GODZILLA [1954]

Hello again everyone. In today’s entry we will be talking about the original “GODZILLA” movie, “GOJIRA” [a.k.a. “GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS!”].

Did you know about how they created “GODZILLA’S” iconic roar?

The sound department tried numerous animal roars for “GODZILLA” but felt they were unsuitable for an animal of such immense size. Film composer AKIRA IFUKUBE [1914-2006] came up with “GODZILLA’S” roars by rubbing a coarse, resin-coated leather glove up and down the strings of a contrabass (double bass), and reverberated the recorded sound. Also, “GODZILLA’S” thunderous footsteps were made by beating a kettle drum with a knotted rope.

[Here is a meme version of an example of “GODZILLA” using his roar from the 2014 U.S. film.]

[IFUKUBE]

Did you know that STEVEN SPIELBERG, MARTIN SCORSESE and JOHN CARPENTER [among some of the more noticeable names] are fans of the original film?

The film's American version [1956] was cited as inspiration by SPIELBERG in “THE MAKING OF JURASSIC PARK” (1993) book. SPIELBERG described how "GODZILLA, of course, was the most masterful of all the dinosaur movies because it made you believe it was really happening". SPIELBERG would also draw connections to how this film used its monster as a thematic metaphor. CARPENTER is also a fan of this film, and has said, "I first saw “GODZILLA” in 1956 at the tender age of eight. Something about the film filled me with a somber dread, not the monster destroying TOKYO, but the overall tone, an underlying sadness, a sense of grief and horror. JAPAN is the only nation to suffer atomic bombs dropped on two of its cities, and “GODZILLA” gave powerful expression to this emotional ambience disguised as a giant monster movie."

SCORSESE is also a fan of this film and has expressed admiration for other TOHO science fiction films directed by ISHIRÔ HONDA [1911-1993]. SCORSESE met HONDA while working on the set of “DREAMS” (1990) and told him how much he enjoyed his films in his youth. He would later contribute to HONDA’S biography by writing the foreword, describing HONDA’S films as "...pictures that haunted the imaginations of young moviegoers like myself..."

[SPIELBERG]

[CARPENTER]

[SCORSESE]

Did you know that not every HOLLYWOOD LEGEND is a fan of “GODZILLA”?

Special effects legend RAY HARRYHAUSEN [1920-2013] harbored a resentment for “GODZILLA” because it was inspired by the film “THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS” (1953) (for which he had animated the monster). He was seemingly unaware that the filmmakers always acknowledged their influences.

[HARRYHAUSEN with one of his stop-motion puppet skeletons from “JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS” - 1963.]

Did you know that “GODZILLA” has a star on THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME?

That’s right: “GODZILLA” has his own STAR on THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME! Location: 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, received on NOVEMBER 29th, 2004, for his giant role in so many inspiring monster movies.

[A smaller version of “GODZILLA” receiving his star and a plaque at “THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME”.]

Do you know the real reason why the islanders were told to not drink the water?

During filming in September of 1954, rain contaminated by a Soviet nuclear test began falling in northern Japan, contaminating vegetables and well water. This may have inspired the scene where “PROFESSOR TANABE” [FUYUKI MURAKAMI - 1911-2007] warned the “ODO ISLAND” [also spelled”OTO ISLAND” and “OHTO ISLAND”] [I am calling it by the way it is pronounced!] villagers not to drink water from the well.

[The image above should give you a good idea of how bad the water was at the time!]

Do you know the story behind “GODZILLA’S” name?

A common misconception is that the name "GODZILLA" was Americanized by its US distributors. The name was actually the idea of TOHO CO. LTD. and its international sales division, who would transliterate "GOJIRA" (GO-JI-RA) into English as "GODZILLA" (GO-DZI-LLA"). TOHO used the title "GODZILLA" in their 1955 English language sales catalogue, a full year before finding an American distributor and when it played briefly in Japanese-American owned theaters in LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK. Producer JOSEPH E. LEVINE [1905-1987] would purchase the rights and create TRANSWORLD to distribute and released the film as “GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS!” (1956) So, while the American distributors did not create the name, they did create the English pronunciation of “GODZILLA” ("GOD-ZILL-A"). TOHO has since been the sole owners of the name “GODZILLA” in both languages.

[LEVINE]

The name “GOJIRA” is a combination of the Japanese words for GORILLA (GORIRA) and WHALE (KUJIRA). The monster is said to have been named because it alluded to a creature of great size and strength. There has always been a legend that “GODZILLA” was named after a hulking man nicknamed “GOJIRA” who worked at TOHO, but this is untrue. Not only is there no evidence of this man existing, but the various stories about him kept changing through the years (he worked as a stagehand, he worked as a PR man, etc.). According to KIMI HONDA [1917-2017], wife of ISHIRÔ HONDA, the man nicknamed “GOJIRA” was just an inside joke between her husband and various others on the TOHO lot - specifically Producer and Co-creator of “GODZILLA” TOMOYUKI TANAKA [1910-1997].

[KIMI HONDA]

[ISHIRÔ HONDA]

[TANAKA with two “GODZILLAS”!]

Do you know how the original performer who portrayed “GODZILLA” prepared for his role?

HARUO NAKAJIMA [1929-2017] pioneered the "SUITMATION" technique of wearing a “GODZILLA” suit to become the great movie monster. Since he wasn't exactly sure how such a beast would move, NAKAJIMA visited a zoo to watch how gorillas, elephants, and other animals moved about for inspiration. He ended up inhabiting the role of “GODZILLA” for 12 movies in total, a feat that seems unlikely to be beaten any time soon.

Having said that, considering how far movie visual effects have come it wouldn't be at all surprising if a future version of “GODZILLA” winds up being another suit-based creation. Only instead of a rubber suit, it will be a motion capture rendering like “GOLLUM” of “THE LORD OF THE RINGS” and “THE HOBBIT” films. Maybe even a virtual reality video game where the player is “GODZILLA” isn't too far off.

UPDATE: Motion capture suits are used by performers in the current “LEGENDARY MONSTERVERSE” series!

[NAKAJIMA as “GODZILLA” drinking tea.]

Do you know “GODZILLA’S” actual gender?

When “GODZILLA” was first dreamt up in the 1950s it's likely that no one sat down and wrote out an origin story for Monster Zero-One, and in the original Japanese scripts the monster was consistently referred to as not a "he" or a "she," but an "it." In films like “SON OF GODZILLA” [1967] and Roland Emmerich's 1998 “GODZILLA”, the creature is presented as having a son and having the ability to lay eggs. So what's the deal here? The most cynical answer is that whoever's working on a “GODZILLA” movie at any given time just decides that “GODZILLA” is a mother/father/asexual layer of eggs, but even some of the team at TOHO who thought about stuff like this isn’t even sure of “GODZILLA’S” sexual nature. NAKAJIMA, who wore “THE GODZILLA SUIT” in films from 1954 - 1972, said in 2004 that he didn't know the creature's gender. On the other hand, according to the website “WIKIZILLA”, both TANAKA and JUN FUKUDA (1923-2000 - a director of four “GODZILLA” films) have stated that “GODZILLA” is male. 

In official English-dubbed versions of the Japanese movies, the monster is called a "he," and the title "KING OF THE MONSTERS" seems to indicate maleness as well.

[FUKUDA]

Did you know that HONDA and EIJI TSUBURAYA almost got arrested while scouting for this movie?

One of the most famous legends regarding the production of this film has HONDA and Special Effects Director EIJI TSUBURAYA [1901-1970] on the observation deck of what was then one of TOKYO’S skyscrapers. They were planning “GODZILLA’S” path of destruction. Other visitors on the deck became concerned when portions of their conversation were overheard. The pair was stopped by authorities and questioned.

[TSUBURAYA and “GODZILLA”]

[Here is a picture of some JAPANESE skyscrapers for an example of what HONDA and TSUBURAYA were looking for!]

[“GODZILLA” - with his back towards us - roaming through some random city.]

Did you know that TSUBURAYA originally wanted to use “STOP-MOTION ANIMATION”?

That idea was rejected because of the time it would take. TSUBURAYA sincerely wanted to use this method but he faced the grim reality that there was not enough people in JAPAN with experience in this technique and that TOHO would never give him the time he needed due to their tight production schedules. TSUBURAYA had to pioneer the techniques of “SUITMATION” which would make the production more feasible though no less difficult. One benefit of this was in depicting “GODZILLA’S” enormous size since if a “STOP-MOTION PUPPET” had been used it would have required miniatures at a much smaller scale resulting in less detail and destruction. The film makes use of “STOP-MOTION” to enhance a few brief sequences in which a vehicle crashes and “GODZILLA’S” tail moves. HARRYHAUSEN would have hated the movie even more if they had gone ahead with TSUBURAYA’S original plan!

[See previous images for references.]

Legendary filmmaker GEORGE LUCAS cites this film's miniatures as an inspiration for his effects in the Star Wars films [1977-PRESENT].

[LUCAS]

[A younger GEORGE LUCAS and “R2-D2” with a bunch of “STAR WARS” miniatures.]

The miniatures in the film, and subsequent others, were made with wood, cement plaster and glass. The filmmakers had asked to use the blueprints for various buildings, but were rejected. The staff instead had to reverse-engineer their own blueprints. Over five hundred miniatures buildings were built, precisely recreating TOKYO at a 1/25 scale. Buildings that were to be destroyed were strategically weakened to collapse. All the miniature vehicles were custom built out of cast iron and manipulated with piano wires to make them move. All of this was built on raised sets so cameras could be placed at lower angles. When working among the miniatures NAKAJIMA recalled that he always felt anxious, since a single miniature was worth more than his entire salary. When it came time for shooting, the staff would often spend all day preparing the miniature sets, only to end up with a few seconds of usable footage.

[Here is “GODZILLA” and two crew members getting ready to film some destruction.]

Did you know that “THE GODZILLA SUIT” came with it’s own set of problems?

Since no film like this had ever been made in Japan, they had never attempted a suit like the one needed for “GODZILLA”. Much of the attention on the first version was on visual design, with the staff neglecting to consider the requirements of the performer inside. The only way an actor could enter the suit was through an opening in the back, hidden by the back-plates attached by rings on hooks. The inner lining would also scrape on the actor's skin. NAKJIMA could barely walk in the original costume, which weighed slightly over 230 pounds (104 kilograms). The second suit that was built was relatively lighter at just over 200 pounds (91 kilograms).

“THE GODZILLA SUIT” used for the film was so hot inside that NAKAJIMA would frequently pass out. According to NAKAJIMA, temperatures inside the suit reached up to 60 degrees Celsius (or 140 Fahrenheit) due to the hot studio lights and it was not uncommon for a cup of NAKAJIMA’S sweat to be drained from the suit. Special effects director TERUYOSHI NAKANO [1935-2022], who worked with NAKAJIMA in later “GODZILLA” films, described his admiration for the actor stating, "Inside “THE GODZILLA SUIT”, it was very dark, lonely, and isolated. Usually the person who wears the suit becomes nervous and anxious. During summertime it's very hot, it can become hell in there. But MR. NAKAJIMA always persevered. He acted in the suit underwater, he was buried underground, he withstood pyrotechnic explosions... and through it all he was always “GODZILLA”."

[TAKANO]

Here is another issue with the suit as well as the set.

“GODZILLA’S” destruction of THE NATIONAL DIET BUILDING had to be done multiple times, necessitating that the miniatures be rebuilt. The staff had spent over thirty days building and detailing the first miniature of THE DIET BUILDING, but TSUBURAYA deemed it unsatisfactory and had it torn down and rebuilt. And on the first day of shooting, suit actor KATSUMI TEZUKA [1912-?, It is unknown if he is still alive or dead.] tripped and destroyed the miniature, injuring his jaw and ruining the shot.

[TEZUKA]

[THE NATIONAL DIET BUILDING, a government office in TOKYO, JAPAN.]

Here are a couple more facts about “THE GODZILLA SUIT”:

The suit was made of very heavy rubber, weighing about 200 lbs (91 kg). By comparison the suit used in the sequel [“GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN” - 1955] weighed about half that.The joints were extraordinarily hard to move, it has been stated once that the slow speed “GODZILLA” moves in the movie was legitimately the fastest the actor could walk in the suit.

Getting the suit on sometimes took as long as 3 hours (granted it’s not much compared to some other movie franchise’s makeup like “HELLBOY” [2004] and “GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY” [2014] but it’s still a considerable amount of time). There was no way to eat, drink or go to the bathroom in the suit, the entire suit had to be peeled off for that.

When NAKAJIMA accepted the role of “GODZILLA”, he assumed the suit would be similar in nature to the samurai armor used in TOHO period films. He could not have imagined how difficult the role would actually be.

[Here are a whole bunch of “GODZILLA SUITS” on display!]

And now for some random fun facts:

When “OGATA” [AKIRA TAKARADA - 1934-2022] has to cancel his date with “EMIKO” [MOMOKO KŌCHI - 1932-1998], the flyer shown in the scene reveals that they had planned to attend a show by THE BUDAPEST STRING QUARTET. This was an actual event, as the Quartet really did perform in JAPAN in 1954.

THE CRITERION COLLECTION had originally planed to release the original JAPANESE version of the film on LaserDisc back in the 90s. Had they been able to do so it would have been the first time the original film was available on video outside of JAPAN. VESTRON VIDEO did release a LaserDisc version of “GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS!” at some point in 1983!

[The LaserDisc version - The LaserDisc looks an awful lot like a DVD disc don’t you think so?]

Do you know how they filmed the underwater scenes?

The scenes of “GODZILLA” underwater were filmed “DRY FOR WET” with an aquarium [complete with fish] placed between the camera and the monster-suited NAKAJIMA. This was combined with actual underwater footage of divers with additional “DRY FOR WET” footage of “OGATA” and “SERIZAWA” [AKIHITO HIRATA - 1927-1984]. HONDA had experience in uderwater filming, his feature length debut being about the lives of AMA PEARL DIVERS which was also the first JAPANESE film to use underwater filming techniques.

[Although you can barely see him in it, that is “GODZILLA” in this underwater shot.]

Did you know about the deleted cow sequence?

Cinematographer MASAO TAMAI [1908-1997] had considerable influence on the film's look since he was one of TOHO’S top Cinematographers, known at the time for his work with MIKIO NARUSE [1905-1969]. TAMAI only accepted the job on the condition that the rest of NARUSE’S crew was hired along with him and was given authority on the film's final look. For “GODZILLA’S” first appearance there originally was supposed to be a bloody cow in his mouth. After reviewing the test shots, TAMAI felt it was far too graphic and had HONDA remove the sequence. TSUBURAYA agreed as he felt the shot didn't look good.

[Yeah that “cow” doesn’t look very convincing right now does it?]

[TAMAI]

[NARUSE]

Do you know what one of HONDA’S friends thought of this film?

World famous JAPANESE Director AKIRA KUROSAWA [1919-1998] was a lifelong friend of HONDA and included this film among his all time favorite movies. When discussing the film with his daughter KUROSAWA said, “Imagine what you would do if a monster like “GODZILLA” emerges! Normally one would forget and abandon his duty and simply flee! You won’t? But the people in this movie properly and sincerely lead others, don’t they. That is typical of MR. HONDA. I love it”. In another interview, KUROSAWA mentioned how HONDA’S films “remained popular because they were shot honestly and sincerely- they’re naturally good”. NAKAJIMA recalled that during filming KUROSAWA would occasionally show up and watch the film being shot.

[KUROSAWA in his later years.]

During “GODZILLA’S” rampage through DOWNTOWN TOKYO, one of the buildings he destorys is the old NICHIGEKI THEATER [where the movie was being shown at the time] after his tail smashes into it. This is said to have frightened several viewers who tried to run out of the theater!

[There’s the theater.]

Did you know that “THE GODZILLA SUIT” actors were not the only ones that had to deal with the heat?

Filmmaking doesn’t always go as planned and “GODZILLA” was no exception. The film was shot on the coast of MIE PREFECTURE and it took nearly two hours to reach the set everyday. They had to travel to set by boat and a lot of the Actors and Actresses suffered motion sickness. It also was extremely humid with temperatures hovering above 100 degrees with no shade. It got so bad that many of the cast and crew would pass out on set. Principal photography on the film wrapped at a whopping 122 days!

Well I hope you guys had just as much of a “smashing” good time learning all of this as I did. I will see you guys next time Bye!