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:'''''Godzilla''' was also a provisional temporary name for the [[Cretaceous]] sea-crocodile [[Dakosaurus andiniensis]].'' |
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[[Image:Godzilla.jpg|225px|right|thumb|Godzilla, as portrayed during the late [[Heisei era (daikaiju eiga)|Heisei era]] (''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'', [[1994 in film|1994]])]] |
[[Image:Godzilla.jpg|225px|right|thumb|Godzilla, as portrayed during the late [[Heisei era (daikaiju eiga)|Heisei era]] (''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'', [[1994 in film|1994]])]] |
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'''Godzilla''' (ゴジラ - ''Gojira'') giant fictional reptile [[kaiju]] first seen in the [[1954 in film|1954]] [[Japan|Japanese]] [[tokusatsu]] [[film]] ''[[Godzilla (1954)|Gojira]]'', produced by [[Toho|Toho Film Company Ltd.]]. To date, Toho has produced 28 Godzilla films. In 1998 been [[TriStar Pictures]] produced a nominal remake of the original set in contemporary New York city. A new film is slated to be produced by [[Advanced Audiovisual Productions]]. (For a list of these films, [[Godzilla#Filmography|see below]].) |
'''Godzilla''' (ゴジラ - ''Gojira'') giant fictional reptile [[kaiju]] first seen in the [[1954 in film|1954]] [[Japan|Japanese]] [[tokusatsu]] [[film]] ''[[Godzilla (1954)|Gojira]]'', produced by [[Toho|Toho Film Company Ltd.]]. To date, Toho has produced 28 Godzilla films. In 1998 been [[TriStar Pictures]] produced a nominal remake of the original set in contemporary New York city. A new film is slated to be produced by [[Advanced Audiovisual Productions]]. (For a list of these films, [[Godzilla#Filmography|see below]].) |
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Revision as of 12:31, 5 January 2006
Godzilla (ゴジラ - Gojira) giant fictional reptile kaiju first seen in the 1954 Japanese tokusatsu film Gojira, produced by Toho Film Company Ltd.. To date, Toho has produced 28 Godzilla films. In 1998 been TriStar Pictures produced a nominal remake of the original set in contemporary New York city. A new film is slated to be produced by Advanced Audiovisual Productions. (For a list of these films, see below.)
Godzilla is characterized as amphibious, nearly indestructable and highly regenerative, and breathing a sort of nuclear fire or "heat-ray". The earliest two Godzilla film visually and thematically evoke the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the aftermath and human damage of Godzilla's attacks. Although much of Godzilla's significance as an anti-war symbol has been lost in the transition to pop culture, the nuclear breath remains as a visual vestige of the creature's early Cold War politics.
History
Origins
Godzilla's origins vary somewhat from film to film, the creature is almost always described as prehistoric, often a dinsoaur, and its first attacks on Japan are somehow linked to atomic testing in the Pacific Ocean, including but not limited to using nuclear mutation as an explanation for the creatures great size and strange powers.
- His iconic design (a charcoal-colored monster-like figure with small pointed ears, rough bumpy scales, powerful tail, and bony colored dorsal fins shaped like maple leaves).
- He is virtually indestructible, impervious to all modern weaponry.
- He can release a powerful atomic energy beam, usually blue but in some films red, from his mouth (which is ominously signalled when his dorsal fins glow/flash in the same color as the atomic beam).
The name "Gojira" is a combination of gorira which means "gorilla" and kujira, which means "whale" in Japanese. The name was allegedly originally a nickname of a large worker at Toho Studios. But since Gojira was neither a gorilla nor a whale, the name "Gojira" was devised in a different way for the film's story; Gojira's name was "originally" spelled in kanji (呉爾羅), but for sound only. The combined characters, oddly enough, mean "give you net"!
Gojira was first released in the United States in 1955 in Japanese-American communities only, under Toho's international title, Godzilla. In 1956, it was adapted by an American company into Godzilla, King of the Monsters (based on Toho's international title), edited and with added, principal scenes featuring Raymond Burr, and this version became an international success. As a result, the monster came to be known as "Godzilla" also in Japan.
While it has been a misconception that the American distributors were responsible for the name "Godzilla" in America, it was Toho who came up with the name for international markets to begin with.
Culture
Godzilla was originally an allegory for the effects of the hydrogen bomb, and the unintended consequences that such weapons might have on Earth. The radioactive contamination of the Japanese fishing boat Daigo Fukuryu Maru through the United States' Castle Bravo thermonuclear device test on Bikini Atoll, on March 1, 1954 lead to much press coverage in Japan preceding the release of the first movie in 1954. The Versus and Millennium Series have largely continued this concept. Some have pointed out the parallels, conscious or unconscious, between Godzilla's relationship to Japan and that of the United States; first a terrible enemy who causes enormous destruction, but then becoming a good friend and defender in times of peril.
Films have been made over the last five decades, each reflecting the social and political climate in Japan. All but one of the 29 films were produced by Toho; a version was made in 1998 by Tristar Pictures and set in the United States by the directors of Independence Day (ID4) and is somewhat despised by Godzilla fans, many of whom refer to it as GINO (Godzilla In Name Only), a term that would refer to all monsters modeled after Godzilla. Toho immediately followed it with Godzilla 2000: Millennium, which began the current series of films, known informally as the Mireniamu or Millennium series.
Much of Godzilla's popularity in the United States can be credited with TV broadcasts of the Toho Studios monster movies during the 1960s and 1970s. The American company UPA contracted with Toho to distribute its monster movies of the time, and UPA continues to hold the license today for the Godzilla films of the 1960s and 1970s. Sony currently holds some of those rights, as well as the rights to every Godzilla film produced from 1991 onward. The Blue Öyster Cult song "Godzilla" also contributed to the popularity of the movies. Also made an appearance in the Nike commercial where Godzilla went one-on-one with NBA star Charles Barkley.
GINO
The only Godzilla movie not made by Toho is the 1998 film Godzilla, directed by Roland Emmerich. Despite being the highest grossing film of the year factoring in overseas profits, the film has been widely panned by cult followers of the Godzilla franchise, critics on both sides of the Pacific, and movie-goers in general and the monster has since been dubbed GINO (Godzilla In Name Only). In response to negative fan reaction to the American feature Toho inserted derogatory references to the American film and creature design in two of its Millenium movies. Dialog in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack tells of a presumed Godzilla attack in New York that is revealed to be a different (unnamed) creature. In Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) a kaiju named Zilla, which looks identical to (and most likley is) TriStar's Godzilla, is killed by the "true" Godzilla from a hit to the tail, and its radioactive breath.
For some clarification, GINO is so called for multiple reasons. The most obvious is that it restarts the saga from the beginning. Another is that it is produced by a different company. However, the biggest change is in Godzilla, who bears little (if any) resemblance in look or manner to his Japanese counterpart.
Synopsis (stub)
Template:Spoiler The deoxygenation of Tokyo bay, caused by Dr. Serizawa's oxygen destroyer, killed Godzilla at the end of this first movie, dissolving his flesh and bone into nothingness. Nonetheless, Gojira - or Godzilla - returned in a series of films, all from Toho.
Subsequent films in the series had another of Godzilla's species take his place (there is some debate about this)or that Godzilla simply doesn't stay dead. In Godzilla 2000 it is discussed that Godzilla possesses a component known as "Organizer G-1", "Regenerator G-1" in the English version of the film, which allows him to heal from any wound, possibly even regenerate himself from mere fragments. This would make it possible for Godzilla to continue indefinitely, even though he appears to die. (This is oddly similar to the regenerative ability of Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movies) Such an ability was used in Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah; where Godzilla's heart beats after Godzilla explodes.
The Japanese version of Godzilla was greatly inspired by the commercial success of King Kong, and the 1953 success of The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. Godzilla would go on to inspire Gorgo, Gamera, and many others. The American version is just an iguana-turned dinosaur.
In 1996, after his then-final appearance in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, Godzilla received an award for Lifetime Achievement at the MTV Movie Awards. Creator and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka accepted on his behalf via satellite but was joined by "Godzilla" himself.
On his 50th (Japanese) birthday, on 29 November 2004, Godzilla got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Films
The Godzilla series is generally broken into three eras, reflecting the broader division of daikaiju eiga into the Shōwa era, Heisei era, and Millennium era.
Showa Godzilla Series (昭和ゴジラシリーズ) 1954–1975
Named for the Showa period in Japan (as all of these films were produced before Emperor Hirohito's death in 1989). This Showa timeline spanned from 1954, with Godzilla (1954) to 1975 with Terror of Mechagodzilla. With the exception of the serious Godzilla (1954) and the semi-serious sequels Godzilla Raids Again and Mothra vs. Godzilla, this period also featured a somewhat more lighthearted Godzilla. This phase started with King Kong vs. Godzilla, which had the highest ticket sales of any Godzilla movie. Starting with Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (made 10 years after the first Godzilla film), Godzilla became a semi-playful antihero, and as years went by, he evolved into an anthropomorphic superhero. The Showa period saw the addition of many monsters into the Godzilla continuity, three of which (Mothra, Rodan and Varan) had their own solo movies, as well as a movie for the Toho-ized King Kong. This period featured a rough continuity, although the chronology is confused as some of the later movies were set in an arbitrary future time, often 1999.
In all films of this original series, Godzilla was 50 meters tall, and weighed 20,000 tons. The American release Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) incorrectly stated Godzilla's height to be 400 feet, a harsh inaccuracy that lingers today.
Versus Series (ＶＳシリーズ) AKA: Heisei Series, 1984–1995
The timeline was revamped in 1984 with The Return of Godzilla; this movie was created as a direct sequel to the 1954 film, and ignores the continuity of the Showa series. Known as the Versus Series, (unofficially known to American fans as the "Heisei Series", for the ruling emperor of the time), the continuity ended in 1995's Godzilla vs. Destoroyah after a run of seven films. The reason for the continuity shift was based on a realization that the marketing of the movies had removed the reason it was so loved. When it was discovered that Godzilla was popular with children, sequels were toned down in obvious screen violence, and Godzilla was made out to be a good guy instead of an indestructible abominate mistake of Men. Characters such as Minya, the "Son of Godzilla" (a diminutive chubby replica who blew smoke rings) were introduced. However, the further Godzilla was taken away from his roots, the less popular he became. Hence, The Return of Godzilla brought the series back to form.
Millennium Series (ミレニアムシリーズ) AKA: Alternate Reality Series, 1999–2004
The Millennium Series is the informal term for the Godzilla movies made after the VS Series ended with Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. Unlike the previous two series, this era does not feature a continuous timeline. Only two of the films in this era, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, are directly related to one another. The rest follow entirely different timelines. The common theme to this era is that all movies use Godzilla (1954) as the jumping-off point.
In the 1998 movie, Godzilla Godzilla was a reptile mutated after a French atomic test, on a French Polynesian island. This movie brought a drastic change to Godzilla's appearance, resembling a bipedal iguana or Komodo dragon. The Godzilla in this movie was also almost entirely computer-animated. Set in New York City and produced by Columbia Pictures, this movie is not considered to be part of any of the above three series, but the Gotham attack was referred to in the movie Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. The monster that appeared in New York was not, in fact, Godzilla, but an entirely different yet similar monster. This monster made a return appearance in Godzilla's 50th anniversary film, Godzilla: Final Wars. Renamed Zilla, the monster attacked Sydney, Australia and is later killed by the real Godzilla.
Since the films are different, the sizes are different in some cases. Godzilla's most prominent size in this series is 55 meters. The exceptions: In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, he was 60 meters, and in Godzilla: Final Wars, he was 100 meters (he was supposed to be 50 meters in that film, but budgetary cutbacks in miniature sets forced this size change).
Filmography
Toho Studios has produced 28 official entries in the Godzilla series since 1954. (Please note that the titles listed below are Toho's official English titles.)
Though numerous attempts have been made at producing a Godzilla film outside Toho, only the 1998 film from Sony Pictures has materialized. Yoshimitsu Banno, director of Godzilla vs. Hedorah, has acquired permission to make a 40 minute film for IMAX theaters, and is very close to completely getting the funding
| No. | Title | Year | Director | Monster Co-Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Godzilla | 1998 | Roland Emmerich | N/A |
| 2 | Godzilla 3D to the MAX | 2007 | Yoshimitsu Banno | Deathla |
Other media
Television appearances
Live-action series
Putting the Godzilla films' suits and effects crew to further use were several Japanese television shows; Ultraman and some shows inspired by it used the suits occasionally for cameos but Godzilla Island primarily followed the further adventures of the kaiju featured in the films.
Animated series
The success of the Godzilla franchise has spawned two U.S. Saturday morning cartoons, both featuring an investigative scientific team who call upon Godzilla as an ally. The series make several homages to the Shōwa films and several antagonist monsters have been inspired by extant Toho creations.
Video games
- Monster's Fair
- The Movie Monster Game
- Godzilla: Monster of Monsters
- Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters
- Super Godzilla
- Godzilla: Kaijuu Daikessen
- Kaijuu-Oh Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzilla King of the Monsters)
- Godzilla Giant Monster March
- Godzilla Generations
- Godzilla Generations Maximum Impact
- Godzilla Trading Battle
- Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
- Godzilla: Domination
- Godzilla: Save the Earth
Scores/music
Blue Öyster Cult's Godzilla, From Spectres (album).
Popular culture
As with any pop culture icon, Godzilla has been parodied, referenced to and homaged in many movies, TV shows, comic books, internet articles, and so on. Here is a partial list of such references:
- In the last scene of The Simpsons 10th season finale "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo", Godzilla attacks a plane going from Japan to the USA that the Simpsons are on. Godzilla is distracted by Mothra, Rodan and Gamera, allowing the plane to escape.
- In the episode of the Comedy Central animated reality show parody Drawn Together entitled "Super Nanny", Godzilla plays a minor role as Ling-Ling's conscience (with his size probably meant as a subtle joke to Ling-Ling's cultural responsibility).
- In The Fairly Oddparents TV movie School's Out: The Musical before the Mayor starts singing it shows Godzilla destroying the city.
- Godzilla has cameoed or inspired likenesses in several other (usually animated) shows:
- There is a drink in Malaysia called "Milo Godzilla", consisting of a cup of Milo with ice cream and/or whipped cream on top of it.
See also
- Agon (TV series) (Agon was a serialized B&W TV movie produced in 1964, but aired in 1968. This 4 episode miniseries (aired Jan 2-5, 1968 on Fuji TV) was produced by Japan Radio Pictures (Nippon Denpa Eiga). The title monster is similar in appearance to Godzilla, so much that Toho almost sued Japan Radio Pictures, until they found that it was Fuminori Ohashi (who helped create the Godzilla suit for the original 1954 film) who designed the Agon costume!)
- Ditanix (Seijuu Sentai Gingaman) / Titanisaur (Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy)
- Dragon Caesar (Kyoryuu Sentai ZyuRanger) / Dragonzord (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
- Gamera
- Gappa
- Gorgo
- Raki
- Reptar
- Reptilicus
- Rhedosaurus (The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms)
External links
Official
Information
- Toho Kingdom
- Kaijuphile: Monster Site. Monster Obsession.
- Monster Zero News
- Barry's Temple of Godzilla
- Godzilla Stomp
- Rodan's Roost
- Gamera Fans, kaiju fan site & resource board
- Tokyo Monsters
- Giant Monster Movies
- Henshin! Online, Japanese fantasy website
- DMOZ's Godzilla Movies
- GreenCine primer on Godzilla
- Godzilla and other Monster Music
- Club Tokyo, kaiju collectibles reference
- Godzilla U.K., The British Godzilla Webzine
- G-FAN, an international fanzine
- Twisted Kaiju Theatre, a webcomic
Analysis
- Allsop, S "Gojira?Godzilla' in
{{cite book}}: Empty citation (help) - "Godzilla taking a break -- for now". Japanese film producer putting star on hiatus. CNN. 4 March 2004.
- "'Monster Theory' Godzilla: Cross-Cultural Analysis of Godzilla". AN332/CS310 2 November 2000.
- Kroke, Arthur, and Marilouise Kroke, "Ctheory: Tokyo Must Be Destroyed". Theory, technology and culture, Ctheory. VOL 18, NO 1-2 Article 27b 95/06/22 Editors:
