"Godzilla (ゴジラ -Gojira in Japanese) is a giant dinosaurian creature that has been preserved into the modern era through unknown means, only to be awakened and mutated by atomic weapons testing by the US military in the 1950s. The immense beast is not pleased at being roused from the depths of the ocean and attacks humanity. The behemoth sinks ships, flattens cities and effortlessly shrugs off the counterattacks of mankind’s armed forces. In addition to its huge size and seeming invulnerability, the monster also exhales a radioactive heat ray from its mouth like an atomic-age dragon.
Originally towering over Tokyo at 50 meters (164 feet) tall, Godzilla’s size has increased to as much as 100 meters (328 feet) in later movies. Godzilla’s basic appearance is that of a bipedal dinosaur with a tyrannosaurus-like head, large muscular arms, and several rows of spiky fins running down the length of his back to the tip of his tail. Despite minor changes in design, this generally consistent image over the decades has contributed to Godzilla becoming one of the most recognizable movie monsters in the world".
https://observationdeck.kinja.com/the-io9-guide-to-godzilla-1740142659
World War II 1945
World War II 1945
"Godzilla's relations to World War II are seen within the film. The idea that the monster was created from Nuclear Technology gave many ways that the Japanese country or Japanese filmmakers wanted to talk or show how much the destruction of the bombings left the cities and its people. It was shown as a way to see how much the people will go through and the horrors and the ability to overcome and grow from such as horrific event in Japanese History.
Opposition to nuclear power and industrial chemicals has been a core theme of modern environmentalism ever since, based on the same inspiration that brought Godzilla up from the depths: We need to protect nature from human-made technology. Those environmental values now also inspire opposition to genetically modified food, or fracking, or large-scale industrial agriculture—any modern technology that allows humans to manipulate and threaten the natural world, the benign true natural world that existed before humans came along and, with their technology, ended it, as Bill McKibben’s The End of Nature suggests.
Of course, humans are a species too, not separate from but a part of the natural world, and like all species our interactions with the natural world have all sorts of impacts. True, the human intelligence that allowed us to master fire has meant that we have done far more harm than other species. But science and technology have also brought fantastic progress and offer great hope, including solutions for the mess technology helped us make in the first place.
Gojira itself raised precisely this conundrum, framing the modern conversation we’re still having. As it ends, Tokyo is in ruins. Humans’ most powerful weapons are useless. The monster has retreated to the depths, but no one is sure if or when it will rise again. The reclusive scientist Dr. Serizawa and our hero, Hideto Ogata, are on a boat heading out to find and destroy him."
https://slate.com/technology/2014/06/godzilla-gojira-and-the-hydrogen-bomb-how-a-movie-monster-framed-the-environmental-movement.html
"Influential Japanese film director born May 7th, 1911, often credited as being the father of Godzilla. His name is a combination of "I" (or Ino), meaning "boar" and "shirô," meaning fourth boy in the family. Originally, the young Honda had aspirations of becoming an artist. However, as he moved into his teens, it was cinema that became his number-one interest.
In “Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa,” the first (and, given its thoroughness, probably last) full-length biography of Honda in English, “Godzilla” series experts Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski build a passionate and persuasive case for their subject’s importance.
Neither a Kurosawa-like auteur nor a faceless hack, Honda was instead a quietly competent professional who even put his own stamp on formula work. A Toho loyalist, who followed studio policy even when he found it wrong-headed, such as turning Godzilla into a scaly clown for the amusement of the under-12 set, Honda also had strong beliefs, forged in three stints in the Imperial Army, starting in 1934. When he returned home in 1946 after being taken prisoner by Chinese troops, he was firmly anti-war.
Also as a director, starting with the 1951 drama “The Blue Pearl,” his first fiction feature, Honda was a fervent humanist fascinated by science and the natural world, from creatures in the oceans (he was the first to use underwater photography in a Japanese film) to possible life on alien planets.
These views and interests took concrete form in “Godzilla,” with its anti-nuclear message and story of conquering the monster with not brute military force but a gadget that sends it to a watery grave. Godzilla’s fire-breathing, heavy-hipped look was the creation of effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya and his team, however.
The film’s international success and enormous impact — it launched thekaijū (monster) genre and made the world enduringly aware of Japanese popular culture — also became a trap for Honda, if one he entered voluntarily.
A serious type who valued realism over flashy sensation, Honda tried his hand at everything from nature documentaries to romantic dramas.
But in the 1950s and ’60s Honda became Toho’s go-to director for its growing slate of sci-fi/fantasy films, most featuring monsters of one sort or another. Honda went along not only to stay on the good side of his studio bosses, but also because he was at heart a populist entertainer and did not regard films like “Mothra” (1961) and “Matango” (1963) as slumming expeditions.
He is considered was of the most profile Japanese directors and has been a influence and many other films in Japanese History. Honda passed away aged 81 on February 28th, 1993".
Marge and Homer fight like Godzilla and Kong
Tyranitar was influenced by Godzilla
"Godzilla is an international film icon and his appeal goes beyond audiences' appetite for destruction. William Tsutsui in Godzilla On My Mind reminds us that "Godzilla in all his glory was spawned from a virtual primordial soup of political concerns, cultural influences, cinematic inspirations, genre traditions, economic crassness, simple opportunism and sheer creativity." (Tsutsui, 2004) With the release of a new Godzilla reboot, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind viewers of the significance of Godzilla films and how this giant amphibious radioactive lizard monster went from a ghastly reminder of our nuclear past to an international sensation and enduring pop culture icon.
Godzilla has been the subject of over two dozen films by Toho studios and several American productions, making Godzilla the longest running series in cinema today. Godzilla has been featured in comic books, video games, commercials and cartoons. The variety of Godzilla collectibles and merchandise runs the gamut from the usual fare of toys, posters, models, and games to the downright odd, such as a canned spam like meat that was marketed as "Corned Godzilla." Even songs have been written about Godzilla.
From the late 80's on, Godzilla films pitted our star against a number of formidable foes both old and new such as Biolante, Mechagodzilla and Space Godzilla, leading to Godzilla vs Destoroyah which was to be the end of the series. In 1998, Hollywood released Godzilla (1998) which featured a heavily reimagined creature. In fact, Kenpachiro Satsuma, an actor who played Godzilla, walked out on the film remarking "It's not Godzilla. It doesn't have his spirit" (Ryfle, 1998). The creature in Godzilla (1998) was so far removed from the original in both appearance and behavior that some began calling the creature GINO (Godzilla In Name Only) or "Zilla" in order to differentiate it from the original Godzilla.
Godzilla films continue to be made, some better than others. In fact, there is already talk of a sequel to the just released Godzilla (2014). Whether we view Godzilla as a solemn reminder of nuclear devastation and the atomic age or we just enjoy watching a giant reptile smashing Tokyo, Godzilla has captivated audiences worldwide and will continue to be a part of our popular consciousness for a long time. I'll close this post with the words of Godzilla creator Tomoyuki Tanaka as quoted by David Kalat in his A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series. "Godzilla is the son of the atomic bomb. He is a nightmare created out of the darkness of the human soul. He is the sacred beast of the apocalypse. As long as the arrogance of mankind exists, Godzilla will survive".
https://www.nypl.org/blog/2014/05/21/godzilla
Godzilla in Toys
Godzilla in Games
"Godzilla's franchise flexibility was apparent within six months of his first onscreen appearance. In the hands of Akira Kurosawa confidante Ishiro Honda, Godzilla (retitled Godzilla, King of the Monsters! and intercut with new footage of Raymond Burr for its American debut in 1956) became a stark portrait of post-World War II Japanese fears, the titular beast a slow-burn stand-in for the devastating effects of the atomic bomb. By April 1955's Godzilla Raids Again, the monster bumped chests with an oversized turtle while fending off a plot to bury him in snow.
Though Honda resisted the idea of turning his reptilian natural disaster into a spectator sport, he and franchise-stable Jun Fukuda returned year after year to helm Godzilla pictures, pumping out 15 installments by 1975. An impressive amount of scripting went into what were essentially vehicles for stuntman Haruo Nakajima, Godzilla's "man in suit," to go toe to toe with an assortment of imaginative beasts. Surrounding the kaiju Wrestlemania were sluggish stories of Earthlings grappling with the oddities of extraterrestrial invasions or undiscovered wonders of their own world. Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) had the Shobijin, pint-sized fairy twins who guard the moth god's egg; Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) featured the progressive team-up of American and Japanese cosmonauts battling aliens from Planet X; In Son of Godzilla (1967), scientists construct a weather-controlling system that evolves praying mantises into six-foot-tall buggers (all set up for Godzilla adopting a baby).
The iconic design of Godzilla pervaded through all of Japanese pop culture. Nothing that popular can remain a grave metaphor -- Godzilla cracking the claws of Ebirah the lobster beast was a family-friendly event. Consistent repackaging kept the King of Monsters on American radars. When Toho ushered the character into hibernation, concluding a 20-year marathon with 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla, fervor over the character endured through comic books (Marvel ran 24 issues of a Godzilla book from 1977 to 1979, pitting him against dragons, a yeti, and The Avengers), trading cards, board games, toys, and cartoons. (Hanna-Barbera and Toho's co-production ran in the U.S. and Japan from 1978 to 1981.) Silliness kept Godzilla from drifting into the "destruction porn" today's blockbusters embrace so readily. Young ones could mature to understand the themes of the 1956 film, but as a 10-year-old, nothing beat watching a big green lizard kick the crap out of buildings/fighter jets/mech-suits/margin doodle monsters come to life".
"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/why-godzilla-remains-pop-cultures-694885"
Original Kaiju 1956
The up to date version 2005
From the 1997 Film
"Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the first Hollywood-made movie to include King Ghidorah on the big screen - or, at least a version of the iconic three-headed dragon. First appearing in the 1964 movie, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Ghidorah has been Godzilla's arch-nemesis throughout the Toho movies, and now that trend will continue in Hollywood with Ghidorah making its way into the MonsterVerse. In its original incarnation, Ghidorah was an extraterrestrial monster that destroyed planets. While the MonsterVerse may disregard parts of the kaiju's past, such as him destroying Venus, Ghidorah's space origin was recently confirmed.
One of three big, new monsters appearing in Godzilla: King of the Monsters is Rodan, a flying reptile whose in-universe history contains nothing but destruction. Even though Rodan is one of the smaller Titans appearing in Godzilla 2 (154 ft), his wingspan is astonishingly long - coming in at 871 ft - which makes his volcanic abilities (as shown in the Godzilla: King of the Monsters trailers) extremely devastating; that's why he's earned the moniker "Fire Demon" by ancient civilizations. According to the Monarch Sciences website, Rodan currently resides inside the Isla De Mara volcano.
It was first teased in 2014's Godzilla movie, Mothra is finally joining the MonsterVerse - which represents a significant step for the shared universe as Mothra is one of the most popular kaiju/monsters in Toho's universe. While general audiences in the western hemisphere may not be entirely aware of Mothra's existence, her appearance in Godzilla: King of the Monsters should, hopefully, change that. Even though Mothra first appeared in the 1961 film, Mothra, 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters will be the first time that she will appear in a Hollywood film, as is the case with most of the monsters/Titans in the upcoming blockbuster movie".
https://screenrant.com/godzilla-2-king-monsters-titans-kaiju-confirmed/2/
Godzilla’s legacy shows how much impact it has on Japanese history and the continuing influence it has in American culture. This site shows the many influential concepts that has made Godzilla a pop icon. The many actors, directors and the story behind on how Godzilla came about and the relations it has between World War II continue to make Godzilla a story that everyone around the world likes to see. The American influence as you see were not welcoming compared to the traditional Japanese version. The 1998 version was welcome with negative reviews and it was said that it took away what made Godzilla so original. The effects were highly panned and film did not do good business at the box office. It took a long time before they decided to try and make the Godzilla again but having the more realistic and original concepts just like original hit in 1954. The new Godzilla which came out in 2014 was viewed very positively by audience around the world and was a huge success at the box office. The film was viewed as being authentic to the original while having a great storyline that centers around Godzilla and its people that are connected to him.
The film was viewed positively overseas as well and it the film showcased more of an emotional concept compared to the one that was made in 1998. The film will now spawn a sequel called Godzilla: King of the monsters, once again showing the influence it has on the American public and the world. The trailer was seen by over 100 million people and is considered to be one of the most anticipated films of the year. It has gotten rave reviews and it also introducing some of the other monsters in the monster universe that was not showed in the past American version. In conclusion, I hope that this site represents what Godzilla is all about. There is so much to learn about Godzilla and its history and its influential takes on pop culture and what made him to be an icon in films and Japanese history.
References/Bibliography
https://observationdeck.kinja.com/the-io9-guide-to-godzilla-1740142659
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/why-godzilla-remains-pop-cultures-694885
http://www.international.ucla.edu/asia/article/24850
https://screenrant.com/godzilla-2-king-monsters-titans-kaiju-confirmed/
https://www.nypl.org/blog/2014/05/21/godzilla
https://www.history.com/news/the-original-godzilla-attacks-tokyo