PIC of the Week – Godzilla: The Showa Era Films, 1954 – 1975
Article series by Ray Schillaci
This week is for the geek in many of us! The Criterion Collection pays homage to the true king of the monsters with a monster of a Blu collection, Godzilla: The Showa Era Films, 1954 – 1975. Fifteen Kaiju classics presented in the most glorious of box sets – a giant book worthy of showcasing. From the very first time Godzilla raises from the deep and rages through the cities to the morphing of Godzilla as a hero fighting off a Mechagodzilla, this is pure nostalgia for those of us who loved the bad dubbing, men in rubber monster suits and miniature cities being devastated, returning us back to our giddy childhood.
Yes, this is geared more for the man-boys out there, but that doesn’t mean the other gender can’t enjoy the silliness of it all. Watching this collection had me realize that the Toho company actually pioneered the franchise machine with Godzilla and his crew. No matter how bad these films were, the franchise was able to span over twenty years throughout the world market. This collection only contains the first fifteen films from the Godzilla era. There were seven more films after that before we mucked up the legend in 1998 with Matthew Broderick. But, even that disaster could not kill off the big green guy. The Japanese returned in 1999 with Godzilla 2000 and five more subsequent films to follow all the way up to 2004.
Watching Godzilla’s evolution is fascinating. How he went from a post WWII, atomic nightmare that was hellbent on destroying Tokyo and possibly the world to eventually becaming kid friendly and basically a super hero. The first film touched upon the aftermath of Hiroshima and radioactive fallout. The film certainly took itself seriously and the black and white cinematography is striking. One can easily see how this film would frighten young ones.
Not as much care went into the sequel, Godzilla Raids Again. Other than two great monster fights, the film is weighed down by a romantic angle between characters and some uninspired humor. Toho must have heard their audience, because their next film would be a doozy, King Kong vs. Godzilla. Here was the fight of the century, foregoing romance and humor and trading it in for spectacle. And, to satisfy both America and Japan, there were two endings shot. Godzilla wins when shown in Japan and Kong wins in America.
After the tremendous success of that monster match, Toho Studios launched nearly one monster battle a year, introducing new monsters and recycling others. As the series continued, Toho touched upon pop trends and even touched upon the environment with Godzilla vs. Hedorah where the big green guy fought off smog monsters.
What makes these films so much fun is not only the ingenuity, but how inventive the monsters are; Mothra, the giant moth, Ghidorah, the three-headed monster, and Baragon, the subterranean horned reptile. Also fascinating is the change of themes and how the monsters go from tearing through shogun type buildings to barreling through skyscrapers. We actually see progress at work over the twenty years of these films. The franchise is a captivating piece of cinema history.
Visually, the original 1954 film is striking since Criterion just remastered the film. But, the other films have not been given the same treatment. They appear to be sourced from older remasters. So, there are inconsistencies, some overexposing, noticeable – reel transitions, white flecks, small scratches and stains. The collection other than the original film varies from visually good to very good. But, by no means are they reference quality. This may be due to the limits of collectors that are willing to pay for such a collection.
A nice surprise is the audio quality. All of the films have the original Japanese tracks and they are in very good condition, but once again not reference quality probably due to age. For those of you who avoid subtitles, then this is not the collection for you because only six of the films have the original English dub. What stands out on most of these films are the music scores. They are rich and dynamic.
Criterion delivers a monster of extras on two discs –
DISC ONE:
¥ The original theatrical trailer for Godzilla. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles.
¥ A new audio commentary by critic David Kalat, author of A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series.
¥ Cast and Crew – four interviews with cast and crew members recalling and discussing their contribution to Ishiro Honda’s Godzilla. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles.
¥ — Akira Takarada (actor). Recorded in 2011\
¥ — Haruo Nakajima (actor). Recorded in 2011
¥ — Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai (effects technicians). Recorded in 2011
¥ — Akira Ifukube (composer)
¥ A short featurette focusing on some of the visual effects in Godzilla. Introduced by effects director Koichi Kawakita and SFX cameraman Motoyoshi Tomioka. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles
¥ Tadao Sato – in this video interview, Japanese cinema expert and film critic Tadao Sato discusses Godzilla, its production history, and cultural significance.
¥ The Unluckiest Dragon – a 2011 illustrated audio essay, featuring historian Gregory M. Pflugfelder of Columbia University, discussing the tragic fate of the fishing vessel Daigo fukuryu maru (Lucky Dragon No. 5), a real-life event that inspired Godzilla. In English, not subtitled.
¥ Godzilla, King of the Monsters! – the 1956 feature film co-directed and edited by Terry O. Morse. In English and Japanese, with optional English subtitles
¥ Trailer – the original theatrical trailer for Godzilla, King of the Monsters!. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).
¥ Audio commentary by critic David Kalat. The audio commentary was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2011.
DISC TWO:
¥ Trailer – original trailer for King Kong vs. Godzilla. In English, not subtitled.
¥ PLUS: An illustrated deluxe hardcover book featuring an essay by cinema historian Steve Ryfle, notes on the films by cinema historian Ed Godziszewski, and new illustrations by Arthur Adams, Sophie Campbell, Becky Cloonan, Jorge Coelho, Geof Darrow, Simon Gane, Robert Goodin, Benjamin Marra, Monarobot, Takashi Okazaki, Angela Rizza, Yuko Shimizu, Bill Sienkiewicz, Katsuya Terada, Ronald Wimberly, and Chris Wisnia
As mentioned before, this set is for the proud kaiju geeks out there. Roar out to your nearest store and pick this one up for the holidays. But, do not bother going to Barnes and Noble for the Criterion 1/2 sale. This set can be purchased at Amazon for $112.49 while B&N has jacked up the price to $224.99 in order for them to sell it as a supposedly 1/2 off . Ridiculous! On principle alone, I would not cater to them.
Lowest Price – $112.49 – Amazon and Walmart
