans World Release opening. The older version has no opening titles. Also one last thing. The sound in the new version is excellent! Almost no clicks,pops or hiss at all. The sound is a major upgrade. The old version still has the clicks,pops and hiss, but that never bothered me. To me it actually adds to the overall experience. Well this review is not complete yet but it is my hope that this helps those of you who are still on the fence with buying this. Its a nice set to own.

Gojira, Godzilla, King of the Monsters whatever you want to call it, it will always remain one thing…. A successful franchise When I was young, The Godzilla films were a bit of a mystery to me, I didn’t know where to start in the series so I picked up what I thought looked like the oldest one I could find on VHS…. And sure enough it was the English version of the original film, I had seen a Godzilla film before (that being Godzilla’s Revenge) but this one sparked my interest because it is in black and white. I always had a fascination with black and white films and this one was no exception. I watched it and was intrigued even though I didn’t get the overall message at the time. The effects were lousy but I was okay with it because even though I was young I knew it had better special effects than some of the Sci-Fi channel films I watched and enjoyed at the time. The Gore: One cannot actually review this film for its gore so what I’ll do is review it for its destruction and special effects value, The destruction scenes and miniature effects are a bit dated even though it is sort of hard to tell because it is in black and white. Godzilla looks awesome and menacing and he seriously know what he is and how much his prey is screwed. The Acting: It is average for a 50’s film and Raymond Burr put on a decent performance, I thought some of his lines were quite iconic and epic even though they never really caught on…. With lines such as “Now it seems Tokyo has no defense” you begin to wonder if he really knew what was going on or was just asked to say a few lines and then grab your paycheck at the exit, because some of the lines are pretty stale like when his editor asks “What’s this monster story of yours” and Burr says “Well it’s big and horrible.” The Soundtrack: Musical Genius. It has an “I’m coming to destroy you” vibe and it never lets up, there was a piece of happy, joyful music that used to annoy me but I had gotten over it some time ago…. Also the Roar of Godzilla is as horrifying as the sounds of his footsteps coming closer and closer. The Re-Play Value: 70% out of 100% depending on the person. My Overall Thoughts: It is a genuinely haunting and scary film that should be viewed by not only die-hard Godzilla fans but by the general public who are accepting of a lot and can tolerate Black and White Picture Shows

Impossible de lire le disque sur mon lecteur blue ray. Attention retour payant !

国内版より明らかにクリアで､しかもエッジが鋭いイメージ｡クリア過ぎて細かなザラ付きもノイズもくっきりだが｡その結果､特撮部分も明らかに分かってしまうという弊害が生じている｡でもかなり見易い｡ストーリーはあまりにも有名なので省略するが､結局､本当の怪物は人間｡戦争では無く､戦争を引き起こす人間なのだと嫌でも分かる作品｡準主役の芹沢博士の決断と覚悟が凄まじい!! 原水爆の唯一の犠牲となった我が国の傑作反戦映画だ｡

Great weekend viewing.

The OG of monster films

Nostalgico primo film della creatura nucleare più conosciuta, padre di ogni altro film di mostri, più o meno riusciti. Bellissimo e commovente.