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Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition (Gojira/Godzilla [1954] / Godzilla, King of the Monsters [1956])




  • 082 4  I grew up with the American version that used to play all the time on WOR-TV Channel 9 out of New York . For the first time in almost fifty years I saw the original Japanese version and found it to be superior . Although Raymond Burr did an outstanding job playing Steve Martin , the Japanese version warned us of the dangers ( several times in the flick ) of nuclear testing . Was this message toned down for an American audience ? One can only speculate . Hats off to TOHO !
    • 108 4  crown jewels in TOHOs catalog-yet a 50th anniversary came and went - This is a film that deserves Lowery 4k restoration-not a remastering - like Citizen Kane or any number of older films ; There are a lot of spots , and visual artifacts / damage-sound artifacts , poor grayscale ( too dark in some scenes ) What we have is very good-but why TOHO hasnt done a digital restoration is beyond me

  • 138 4  Watch the original Gojira , throw away the American bastardization with Raymond Burr . These five stars are for the Japanese original only . In the American mess , you can see that in the added scenes with Burr , even the lighting is different from the original . Very tacky . I hope Burr was properly ashamed of himself . Equally as important as its entertainment value , but often overlooked , Gojira made an important political statement in light of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki .
    • 020 4  Having the original version with the english subtitles really had a lot of answers for me . In the version with Raymond Burr you were left to wonder what was really going on . It kept the part about the use of h-bombs and world tension out of the main story . Which is what the movie was really about .

  • 146 4  [ . . . ] This collections contains both version of the movie the original from 1954 and the english verision realeased in 1956 . There are several difference between the two a big difference is the number of scenes . The number of scenes for the american verision was drastically reduced from about 22 scenes including the credits from the japanese version to only about 10 scenes lasting from about 2 to 12 minutes in running time each for the american version . Also the anti war theme especially the reference to the H bomb and Nagaski were drastically cut down for the american version to speed up the movie . In addition a new character an american reporter known as Steven Martin played by ranmond bur who would become later famous with his tv series pary mayson who would later revise the rule as steve martin in the american verison of godzilla 1984 renamed godzilla 1985 or the return of godzilla when it was re released dubbed in english was added to the movie . The death of the creator of the device that would kill godzilla was drastically made more morefulll with the famous end quote The meance was gone but so was a good man ! These movie are true monster movie classic . A word of warning even though this movie has no cursing in it like the newer godzilla movies Like Godzilla Versus Mechagodzilla it has a super heavy amount of scifi action monster violence for a movie of it's time . That means bridges getting destoryed helicopters get blown up people being set on fire tanks being melted and destigrated and other stuff like that . As a result of the following these two verisions of this movie might not be appropriate or may be questionable too kids under ten years of age depending on what there parent's or guardians think is appropriate for someone there age . If you like this movie and want to to get both the Japanese and english movies at the same time there are three other godzilla movies which contain both version they are Godzilla Raids again , Godzilla versus Mothra , and they are also workig on a dvd version that contains both the Japanese and english verison of Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster that is in the late or mid production stage that goes up for sale on amazon several week from now on June 5 , 2007 .
    • 086 4  the japanese version restored answers so many questions ! and the restored end credits on the american version great set !
    • 123 4  This movie is a classic , plain and simple . A great story with a powerful message , good acting and special effects that while dated are still effective . Classic Media has the Japanese and American releases of the movie , both with excellent commentary tracks . A must buy for fans and a great film in general .

  • It's about d @ mn time this film made it here , officially , in its Japanese form . For that I am grateful . I've had a number of import releases and bootlegs of this film over the years and this is one of the better prints . The overall look seems crisper than some of the more washed out versions I've had . BUT . . . . BUT . . . BUT . . . . that is not to say this print here in this two disc set is prestine . Like the other comments that mention how scratchy & speckled this film is in many places . . . . well . . . . it's true . The box reads Native Hi-Def Masters from 35MM Print . Now , I'm not at all too knowledgable about the specs on Hi-Def . . . . but it just seems so unbelieveable that this was released as a Hi-Def print considering how jacked up it is . Are we to appreciate the speckling and such better with it in uber-clear form ? BLEH ! It doesn't even take close inspection to see that there doesn't seem to be - ANY - kind of restoration done to this print , which is unfortunate , because when you first get this set , the whole package is fantastically done , you really do get the impression that you're about to see a print like what they came up with for KING KONG ' 33 or even METROPOLIS considering the presentation is awesome . But no such luck . The two DVD's are housed in a glossy-ish book style case . . . . like the Universal Monster Legacy set . Inside , you have the films on seperate discs . DISC ONE : The original film and Special Features . I haven't made it through the commentary yet and probably won't for awhile . But the one feature on the creation of the suit was pretty informative . The second piece on the evolution of the story was just as interesting , though in both , the narrator could've sounded a little less like he was reading off of a script . But still fun nonetheless ( hey , fans gotta b ' and moan ; - ) And if you're the narrator reading this , hey , I liked what ya did . . . . just pep it up a tiny bit in places in the next release ; - ) . Also , I noticed this film is cropped just a fraction tighter in the r & l sides of the frame than the other imports that I have . The difference is slight but it is there . On the 2nd disc is the Bradbury / American version and a coinciding commentary . The same lack of restoration seems apparent here , though it is much better IMO than the Simitar version . Also included is a cool thick booklet on the original Godzilla film with even more insight . Overall , the packaging was well thought out and is an excellent lesson to filmmakers and studios who can't get their * * * * together and just release both versions of the same film in one d @ mn package so fans have a choice ( no names of other Sci-Fi films here . . . * ahem * ahem * ) . THIS , is how classic films should be packaged . Of course , if you are a fan of the classics , as said , you know that this is one of those films that took forever to make to American shores in DVD form ( officially , that is ) . So with that in mind , no one can really complain that it is now here and available . But the downside is . . . . I would have taken mediocre packaging to get a better restored film . . . & gawd forbid , I'd even take a ( the mind boggles ! the throat tightens ! ) but I'd take a cardboard snap case to get a cleaner print of this . I mean really . . . . . it's not like we're asking for a restored print of KING KONG ESCAPES . . . . . . . . this is the Grandaddy of them all and it deserved a better considering its legacy . But regardless , THANX to the powers that be for at least giving us this , I'm still quite excited to add this to the collection here . Maybe we'll get a true restoration when the real HD version is released years from now . . . . . . and maybe someone will give a d @ mn about cleaning this JP masterpiece up then . Until then . . . . enjoy this one !
    • 004 4  When I heard about this film finally being made available in its original form , it was immediately placed on my must buy list . That said , here are a few things the buyer may want to know when purchasing : The subtitles are not the same as the ones used in the Rialto Pictures theatrical release of the film from two years ago . Frankly , I liked the Rialto translations better . I get the feeling that they were more accurate . These English translations seem to gloss over certain subjects , the most glaring to me being the train passengers discussing surviving Hiroshima / Nagasaki . I noticed no mention of this in these subtitles , but I remember Nagasaki was mentioned by name in the Rialto subtitles . Another thing to note is that the subtitles can be turned on and off , but they are hard to read . A heavier , better font would have been preferable . I was actually hoping that this film's presentation would be akin to the DVD release of CROUCHING TIGER , HIDDEN DRAGON . That DVD had the original soundtrack , subtitles that could be turned on and off , as well as an alternative English soundtrack . I was hoping GOJIRA might have a new English soundtrack for those who don't like to read the movie , but this is not available . Also , this disc is marketed in North America , but no French or Spanish subtitles are part of the package . I suspect this may be due to the lack of true accuracy in the English subtitle translations . The special features are sparse , but they at least treat the film with respect and offer valuable information into the development of the film and the title character . Any prior releases of the film in its Americanized version have treated the film as mere schlock . Oh , and the Americanized version is in this package , too , but there is one difference : this version actually has end credits ! In 30 years , I've never seen end credits for Godzilla , King of the Monsters . Film quality was not a major concern to me at this time . What I wanted was the Japanese version of the movie , and that's what I got . Experience should tell us that if the consumer demand warrants it , this film will be released again with more features and a digitally cleaned up print .
    • 010 4  OK . . . . . . . . I've just finished watching this newly released DVD of the original Godzilla . First : It's about d @ mn time this film made it here , officially , in its Japanese form . For that I am grateful . I've had a number of import releases and bootlegs of this film over the years and this is one of the better prints . The overall look seems crisper than some of the more washed out versions I've had . BUT . . . . BUT . . . BUT . . . . that is not to say this print here in this two disc set is prestine . Like the other comments that mention how scratchy & speckled this film is in many places . . . . well . . . . it's true . The box reads Native Hi-Def Masters from 35MM Print . Now , I'm not at all too knowledgable about the specs on Hi-Def . . . . but it just seems so unbelieveable that this was released as a Hi-Def print considering how jacked up it is . Are we to appreciate the speckling and such better with it in uber-clear form ? BLEH ! It doesn't even take close inspection to see that there doesn't seem to be - ANY - kind of restoration done to this print , which is unfortunate , because when you first get this set , the whole package is fantastically done , you really do get the impression that you're about to see a print like what they came up with for KING KONG ' 33 or even METROPOLIS considering the presentation is awesome . But no such luck . The two DVD's are housed in a glossy-ish book style case . . . . like the Universal Monster Legacy set . Inside , you have the films on seperate discs . DISC ONE : The original film and Special Features . I haven't made it through the commentary yet and probably won't for awhile . But the one feature on the creation of the suit was pretty informative . The second piece on the evolution of the story was just as interesting , though in both , the narrator could've sounded a little less like he was reading off of a script . But still fun nonetheless ( hey , fans gotta b ' and moan ; - ) And if you're the narrator reading this , hey , I liked what ya did . . . . just pep it up a tiny bit in places in the next release ; - ) . Also , I noticed this film is cropped just a fraction tighter in the r & l sides of the frame than the other imports that I have . The difference is slight but it is there . On the 2nd disc is the Bradbury / American version and a coinciding commentary . The same lack of restoration seems apparent here , though it is much better IMO than the Simitar version . Also included is a cool thick booklet on the original Godzilla film with even more insight . Overall , the packaging was well thought out and is an excellent lesson to filmmakers and studios who can't get their * * * * together and just release both versions of the same film in one d @ mn package so fans have a choice ( no names of other Sci-Fi films here . . . * ahem * ahem * ) . THIS , is how classic films should be packaged . Of course , if you are a fan of the classics , as said , you know that this is one of those films that took forever to make to American shores in DVD form ( officially , that is ) . So with that in mind , no one can really complain that it is now here and available . But the downside is . . . . I would have taken mediocre packaging to get a better restored film . . . & gawd forbid , I'd even take a ( the mind boggles ! the throat tightens ! ) but I'd take a cardboard snap case to get a cleaner print of this . I mean really . . . . . it's not like we're asking for a restored print of KING KONG ESCAPES . . . . . . . . this is the Grandaddy of them all and it deserved a better considering its legacy . But regardless , THANX to the powers that be for at least giving us this , I'm still quite excited to add this to the collection here . Maybe we'll get a true restoration when the real HD version is released years from now . . . . . . and maybe someone will give a d @ mn about cleaning this JP masterpiece up then . Until then . . . . enjoy this one !
    • 033 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) I am very happy to finally see the ORIGINAL version of GOJIRA ( a.k.a , GODZILLA ) being officially released in the USA ! I have always loved the American version but I have never seen the Japanese version until this DVD was released in 2006 . I think they are both great versions ! The Japanese original is a little more intense , and more openly talks about Gojira / Godzilla as a metaphor for the atomic bomb ; but the USA version that is much better known in America , and is the ONLY version known as the original Godzilla to American audiences , is still a pretty darn good movie itself , too ! I like them both , and I enjoy seeing the differences . The Japanese version may be slightly better , but the American version is the classic , as far as American fans have known it for half a century ! Sony did not really clean up the film quality , so many scratches will be easily seen , but so what . I will take it . I am just glad that GOJIRA is even available domestically ! The GOJIRA Japanese version is in the Japanese language only , with English subtitles that sometimes come and go very quickly , so you have to get used to reading fast , but it is worth it . The best DVD extra is a separate commentary for both the Japanese and USA versions ! These are VERY informative and interesting to listen to , if you like commentaries , like I do ! There are also two documentaries , each about 10 minutes , over the writing of GOJIRA and the Costume of GOJIRA , which are both interesting and amusing documentaries . The DVD also comes with a text heavy booklet , which is also good , and a lot more than most DVDs come with as far as booklets are concerned , these days . Aside from fixing the film scratches , the only thing I can think of that would have made this DVD better is if they would have recorded an English language dub sound track for the Japanese GOJIRA , but we only get English subtitles over the Japanese dialogue soundtrack . A minor criticism , but it would have been better for me . If you are interested enough in GOJIRA / GODZILLA to be reading these customer reviews , then you will most likely enjoy owning this DVD set ! You will NOT be disappointed !
    • 034 4  I am very happy to finally see the ORIGINAL version of GOJIRA ( a.k.a , GODZILLA ) being officially released in the USA ! I have always loved the American version but I have never seen the Japanese version until this DVD was released in 2006 . I think they are both great versions ! The Japanese original is a little more intense , and more openly talks about Gojira / Godzilla as a metaphor for the atomic bomb ; but the USA version that is much better known in America , and is the ONLY version known as the original Godzilla to American audiences , is still a pretty darn good movie itself , too ! I like them both , and I enjoy seeing the differences . The Japanese version may be slightly better , but the American version is the classic , as far as American fans have known it for half a century ! Sony did not really clean up the film quality , so many scratches will be easily seen , but so what . I will take it . I am just glad that GOJIRA is even available domestically ! The GOJIRA Japanese version is in the Japanese language only , with English subtitles that sometimes come and go very quickly , so you have to get used to reading fast , but it is worth it . The best DVD extra is a separate commentary for both the Japanese and USA versions ! These are VERY informative and interesting to listen to , if you like commentaries , like I do ! There are also two documentaries , each about 10 minutes , over the writing of GOJIRA and the Costume of GOJIRA , which are both interesting and amusing documentaries . The DVD also comes with a text heavy booklet , which is also good , and a lot more than most DVDs come with as far as booklets are concerned , these days . Aside from fixing the film scratches , the only thing I can think of that would have made this DVD better is if they would have recorded an English language dub sound track for the Japanese GOJIRA , but we only get English subtitles over the Japanese dialogue soundtrack . A minor criticism , but it would have been better for me . If you are interested enough in GOJIRA / GODZILLA to be reading these customer reviews , then you will most likely enjoy owning this DVD set ! You will NOT be disappointed !
    • 089 4  THE BAD AND THE GOOD . . . . . The Good is . . . . . BOTH VERSIONS TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME Watching both versions together as one experiance can put an end to debate . Though the commentaries may contrast them , viewed together one need not compare . Both versions are great . So , why argue . Youv'e got it all in your hand . Together they are now as one . JAPANESE VERSION First Time on home video in US . AMERICAN VERSION Has lost end credits , never before on video added . Picture quality looks pretty good . Sharper than earlier releases as far as I can tell . ( I wear glasses , so judge for youself . JAPANESE TRAILER Looks good to me . THE BOX This Clamshell container is gorgeous . The black color portrays the mood of the film . MENUS Very nice also . The Bad is . . . . . JAPANESE VERSION Appears slightly cropped . some parts of picture hard to see . Also scratchier than US Theatrical release of two years ago . Definately an inferior print . AMERICAN VERSION missing original opening TRANSWORLD logo visible on previous DVD release . AMERICAN TRAILER incomplete . Only half a trailer . First half and last few seconds missing . you can get the uncut version on a DVD called ALL MONSTERS ATTACK THE TITLE Calling the DVD GOJIRA is just silly . Bound to create unneccesary confusion . GODZILLA is his offiocial translated name . It IS translated from Japanese . It is simply a different pronunciation in a different dialect . But it is certainly more accurate than calling it Gojira since this is not Tohos chosen official translation . Only the pronunciation , GOD-zilla can be considered innacurate . IT is GO-DZEE-LA . Say the D and Z together tilit has a kind of a J sound to it and then say the L part like you are saying L and R at the same time and you have it . It is not GO-jeer-ah as it was pronounced in the Mathew Broderick movie . If you speak english than his name is GODZILLA . It is not a bastardization like Gigantis or something . It is the official English translation of hios Japanese name . So dont think you are being sophisticated or continental by saying GOJIRA . COMMENTARIES Very infomative but redundant , make that very redundant at times , It best to have an outline or script ready for these things , Guys . Some interesting concepts are introduced . Such as , the theory that the american version tried to cover up the H-Bomb connection . This seams like a new notion as I have never heard this discussed before in any publication about the film . But I think its basically BS . They are trying to make the americanization of the film seem controversial , and thats really reaching . I saw this film when I was 9 and immediately knew that Godzilla was an atomic monster . I knew it before the movie started . Everyone knows that . Every freakin ' movie that came out in the fifties had a monster spawned by H bomb tests . Its implied . Its easy to forget even that some , such as Tarantula , werent H bomb monster movies . The more I ponder it the stupider this arguement seems . Yet it is brought up again and again in the commentary track . I guess its filler . Here is a complete list of the original Showa ( original ) series of Godzilla films in continuity order ( not release order ) . The spin-off films are listed in order , but not numbered . #1 GODZILLA : KING OF THE MONSTERS #2 GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN ( GIGANTIS : THE FIRE MONSTER ) VARAN : THE UNBELIEVABLE FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD #3 KING KONG VS . GODZILLA MOTHRA ATRAGON #4 GODZILLA VS . THE THING ( MOTHRA VS . GODZILLA ) DAGORA : THE SPACE MONSTER ( DOGORA ) #5 GHIDRAH : THE THREE HEADED MONSTER #6 GODZILLA VS . THE SEA MONSTER WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS #7 SON OF GODZILLA KING KONG ESCAPES #8 GODZILLA'S REVENGE YOG : MONSTER FROM SPACE ( SPACE AMOEBA ) #9 GODZILLA VS . THE SMOG MONSTER ( GODZILLA VS . HEDORAH ) #10 GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND ( GODZILLA VS . GIGAN ) GO ! POWERMAN ( GO ! GODMAN TV SERIES ) #11 GODZILLA VS . MEGALON #12 HUMAN COMET ZONE ( ZONE FIGHTER TV SERIES ) GO ! GREENMAN ( TV SERIES ) #13 GODZILLA VS . COSMIC MONSTER ( GODZILLA VS . MECHAGODZILLA ) #14 TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA GODZILLA : ORIGINAL ANIMATED SERIES #15 MONSTER ZERO ( GODZILLA VS . MONSTER ZERO ) #16 DESTROY ALL MONSTERS #17 GODZILLA 2000 THE HEISEI ( SECOND ) SERIES CONTINUITY : #1 GODZILLA : KING OF THE MONSTERS #2 GODZILLA 1985 #3 GODZILLA VS . BIOLLANTE #4 GODZILLLA VS . KING GHIDORAH #5 GODZILLA & MOTHRA : THE BATTLE FOR EARTH #6 GODZILLA VS . MECHAGODZILLA II #7 GODZILLA VS . SPACE GODZILLA #8 GODZILLA VS . DESTOROYAH #9 GODZILLA 2000
    • 091 4  Yes , the original GOJIRA is one of the finest movies ever made , and yes , it's exciting that American audiences can finally get their hands on it . Legitimately . But the quality of the print they used in this release is just plain awful . In addition to the scratches you would expect from a 52 - year-old film , it's full of white spots flashing all over the screen throughout the entire movie . It's like watching the film through an endless firefly storm . After hearing all the glowing praise about the Rialto print released in theaters in 2004 , this piss-poor print seems even MORE disappointing . I've seen bootleg copies of DVD releases of this film from other countries , and they were all much better quality prints than this . I can't believe that Sony Classics would use such a bad print to digitally remaster the film - - in high definition , no less-for the DVD release . What were they thinking ? NOTE : The two stars result from this : The movie itself , 5 stars . The quality of this DVD release , 0 stars .
    • 094 4  The special effects in early Japanese monster movies always make me laugh . When a monster destroys Tokyo ( over & over again ) how come NONE OF THE BUILDINGS HAVE ANY FLOORS ? Where do the people work . Yet still the original Godzilla is a favorite of mine . The original Japanese version is quite interesting .
    • 097 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) There was a relatively short time when Godzilla doing the mash all over Tokyo was considered a sacred filmmaking cause . GOJIRA ( released as GODZILLA , KING OF THE MONSTERS in the U.S . ) was the brainchild of Japanese special effects man Eiji Tsuburaya , a longtime fan of the original KING KONG who wanted to create a creature that would rival the giant ape . With the aid of director Ishiro Honda and screenwriter Takeo Murata ( with a story supplied by Shigeru Kayama ) , Tsuburaya fashioned a tale that combined prehistoric monsters and the world's preoccupation with the possible dangers of atomic energy . GOJIRA tells the tale of a giant prehistoric animal , laying dormant on the ocean floor , that has come to life as the result of the hydrogen bomb testing and is menacing residents on a small island off the coast of Japan . In short order , Godzilla , tiring of the slim pickings offered by fishing boats , wades ashore in downtown Tokyo and proceeds to destroy the city with brute strength and firy radioactive breath . He returns to his underwater lair , preparing for a final assault that will most certainly level Tokyo and lead to the destruction of the rest of the world . All seems lost when into the fray steps the reclusive scientist , Dr . Serizawa , whose top secret experiment , the Oxygen Destroyer , is seen as the only solution to the Godzilla problem . Serizawa is reluctant to release the destructive potential of his creation , but is finally convinced and , in a final dramatic underwater confrontation , releases the device , which turns Godzilla into a skeleton and , finally , to dust . Serizawa then cuts his air hose , committing a classic suicide that paves the way for his assisstants , Ogata and Emiko , to live happily ever after . GOJIRA was far from an original idea , but what the film lacked in originality it more than made up for in characterization , superior special effects , and a never-flagging tone of somber serious-mindedness . The strong Japanese cast , headed by veterans Akira Takarada and Takashi Shimura , takes this all very seriously . Takarada , as Serizawa , is particularly strong , reflecting the pain of his Kamikaze past and doing the noble thing in his relationship with the respectful Emiko . Whether by design or budget limitations , GOJIRA's matching of minatures and models of Tokyo with the oversized suitmation Godzilla work quite well and , when combined with Honda's deft handling of these black and white proceedings , presents a haunting , somberly stated adjunct to the story . GOJIRA opened in Japan in 1954 . Critically favorable reviews aroused interest on these shores and Trans World Films picked the film up for U.S . release . But , not willing to leave well enough alone , Trans World changed the film's title to GODZILLA , KING OF THE MONSTERS , edited out what they considered unnecessary scenes ( many of which give real insight into the character of Serizawa ) and had director Terry Morse shoot some additional scenes involving actor Raymond Burr as American reporter Steve Martin , who , according to the revamped storyline , while on assignment in Japan observes Godzilla's rampage ( and adds a lure for American film audiences ) . GODZILLA , KING OF THE MONSTERS was released in 1956 . The film duplicated its overseas success and , in the ensuing years , has gone on to become a cult classic .
    • 098 4  There was a relatively short time when Godzilla doing the mash all over Tokyo was considered a sacred filmmaking cause . GOJIRA ( released as GODZILLA , KING OF THE MONSTERS in the U.S . ) was the brainchild of Japanese special effects man Eiji Tsuburaya , a longtime fan of the original KING KONG who wanted to create a creature that would rival the giant ape . With the aid of director Ishiro Honda and screenwriter Takeo Murata ( with a story supplied by Shigeru Kayama ) , Tsuburaya fashioned a tale that combined prehistoric monsters and the world's preoccupation with the possible dangers of atomic energy . GOJIRA tells the tale of a giant prehistoric animal , laying dormant on the ocean floor , that has come to life as the result of the hydrogen bomb testing and is menacing residents on a small island off the coast of Japan . In short order , Godzilla , tiring of the slim pickings offered by fishing boats , wades ashore in downtown Tokyo and proceeds to destroy the city with brute strength and firy radioactive breath . He returns to his underwater lair , preparing for a final assault that will most certainly level Tokyo and lead to the destruction of the rest of the world . All seems lost when into the fray steps the reclusive scientist , Dr . Serizawa , whose top secret experiment , the Oxygen Destroyer , is seen as the only solution to the Godzilla problem . Serizawa is reluctant to release the destructive potential of his creation , but is finally convinced and , in a final dramatic underwater confrontation , releases the device , which turns Godzilla into a skeleton and , finally , to dust . Serizawa then cuts his air hose , committing a classic suicide that paves the way for his assisstants , Ogata and Emiko , to live happily ever after . GOJIRA was far from an original idea , but what the film lacked in originality it more than made up for in characterization , superior special effects , and a never-flagging tone of somber serious-mindedness . The strong Japanese cast , headed by veterans Akira Takarada and Takashi Shimura , takes this all very seriously . Takarada , as Serizawa , is particularly strong , reflecting the pain of his Kamikaze past and doing the noble thing in his relationship with the respectful Emiko . Whether by design or budget limitations , GOJIRA's matching of minatures and models of Tokyo with the oversized suitmation Godzilla work quite well and , when combined with Honda's deft handling of these black and white proceedings , presents a haunting , somberly stated adjunct to the story . GOJIRA opened in Japan in 1954 . Critically favorable reviews aroused interest on these shores and Trans World Films picked the film up for U.S . release . But , not willing to leave well enough alone , Trans World changed the film's title to GODZILLA , KING OF THE MONSTERS , edited out what they considered unnecessary scenes ( many of which give real insight into the character of Serizawa ) and had director Terry Morse shoot some additional scenes involving actor Raymond Burr as American reporter Steve Martin , who , according to the revamped storyline , while on assignment in Japan observes Godzilla's rampage ( and adds a lure for American film audiences ) . GODZILLA , KING OF THE MONSTERS was released in 1956 . The film duplicated its overseas success and , in the ensuing years , has gone on to become a cult classic .
    • 135 4  Holy crap . First of all , I've loved the original GODZILLA : KING OF THE MONSTERS since I was a kid . It was the first Godzilla movie I ever saw , and I've been a big Godzilla fan and collector ever since . Then , one day , I find out that the version of the film that I'd known and loved for years is actually not the original version ; rather , a re-edit for American audiences . And since every person I've ever spoken or been in contact with has told me that the Japanese version is infinately better , I couldn't wait to see it . . . unfortunately , I had to wait anyway , because finding it on video / DVD was damn near impossible for a very , very long time . Finally , a deluxe edition of this movie was released on DVD for the film's 50th anniversary . I eagerly popped the DVD in my player as soon as it came in the mail . As the final credits rolled at the end of the film , I could only say one thing . Holy crap . First of all , let me just say that GOJIRA is way , WAY WAY WAY WAY better than GODZILLA : KING OF THE MONSTERS . The Japanese original version is a lot more dramatic , tense , and most of all , scary . It's a somber and serious movie about the horrors of nuclear weapons testing , with many levels of darkness and complexity that most giant monster movies from the era lack . Aside from the movies , the DVD is awesome . Both versions of the film , the Japanese and the American , are featured on seperate discs , both with individual special features and and commentaries . The DVD package also comes with a booklet containing a short essay about the history of the film , written by Steve Ryfle . Overall , if you love or even just like Godzilla or giant monster movies , or if you've never seen the original Japanese version , or even if you're just interested in film history , this DVD is definately worth picking up .
    • 136 4  GODZILLA was my fav.rubber toy in 74 ( along with a BUFFED big gorilla ) GODZILLA ( GOJIRA in Japan ) is along with one other the BEST monster on a rampage movie ! Tokyo is ravaged by a towering prehistoric fire hazard , stomping and incinerating the city and it's people until reduced to bones by the experimental oxygen destroyer ! This is a excellent dark and brooding MASTERPIECE of cinema ! And will endure the test of time . Long live God-zilla NOTE : Also recommend KING KONG 1933
    • 149 4  Can't wait for this to be released . Has both versions of Godzilla from the fifties . Iv'e seen both and prefer the American version , but the Japanese is great also . There is something about the Japanese version which is very KING KONG like , and that was lost in the US edit . Since the new ULTRAMAN vol .1 DVD is terrible , I recommend buying this DVD instead .
    • 158 4  The idea behind this offering is superb - supply both the familiar , edited and reworked , American version of GOJIRA ( called GODZILLA , KING OF THE MONSTERS ) together with a subtitled print of the previously hard-to-find Japanese original , on separate discs in one package , so that everyone from the film scholar to the most casually curious fan can compare the two versions for a modest price . Unfortunately , both resulting DVDs are of inferior quality , amateurishly contrasty , being very dark in the night-for-night exteriors and night-lit special effects material - a goodly part of both versions - and showing little more than a variety of black blobs moving about in all such scenes . Additionally , the narrow and closely-spaced font used for the yellow subtitles , causes many of them to strobe and distort beyond readibility in the lighter shots when passing over detailed backgrounds . Topping that off , the restoration of the GODZILLA credits is very badly done and not complete at all : the openings credits ( TransWorld logo and star / directors screens ) are still missing , and the end credits are clearly spliced in from a different , widescreen , source , then letterboxed ( the rest of the film isn't even window-boxed ) and placed , incorrectly , after The End instead of before it . Admittedly , it's the only such package in town , and the official one ; but it is just not up to the pro and fan publicity it has been getting in either the restoration or the technical department . It is strictly another caveat emptor situation and , while I do not know if anyone else will try / be able to get these two titles out in better shape , I cannot in all honesty recommend this product and will be returning mine for a refund , making do with what I have of the two features on videotape .
    • 159 4  I'm still waiting for the ENTIRE Japanese Gojira BOXSET ! It was already released in Japan a year and a half ago by Toho ; just take that , add ( removable ) English subtitles , and forget the English-butchered versions . ( But DON'T include the collectable Gojira head ; I'm NOT going to pay extra for a stupid collectable item that just WASTES space ! )
    • 161 4  * Well . . . . . . . FINALLY the rest of you are going to get introduced to the REAL Godzilla ( Gojira ) after a horrendously agonizingly long wait . But Me ? I'm the impatient type . I couldn't wait for the American market to make up its mind as to when ( or if ) they would release this ORIGINAL masterpiece , so years ago I gave my monopoly money to the good folks across the Pacific in AUSTRALIA and delighted in the exclusive privilege of being able to enjoy what was kept from American eyes for over 5 decades . I'd enjoyed it even more based on the seemingly impossible fact that I had likewise never seen the Americanized bastardization of this film , called GODZILLA : KING OF THE MONSTERS , until after I had watched my Region - 4 DVD from Australia which contained both versions of this film . Because of this unbelievable fact , I think I have a very unique and special appreciation for the original film that others in the U.S . may not . In any case , you are all in for quite a treat , to be sure - - and no doubt you , too , will be scratching your heads wondering how this magnificent film degraded into the camp - & - cheese kiddie-fare puke we're all familiar with . You're just going to have to keep waiting for it a little bit longer . ( Nyah-nyah ! )

  • King of the Monsters ) is one of the movies that has impacted my life greatly . I'm fully aware that they're shot on shoe-string budgets , using model train sets as cities , and star a man in a lumpy T-Rex suit , but that's what got me fascinated with Godzilla ( Gojira ) in the first place . The year was 1994 . I was four years old . I was too young for Pulp Fiction or Ed Wood Forest Gump , and born too late for the onslaught of movies from the 1980s . For me , 1994 was the summer of the VCR . My thinking memory capacity just kicked in and I had about twenty years of catch-up movie watching . My family had just gotten a Block Buster's Rental Card and began renting movies like crazy . I gorged myself and began to watch ( mostly by accident ) some of the greats . Jaws , The Star Wars Trilogy , The Indiana Jones Trilogy , Back to the Future , Batman , The War of the Worlds , E.T . , Star Trek II . The geek inside me bloomed . One Sunday afternoon my brother returned home from Block Buster Video with my dad just before my grandparents arrived for a Sunday Dinner of pasta and salad . My brother grabbed me by the hand and dragged me upstairs . Where are we going ? What's that ? He wouldn't answer . He brought me up to my room , closed the door , and turned on my small TV ( which for a matter of fact was the only TV that had a VCR in it on the second floor of my house ) . He had something tucked under his arm . I couldn't read the box because I couldn't read , I think . . . He popped in the cassette and fast-forwarded all the FBI Warning mumbo-jumbo . Then darkness . A black and white text popped up on the screen and a terrible roar followed . Then came the first shot and a voice broke through the eerie silence of a decimated city . . . This is Tokyo . Once a city of six million people . What has happened here was caused by a force which up until a few days ago was entirely beyond the scope of Man's imagination . Tokyo , a smoldering memorial to the unknown , an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world . There were once many people here who could've told of what they saw . . . now there are only a few . My name is Steve Martin . I am a foreign correspondent for United World News . I was headed for an assignment in Cairo , when I stopped off in Tokyo for a social ; but it turned out to be a visit to the living HELL of another world . I hung on every word Mr . Martin spoke to my brother and me . Being a reporter , his mission was to tell you what had happened to Tokyo and you would be wise to listen . The movie was dark and foreboding . I had already seen Jaws so I was already fascinated with unknown creatures lurking in the black icy depths of the ocean , biding its time . The monster finally appeared over the hill of the island and there he was , although I didn't know who he was , although after that moment I never forgot him . The monster rampages through Tokyo and reduces it to utter devastation . I'm entranced . Finally and reluctantly , a brilliant scientist with an eye-patch divulges his invention that could possibly destroy the monster . Steve Martin stands by and watches the event occur , surprisingly never writing anything down . They use the invention as a weapon on the monster but the heroic scientist doesn't make it out alive . The weapon begins to takes it's affect on the monster , and the monster rises up to the surface and cries out in pain , and defeat . The monster sinks to the ocean floor . I'm balling . Why ? Why did the monster have to die ? Many people cry when King Kong falls off the Empire State Building , I cried for the monster that fell to the ocean floor . That summer and that movie changed me forever . The movie was Godzilla : King of the Monsters and the monster was Godzilla . Godzilla was unleashed upon American Shores in 1956 ; two years after the original Japanese Gojira had made its rampage overseas . The original was directed by Ishiro Honda and the Americanized version was directed by Terry Moore with Ramon Burr stuck in every once and a while . Upon later viewings of the film , I am sad to say that the film just doesn't hold up . On it's own at least . The film has terrible dubbing which disgusts me for the simple fact that Akira Kurosawa films had been played countless times in the US but never had to succumb to awful dubbing by Hollywood's crop of dub-men . Men and women who were handed terribly translated scripts and spoke the lines in a bored , sterile , and emotionless fashion . For the longest time I thought that the American Version was nearly identical to the original in length , pacing , and mood . Until my brother came home from work and gave me an issue of G-Fan ; an all Godzilla Magazine and something I never in my life time would have ever thought existed . I opened up the magazine and found an article in about the original Gojira and its comparisons to the film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms . I was surprised to find that I had never seen any of the images printed from Gojira in the magazine before . Then it hit me : there must be more footage in the Japanese Version ! But unfortunately I still had to deal with the fact that original would be forever out of my grasp . But as months rolled by and I kept reading the magazine , I started to get impatient . For too long was the American version the only available one to see in the US of A . Then , on a Saturday even in 2004 , I found a trailer for the re-release of the original Gojira in select theaters nationwide ! Uncensored , Uncut , UNDUBBED ! ! ! ! ! I skipped school one day and went to see the movie in Manhattan with my brother and my mother . It was playing in a quaint little theater in the Union Square area called Cinema Village . We went and bought our tickets , got some gummy bears , twizzlers , and good ` n ' plenty and entered the theater . The seats were small and uncomfortable and the screen was just a little bigger than my TV at home , but I didn't care . I was going to see the original Godzilla - Gojira - and nothing was going to ruin it for me . The theater darkened and the projector rattled alive and brought forth its luminous cinematic light . The movie started . The Gojira title came up in Japanese as Akira Ifukube's score piped through . I was born again . Suffice to say , the original Gojira is a masterpiece in the science fiction genre but also in Japanese Cinema . It tells an allegorical tale of the horror of the atomic bomb through a gigantic monster that destroys everything and everyone in its path . The movie is darker both in pacing and in theme than its American Counterpart . It is an excellent film to be viewed by fans of the giant monster genre and science fiction genre . The film has an amazing monster like King Kong and a cautionary lesson like The Day the Earth Stood Still . The DVD itself has many interesting special features including commentaries by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski and videos on the Story Development of Godzilla and the making of the suit . Must see special features for die hard G-Fans or anyone who is just curious to see how the story originated out or how they made the suit . If you are looking for a movie is provocative but is humble enough to have a man in a suit to portray its villain , I say to you , go out and buy Gojira on DVD . You get both the original and you get the skim plus American version . If you're looking for some good ole cheesy atomic age fun , then pick up Gojira on DVD and you'll get both movies . Two different movies , yet the same movie , and equally important to me . This DVD set is a blessing sent from the gods at Classic Media and Toho . I strongly urge any Godzilla fan that has not seen this version to go out and do so immediately . You are not complete until you have seen it . Then and only then will you not only be a fully rounded Godzilla fan but also a Gojira fan .
    • 001 4  If you are like most Americans , you have probably never seen the original , unadulterated Godzilla ( Original title Gojira . the name being a mix of the Japanese words for gorilla and whale . ) More familiar with the campy , badly dubbed and edited version that graced TV screens in the 70s , we have seen Raymond Burr awkwardly inserted into the plot , anti-American political sentiments removed , and a horde of mismatched dialogs and ridiculous translations . Well , we are in for a real treat ! The Japanese Godzilla is a serious film , starring Kurosawa veteran Takashi Shimura ( Seven Samurai , Ikura ) . ( In fact , two of Shimura's films , Godzilla and Seven Samurai competed for the 1954 Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture . ) Only nine years after the atomic bombs devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki , the threat of nuclear power was very much in the minds of the average Japanese citizen . Contamination , mutation , radiation . . . this was far from science fiction . This is the fire from which sprang the King of Monsters . In a now-familiar plot , American nuclear testing has given rise to a 150 - foot tall engine of destruction , breathing atomic fire and hell-bent on destroying Tokyo before taking on the world . Assembling the army , and all of the modern science Japan can muster , they battle the rampaging monster to the inevitable conclusion . Standing along side the original 1933 King Kong , Godzilla is a classic monster movie , as well as a fine film in its own right . A suspenseful horror-drama , the acting , filming and special effects are all far above other entries in the genre . The black and white filming is used superbly , with the fire-cast shadows making the monster all the more menacing . What is great about this set , is that not only do you get a restored and beautiful version of the original classic , you get an additional disk with the American edit complete with the stuffy professor Raymond Burr and the additional footage thought necessary for American audiences . It is a rare chance to compare the two versions , and see how politics in the US affected what audiences were allowed to view in the 1950s . I have been waiting a long time for the original Godzilla to get a DVD release , and it is great to see it finally being treated with the respect it deserves .
    • 002 4  Bottom line : If any of you grew up watching or watched recently : Godzilla , King of the Monsters , the chopped up U.S . version , take it out of your mind and forget about it . You are in for a cinematic masterpiece when this DVD releases . I had the honor of watching the original Gojira at a theater in my town . This is the film that started it all . When it was relased in the U.S . , it was butchered , altered and changed into an average science fiction film with Raymond Burr fill-ins . He wasn't even in the original film . The original Gojira is a sci-fi / horror masterpiece . The film creates feelings of dread and sorrow . The original version is a much darker , sinister film . AWESOME ! The film also focuses more on the suffering of the Japanese people during the atomic age . The film makes you feel their tension and suffering . There is one scene where Gojira is staring at a big ben style clock . He is staring at it for no apparent reason . The scene makes you wonder what Gojira is thinking at the time . Then , for no reason , he tries to take a bite out of it . That scene alone changes the feeling of the film to something more than a lumbering beast destroying everything . MUST SEE ! MUST BUY !
    • 003 4  After 52 years , the US finally receives an official home release for the original Gojira . Please forget everything you remember about the horrible US butchering and purchase this product . The film is a scathing political commentary on the United States ' practice of nuclear testing ( and certainly the previous use ) in the Pacific . The film is NOT a silly sci-fi about a giant angry monster attacking cities at random . There is a reason that the doomsday weapon used to kill Gojira is called the Oxygen Destroyer in perfect English . Takashi Shimura , best known for his work with Akira Kurosawa , is terrific as usual . The musical score by Akira Ikifube is my personal favorite of his compositions .
    • 006 4  One of the most popular movie monsters in the world comes to DVD . When several ships mysteriously disappear off the coast of Japan , authorities discover the existence of a 400 - foot dinosaur that breaths radioactive fire . Spawned by recent atomic testing , the towering beast threatens to destroy the entire world . The DVD includes the original 1954 Japanese classic Gojira and the 1956 Americanized version Godzilla , King of the Monsters . Gojira is a well paced creature feature that shares many similarities with the 1953 hit classic The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms . The film's special effects are pretty crude but its message of the dangers of atomic testing is explicit . The classic Sci-Fi feature was a big success in Japan and launched countless sequels and remakes that turned Godzilla into one of the most recognizable icons of Japanese pop culture . For wide release in the United States , the Sci-Fi feature was edited with extra footage featuring Raymond Burr ( T。's Perry Mason ) and retitled Godzilla , King of the Monsters . For serious fans of the popular Japanese monster , Goyira Deluxe Collector's Edition is an absolute purchase . Both the Japanese and American versions are presented in their original full screen format . Despite some scratches and visible dust , the picture quality is better than I've expected . Its simple 2.0 Dolby Digital audio is fairly decent . The 2 - Disc Deluxe Edition includes audio commentaries by experts about Godzilla and other Japanese movies , two short featurettes and original movie trailers . Overall , Gojira Deluxe Edition gets a B .
    • 007 4  Finally , English-speaking fans of Godzilla can see the original film , Gojira , in its original language without any of the American release edits . The print for this spectacular Japanese language with optional English subtitles release has been nicely cleaned up with most ( but not all ) of the flaws from the more than 50 - year-old source material eliminated . The stereo mix of the soundtrack sounds great and you'll get chills just listening to the original Gojira roar over the opening credits ! The second disc in the set contains the full length American version of the film , Godzilla . This is the English language theatrical release with Raymond Burr that we've all come to know and love . The enclosed booklet has a wealth of information about the making of the film , both versions , and the extra features on the DVDs regarding the creation of the Gojira story , costume , and more are most welcome . If you're a fan of Godzilla , young or old , you will love this DVD set and at the very reasonable prices I've seen this set at , from about $13 to $16 as of this writing , it is a bargain you will enjoy for years to come . Take the king of the monsters home and pop it in your DVD player as soon as possible !
    • 008 4  If you've spent years wishing for a quality US release of Gojira , your long wait is over . Sony Classic Media has finally done justice to the world's most famous giant radioactive lizard . This is one of the all-time monster classics , responsible for spawning a half-century of sequels ( although none of them as starkly effective as the original ) . Unlike later movies where Gojira becomes the friend of children , this version is much darker , and the only way Gojira helps anyone is by sending them to the next world . The scenes where the monster destroys Tokyo in a sea of flames are genuinely disturbing . These images certainly resonated with a citizenry that had survived massive firebombings and two atomic bombs . The Oxygen Destroyer weapon ( created by the iconic Dr . Serizawa ) looks like something that might have come out of Los Alamos . While I can't say how this transfer compares to other DVD versions of the movie , it looks pretty good to me . Images are generally clean and bright , with good contrast throughout . There is a problem with speckles , which becomes more apparent during the nighttime scenes and with some of the stock footage . On the good side , this version has a 4 : 3 aspect ratio , which means you get to see the top of Gojira's head ( Rialto's recent release was in fake widescreen , which cut off the top part of many scenes ) . The subtitle translation from the Rialto version has been toned down , losing a reference to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki . The subtitles are all spelled correctly , but the letters are often too close together , especially when an O follows an L ( trilobite looks like tribbite ) . Even the 1956 version of the film looks good . The new footage appears to have been contrast balanced to better match the original movie . ( I had a video release several years back where the difference between the two film prints was like night and day . ) While it's no secret the American version is weaker than the Japanese original , it's not entirely bad . Some scenes actually have better pacing , particularly Godzilla's appearance atop Odo Island . However , all of the scenes where Steve Martin interacts with the characters from the original movie ( stand-ins are used ) are painful to watch ; the phone conversation with Dr . Serizawa is comically bad . Also , the voice actor dubbing Takashi Shimura is awful , and simply cannot say the word phenomenon correctly . Luckily , Akira Ifukube's groundbreaking score was also used in the American version of Godzilla . While I haven't played the commentaries , the two documentaries are informative , especially the one on the creation of the Gojira suit . Both films also include their respective trailers . Interestingly , the Japanese version concentrates more on the characters , while the U.S . trailer is all about the monster . The packaging is very well-designed , and includes a nice booklet . It's all just the thing for passing some time on Monster Island .
    • 009 4  The only reason I didn't give this set five stars , is that neither of the films has been restored to the standards of what we have come to expect of special edition DVDs ( see the restored 1933 King Kong for an example ) . Both prints show wear , emulsion lines , dirt and lots of sparkle , but considering the raity of the source material , that is to be expected . I can also see a certain amount of charm in the flaws myself . However , don't let the somewhat less than perfect quality of the films put you off from buying what has been a holy grail for Godzilla fans for years . The commentary tracks on both films are insightful and informative , and the two featurettes on the creation of the story and the making of the suit are interesting and include some wonderful behind-the-scenes artwork and stills . My only negative comment on those would be that the commentary and the featurettes often cover the same information , making them seem a bit redundant at times , but they contain enough different info to keep them from being boring . The packaging is tasteful and respectful . More of these films should be restored this way .
    • 011 4  I've longed to see Gojira , the original Japanese version of Godzilla for years and now , finally , it arrives on these shores . The framing story is basically the same as the Raymond Burr movie I grew up with , but the tone of the movie is so much more serious with the original referring to atomic testing and war . The scenes of Gojira's destruction of cities cannot help but recall footage of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . There are also scenes with doctors detecting radiation on children in the hospital , a child crying for her dead mother , and a mother cuddling her two children as Gojira approaches , telling them that they're about to join their father . All this and more gives Gojira much more gravity and , quite frankly , better quality than the Americanized version . Don't get me wrong , I'll always dig the Burr version , but the newly-released original can be truly called a classic . There is also much more screen-time given to the characters of Serizawa and Yamane . Serizawa is shown having much more agony over his decision whether or not to use his invention to save Japan , but , here again the implications of atomic weaponry is revealed . Yamane is given more scenes where he bemoans the fact that Gojira is to be destroyed and not studied . All that said , Gojira IS a monster film , no doubt . There is various footage I don't recall from the Burr version ( I haven't watched the second disc yet ) , such as Gojira taking biting snaps at a clock tower he destroys ; the creature attacking a tower where reporters are gathered ( the scene is in the other version , but I don't recall Gojira chewing on the tower ! ) ; and if my memory serves , more Army scenes where Gojira takes cannon shots to the chest . He just seems so much more bestial here . The extras are very cool with features on the origins of the story and the making of the suit . I must say that there is a ton of artifacts and snow on the film . I know it's from 1954 but couldn't they have cleaned it up a bit better ? I don't recall the Japanese footage in the Burr version having so many lines and snow . I'll have to look at it , and my DVD of Godzilla : King of the Monsters to compare . That said , even with the grain , this is a must-buy for any Godzilla fan , any fan of Japanese cinema , or any straight-up movie lover . A winner and a great get for anyone's DVD collection .
    • 012 4  There are plenty of reviews already about the issuing of the original Godzilla in this excellent two DVD set from Sony . I will only add what has not already been said . Gojira was the original kaiji eiga ( that is the Japanese phrase for monster movie ) , the first of what became 25 Godzilla films ( to date ) . While the original film had a dark heart and serious intent , a lot of often silly films followed - - although in the most recent film ( Godzilla , Mothra and King Ghidora ) , it came full circle : Godzilla becomes the embodiment of the souls of everyone who died in Asia during World War Two , with Godzilla attacking Japan as a punishment for its war crimes . Surprised ? Gojira was made key members of Kurosawa's crew . It was co-written and directed by his second unit director and lifelong friend , Ishiro Honda . Takashi Shimura , the actor who portrayed the master Samurai who recruited the other six , also starred in Gojira . The Americanization of Gojira , to make it more commercial to US audience , was very well done . Terry Morse , the US director , did excellent work , especially given around forty minutes of the original were cut out , and twenty new minutes inserted . Raymond Burr provided a white American anchor for the US audience , his voice over narration helping bridge the massive cuts . Burr's footage was a legendary rush job - - supposedly all of his scenes were shot in a single day , although that seems unlikely . Ishiro Honda , who directed and co-wrote Gojira , was a soldier in the Japanese army during the Second World War . He saw first-hand the devastation wrought on Hiroshima by the atomic bomb , and for years wanted to direct a film showing the horror of atomic war and the dangers of nuclear testing . He was given the opportunity to go ape on nukes by , ironically , the Americans - - via the very successful re-release of King Kong . That success was very much on the mind of a Toho producer who had a production gap to fill , and who decided to try a monster movie . He commissioned a screenplay that was based on The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms , an early Ray Harryhausen classic that was a big follow-up hit to King Kong . Ishiro Honda grabbed the opportunity with both hands . With another writer he reworked the original commissioned script , adding his themes on nuclear testing and atomic warfare . Gojira became a prehistoric beast mutated by atomic testing . The devastation of Hiroshima served as the visual template for the monster's attack on Tokyo . Unlike the American films of the Fifties ( The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms , Them ! ) , atomic testing was not simply a plot device . Gojira was the physical embodiment of the atomic bomb . He had atomic breath . He created fire . He devastated buildings . He left radiation sickness in his wake . Hospitals were filled - - as with Hiroshima - - his victims . All of this was deliberate . And the film itself was done in a somber style , using one of Japan's best classical music composers to create a memorable score . How aware were the American producers of the atomic testing and environmental issues ? Probably not very . Their cutting of some scenes , which emphasized Honda's themes , were probably for commercial reasons , not political ones . Just to make the film move faster . For example , they cut one scene where riders on a commuter train commented that with Gojira attacking they would have to go down into the shelters again , a direct reference to World War Two . But they did leave in the references to Godzilla being a product of atomic testing . One interesting brief scene in Gojira illustrates the complexity of the original in its themes : the Japanese scientist with the eye patch , who creates the oxygen destroyer that kills Gojira , denies to a reporter that he had any contact with German scientists . But most of what hit the floor was character development , not politics . That is because the American version leaves the key scenes . Probably , again , because they did not really realize what those scenes showed . For example , at the very beginning of both versions is a scene where a Japanese freighter is attacked by Godzilla , who is under the water and not seen - - instead there is a white hot flare up from under the water which destroys the freighter . Americans would not have understood the significance of the scene , but it was not lost on the Japanese audience . On March 1 , 1954 , the US tested the first Hydrogen Bomb in the Marshall Islands . The Daigo Fukuryo Maru ( The Lucky Dragon , a tragic misnomer ) was fishing for tuna in the area . While the US had warned Americans in the area about the test , somehow they failed to warn the Japanese . The crew were close enough to see the blast and be covered with radioactive fallout . Aikichi Kuboyama , the ship's radio operator , died from radiation sickness on September 23 , 1954 , becoming the first ( and apparently only ) victim of the Hydrogen Bomb . Kuboyama lingered for a long time , in part because the Americans did not completely inform his doctors on how to treat him properly . His illness and death were front page news in Japan for many months . Japanese audiences knew exactly what the opening scene of the freighter meant - - Gojira was released three months after his death . Ironically , the Japanese and Honda himself eventually forgot their very serious concerns . Gojira was a big hit , as was , even in Japan , the American version . Gradually Godzilla became a commercial juggernaut who , to make money , was eventually played for laughs . . . completing Gojira's Americanization . A Critical History of and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series , by David Kalat ( McFarland & Company ) was a very useful resource for this review . Also of help were various websites on Godzilla .
    • 013 4  Godzilla fans everywhere can finally see the original Gojira and it is definitely worth the wait ( well , 52 years is a very long time to wait ) . This 2 - disc set includes not only Gojira , but the American edit , Godzilla , King of the Monsters . Gojira is a fascinating exploration of anti-nuclear themes . The film is dark and frightening . But for those of us who grew up in the years following the release of this film , there is only one Godzilla and it starred Raymond Burr . Only one complaint , neither of these films has been remastered and Gojira contains a lot of typos in the subtitles .
    • 014 4  The issue of this new DVD set last Tuesday has brought to light the reason why I am an advocate of uncut original works as opposed to splice and dice movie making or cutting in presentation of a final product to an audience . The romantic storyline is almost completely lost or mis-understood in the Raymond Burr version made for American Audiences and for someone like me , who had never seen the Japanese original , this was a real break ! The Japanese version has great writing and storyline progression and makes a tremendous amount of sense as well as a more highbrow approach to the script . This concept is also completely lost in the Raymond Burr edition and not to belittle Mr . Burr , who did a decent job with the material presented , but I certainly appreciate this DVD comparison set and especially the extras that show you how the script and sets were made as well as the famous Godzilla suit and the problems with it . One of the few DVD's released where someone cared . Thank you !
    • 015 4  Just got this new dvd of the original Gojira today . . . i was really excited when i heard this was coming out in america . of course like most people , when i was a kid i was exposed to the big G by those sunday afternoon monster mash films . . . and ive been hooked ever since . godzilla ranks right up there with King Kong . . first off the original japanese godzilla is slightly longer , but its still fun . i know this might upset some people out there but you have to READ the english subtitles . . reading is a part of life . as for the american version , it has perry mason himself raymond burr playing reporter steve martin who is at the frontline of godzilla's first ever rampage on tokyo . the dvd quality is excellent , but sometimes there are a few spots here and there , but i think it adds to the charm of this film afterall , its in glorious black and white . overall the remastering is good . now down to the extras i wish there was more , but what we are given will satisfy any fan . . you get a interesting documentary on the making of the gozailla suit . . a documentary on the storywritng , and the trailers for both versions . . ive never saw the trailer , so this was a welcomed sight for me . . also as a extra bonus it comes with a nice booklet containing lots of interesting information on the film such as the original color for godzilla was not green but dark charcoal . overall im very happy with this dvd , i dont know why some people over critique on this release . . its fantastic . . finally i can get rid of my old worn out grainy copy of this film and have a pristine , digital remastered copy . . hearing godzilla's roar after all these years is still exciting . also , i would like to say the man in the suit godzilla is far superior to that 1990s remake where godzilla was this skinny , long legged thing . . they had a good idea , but botched it up stick to the classics guys . . also , i would like to say , that if you loved this film . . . by all means pick up a copy of Godzilla 1985 . . that is the direct sequel to this film . . all the other gozills films did not count in the timeline . . now im hoping toho studios will release that one onto dvd as well . . so sit back , relax , and take a trip back to odo island and get re introduced to the big guy . . its going to be a wild ride !
    • 016 4  For sci-fi fans like me , this recent release of the Gojira / Godzilla DVD set has been a long-awaited event . Now , at long last , we are able to see the original Gojira film and compare it with the Godzilla Hollywood version which we all grew up watching . And here I thought I knew this movie . . . When Nabokov shared his manuscript of Lolita with his friend Edmund Wilson and asked Wilson what he thought of it , Wilson's reply was : Bury it under a rock for a thousand years . That would have been great advice to the producers of the Hollywood version of this film . I watched the Hollywood release on this DVD before viewing the original Gojira , and for me , after viewing both versions , the addition of the Raymond Burr character to the original film and his endless voice-over narrations throughout the Hollywood version turned a fairly good movie into something quite bad and boring . A movie properly driven by plot and dialogue had been reduced mostly to a guy speaking into a tape recorder's microphone . . . What were those Hollywood producers thinking in the mid - 1950s when they chose to do such a hatchet job on Gojira ? Certainly they believed that American audiences would not relate to a film drama involving only Japanese characters , and so they introduced an American character into the film : Raymond Burr . Given how soon after the end of WWII this film had been released , and the still-strong anti-Japanese sentiment alive all throughout America , it's no surprise that Hollywood producers chose this tactic . From what I can remember from my childhood viewings of Godzilla , I of course had no problem at all with such political decisions , and I absolutely loved the movie every time I saw it . But now , how it pales to the original !
    • 017 4  Gojira is the Japanese name for that large , nuclear fueled reptile we know as Godzilla . The original movie , which is much deeper than Godzilla - King of the Monsters ( the americanized version most of us are familiar with - which is included in this set ) , is an alagory for the use , testing and development of nuclear weapons . The cool thing about the Japanese version is that we get to see the forays of the great beast into Tokyo . Also of interest , this is probably the first rubbersuited monster seen on the screen . The print isn't of the best quality , but the commentary explains why . The featurettes are very interesting as are the commentary tracks , which are different for both films . All-in-all , a very good collection worthy of Gojira ! Highest rating for a DVD collection from me .
    • 018 4  Well , here it is . After over 50 years , the original un-Americanized , un-dubbed , un-pipe-smoking-Raymond-Burrified incarnation of the film that turned a big rubber lizard into an international icon is finally available stateside . So is Gojira really worth the wait and the expense of a two-disc set ? The answer is : you'd better believe it . If you're part of that group that likes your Japanese monster movies repackaged complete with somewhat-erratic dubbing , then this set includes the U.S . release with the future Perry Mason playing a newsman named Steve Martin ( unfortunately , there are no banjos , fake arrows through the head , or groovin ' tunes about Tutankhamen here ) . As explained rather plainly in the film's audio commentary , the writers ( the identities of whom are thoroughly debated in the commentary ) and director Terry Morse had a helluva time trying to finagle Burr's scenes into this film , and cut out a good portion of the original to do it , but the result meshes rather well for a film of its era . I won't give away the plot , since anyone with a half a brain in their head reading this review right now could probably guess it , but Godzilla : King Of The Monsters still has a certain charm all these decades later , and remains one of the most sober entries in what would come to be a intense , colorful series as the years went by . However , the REAL gem of this set is Gojira ( strange to be called that , since the Japanese translation of Big G's name in the subtitles IS Godzilla ) . Directed by Ishiro Honda , Gojira has more going for it than just a longer running time . And if your only image of Godzilla is a campy , silly monster who frequently tag-teams with a giant moth and has been known to use his fire breath as a source of propulsion , then you NEED to see Gojira to see what Godzilla was really intended to be . Gojira is a very dark and bleak sci-fi movie made not by the crassly exploitative Hollywood types of the era , but by filmmakers who still had the horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki burning feverishly in their memories . This was nearly ten years after WWII , and that is a fact that is very much in evidence in this original incarnation of Godzilla . It's not enough that we see this giant monster smashing and burning Tokyo into ruin - we get something in bargain that very , very few movies of this nature have ever bothered to address : the human suffering . There are genuinely heartbreaking moments throughout the film , and the thick of Godzilla's rampage is only a part of the territory this aspect of the film reaches . Every element of Gojira reflects the experiences of filmmakers who lived under the terrible shadow of nuclear annhiliation : Honda was a veteran whose journey back through the devastated lands following the war inspired much of the anguished aftermath of Godzilla's attack ; FX supervisor Eiji Tsuburaya came from a long background of producing war training films with highly-detailed miniatures ; and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka based the idea of the film partially on the tragedy of the Lucky Dragon , a Japanese fishing vessel irradiated by the fallout of U.S . nuke testing . This is not the upbeat monster movie featured on Disc Two . Apart from the stark , grave , almost documentary-like presentation of events that unfolds around the film's titular menace ( beautifully abetted by composer Akira Ifukube's melancholy music score ) , Gojira is rare in the ' 50s sci-fi movie pantheon in that the human element of the drama - fleshed out , as is typical of these films , by a handful of foreground human characters - is not only excellently portrayed but is done so in a way that establishes it to be critical to the overall climax of the film . There is a secret affair between young lovers Ogata ( Akira Takarada ) and Emiko ( Momoko Kochi ) ; there is the odd-man-out betrothed Serizawa ( Akihiko Hirata ) who torturously carries a secret that could either save the world or destroy it ; there is conflict between Emiko's father Dr . Yamane ( Takashi Shimura ) and Ogata over saving the last survivor of its species or eradicating it before it destroys all of humankind . . . all expertly interwoven on a level that simply is not seen in any American sci-fi film of the era . When their worlds and that of Godzilla inevitably collide for the film's final resolution , the ending carries an emotional punch that very few other sci-fi movies of the decade have , and certainly not something to be expected after decades of duking it out with the likes of Ghidorah , Gigan , or Mechagodzilla . In addition to the two versions of the film , there are the usual theatrical trailers , also some audio commentaries by Godzilla enthusiasts Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski ( gotta love that name ) that are informative if a bit monotonous at times , and even a couple of featurettes briefly discussing the processes by which Honda and writers Shigeru Kayama and Takeo Murata crafted the film's intricate story , and one detailing the trial-and-error creation of the first Godzilla suit and the travails Tsuburaya faced bringing the monster to life in front of the cameras . All of this makes for a film that could very well qualify to be one of the Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of All Time , in my opinion . . . and I mean without Burr smoking his pipe . In closing , the Gojira 2 - Disc Set is a must for any Godzilla fan , any fan of foreign films , any fan of giant monster movies , and . . . well . . just buy it already .
    • 019 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) Having the original version with the english subtitles really had a lot of answers for me . In the version with Raymond Burr you were left to wonder what was really going on . It kept the part about the use of h-bombs and world tension out of the main story . Which is what the movie was really about .
    • 021 4  This set gives fans in the US acess to the original Japanese version of Godzilla , without the added Raymond Burr storyline , and a copy of that version which has been the normal one available . Fans will vary in their opinion of how the original was adapted in 1956 for American audiences . On the whole , I think they did a pretty good job , compared to other similar adaptations .
    • 023 4  It was interesting to see the whole movie and the details that lead up to the American version that was to be released a year later . Interesting that the American version was so heavily edited and omitted the Hiroshima / Nagasaki connection . A must have item for all serious fans of the 50 - 60 sci-fi films .
    • 024 4  What a trip to watch the original and look for differences . Always knew the U.S . release had been redone in certain segments ( obviously ) , but never thought I'd enjoy the real McCoy as much as I did . I've gotten used to movies with subtitles and find that ( for me ) this is the way they should all be seen . . . as originally produced .
    • 025 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) A wonderful two DVD Set . Great cover art box . The film is almost worth the fifty year wait .
    • 026 4  A wonderful two DVD Set . Great cover art box . The film is almost worth the fifty year wait .
    • 027 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) All things old are new again . Imagine 50 years later I see the original Godzilla and it was so neat . It was a better movie . It is NOT ' KING KONG ' but that doesn't make it any worse for wear . So much of what I remember having problems following in the US version were so clear in this one . This is a great addition to anyone who remembers this movie or has never seen it ! !
    • 028 4  All things old are new again . Imagine 50 years later I see the original Godzilla and it was so neat . It was a better movie . It is NOT ' KING KONG ' but that doesn't make it any worse for wear . So much of what I remember having problems following in the US version were so clear in this one . This is a great addition to anyone who remembers this movie or has never seen it ! !
    • 029 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) I could talk about the mood , the characters , the effects , the guy in the big monster suit . . . all those things add up to what this movie was suppose to be about in the first place . There is much more suspense and meaning in the movie's original Japanese version then anyother version . First , it is dark and , at times , confusing and we get bits and pieces of the monster as it slowly comes to light but it is mostly the helplessness in seeing something so powerful that there is nothing you can do to stop it . . . and its coming your way . You know this is post WW II Japan and after all the fire bombings and the two atomic bombs they know better then most what this feels like . Truely enjoyable
    • 030 4  I could talk about the mood , the characters , the effects , the guy in the big monster suit . . . all those things add up to what this movie was suppose to be about in the first place . There is much more suspense and meaning in the movie's original Japanese version then anyother version . First , it is dark and , at times , confusing and we get bits and pieces of the monster as it slowly comes to light but it is mostly the helplessness in seeing something so powerful that there is nothing you can do to stop it . . . and its coming your way . You know this is post WW II Japan and after all the fire bombings and the two atomic bombs they know better then most what this feels like . Truely enjoyable
    • 031 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) This is the orignial , original Godzilla . When Godzilla was released in the USA they edited in Raymond Burr for American audiences . Now we finally see the un-edited version of all Japanese actors . The story is much more interesting with many new characters , who were there all the time , but invisible in the American version . This is an excellent print of an excellent movie .
    • 032 4  This is the orignial , original Godzilla . When Godzilla was released in the USA they edited in Raymond Burr for American audiences . Now we finally see the un-edited version of all Japanese actors . The story is much more interesting with many new characters , who were there all the time , but invisible in the American version . This is an excellent print of an excellent movie .
    • 035 4  Being a Godzilla fan since the age of eight , I have been waiting for this moment for the past ten years once I found out that the version with Raymond Burr was not the true version of the film . While the Burr version is a good one , I kept hearing that it didn't quite capture the horror and the emotion that the original version had . I must say this is very true . After watching the film , the Americanization of the cut out most of the raw emotions the Japanese felt during that period and how much they despised nuclear weaponry . The movie moves at a brisk pace to begin with but , unfortunately , the emotion is not as strong in the first part as it is in the second part . It also begins to slow a bit with quite a few human scenes that , sometimes , are kind of pointless and don't do much to help the film . This film is a little over twenty minutes longer than the Americanization and it shows between the two films . I must say , for more action in a shorter period of time , the Americanization ( which is included in this set ) is your film of choice . The Japanese version is more emotional and is able to throw a point across that is absent in the American version . Both are good in their own ways and bad in their own ways as well . However , the Japanese version seems more novel and not like some monster-on-the-loose film the American version portrays it to be . Some nice extras are included here such as a commentary by Godzilla experts / lifelong fans and a theatrical trailer . This is a must-have for all Godzilla fans !
    • 036 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) It's a strange and almost unnoticed fact that the two Japanese films of 1954 that put Japanese cinema at its most poetic and its most populist on the international map both starred Takashi Shimura . The same year he led a group of Ronin to defend a poor village for Akira Kurosawa he was also trying to unravel the mystery of Gojira , only to get sidelined in the US version of the film in favor of a not exactly seamlessly edited in Raymond Burr . The new Region 1 NTSC DVD of Godzilla in both its incarnations is a nice presentation of a movie that isn't quite as good as you'd like it to be but still isn't bad for all that . While the Japanese version , with its heavy Hiroshima and Nagasaki allegorical overtones , is the better film , the American version isn't exactly negligible . Restructuring the film's timeframe , beginning in the aftermath of the destruction of Tokyo and framing much of the film as a flashback to explain the need for narration , it sidelines the nuclear subplot but still offers much of the flavor of the original , as well as offering a couple of bizarrely charming moments of camp from Raymond Burr : it's almost worth it for the little look he gives the security officer in the helicopter . Picture quality on the Japanese version is sadly not as good as the US version , but it's more than acceptable for all that .
    • 037 4  It's a strange and almost unnoticed fact that the two Japanese films of 1954 that put Japanese cinema at its most poetic and its most populist on the international map both starred Takashi Shimura . The same year he led a group of Ronin to defend a poor village for Akira Kurosawa he was also trying to unravel the mystery of Gojira , only to get sidelined in the US version of the film in favor of a not exactly seamlessly edited in Raymond Burr . The new Region 1 NTSC DVD of Godzilla in both its incarnations is a nice presentation of a movie that isn't quite as good as you'd like it to be but still isn't bad for all that . While the Japanese version , with its heavy Hiroshima and Nagasaki allegorical overtones , is the better film , the American version isn't exactly negligible . Restructuring the film's timeframe , beginning in the aftermath of the destruction of Tokyo and framing much of the film as a flashback to explain the need for narration , it sidelines the nuclear subplot but still offers much of the flavor of the original , as well as offering a couple of bizarrely charming moments of camp from Raymond Burr : it's almost worth it for the little look he gives the security officer in the helicopter . Picture quality on the Japanese version is sadly not as good as the US version , but it's more than acceptable for all that .
    • 038 4  I'm a giant monster movie fan ( not fantic ) from way back . I still fondly remember Thanksgiving marathons of Kong and Godzilla on Black Friday . So I went into this movie expecting to be happy afterwards . It didn't disapoint . I liked having both versions of the movie and prefer the original . I liked the behind the scenes stuff . Really nothing to complain about .
    • 039 4  The original version of Godzilla - - Gojira . My only disappointment is that they didn't translate it Gojira in English for the Japanese version . Some reviewers have stated that this is strictly for Godzilla fans , but it can be enjoyed for the history as well . The United States still faces world criticism today for what we did 61 years ago and the menace of Godzilla is a haunting illustration of how our enemies ( and even some of our allies ) think of us . It's an image we won't like , and it is certainly a caricature , but it is one that we should see , acknowledge , and move forward .
    • 040 4  From the opening credits with only Godzilla's roar , I knew that this wasn't going to be the same as the American version I have seen all of the years I have been a fan of Godzilla . Just from the beginning , it gave a really dark presence and sets up the viewer perfectly and lets us know that we are about to see something very serious and nothing to laugh about . The story is in one word , incredible . The tone is dark and the images and the messages used are a constant reminder of how terrifying and monstrous Godzilla is to these people in this movie . There are many scenes that are in this original version that were left out of the American version that really left some images engraved in my mind . One of the most chilling scenes is when Godzilla is attacking Japan , a woman and her children are huddled together in fear and the mother is saying to her children Don't worry , we will be together soon with daddy . Meaning that they would soon be in Heaven . There are many other scenes like that one . Many , many things are finally restored in this movie that was left out of the American version . There is such a difference between the two versions ; the Japanese story is almost completely different from the American one . The DVD box that this film is in is amazing in itself ; it opens up like a book and is also hardcover as if it were a book . It comes with the American and Japanese versions of the film so you can compare the two . It also has a 16 page book as well ! Overall , this is a have to have for those who have never seen the original version . It is simply amazing and it will give you a new look on Godzilla .
    • 041 4  Excellent product fast and easy . Been a Godzilla fan since young and was thrilled to have this collector's item . Thank you very much !
    • 042 4  I can't wait to see what both versions of these films will look like . I've seen both versions of this film . Most people would like to think that the Japanese version of this film is anti american but it's actually anti nucleaur . The American will have the original logo and end credits restored .
    • 043 4  Classic Media has done a top notch job with this Japanese masterpiece . Not only did they bring the original Gojira to America for the first time but they also did an excellent job cleaning up Godzilla : King Of The Monsters . The extras are very interesting and the packaging will make you proud to put it in your DVD rack .
    • 044 4  This set will delight both Godzilla fans and serious film students . The opportunity to compare and contrast the two versions of Godzilla ( Gojira ) is something not to be missed . It's a real education on how a film is constructed and the viewer will learn much . The two films evoke very different emotional responses . Godzilla-King of the Monsters is a noisy , campy and scary trip back to the golden age of the giant mutant creature movies of the 50 ' s . Gojira is also frightning , perhaps even more so . In addition it has unexpected depth , emerging as a thoughtful , rather sad and poignent essay on alienation , displacement and self sacrifice . The extras are entertaining and informative and the two films sport different full-length feature commentaries that are entertaining and informational at the same time . Of the two films , Gojira is the better . Released in the early 50 ' s , it amazingly looks ten to fifteen years ahead of it's time . The crisp cinematography and austere ( rather than cheap ) sets contribute to this , as does the musical score . . . but mostly it is due to the non-cliche ' script . Yes , yes , I know . . . Big Lizard stomps Tokyo , how cliche ' can it get . . . but somehow it manages to transcend the 50 ' s monster movie look and plot turns and emerges as a serious , tragic and genuinely scary film over 50 years after it's release . A Real Classic ! ! !
    • 045 4  I love Godzilla movies ! ! First off let me just say that this movie ( take it for how it is ) is awesome . After watching the original Japanese version of the film I think it is way superior to the raping it got from U.S . distributors . This film , starring Takashi Shimura ( also known as a favorite for Akira Kurosawa's films ) is a dark , true horror film set of the dangers of atomic weaponry and stands as an post-atomic age film . One of the best known movie monsters of all time comes to life ! The story wraps in drama , love and horror from the king of the monsters all wrapped in one . The musical score ( done by the great Akira Ifukube ) shines and creates a dark and dramatic atmosphere to a true classic horror film . Finally , we see the real deal ! Given that Toho only gave Ishiro Honda and his crew 3 months for pre-production , production and post-production essentially completing the film on a very tight schedule , I really appreciate the efforts they all gave in viewing the final product . The visual and special effects are excusable , mainly because of the tight production schedule and the fact that this is a 50 ' s film , but in my opinion they are good for the times . It is a true stand-out and one of the best G films . I can't wait for November for the rest to be released ! This one's for Tomoyuki Tanaka , Ishiro Honda , Eiji Tsuburaya and Akira Ifukube , the true creators of Godzilla !
    • 046 4  I have waited a long time to get this movie on DVD . Gojira is such a great movie in its original form . It is Honda's greatest work .
    • 047 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) Most people think of Godzilla as a big monster who destroys buildings and fights other ridiculous monsters over and over again . In fact , the original movie is a serious drama , and there's nothing silly about it . While there are some interesting Godzilla movies out there , they are all science fiction . The original movie , although unrealistic , was in no way science fiction . It was more of a cry out against nuclear warfare . Do yourself a favor and see this movie by trying to forget everything you know about Godzilla already , including the newest version starring Mathew Broderick .
    • 048 4  Most people think of Godzilla as a big monster who destroys buildings and fights other ridiculous monsters over and over again . In fact , the original movie is a serious drama , and there's nothing silly about it . While there are some interesting Godzilla movies out there , they are all science fiction . The original movie , although unrealistic , was in no way science fiction . It was more of a cry out against nuclear warfare . Do yourself a favor and see this movie by trying to forget everything you know about Godzilla already , including the newest version starring Mathew Broderick .
    • 050 4  This is the best Godzilla I have ever seen ; and I watch him all the time ! Gojira is an excellent movie in which the Japanese show the viewer what actually did happen at Hiroshima and Nagasaki . It is genuinely frightening during the scenes of destruction ; especially with small vignettes like the woman who tells her children , We will be with your father soon , as they huddle in a corner . It is in Japanese with English subtitles . I have a genuine liking for Godzilla in all his aspects ; and the original 1956 American version with Raymond Burr is the best of those . That version is , of course , included ; but the original Japanese Gojira amazed me ! If you like Godzilla as a monster , protector , or , as my friend says , just plain cute creature , you will want to see this original with a serious message . It is well worth it .
    • 051 4  Until now , I had not seen Gojira in neither its original version nor the Americanized Godzilla version . I have just finished watching the Japanese version , and after this I don't know if I even want to watch the Americanized version . The original is that good . For fans of the Godzilla series , Gojira is not like any of the other films . The silliness of the later films is nowhere to be seen in this one . In fact , Gojira does not even fit in the same genre as the rest of the series . Gojira is a film that will truly make you think . I know that sounds absurd seeing how this is essentially a monster movie , but the basic storyline is about disaster and being helpless against it . There is also a very strong theme about nuclear warfare , particularly the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII , although it is never mentioned directly . In Gojira , Godzilla is not the giant , karate-performing savior of Japan that he becomes in the later films . He is truly the villain of this movie , and he is as bad as any villains you will see in our modern films . The attack on Tokyo that occurs around the mid point of the movie left me speechless . All I could say is wow . . . The special effects during the attack are not particularly great , but they are very effective . The black and white film and graininess add to the atmosphere of the scene , even though it wasn't intentionally made this way ( it was all they had to work with ) . It sort of feels like you are watching a WWII newsreel , only there is a giant lizard causing the mayhem . Like another reviewer mentioned , there is a heartbreaking scene during this where a single mother is sitting on the floor crying , holding her two small children close to her , and telling them It is almost over . We will be with your Daddy soon , as the city is destroyed all around her . The very next scene shows the aftermath of Godzilla's attack on Tokyo . It is nothing short of a nuclear holocaust , and it is obvious that is what the filmmakers intended . In a crowded shelter , families are shown with their children looking shell-shocked . The children are all staring off into space with a lost look on their faces . I don't know what they did to get the children to look like that , but it is a very powerful scene . Something you don't normally see in typical 50 ' s movies . If you are looking for a good exciting movie with a good dose of drama added in , I would recommend you watch Gojira . It is a horror movie , war movie , disaster movie , drama , and tragedy all mixed together in one film . You will not be disappointed !
    • 052 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) The original , untranslated version is filled with scenes not scene in the US and explains much about the relationships between the Japanese characters . It also goes into detail about how much the Japanese detest atomic weapons and how they have devastated the national psyche . I would highly recommend this original to all who have not seen it . Viewing subtitles is not an inconvenience and the tragedy of Doctor Serazawa is magnified greatly by this film . It is an epic tragedy for all of the victims and the participants whose lives are shown .
    • 053 4  The original , untranslated version is filled with scenes not scene in the US and explains much about the relationships between the Japanese characters . It also goes into detail about how much the Japanese detest atomic weapons and how they have devastated the national psyche . I would highly recommend this original to all who have not seen it . Viewing subtitles is not an inconvenience and the tragedy of Doctor Serazawa is magnified greatly by this film . It is an epic tragedy for all of the victims and the participants whose lives are shown .
    • 054 4  Finally , the original Gojira is available in the United States , and amazingly enough , it INCLUDES the Raymond Burr King of the Monsters film . Finally , a company is here that undoubtedly knows what fans want . Classic Media has been releasing great prints of these japanese kaiju films for a while now , and they keep getting better . I wish they would do this same treatment for others . They were going to release a version of Godzilla Raids Again ( which I was extremely excited about ) and a version of Mothra vs . Godzilla the same way they did this , but for some reason those releases disappeared . This is the perfect way to purchase these classic japanese films : BOTH versions ( the US one is important , regardless of how poorly dubbed it was ) packaged together , for a reasonable price , on well-done discs . I want more !
    • 055 4  I have long awaited the release of Godzilla minus Raymond Burr . Not because of his acting but I was tired of being spoon fed by a narration that did not follow a better frame of time . The original version is a much more fuller and complete story of the monster that destroys Tokyo . One gets a better understanding why it would be a mistake to destroy him rather than to study him . I have only one decenting review and that would be aimed at the interpreter who submitted the sub-titles . It lacks the emotion that the original Japanese language is trying to convey .
    • 056 4  I grew up watching all of the Godzilla-Rodan-Mothra movies and I waited for years to see the original version . Very different in tone from the US version with Raymond Burr .
    • 058 4  I must say that this collection is a must for any serious Godzilla fan . Having never seen the Japanese version of this movie , I was thrilled . The commentary is an added bonus . This is the start of something great . I intend to get the two gollow-ups , Godzilla Raids Again and Godzilla vs . Mothra .
    • 059 4  I especially liked the commentaries , which talked about the history of the two versions of the film .
    • 060 4  This movie has everything you could ever want in a Godzilla release : Both versions of the film , very nice extras , and of course a good price . I must admit that there were some problems with the quality of the print of the Japanese version at fist with ' pops ' and ' bubbles ' . They are very small though and distract you infrequently . As for the Japanese version compared to the American version with Raymond Burr , I must say the Japanese version had a deeper storyline , better character development , and was far more moving and interesting than it's American counterpart , though Burr does perform well . I am glad that finally a definitive release of Gojira is available in the U.S .
    • 061 4  The Godzilla we all grew up with starring Raymond Burr has almost nothing in common with the Japanese original Gojira . What most think of as a cheesy B rated monster movie was ( before American Editing ) an anti-nuclear bomb warning , using a 150 - foot tall monster as the spokesman . It's amazing when you add subtitles so that the average person can understand what the actors are saying the subject matter becomes far more important . A film I'm very glad I purchased .
    • 062 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) Bravo to Sony for finally releasing the original Japanese version of Gojira on DVD in America . If you have only seen the Americanized , Raymond Burr version , its like watching a brand new film . . . a dark and disturbing one at that . The packaging is beautiful , and with documentaries and a commentary track , its a crying shame that Sony does not have the rights to ALL the films in the Godzilla canon . Please speed up the release process for Godzilla Raids Again and Godzilla vs . Mothra , we implore you !
    • 063 4  Bravo to Sony for finally releasing the original Japanese version of Gojira on DVD in America . If you have only seen the Americanized , Raymond Burr version , its like watching a brand new film . . . a dark and disturbing one at that . The packaging is beautiful , and with documentaries and a commentary track , its a crying shame that Sony does not have the rights to ALL the films in the Godzilla canon . Please speed up the release process for Godzilla Raids Again and Godzilla vs . Mothra , we implore you !
    • 064 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) has both american and japanees versions can't wait for the next 2 to be re released
    • 066 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) After fifty years , we Americans can see the original version of this film and in the same package , get the American version to compare to it . Unlike some of the others , I do not necessarily think that the American version was just another lowbrow monster movie . If you look closely , you can see that even cramped for time and money , the american adaptors produced a work of art in its own right . And , it is clear that the Americans took a great deal of trouble to make sure that the original anti-nuclear message came through loud and clear . Perhaps to understand this clearly , you had to have lived in the early fifties as a child . To have shivered every time an airplane passed over for fear it was a bomber . To have seen the yellow and black signs in every store and public building pointing the way to a supposedly safe shelter in case of nuclear attack . To have practised hiding under your desk . And , worst of all , To have known that all of these precautions would actually be worthless if the Bomb hit within five miles of you . The anti-nuclear message in the American movie was quite subtle , But to our generation , it was clear . It had to be subtle , Joe McCarthy might be gone , but his toadies and allies were still around and just as nasty as ever . To make an open anti-nuclear statement was a one way ticket to the blacklist , so the adaptors used a series of clearly recognisable visual referents to get it across . To start with , the director opened with a scene of a flattened , burnt out city . To anyone of my generation , that scene was a clear duplicate of one we had seen in newsreels , television documentaries , and magazines . The first time I saw it cross the screen , one word popped into my mind . . Hiroshima ! . Others might have thought Nagasaki , but to anyone of my generation , it clearly showed a city that had suffered a nuclear attack . We knew that traditional bombing , ( even firestorm bombing ) , earthquakes , even tornadoes , leaves some walls standing . Only an atom bomb flattens everything in sight . Then there was a brief glimpse of Raymond Burr trying to crawl out of a collapsed building . Then the director hammered home the nuclear reference . We pan to a scene of an emergency hospital that has been set up in what clearly was a building built for some other purpose . ( subliminal message : the actual hospital has been destroyed or simply too full to handle the huge crowds of injured people . ) We then see a doctor examining a dazed little girl . A technician holds a geiger counter up to the girl , and we hear it buzzing . Every person in the theater knew that the buzzing told of a fatal dose of radiation . We did not need the doctors sad look and brief shake of his head . We knew that the little girl was doomed to a horrible lingering death , and even if she survived , she would be hideously scarred for life . Without saying a single word , this scene was the most powerful anti-war and anti-nuclear statement ever filmed . The only one that had even come close before was the service in the bombed church from Mrs Miniver . No scene in any film made since has surpassed it . Now here is the significant fact . It was the American director who placed this powerful anti-war passage at the opening of the movie . The Japanese version opened with a different scene . The Japanese opening had an anti-nuclear significance to the japanese , but since the story of the Lucky Dragon #5 had been suppressed in American newspapers , It would have meant nothing to us . ( The story of Lucky Dragon #5 is described in the commentaries on the Gojira disk . ) Clearly , the American director had moved the blasted city and dying child scenes to the front in order to retain the anti-war theme of the original . ( In the japanese version , it appears near the end of the movie , at the beginning of act III . ) The commentators make a big thing about how the American version watered down the nuclear references , But , to us living at the time , the message came across clearly . It said just as clear as a bell , When we set off atomic bombs , we release forces that we do not really understand , and if we continue , it is only a matter of time until we release one that will destroy us . Even though a few of the quotes from the japanese version may have been lost , enough were carried over to bring the message across . Both Gojira and Godzilla stand up as powerful cries against the nuclear fever of the time . And let us not forget the oxygen Destroyer . Although it was thinly disguised in the script as some kind of chemical process , nobody was really fooled . We all realised that this process , which was so horrible that Dr . Serizawa destroyed his life's work and committed Seppuku to prevent its release to the world , had to be , in reality ( at least , in the subjective reality of the story ) , some kind of nuclear device . Gojira / Godzilla even after fifty years and so many silly sequels remains a classic , not just because of its special effects , or the fact that it is a well told action story , But because it was a cry for restraint against the headlong race into nuclear disaster that was to dominate the nightmares of three generations and whose shadow still hangs over us to this day .
    • 067 4  After fifty years , we Americans can see the original version of this film and in the same package , get the American version to compare to it . Unlike some of the others , I do not necessarily think that the American version was just another lowbrow monster movie . If you look closely , you can see that even cramped for time and money , the american adaptors produced a work of art in its own right . And , it is clear that the Americans took a great deal of trouble to make sure that the original anti-nuclear message came through loud and clear . Perhaps to understand this clearly , you had to have lived in the early fifties as a child . To have shivered every time an airplane passed over for fear it was a bomber . To have seen the yellow and black signs in every store and public building pointing the way to a supposedly safe shelter in case of nuclear attack . To have practised hiding under your desk . And , worst of all , To have known that all of these precautions would actually be worthless if the Bomb hit within five miles of you . The anti-nuclear message in the American movie was quite subtle , But to our generation , it was clear . It had to be subtle , Joe McCarthy might be gone , but his toadies and allies were still around and just as nasty as ever . To make an open anti-nuclear statement was a one way ticket to the blacklist , so the adaptors used a series of clearly recognisable visual referents to get it across . To start with , the director opened with a scene of a flattened , burnt out city . To anyone of my generation , that scene was a clear duplicate of one we had seen in newsreels , television documentaries , and magazines . The first time I saw it cross the screen , one word popped into my mind . . Hiroshima ! . Others might have thought Nagasaki , but to anyone of my generation , it clearly showed a city that had suffered a nuclear attack . We knew that traditional bombing , ( even firestorm bombing ) , earthquakes , even tornadoes , leaves some walls standing . Only an atom bomb flattens everything in sight . Then there was a brief glimpse of Raymond Burr trying to crawl out of a collapsed building . Then the director hammered home the nuclear reference . We pan to a scene of an emergency hospital that has been set up in what clearly was a building built for some other purpose . ( subliminal message : the actual hospital has been destroyed or simply too full to handle the huge crowds of injured people . ) We then see a doctor examining a dazed little girl . A technician holds a geiger counter up to the girl , and we hear it buzzing . Every person in the theater knew that the buzzing told of a fatal dose of radiation . We did not need the doctors sad look and brief shake of his head . We knew that the little girl was doomed to a horrible lingering death , and even if she survived , she would be hideously scarred for life . Without saying a single word , this scene was the most powerful anti-war and anti-nuclear statement ever filmed . The only one that had even come close before was the service in the bombed church from Mrs Miniver . No scene in any film made since has surpassed it . Now here is the significant fact . It was the American director who placed this powerful anti-war passage at the opening of the movie . The Japanese version opened with a different scene . The Japanese opening had an anti-nuclear significance to the japanese , but since the story of the Lucky Dragon #5 had been suppressed in American newspapers , It would have meant nothing to us . ( The story of Lucky Dragon #5 is described in the commentaries on the Gojira disk . ) Clearly , the American director had moved the blasted city and dying child scenes to the front in order to retain the anti-war theme of the original . ( In the japanese version , it appears near the end of the movie , at the beginning of act III . ) The commentators make a big thing about how the American version watered down the nuclear references , But , to us living at the time , the message came across clearly . It said just as clear as a bell , When we set off atomic bombs , we release forces that we do not really understand , and if we continue , it is only a matter of time until we release one that will destroy us . Even though a few of the quotes from the japanese version may have been lost , enough were carried over to bring the message across . Both Gojira and Godzilla stand up as powerful cries against the nuclear fever of the time . And let us not forget the oxygen Destroyer . Although it was thinly disguised in the script as some kind of chemical process , nobody was really fooled . We all realised that this process , which was so horrible that Dr . Serizawa destroyed his life's work and committed Seppuku to prevent its release to the world , had to be , in reality ( at least , in the subjective reality of the story ) , some kind of nuclear device . Gojira / Godzilla even after fifty years and so many silly sequels remains a classic , not just because of its special effects , or the fact that it is a well told action story , But because it was a cry for restraint against the headlong race into nuclear disaster that was to dominate the nightmares of three generations and whose shadow still hangs over us to this day .
    • 068 4  The titles roll with the titular monster's famous roar , and the stage is set for the best Godzilla movie yet . In this 2 disc set , there is the Japenese classic and the American original . In both , there is the radioactive monster , but the Japenese version has passion and a mood . In Gojira , Godzilla is a metaphor , and a very powerrful one at that . But in the American version , he is just another monster that destroys things . In the Japenese version , there are great scenes in whcih Dr . Serizawa ponders whether he should use his weapon , fearing the consequences . But the Aemrican version edited all of those scenes out and inputted the lumbering destructive creature known as Raymond Burr . Burr's scenes are well done , but seem too out of place . Watch both movies and judge for yourself . The stars i gave this movie are for the orignal Godzilla ONLY ! The american version gets 2 stars . Add one star if you like midless destruction . Subtract a star if you hate Raymond Burr , but who does ?
    • 069 4  I somehow predict that when I lay on the cozy leather couch in the office of an award winning psychiatrist ( God willing ) that one of the topics that will come up is my fascination with Godzilla or Gojira , as it is correctly to be pronounced . The original Gojira and its American Counterpart ( Godzilla : King of the Monsters ) is one of the movies that has impacted my life greatly . I'm fully aware that they're shot on shoe-string budgets , using model train sets as cities , and star a man in a lumpy T-Rex suit , but that's what got me fascinated with Godzilla ( Gojira ) in the first place . The year was 1994 . I was four years old . I was too young for Pulp Fiction or Ed Wood Forest Gump , and born too late for the onslaught of movies from the 1980s . For me , 1994 was the summer of the VCR . My thinking memory capacity just kicked in and I had about twenty years of catch-up movie watching . My family had just gotten a Block Buster's Rental Card and began renting movies like crazy . I gorged myself and began to watch ( mostly by accident ) some of the greats . Jaws , The Star Wars Trilogy , The Indiana Jones Trilogy , Back to the Future , Batman , The War of the Worlds , E.T . , Star Trek II . The geek inside me bloomed . One Sunday afternoon my brother returned home from Block Buster Video with my dad just before my grandparents arrived for a Sunday Dinner of pasta and salad . My brother grabbed me by the hand and dragged me upstairs . Where are we going ? What's that ? He wouldn't answer . He brought me up to my room , closed the door , and turned on my small TV ( which for a matter of fact was the only TV that had a VCR in it on the second floor of my house ) . He had something tucked under his arm . I couldn't read the box because I couldn't read , I think . . . He popped in the cassette and fast-forwarded all the FBI Warning mumbo-jumbo . Then darkness . A black and white text popped up on the screen and a terrible roar followed . Then came the first shot and a voice broke through the eerie silence of a decimated city . . . This is Tokyo . Once a city of six million people . What has happened here was caused by a force which up until a few days ago was entirely beyond the scope of Man's imagination . Tokyo , a smoldering memorial to the unknown , an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world . There were once many people here who could've told of what they saw . . . now there are only a few . My name is Steve Martin . I am a foreign correspondent for United World News . I was headed for an assignment in Cairo , when I stopped off in Tokyo for a social ; but it turned out to be a visit to the living HELL of another world . I hung on every word Mr . Martin spoke to my brother and me . Being a reporter , his mission was to tell you what had happened to Tokyo and you would be wise to listen . The movie was dark and foreboding . I had already seen Jaws so I was already fascinated with unknown creatures lurking in the black icy depths of the ocean , biding its time . The monster finally appeared over the hill of the island and there he was , although I didn't know who he was , although after that moment I never forgot him . The monster rampages through Tokyo and reduces it to utter devastation . I'm entranced . Finally and reluctantly , a brilliant scientist with an eye-patch divulges his invention that could possibly destroy the monster . Steve Martin stands by and watches the event occur , surprisingly never writing anything down . They use the invention as a weapon on the monster but the heroic scientist doesn't make it out alive . The weapon begins to takes it's affect on the monster , and the monster rises up to the surface and cries out in pain , and defeat . The monster sinks to the ocean floor . I'm balling . Why ? Why did the monster have to die ? Many people cry when King Kong falls off the Empire State Building , I cried for the monster that fell to the ocean floor . That summer and that movie changed me forever . The movie was Godzilla : King of the Monsters and the monster was Godzilla . Godzilla was unleashed upon American Shores in 1956 ; two years after the original Japanese Gojira had made its rampage overseas . The original was directed by Ishiro Honda and the Americanized version was directed by Terry Moore with Ramon Burr stuck in every once and a while . Upon later viewings of the film , I am sad to say that the film just doesn't hold up . On it's own at least . The film has terrible dubbing which disgusts me for the simple fact that Akira Kurosawa films had been played countless times in the US but never had to succumb to awful dubbing by Hollywood's crop of dub-men . Men and women who were handed terribly translated scripts and spoke the lines in a bored , sterile , and emotionless fashion . For the longest time I thought that the American Version was nearly identical to the original in length , pacing , and mood . Until my brother came home from work and gave me an issue of G-Fan ; an all Godzilla Magazine and something I never in my life time would have ever thought existed . I opened up the magazine and found an article in about the original Gojira and its comparisons to the film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms . I was surprised to find that I had never seen any of the images printed from Gojira in the magazine before . Then it hit me : there must be more footage in the Japanese Version ! But unfortunately I still had to deal with the fact that original would be forever out of my grasp . But as months rolled by and I kept reading the magazine , I started to get impatient . For too long was the American version the only available one to see in the US of A . Then , on a Saturday even in 2004 , I found a trailer for the re-release of the original Gojira in select theaters nationwide ! Uncensored , Uncut , UNDUBBED ! ! ! ! ! I skipped school one day and went to see the movie in Manhattan with my brother and my mother . It was playing in a quaint little theater in the Union Square area called Cinema Village . We went and bought our tickets , got some gummy bears , twizzlers , and good ` n ' plenty and entered the theater . The seats were small and uncomfortable and the screen was just a little bigger than my TV at home , but I didn't care . I was going to see the original Godzilla - Gojira - and nothing was going to ruin it for me . The theater darkened and the projector rattled alive and brought forth its luminous cinematic light . The movie started . The Gojira title came up in Japanese as Akira Ifukube's score piped through . I was born again . Suffice to say , the original Gojira is a masterpiece in the science fiction genre but also in Japanese Cinema . It tells an allegorical tale of the horror of the atomic bomb through a gigantic monster that destroys everything and everyone in its path . The movie is darker both in pacing and in theme than its American Counterpart . It is an excellent film to be viewed by fans of the giant monster genre and science fiction genre . The film has an amazing monster like King Kong and a cautionary lesson like The Day the Earth Stood Still . The DVD itself has many interesting special features including commentaries by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski and videos on the Story Development of Godzilla and the making of the suit . Must see special features for die hard G-Fans or anyone who is just curious to see how the story originated out or how they made the suit . If you are looking for a movie is provocative but is humble enough to have a man in a suit to portray its villain , I say to you , go out and buy Gojira on DVD . You get both the original and you get the skim plus American version . If you're looking for some good ole cheesy atomic age fun , then pick up Gojira on DVD and you'll get both movies . Two different movies , yet the same movie , and equally important to me . This DVD set is a blessing sent from the gods at Classic Media and Toho . I strongly urge any Godzilla fan that has not seen this version to go out and do so immediately . You are not complete until you have seen it . Then and only then will you not only be a fully rounded Godzilla fan but also a Gojira fan .
    • 071 4  I have never seen the original Godzilla / Gojira film , and I've only seen clips from other Godzilla movies ( including the big budget remake with Matthew Broderick back in the 1990 ' s ) , so I only knew Godzilla from the campy , badly dubbed , and badly cut films shown on TV indiscriminately . So when the original film with subtitles and uncut was on DVD , I decided to try it . I'm glad I did . Like many have already said here , this is a surprisingly somber film , dark , ruminative , and melancholy , and it's also pretty terrifying , especially for its time . This is a serious film . There is no campy theatrics whatsoever in this film , and I found much of it scary , surprisingly sad and moving , and at times , thought provoking . There are some cringe inducing moments with the special effects , which are quite dated and make the mistake of using minatures , which is really obvious in many of the scenes . The performances are very good , especially the quietly powerful Takashi Shimura , who is famous for his appearances in Akira Kurosawa's films . The dilemmas of the scientists and the government officials are handled in a complex , intelligent fashion , and the turmoil the scientist ( who invented the oxygen destroyer ) goes through is very powerful indeed . There is also a lot of pro-environment , anti-atomic bomb subtext going on here as well . The main rampage of Godzilla is intense , along with the aftermath , which is reminiscent of a war zone . The film has great , moody black and white photography , reminiscent of Mario Bava's black and white films , like Black Sunday . On this DVD set , you get both the original film and the recut , redub Godzilla : King of the Monsters . I haven't seen the recut / redub all the way through , but I honestly don't want to . I already know they've butchered it , and I like the original very much , so I don't have an overriding need to see it . So check out Gojira , and most of you who have a low opinion of Godzilla movies will be surprised at it .
    • 072 4  I enjoyed this movie when I was a kid , but since then I have heard so many negative reviews from other people I just assumed that I liked it just because I was a kid . A couple of weeks ago I decided to rent it to find out for myself . I rented the ' Gojira ' version which is based on the original theatrical release . I ended up enjoying it greatly . I realized that this was made in 1954 when Japan was still rebuilding and Toho didn't have the resources to raise the technological bar for movie production . But , I thought the special effects were reasonable . The part I enjoyed most was the plot and the moral debates ; this was obviously a protest movie . Protest movies can be beneficial for a democratic society if they contain depth and are intellectually sound . The problem with protest movies comes when they are biased and purposely misconstrue facts to support the producers argument . I believe this was a good protest movie with sound logic .
    • 073 4  This dvd contains the US version and the original japanese movie . Godzilla king of the monsters is a fun film to watch.It is a movie you would watch on saturday afternoons.Ramond Burr is brought in to make this movie seem like an american one.Godzilla king of the monsters takes out much of the japanese footage replacing it with sceenes of Ramond Burr . Gojira is more of a dark bleak movie where godzilla is a simbol for the atom bomb . This dvd has intresting extras like the makeing of the godzilla suit and godzilla story development . along with audio comentaries , original trailers , and english subs for Gojira . I highly recomend this dvd . It might become your favorite godzilla movies . This is one of the few movies of the showa era of godzilla where big-g is a force of destruction .
    • 074 4  A huge , bloated , alien form moves across the Japanese landscape . . . And that's just Raymond Burr . Godzilla is even more frightening . I saw Godzilla - - King of the Montsters on its original US release , at the age of nine . It scared the crap out of me . I was particularly frightened by Godzilla peeking ( peaking ? ) over the top of the mountain , and the final underwater scenes , where the monster disintegrates . These scenes - - as in Nosferatu and Vampyr - - evoked fright simply from their utter creepiness . Gojira / Godzilla lays on the atmosphere early and thick . The director knew it's hard to frighten people in broad daylight , so Gojira almost always wreaks havoc at night . The darkness also makes his glowing spinal plates plainly visible as he unleashes the worst case of bad breath in the history of the animal kingdom . Godzilla and Gojira are hardly the same film . Though the introduction of an American character - - Raymond Burr as the journalist Steve Martin ( yes ! ) - - is a reasonable way to provide a point of view for Western audiences , the story is reduced to little more than a monster-gone-berserk scarefest . The Japanese version is not so much about a monster attacking Tokyo , but the moral decisions the principal characters must make , most notably Serizawa , who doesn't want the world to know about the Oxygen Destroyer ( a kind of reverse Ultra-Efferdent ) , the only weapon likely to do away with Gojira . ( Yes , I know - - Gojira is an air-breathing creature , apparently without gills . ) The characters exist in a state of continual , but understated , anguish , particularly Emiko and Yamane , who wants to study Gojira to figure out why the animal was able to survive such a huge dose of radiation . Gojira owes a lot to King Kong , especially the scene in which Gojira stomps the train . Let's be fair - - it's good , but not anywhere near the quality of the matching sequence with the big ape . And Yamane's original conception as a mysterious , cloaked figure who lived in a Gothic mansion bears a obvious similarity to Rotwang , the crazed magician / scientist in Metropolis . Gojira is an obvious commentary on nuclear war ( with the Oxygen Destroyer as the parallel WMD ) , while Godzilla jettisons this , leaving only an implied subtext . Gojira is a serious , verging on pretentious , monster film , which American audiences were not ready for in 1956 . And probably still aren't . One poster complained about the dirt and scratches . According to the ( excellent ) running commentary , the film _ always _ looked like this . It was edited under dusty conditions , and the soft Japanese emulsions of that era were easily scratched , particularly in FX scenes where the negative had to make multiple passes through the optical printer . These problems are fixable , but there is so much dirt and so many scratches , the cost of removing them would have significantly bumped up the price of the transfer .
    • 075 4  If you are a fan of Godzilla , this is a must buy . The movie looks great , the special features were very interesting and informative , and the DVD packaging was outstanding ! This DVD includes the original Gojira ( the 1954 un-edited , Japanese version ) and Godzilla King of the Monsters ( the 1956 Americanized version ) with Raymond Burr . Classic Media makes some of the best DVDs existing , and their Godzilla DVDs are no exception . Classic Media has done a stellar job of introducing the original Godzilla masterpiece to America ( I believe that this is the first time Gojira has seen a western release ) . If you are a fan of Godzilla , there should be nothing preventing you from buying this .
    • 076 4  This beautiful two-disc collection includes both Gojira ( 1954 ) and Godzilla , King of the Monsters ( 1956 ) . The original film , rarely seen outside of Japan for 50 years , is a haunting , almost lyrical post-war tale of heartbreak and loss . The clumsy Americanized version was edited into a more straight-ahead creature feature that shoehorned in scenes of Raymond Burr pretending he was in the film . Each version has its own commentary track to bring historical context . Having both films together is the real treasure , especially to students of the medium .
    • 077 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) Godzilla first appeared to the world in this great sci-fi classic that gets even better with age like fine wine ! ! ! A giant prehistoric creature who is 400 feet tal , rises from the Pacific Ocean to take nightly strolls through downtown Tokyo . Setting the city ablaze with his atomic breath , there just seems to be no end to this creatue's detruction and devestation ! ! He's been awakened by H-bomb testing and keeps on making unwelcomed visits to the city . The officials work peevishly to try to find an end to Godzilla's reign of terror and destruction . Come in bot the English version and the Japanese version . The Japanese version does not feature Raymond Burr who appears in the English version as journalist Steve Martin , but it DOES include an additional 20 minutes of footage not found in the English version . ~ Daquan13 .
    • 078 4  Godzilla first appeared to the world in this great sci-fi classic that gets even better with age like fine wine ! ! ! A giant prehistoric creature who is 400 feet tal , rises from the Pacific Ocean to take nightly strolls through downtown Tokyo . Setting the city ablaze with his atomic breath , there just seems to be no end to this creatue's detruction and devestation ! ! He's been awakened by H-bomb testing and keeps on making unwelcomed visits to the city . The officials work peevishly to try to find an end to Godzilla's reign of terror and destruction . Come in bot the English version and the Japanese version . The Japanese version does not feature Raymond Burr who appears in the English version as journalist Steve Martin , but it DOES include an additional 20 minutes of footage not found in the English version . ~ Daquan13 .
    • 079 4  Great films are sometimes well disguised . Japanese cinema has been the source of great cinematic themes . For example , The Magnificen Seven classic western film was adapted from The Seven Samuri . The Godzilla theme spawned many revivals , which is an indication that this is more than just another nice old movie . Here is a chance to compare the original Japanese film , with its anti-nuclear theme and love triangle , with the Americanized and sanitized classic version with Raymond Burr . It is a startling contrast . If you enjoyed the American version , you will be surprised at the power of the unedited , subtitled Japanese version . If you are a monster movie fan and a classic film buff , then you will certainly enjoy this set . If you already own the classic American version of Godzilla , purchasing the Japanese version is something worth considering .
    • 080 4  Godzilla , if anything , is a conundrum to the rest of the monster genre . Sure , the following sequels in the Heisei Series and the Millennium series were corny , but the original Godzilla captured something that few monster / science fiction movies have been able to achieve . Godzilla was a reaction to one of the world's most memorable devastation . With man creating so much havoc , would nature find a way to retaliate ? Thus , the Japanese create Godzilla to showcase just how destructive man truly became on August 6th 1945 . Sure , Ishiro Honda could've just made a documentary covering the bomb's atrocities , but instead he and Toho created something that was much more lasting . As Roger Ebert once said about the film , It was the Fahrenheit 9 / 11 of it's time . As a child , I never understood the message sent from watching King of the Monsters , but as an adult seeing this original , it is amazing how hard the message hits home . Few if any monster movies sent a message along for such an adventurous ride . King Kong made you cry for the beast . Godzilla made you cry for the people . It showed a monster that had no remorse for its attacks . It was merely a creature lost in a civilization that it did not belong in . Godzilla represented something that was merciless and relentless all at the same time . This creature was not victim to the lady in distress like so many other monster films succeeded on at the time . The buildup for the creature was also artfully done . Much like King Kong , a lot of time is spent towards building up the creature and its myth . Given the special effects capability in 1954 , the entire crew must be commended for an amazing job with set design and the suit . Obviously there are scenes in which the creature's head shape and body design change due to wiring or puppet work , but the main costume which stampedes the beach is still the best Godzilla suit to this day . Surely a guy in a costume cannot be menacing alone . Now a legend because of his bombastic themes , Akira Ifukube produces a menacing and yet simplistic score to really complement the monster . Much like John Williams's Jaws , Akira Ifukube creates a sound that really assembles the terror of the monster . From the stomping sound fx to the military battles , Akira's score is recognized just as much as the monster itself . The biggest problem with the latter sequels of Godzilla was the inclusion of the human actors and their sub plot . Most of the subplots bordered between mediocre and flat out embarrassing ( Megalon , Monster Zero , Terror of Mechagodzilla ) . Although not Oscar worthy by any stretch , this story produces a question of humanity that no other films dare to expand . Can a person do good with something that is only meant for evil ? The character Dr . Daisuke Serizawa is faced with a horrible decision when his newly created weapon is the only hope to destroy Godzilla . If he uses this weapon against Godzilla , the possibility arises that the weapon could spark others to create the same destruction . Much like reality and the creation of the hydrogen bomb , humans create these weapons and say that it is for an overall good . The film really explores that such an idea cannot exist . On top of all of these things is an entertaining movie . There is a reason that this film sparked a span of sequels rivaling only the 007 series . Godzilla will always remain one of my favorite childhood moments . The odd thing was Godzilla took you to a place outside of reality only to remind you of that reality . Like the Ogata states , You have your fears , which may become reality . And you have Godzilla , which is reality .
    • 081 4  Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) The DVD of the original Japanese release of Gojira is a must for fans . The story ( yes , there is one ) hangs together much better than the US version with it's bad editing . Not having Raymond Burr's character and what appear to be hastily created scenes with Japanese people speaking perfect , non-accented English is not missed . The set is worth it just to see the original movie in its entirety .
    • 083 4  Look at this flic and snicker at the claim that the Hollywood version didn't seek to dilute the original anti nuclear message . Gojira's dramatic content and continuity is much better than the Hollywood hack that we are provided in this collector's set for comparison . For Fans of Japanese Cinema , or those interested in the origins of Japanese monster films , this is the indespensible original , the beginning of everything . See the very first Japanese masterpiece , Hollywood's hack take on Japanese film sensibilities ; unfortunately the Japanese took this to heart and incorporated cues from Godzilla in their cinematic lexicon . Be aware that it is black & white , and subtitled . I'd always wanted to see what the real movie was like , after seeing Godzilla when it first came out . This is a treasure .
    • 084 4  Well , that may be an overstatement . If you have a soft spot in your heart for old horror classics and atomic monsters , you MUST own this . It includes both the original Gojira and Godzilla : King of the Monsters . I've been a Godzilla fan for over three decades , and I had never seen the original movie as it was shown in Japan . I've watched it four times since buying it a few months ago , and love it . You'll never look at that goofy rubber monster suit the same way again . . . there is a seriousness and power to the film that many would never realize . As a Godzilla fan , a monster movie nut , and most importantly someone who appreciates landmark films , I recommend this film for anyone's collection .
    • 085 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) the japanese version restored answers so many questions ! and the restored end credits on the american version great set !
    • 087 4  I had no idea that Godzilla with Raymond Burr was a minor reshoot of the original that had all Japanese actors in it . A must have for anybody that likes the old horror movies of the 1950 ' s .
    • 088 4  Natural ( yeah really ) disasters are overtaking the small island . The fishing is bad and there are footprints all over the pristine beach . The natives know or pretend it is their old nemesis Gojira . Only the island elder knows that you can not stave off Gojira with a mock-ritual ; you have to toss in some native girl snacks if you do not want everyone eaten . Meanwhile back in civilization fishing boats are getting eradiated . Reminiscing of the real tragedy just a year before the film . Soon Tokyo will be minced by that indiscriminate beast that was conjured from the depths by H bomb testing . They gave the beastie ears so he could hear and destroy the famous clock tower . Can height voltage strategically placed power lines stop him ? Dr . Serizawa ( Akihiko Hirata ) has a possible weapon against this creature that looks quite docile in its underwater habitat . However if someone was to find the secret of his weapon it could wipe out all life . He only told this secret to his betrothed Emiko ( Momoko 。。chi ) . You guessed it Emiko throws hem over for a young navel officer and spills the beans . What consequences will result ? The film with a working title of G which did not stand for Gojira was not in the category of Hollywood B monster movies . This DVD's set takes you from the beginning concepts of a story with a message and carries you through the conversion to an almost Hollywood B movie with the addition of a more popular actor and some fancy splicing . I must have watched the Raymond Burr version dozens of times . I listened to people that touted Gojira over Godzilla and fluffed them of as video snobs . Little did I know what I was missing . And until I listened to the commentary on Godzilla I did not know what I was watching . It is like having someone say your laces are untied or your fly is open ; speaking about open this was a real eye opener . In any event we must remember the words of Kyohei Yamane-hakase , I can't believe that Godzilla was the only surviving member of its species . . . But if we continue conducting nuclear tests . . . it's possible that another Godzilla might appear somewhere in the world again . Gojira [ Blu-ray ]
    • 090 4  I have been a Godzilla fan since the early seventies and of course , had never seen the original . It was a very moving experience . The only reason I gave 4 stars is the quality of the transfer . It's very scratchy and dirty in places , and I thought that overall the look was not near as good as it should have been . This is too bad because alot of the story elements for me were overshadowed by the grain and scratches of the film . I would still recommend this to any fan , just don't expect too much visually .
    • 092 4  I think sony wonder did a great job with this release of Gojira . People should realize that the quality of film in japan during the early 1950s was very obsolete compard to hollywood at this time . Keep in mind that gojira was made for a fraction of the cost of hollywood monster movies in the early to mid 1950s like The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms , War of the worlds and even The Invasion of the Body Snatchers etc . Japan was only a few years removed from the hiroshima and nagasaki bombings and were in a slow rebuilding stage . Japanese directors had to make the most from obsolete film and technology as compared to hollywood . Sony Wonder did the best they could with the this poor quality film of Gojira . I believe a high definition version of Gojira would yeild very little improvement in the film to dvd transfer . An hd version of Gojira would be simply to make more money for sony , for a dvd release of Gojira you already own with this current release . King Kong ( 1933 ) on dvd has a much better looking tranfer than Gojira ( 1954 ) released twentyone years after Kong . This should tell you that the quality of film was very obsolete in japan during the early 1950s . The dvd extras were more than enough and you should be happy with what is on this dvd.The voice commentary with the film is really informative and interesting . You also see the end credits which I have never seen in all the times I have seen the original Gojira . The booklet explains alot with plenty of Gojira information . The japanese version was a treat to watch for the first time . The american version with Raymond Burr footage added in later for the american release actually had Burr speaking some really good dialouge , thanks to script writer Terry Morse . The scene that really stood with me well after I first saw Godzilla was the scene of dr . Sarizawas first demonstration of the oxygen destroyer in the fish tank with Emiko . Sarizawa holding Emiko back from the test tank as the oxygen destroyer went off the fish turned to bones , Emiko let out a real terrified scream that stays with me till this day . Akira Ifakubes music score with the oxygen destroyer demonstration scene was mind boggeling . That tight violin scramble and as the oxygen destroyer went off in the fish tank a ( powerful piano key . . . . . . . . . . BOOM ! ) awesome and unbelievably effective . Eiji Tsuburoyas special effects for gojira are amazing for such obsolete limited technolgy he had available to him . Inshiro Honda had a dream and was up against alot in post wwII japan with Gojira and amazingly Honda pulled this film off . Gojira had a very dark post war , anti nuclear weapon feel to it , but Gojira really showed japan as it was during the early post wwII 1950s . Honda made you really feel and see the people suffering as Gojira devestates thier beloved japan . Akira Ifakubes awesome music score made up for the limited technology that was used in Gojira . Ifakube also used musical instruments to make Godzillas famous roar , Ifakube had some imagination , most geniuses do . This soundtrack is a work of genius , just like all of ifakubes later Godzilla scores . Gojira belongs up there with all the american monster movie legends .
    • 095 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) My grandson thinks this is a great addition to his collection of Godzilla Movies . He has fun showing it in Japanese ( with the subtitles ) . I think its interesting to see this now versus the technology of today .
    • 096 4  My grandson thinks this is a great addition to his collection of Godzilla Movies . He has fun showing it in Japanese ( with the subtitles ) . I think its interesting to see this now versus the technology of today .
    • 099 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) Finally ! The original Godzilla movie ! When I opened this up , and put this disc in , I already knew it was different from the U.S . version . I was not expecting it to be this good a film ! Five stars !
    • 100 4  Finally ! The original Godzilla movie ! When I opened this up , and put this disc in , I already knew it was different from the U.S . version . I was not expecting it to be this good a film ! Five stars !
    • 101 4  Inspired by the huge success of Warner Bros ' The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms , Toho set out to make its own monster movie - with a creature that manifested a deep concern among the Japanese . While it is easy to laugh at the tongue-in-cheek sequels of the 1960s and 1970s , the original Godzilla is actually a pretty somber film . Shot in stark black and white , Godzilla's first rampage is dark and brooding - a sincere attempt to deal with the serious issues of the period , mainly the nuclear arms race in the aftermath of World War II . Before he became a beloved icon , Godzilla was a collossal nightmare - a physical manifestation of a nuclear bomb . The solemn and thought-provoking Japanese original version is offered here in this set , along with the 1956 American version starring Raymond Burr . Also included are informative audio commentaries and featurettes . This is the perfect movie to start your Godzilla collection .
    • 102 4  Most of us grew up watching Godzilla flicks and remember his various adversaries from Mothra to Mecha-Godzilla . If you are only familiar with Toho's Godzilla flicks where the King of The Monsters battles other large monsters with Japan getting destroyed in the process , do yourself a favor and pick up this double disk of Gojira's / Godzilla's debut . There is nothing campy about the original film . Filmed in a greyish-film noir type black and white , the original film is a pretty dark tale conerning the atomic age . For the first time both the original Japanese film and the American version are packaged together . It's fun to watch them back to back as there are so many edits and changes to Japan's Gojira that the American Godzilla plays like a completely different film . Unlike some of the reveiwers here , I really do like the American verison with Raymond Burr . If nothing else , it really shows how clever the studio was in inserting Burr into the film , editing dialog and scenes pretty flawlessly into the original film . The special effects are actually pretty impressive , the acting in both is well above later entries in the series . The sound and picture on this two disk set is the best transfer I've seen . If you are a fan of Godzilla , you should be sure to add this set to your collection .
    • 103 4  Classic Media's Gojira release is one of the best DVDs out there because it restores a timeless classic to what it was meant to be : a dark , almost noirish horror movie about an indestructible creature raining destruction down on helpless humanity . Everything about the film is masterful , from Eiji Tsuburaya's visual effects to Akira Ifukube's brilliant musical score to the subdued acting by its talented cast ( many of whom would return for later Godzilla films ) . Gojira isn't just a great sci-fi / horror movie , it's a great movie in general that eclipses most - if not , all - Hollywood films from the same era .
    • 104 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) Very rare do I leave a 5 start rating , this is one of those exceptions . The director did an excellent job weaving the painful memories of WWII and creating a monster that would symbolize them . Godzilla is grey like the smoke plume from a bomb , his growl eerily similar to the sound the bombers made who dropped them . His stomping sounds like the sounds the bombs make when they smash their target . The most powerful image was the atomic breath . Godzilla , like war , isn't prejudiced when claiming its victims . From the soldiers to the innocent girl and her mother who are crushed in his wake . The scientist Serizawa , looks like many who returned from war . In his case , he was missing an eye . Honda beautifully wove these images giving us a stark reminder of war . There is also love and sacrifice in this movie . Serizawa is in love with a woman , who is in love with a man in the navy . He must make the decision to put this all aside , to save his country and people and stop Godzilla's wrath . Destroying any evidence of the oxygen destroyer , he sets out on his journey of sacrifice and delivers the weapon . The film ends with the stark reminder , that it might happen again . Like war , there is never the certainty it will remain asleep . The message of this movie resonates today , the fear of nuclear war . The dvd is excellent , clear picture optional 1956 version and subtitled 1954 version . The 1956 version I enjoyed because I liked the idea of an American reporter trapped in another country experiencing a disaster . , but instead of an earthquake or volcano , its a giant lizard ! ! Gojira / Godzilla started a franchise that sparked devoted fans the world over . I strongly recommend this to giant monster fans . This is a gem .
    • 105 4  Very rare do I leave a 5 start rating , this is one of those exceptions . The director did an excellent job weaving the painful memories of WWII and creating a monster that would symbolize them . Godzilla is grey like the smoke plume from a bomb , his growl eerily similar to the sound the bombers made who dropped them . His stomping sounds like the sounds the bombs make when they smash their target . The most powerful image was the atomic breath . Godzilla , like war , isn't prejudiced when claiming its victims . From the soldiers to the innocent girl and her mother who are crushed in his wake . The scientist Serizawa , looks like many who returned from war . In his case , he was missing an eye . Honda beautifully wove these images giving us a stark reminder of war . There is also love and sacrifice in this movie . Serizawa is in love with a woman , who is in love with a man in the navy . He must make the decision to put this all aside , to save his country and people and stop Godzilla's wrath . Destroying any evidence of the oxygen destroyer , he sets out on his journey of sacrifice and delivers the weapon . The film ends with the stark reminder , that it might happen again . Like war , there is never the certainty it will remain asleep . The message of this movie resonates today , the fear of nuclear war . The dvd is excellent , clear picture optional 1956 version and subtitled 1954 version . The 1956 version I enjoyed because I liked the idea of an American reporter trapped in another country experiencing a disaster . , but instead of an earthquake or volcano , its a giant lizard ! ! Gojira / Godzilla started a franchise that sparked devoted fans the world over . I strongly recommend this to giant monster fans . This is a gem .
    • 106 4  Not to make too much of it , but this version of the film has really good characters and rings a fearful echo of what Japan experienced during WWII . The tone of the film is dark and foreboding , with normal people experiencing extraordinary fear . There is a young couple whose relationship is secret , as the girl has been promised to a secretive scientist who rarely emerges from his laboratory . Her father , also a scientist , is a distinguished paleontologist with an unusually open mind . As Gojira suddenly appears , they are the ones who deal with him . The monster's destruction , not to belabor the obvious , mirrors the recent destruction of Japan , both by fire bombs and the use of nuclear power ( it disturbed the monster's habitat and scarred it ) . What distinguishes this film are the thoughts of the scientists . The paleontologist wants to study the monster , but helps the authorities . The young scientist has discovered a new force of nature that he fears will be used by politicians for war ; he shares the secret with his promised fiancee , who is horrified . They actually discuss these issues , sometimes in a public forum with angry honest farm women , who argue that the truth must be told . More thoughtful than your normal 50s monster flick ! OK , the effects are extremely clunky - my son and I laughed at the stiff rubber suit - but the emotional tone is consistent and perfectly executed . In this , it is better than the original Raymond Burr version . It was also the start of the distinctly Japanese monster flick , which had a very different sensibility than the more triumphant American ones . Recommended as a fun bit of film history . I can't say I will watch it often , but it is a nice addition to our collection .
    • 107 4  I saw this film in 2004 , and after seeing it , I asked the the theater crew when it would be released . I was exposed to the American butchered version with Raymond Burr . No more , the original rules plain , simple and awesome in every way . As soon as I learned it was going to be released , I pre ordered my copy . Momoko Kochi , and all have made me feel in heaven in watching the original and best Many thanks to Classic Media for this release . I can only say that those reading this who have not obtained a copy to do so and enjoy . What a wonderful , lasting , and perfect movie ! IT RULES ! 20 minutes of the original version are omitted in the American version
    • 109 4  I had to write a review since Godzilla has been my hero and my favorite monster of all time for over 3 decades . This is th one that started it all . Gojira was originally supposed to be a giant Octopus actually . This has horror elements and was a serious monster movie . Its message has to do with nuclear war , basically he results of when Japan was nuked during WW2 . I would recommend seeing the original Japanese version to get the full effect . The Raymond Burr version isnt bad , but there is way too much cut from the Japanese version of the film that it just becomes another monster movie . An all time favorite of mine , since I was a kid . Godzilla has been a part of my world seemingly for most of my life . Inspired in part by the Beast of 20,000 fathoms . The story here is outstanding as are the effects which still hold strong today . I cant recommend this high enough . They just cant make them like this . Ive seen Godzilla more times than any other Kaiju movie , including in theaters . Watch this and see why it was such a hit and was a serious movie . I would rather watching this movie non stop over and over for a whole month than watch something like Cloverfield or Gamera the Brave or some of those new CGI monster movies that are directed by people who dont understand the genre and by actors who cant act . Nothing can ever touch this movie except for movies of that era which include the Ray Harryhausen movies mainly . And yes I do think this is as good as King Kong 1933 , it is right up there .
    • 110 4  The original is quite different ( and darker ) than the version put together for Western audiences . Although most of the same scenes are used , the meaning of the original is lost . I recommend seeing the original , it is great , the special effects are very good for the time period and the message is not obscured . The commentary is interesting and informative . I understand why things were changed for the viewers in the western world considering the times , you have to understand the thinking of that era ( in both areas of the world ) in order to understand both versions . Then sit back , make some more popcorn and watch Raymond Burr , it's not just another rubber monster movie !
    • 111 4  I highly recommend this set for all Godzilla fans , especially if you like old monster movies . It has the english and japanese versions of this film . Personally , I think the japanese version is the best , because it doesn't have any narration . Plus , you feel like you're part of the story . The english version is good too , I'd say they are about even . The thing I like about the japanese versions of Godzilla films , is that it's easier to understand what's going on . Of course , you would have to be willing to read subtitles . This is a must-have for any fan looking for both versions of the Godzilla films .
    • 112 4  No kaiju film can match up to the greatness of this fantastic film . The only ones who come even close are GMK and Shusuke Kaneko's Gamera trilogy from the 90 ' s . And the only films who may surpass this one are the original King Kong and The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms . Now enough bickering on what's great and onto the main attraction . Gojira ( Or Godzilla , King of the Monsters ! as we know it here in the states ) started one of the biggest movie franchises of all time . Although it is considered a kaiju film , it is supposed to represent the misfortunes and disaster of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from the bombings in 1945 . We see people of all ages get crushed under Godzilla's mighty rampage and die slowly but painfully with nuclear material in their skin . Emiko Yamane must break her promise with her beloved friend Dr . Serizawa to tell the world of his horrible invention , the Oxygen Destroyer , to save all of Japan and the rest of the world from Godzilla . This is truly a sad film and should be taken very seriously as a warning for mankind of what is to come if the events of Hiroshima ever happen again . The special edition of this wonderful film includes not only the original uncut Japanese classic with optional subtitles but as a bonus we get the American version for comparison of the two films . We also get a ton of goodies here as we get audio commentaries for each film , trailers , and a Behind the scenes look as we see how the suit was created , deleted scenes , and much more . The quality is almost perfect as there are some scratches and lines in the films but it's not too much to complain . This set is a fantastic gift for all Godzilla , kaiju , monster , or even Japanese cinema fans to get as you will love this film and see the original Godzilla in all of his rubber suit glory .
    • 113 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) This is certainly the true Godzilla with no fluff . . . . back to the old days . We loved watching it .
    • 114 4  This is certainly the true Godzilla with no fluff . . . . back to the old days . We loved watching it .
    • 115 4  If you are looking for the definitive edition of the classic Japanese film Gojira , this is certainly the best ! This double disc includes the original Japanese version , as well as the US version . One could spend endless hours observing the differences between the two films . My first viewing of Gojira was a revelation . Thanks to Classic Media for putting this collection together , and also for providing solid commentary tracks on both editions . Both were very helpful in educating me about the history and legacy of these films .
    • 116 4  This is a must-have for any Godzilla fan ! The original & the American versions in one collection ! It's amazing how much was edited out !
    • 117 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) Way back in the early 1970 ' s , I learned that the made-for-Japan original of Godzilla , actually named Gojira , was quite different from the Raymond Burr dubbing meant for America . I had to wait nearly three decades to see Gojira . Please forget the discussions of Gojira's political content , and try to ignore comparisons of the original versus the Raymond Burr version . Gojira stands alone in world cinematic history . The American version with Burr is also a very good movie that stands proudly on its own merits . Two Japanese actors finally come to the forefront of movie history , Sachio Sakai and Gin Sugai . Mr Sakai is the ever-present reporter who ties together the many characters in this movie . Raymond Burr basically plays Sakai in the American version . You see Sakai in the 70th and 73rd minutes of the Burr version . He is the guy on the left , kneeling with a flash camera . Gojira made Sakai's career , and he went on to fame in Japan . He lives on today , still acting from time to time . Gin Sugai is the strident woman politician , pushing for full disclosure of Gojira's danger . Her character is the social conscience of the movie . She had an acting career before Gojira and an even more fulfilling career thereafter . She still acts , a grand dame of Japan's movie industry . The special features of both movie versions are packed with interesting factoids . Don't be upset with the scratchy scenes in Gojira . These scratches were also on the original prints , artifacts of extensive film retouching . 1954 technology required handling of the negatives directly , and film damage was inevitable . Enjoy both versions of this classic . They were meant as entertainment , and both versions succeed admirably . These DVD's are a treasure .
    • 118 4  Way back in the early 1970 ' s , I learned that the made-for-Japan original of Godzilla , actually named Gojira , was quite different from the Raymond Burr dubbing meant for America . I had to wait nearly three decades to see Gojira . Please forget the discussions of Gojira's political content , and try to ignore comparisons of the original versus the Raymond Burr version . Gojira stands alone in world cinematic history . The American version with Burr is also a very good movie that stands proudly on its own merits . Two Japanese actors finally come to the forefront of movie history , Sachio Sakai and Gin Sugai . Mr Sakai is the ever-present reporter who ties together the many characters in this movie . Raymond Burr basically plays Sakai in the American version . You see Sakai in the 70th and 73rd minutes of the Burr version . He is the guy on the left , kneeling with a flash camera . Gojira made Sakai's career , and he went on to fame in Japan . He lives on today , still acting from time to time . Gin Sugai is the strident woman politician , pushing for full disclosure of Gojira's danger . Her character is the social conscience of the movie . She had an acting career before Gojira and an even more fulfilling career thereafter . She still acts , a grand dame of Japan's movie industry . The special features of both movie versions are packed with interesting factoids . Don't be upset with the scratchy scenes in Gojira . These scratches were also on the original prints , artifacts of extensive film retouching . 1954 technology required handling of the negatives directly , and film damage was inevitable . Enjoy both versions of this classic . They were meant as entertainment , and both versions succeed admirably . These DVD's are a treasure .
    • 119 4  Beautifully packaged , this classic Japanese fable is a must-have for any creature-feature fan . Beginning with the original tale in its native Japanese and English subtitles will make you wonder how American film makers would consider editing the film , even with Raymond Burr's fine acting . The allegory of the bomb cannot be mistaken when seen in the original , nor can the attempt to Americanize everything other be missed when viewing the second . It's a contrast well worth contemplating .
    • 120 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) This is what you want from a prestige re-release of a classic genre film . It looks beautiful in both the American and Japanese versions . Yeah , the picture is sometimes a little muddy ( especially in the night shots ) , but considering what my VHS copy looked like , this version of Godzilla is a revelation . And , having never seen the Japanese version before , I'm amazed by how realistically bleak the scenes of a devastated Tokyo are , and just how chilling a monster Godzilla is . When his spines flash just before he uses his breath weapon , I got chills . Get it , watch it , share it with a friend .
    • 121 4  This is what you want from a prestige re-release of a classic genre film . It looks beautiful in both the American and Japanese versions . Yeah , the picture is sometimes a little muddy ( especially in the night shots ) , but considering what my VHS copy looked like , this version of Godzilla is a revelation . And , having never seen the Japanese version before , I'm amazed by how realistically bleak the scenes of a devastated Tokyo are , and just how chilling a monster Godzilla is . When his spines flash just before he uses his breath weapon , I got chills . Get it , watch it , share it with a friend .
    • 122 4  I was floored at how the movie had been changed . The way they worked Raymond in to the movie was amazing a tribute to the director that recut it . The original is a testament of the times where the Japanese people were extremely fearful of the atomic testing being done in the pacific . I did some research following the movie and found the radioactive fish were a real problem for them at the time . I also was amazed that I had gotten some of the emotional scenes wrong . Like the one where the girl is standing near the guard rail on the boat . I thought she was going to jump in the Godzilla one but in the original the subtitles explain it very well . If you watched Godzilla back in the 60s then this will take you back . Both movies are great !
    • 124 4  Rialto films deserves high praise for its restoration and re-release of Gojira in theatres , that paved the way for this very fine set featuring both the original Japanese film and the altered version for its U.S . release . While it is hard to really suspend disbelief when you see the walking latex monster close up in either version , the story and the tone of the Japanese version go far towards overcoming the campy monster flick vibe that the U.S . version borders on , and the subsequent sequels appear to have embraced . While the visuals are quite remarkable considering the budgetary and time constraints the film was working under , the filmmakers wisely chose to make the film more about the atmosphere and to emphasize the parallels with atomic weaponry . Still , there are several scenes in both versions , especially a major scene of destruction in Tokyo , that have such powerful resonance with scenes of nuclear destruction that the artificiality of the visuals is overcome . Sound plays an essential role in this - - if the look alone of the monster is not enough to frighten the sounds he makes are chilling , both otherworldly and primal . This is a great looking set , that should be an essential collector's item for any film buff , but at a price that would be hard to pass up for even the casual fan . It is both a groundbreaking monster film , and an important Japanese film . The image looks very good , and the sound is stunning . You really couldn't ask for a better release of these films .
    • 125 4  I have been a Godzilla fan as long as I can remember and the original movie always held a special place in my heart so I was expected a lot from this rendition . I am very please that not only did this meet those expectations but it surpassed them . I had not had the opportunity to see the original version of Godzilla and enjoyed it immensely . In terms of pure story it is much better than the American version . However I also greatly enjoyed that version of the film which this DVD also included . After all it is the version of my youth and I have always liked Burr . The extra features were very informative and helped bring a great behind-the-scenes look at this great film . To top it all off it comes with an extremely reasonable price tag attached to it . Two versions of a great movie , interesting extra features , and a great price . There isn't much more one can ask for . Well . . . except a new additional to the series !
    • 127 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) Very good Godzilla movie , although not my favorite . This is MUCH better than the Godzilla , King of the Monsters American version with Raymond Burr . Do not waste your time or money on that one ! ! ! ! This one is good . It flows much better without the fake interviews and commentaries from Burr that interrupt the action . Enjoy the movie ! !
    • 128 4  Very good Godzilla movie , although not my favorite . This is MUCH better than the Godzilla , King of the Monsters American version with Raymond Burr . Do not waste your time or money on that one ! ! ! ! This one is good . It flows much better without the fake interviews and commentaries from Burr that interrupt the action . Enjoy the movie ! !
    • 129 4  I grew up watching Godzilla , Rodan , Mothra , ect on our local Shock Theater . Loved them as a kid and still enjoy seeing them today . I've even taken my son to see some of the newer films ( he enjoys them as well ) . It's great to finally see this film the way it was meant to be seen . Really , it should be considered a classic in film making . Most people know the Godzilla of the campy 70s . This is NOT that Godzilla . This is the ultimate terror of the atom bomb in living form . Truely , a great work and a fine addition to any movie lover's collection .
    • 130 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) 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 audiences ' 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 expecations . The Classic Media presentation is easily the best of their Godzilla DVD series . The Japanese and U.S . versions come on two separate discs , and each has an excellent commentary track by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski . Extra features include a documentary on the making of the Godzilla suit , a documentary on the development of the original story , trailers , and a 12 - page booklet with an essay by Steve Ryfle . Top recommendation .
    • 131 4  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 audiences ' 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 expecations . The Classic Media presentation is easily the best of their Godzilla DVD series . The Japanese and U.S . versions come on two separate discs , and each has an excellent commentary track by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski . Extra features include a documentary on the making of the Godzilla suit , a documentary on the development of the original story , trailers , and a 12 - page booklet with an essay by Steve Ryfle . Top recommendation .
    • 132 4  Godzilla is a fiery , stylized , highly charged piece of Japanese art . Unlike many U.S monster movies of the age ( which I do love ) , Godzilla is not just a spectacle of special effects and cheep thrills , but a tender story about love , sacrifice and consequence . Please I beg you to avoid at all costs the 1956 U.S ' remake ' included on this disc . It makes a mockery of the 1954 version by inserting a narrator in the form of American reporter Steve Martin , who was ' there all the time ' , adding him into scenes from the original by butchering it and inserting pointless and obviously staged attempts at English translations . It even goes so far as to dub over the heroin's voice in one scene when she chats with Martin about the aftermath of Godzilla's rampage on Tokyo . Clearly a scene at a different time and place remembered from the original , and she was definatly not talking to the American reporter Steve Martin at the time ! It offended me to do this to such a good movie .
    • 133 4  What a shame to wait so long , get such an exceptionally fine packaging job and a fair price , and extras - and they blow the encoding . What in the world ? I haven't seen a disk encoded this poorly on any dvd costing more than $1 . What happenned ? Is it the film itself , moving in the gate ? What this encoding suffers from is the shimmer of high contrast areas ; highlights of objects move out of sync with the rest of the object . It appears to have been digtized with a $40 over the counter adapter ? !
    • 134 4  For fans of both giant monster movies and Japanese cinema , this is a landmark release . Forget what you think you know about Godzilla movies . This film is 100% cheese free . Its serious in tone throughout , and is definately not a children's film . To fully appreciate the film's message , you must remember that this film was only released 9 years after the end of the war . Its understandable , though unfortunate , that the U.S . butchered this film before releasing it in the states . Its unashamably anti-nuke , and it came out at a time when the insanity known as mutually assured destruction was considered sound foreign policy . At the heart of this film is the same moral delimma that Oppenheimer and Truman faced near the end of the war : whether or not its right to use an ultimate weapon for the sake of expediancy , even though doing so will open up a Pandora's Box which could ultimately lead to the destruction of us all . In the tradition of great Japanese films such as The Seven Samurai , victory ultimately comes at a heavy , almost unbearable price . The final ironic twist is that the sacrifice might end up having been in vain . This is a wonderful film . Its more than a monster movie ; much , much more . Its a serious drama with a serious message . The production values and the performances are outstanding . If you haven't seen the Japanese version , then you haven't seen Godzilla . Its amazing ( and sad ) that the message of the film is just as relevant today as it was in 1954 .
    • 137 4  Great film and great box too . Actually , it's probably the nicest DVD box I own . I've only watched Gojira so far because I heard the American version of Godzilla is real crapper . Monster movie fans should love this film ( Gojira ) because it tells the beginning of one of the greatest monsters in a film ever , Godzilla . Also , it is nice watching a japanese film that isn't dubbed over .
    • 139 4  Sorry , Raymond Burr , I loved Perry Mason . But now that I've done a side-by-side comparison , the original Japanese version of Gojira is better than Godzilla . ' Don't know why the US Studio thought that Americans couldn't handle the original . It was even cool seeing the islanders complaining to the Diet , and the commuters worrying about having to hide in bomb shelters again . If you stretch a bit , Gojira can be interpreted as an environmentalist movie , too . The plot is basically the same from movie to movie , but the Japanese version includes more plot and cultural detail , and better acting . Also in the Japanese version , Takashi Shimura's ( the leader of The Seven Samurai ) role is the main protagonist , not some ancillary character seen over Raymond Burr's shoulder every now and then .
    • 140 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) This is the ultimate Godzilla DVD set - I cannot tell you how weird it was watching the Japanese version of this film without Raymond Burr's narration in it , not to mention the extra footage that is included in the japanese version . If I had one criticism of the film , it was the fact that the English subtitles were difficult to read for two reasons . . .1 . they were hard to read because the color of the print blended in with the film at points and 2 . they didn't stay on the screen long enough to read them so I guess I need Evelyn Wood . Overall the picture quality is what you would expect from a film that is as old as I am . The added booklet was a nice touch as it gave you some background on the films and there were a few Bonus features but they were nothing to write home to mom about . My heart however , is still with the American version of the film because it is what I am used to all my life but the Japanese version held up well . This is definitely a must for ANY Godzilla fan .
    • 141 4  This is the ultimate Godzilla DVD set - I cannot tell you how weird it was watching the Japanese version of this film without Raymond Burr's narration in it , not to mention the extra footage that is included in the japanese version . If I had one criticism of the film , it was the fact that the English subtitles were difficult to read for two reasons . . .1 . they were hard to read because the color of the print blended in with the film at points and 2 . they didn't stay on the screen long enough to read them so I guess I need Evelyn Wood . Overall the picture quality is what you would expect from a film that is as old as I am . The added booklet was a nice touch as it gave you some background on the films and there were a few Bonus features but they were nothing to write home to mom about . My heart however , is still with the American version of the film because it is what I am used to all my life but the Japanese version held up well . This is definitely a must for ANY Godzilla fan .
    • 142 4  The new DVD release of Gojira and Godzilla . . . is disappointing in terms of video quality . White specks of all sizes almost continually pop up , giving the effect of trying to watch the film through a shower curtain of video noise . If I had not seen and did not already own an unofficial DVD of Gojira , perhaps I wouldn't have been so let down . But the picture quality of the bootleg DVD ( possibly from laserdisc , I don't know the source for sure ) is MILES above Sony's new release . Had Sony Video spent ONE-TENTH as much money cleaning up and restoring the print they used for the DVD that they must have spent on the fancy ( admittedly very nice ) packaging for the set , they could have given this classic film the kind of treatment it deserves . The Japanese version of the film ( Gojira ) is a MUCH more atmospheric and artistic experience than the Americanized Raymond Burr version . It is unfortunate that poor video quality mars that experience , particularly as better-quality versions already exist . Even with all this said , if you've never seen Gojira then by all means buy this set . I promise you , you will love it ! I usually watch it with no subtitles , and I don't speak a word of Japanese . It is still an experience almost unmatched in the world of sci-fi and horror .
    • 143 4  Like most Godzilla fans in the U.S . , my first exposure to the original film was the heavily edited version with Raymond Burr . Even as a child , I knew something wasn't right and that that version looked sloppy and chopped-up . Now , thankfully , we can see Godzilla ( who in the Japanese version isn't King of the Monsters ) without the bad dubbing and Raymond Burr and with many scenes cut out of the U.S . version . Burr's presence in the original is a major distraction . Since the U.S . producers couldn't cut any footage of Eiji Tsuburaya's special effects and maintain the film's appeal to American audiences , they instead relegated the characters of Dr . Yamane , Emiko Yamane , Ogata and Serizawa to background supporting players . Whereas these characters look like they're reacting to the monster , Burr , in contrast , looks like he's bored and waiting for Perry Mason to begin production . The extras hired to portray Japanese in the added scenes with Burr are even worse . They look like they're trying to stifle yawns . The original puts the characters in the forefront of the story where they belong . Takashi Shimura ( the dying man in Kurosawa's Ikiru ) , Momoko Koichi , Akira Takarada and Akihiko Hirata give fine performances - - especially when they don't have to compete with the clunky added footage of Burr . Ishiro Honda conceived of Godzilla as a strong anti-nuclear , anti-war film . However , when the American producers re-edited the film , most likely influenced by the anti-communist hysteria of the time , they removed the film's political overtones , turning it into more of a straightforward monster film along the lines of It Came From Beneath the Sea or The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms . In the U.S . version , the impact of the final scene is blunted when Burr declares that now that Godzilla is dead , the world can start to live again . In the Japanese original , the ending is much more unsettling with Shimura's Dr . Yamane declaring that if nuclear weapons continue to be used , another Godzilla may appear to wreak havoc on civilization . It may seem somewhat ridiculous to heap such importance on a Godzilla film . However , the original was a sober , serious and even depressing indictment of the arms race . Whereas some of the later films had bad special effects and stupid , juvenille humor , the original Godzilla had an important message . Watch the unedited Japanese version and you'll never be able to watch the U.S . version again . Original version : * * * * U.S . version : * *
    • 144 4  This review is from : Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition ( Gojira / Godzilla [ 1954 ] / Godzilla , King of the Monsters [ 1956 ] ) ( DVD ) Ok the original Japanese language version is lovely . Sure it's in Japanese but the imagry alone is great and shows the quality of the film industry , even when dominated by a man dancing on model houses while wearing a rubber suit . The scenes of Gojira standing against the flaming skyline of Tokyo is haunting . For all that its sequals were ludicrious ( and I'm being polite . ) this original is a piece of art . And then we have the second disc . The one with Raymond Burr . As a kid I loved seeing these movies on tv on a Saturday afternoon . I never quite realized how incredibly bad this version is . They do make attempts to honor the Japanese culture . Scenes with Burr are not dubbed but have people speaking Japanese that is then translated to him . At one point he tries to speak Japanese and is laughingly told not to . With all that , why bother ? Why not just dub the Japanese version and let it stand on its own ? One wonders if it was a belief that in 1956 studios felt America would not embrace a film without a white actor in the lead . Unfortunately trying to tie Burr into the scenes with other japanese actors is badly done , clearly having differnece cinimatography from shot to shot . Over all the effect compared with the original is like using the Shroud of Turin as a drop cloth . Sometimes I've said ' don't ' watch a really bad movie . Here I say , do watch the Burr verision . You'll appreciate the original so much more .
    • 145 4  Ok the original Japanese language version is lovely . Sure it's in Japanese but the imagry alone is great and shows the quality of the film industry , even when dominated by a man dancing on model houses while wearing a rubber suit . The scenes of Gojira standing against the flaming skyline of Tokyo is haunting . For all that its sequals were ludicrious ( and I'm being polite . ) this original is a piece of art . And then we have the second disc . The one with Raymond Burr . As a kid I loved seeing these movies on tv on a Saturday afternoon . I never quite realized how incredibly bad this version is . They do make attempts to honor the Japanese culture . Scenes with Burr are not dubbed but have people speaking Japanese that is then translated to him . At one point he tries to speak Japanese and is laughingly told not to . With all that , why bother ? Why not just dub the Japanese version and let it stand on its own ? One wonders if it was a belief that in 1956 studios felt America would not embrace a film without a white actor in the lead . Unfortunately trying to tie Burr into the scenes with other japanese actors is badly done , clearly having differnece cinimatography from shot to shot . Over all the effect compared with the original is like using the Shroud of Turin as a drop cloth . Sometimes I've said ' don't ' watch a really bad movie . Here I say , do watch the Burr verision . You'll appreciate the original so much more .
    • 147 4  The original Godzilla ( Gojira ) is one of the great fantasy films of all time . This deluxe two disc set is a necessary addition to any serious film fans collection .
    • 148 4  This is the kind of thing that drives me insane ! They put together a pretty good idea for this release , giving us the version we all grew up with and the original Japanese version to check out . They give us trailers and a couple of short making of features . Great ! right ? . . . . . . . WRONG ! The one thing they didn't do is remaster the movies ! These prints are scratched and battered ! They are not horrible , but looking at the fancy packaging you would think they would have restored these prints ! I can only hope that the rest of the movies in this series get better treamtments !
    • 150 4  YES ! Finally they have one of the greatest horror films ever made on DVD.This film scared me as a kid , and it still scares me today . The Japanese version first : A sailing boat is destroyed in the ocean , a huge radioactive dinosaur known as Godzilla , or Gojira , as laid waste to Tokyo.The monster will surley come again to finish the job.Two lovers Emiko and Ogata seek the help of a scientist named Serizawa.He has invented a bomb called the Oxygen Destroyer ; it is the only hope of destroying Godzilla . I really didn't like the American version.It's basically the same from the perspective of an American journalist named Steve Martin ( played by Raymond Burr ) and there is some dubbing , the dubbing is horrific , and Raymond Burr's performance is as wooden as always . There are only two special features , I wish there were alot more special features . Get this DVD you won't regret it .
    • 151 4  50 years and this low production , low budget film is still entertaining . How can a guy in a lizard suit be so appealing ? The kids can't stop talking about Godzill's fire breath . They love this movie as much as Spiderman and Superman . $50 million special effects does not make an entertaining movie alone . The heavy handed environmental issue and the pedestrian dialog manage to make a true classic .
    • 152 4  As a child I remembering watching Godzilla movies every Saturday morning . And now as an adult studying the Japanese language , I decided to buy this set . How wonderful to see the original movie and realize that far from being a kitschy monster movie , it's a wonderfully written , directed and acted film . The decision to use a person in a rubber suit rather than stop-gap animation really paid off , although it was made , according to the booklet attached , due to time constraints . The American version , in comparison to the Japanese original , is really a horrible butcher job , but is funny to watch after seeing the original to see how they chopped it up and pasted in Raymond Burr and actors showing only their backs to portray the original characters . I laughed out loud several times at how hackneyed it is , so for my money having a great film coupled with a laugh-out-loud remake of it is a real bargain ! The only complaints are that it is not in letterbox and that the subtitles are not done too well . . . but as someone studying the language I plan to turn off the subtitles in future viewing .
    • 153 4  The product that was sent to me arrived very quickly , within 3 days , and I was extremely pleased with the condition of both DVD's that were included in the set . Thanks for the great service . Ron Kolodziej
    • 154 4  Before buying this 2 disc DVD , I've read the reviews of the fans and the majority of them praise ' Gojira ' and mock the American version with Raymond Burr . After viewing the original Japanese version ( which I belive is excellent ) , I find the comparison reviews narrow minded and disapointing . These folks are sophisticated and savy and have always known they can watch their tapes and DVD's over and over and pick apart anything they see . This must make them feel important but the opinions I've read on the comparison of the 2 films is unfair . I wasn't born in 1956 when the original U.S . version was released . I saw it in 1968 when I was 7 years old on ' Creature Feature ' and I remember exactly what I said when it was over : Godzilla is my new favorite Monster . Raymond Burr's ' Flashback ' narrations give the film a documentary feel which is abscent from the Toho version . The American version is different , not worse . The anti-nuclear approach in the original film is great , but it's not better . And as for the techniques used to blend the 2 films , I think they were pretty damn clever and not ameturish in the least bit . Please buy this DVD ; watch and love both versions . . . . you'll thank me .
    • 155 4  I've been waiting for this DVD ever since the film was screened in limited release a few years back . Finally ! So I eagerly opened the box and popped the DVD in . I was expecting much much more extra elements . Sure we have the two movies - the Japanese version being the prize - and a few other features . But , for such a groundbreaking and controversial film , precious little is on this DVD . For a film that spawned countless sequels and even more cultural references - not to mention a very active nuclear debate that still rages today - this release does not deliver the goods . Besides this , I sat enthralled watching one of my most favorite films ! Godzilla / Gorjira is a horror thrill !
    • 156 4  Here , after more than 50 years , is a chance to see how Godzilla really began , the original Japanese movie , without Raymond Burr . It IS better in the original , and a more serious movie , but it's still pretty silly . Basically it remains a remake of Ray Harryhausen's The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms with Ray's meticulous animation replaced with a stunt man in a lizard suit . With more footage , one notices that the male romantic lead is pretty hot . The extras , especially the one about the special effects , are very interesting . Of course , the Raymond Burr version is included , so it's all the Godzilla movies I'll ever need . It makes an interesting comparison between this and Harryhausen's movie . Both use dinosaurs as metaphors for the A-Bomb , but Ray's movie is from the point-of-view of the country that dropped the bomb on others - shake it off ! - while Godzilla is from the point-of-view of the people who were actually nuked , so they take it far more seriously . They understand that real people really suffered and were really killed . The musical score is excellent .
    • 157 4  . . . Just got through watching Gojira . Yes it's a great movie , well worth watching , and a relief to hear in the original Japanese . BUT : 1 . ) The film is very badly speckled , and with so many atmospheric night scenes , this really got in the way of my enjoyment . Once Gojira is crashing through Tokyo , no problem ; but in the many scenes leading up to this , the speckles are a major distraction . They also hamper the climax , which takes place underwater . 2 . ) The subtitles are a very pale yellow and quite thin . Against the sharp black and white background , they're tough to read . My wife and I were reading them out loud to each other , which severely undermined our ability to focus on , say , the actors and their facial expressions . 3 . ) Fullscreen presentation , as opposed to widescreen . Maybe this is the ratio in which it was released ? I don't know , but I have to think not . Great movie , but for the price you're paying for the Deluxe Collector's blah blah , I think it should have been done better . Compare this to , say , Universal's Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection , which presents 5 similar-era movie in crystalline clarity for about the same price . Don't get me wrong : I have plenty of those 50 - movie packs and am NOT a diehard fan of digital remastering , whatever that is . I just think that the condition of the movie here should match the slick packaging . It doesn't and that's a little disappointing . Terrific movie . Buy it , watch it , but don't expect perfection .
    • 160 4  This movie is definitely a good one . I can hardly hold my strong feelings for this movie back ! ! It's insane how good this movie is . First off , the language quality is awesome , it's in Japanese which makes it so much more the better . The American version was about 55 minutes - - WAY to short to enjoy Gojira and the message the movie is trying to send . But the Japanese version is about 95 minutes ! ! That's the perfect amount of time . Anyone who has seen this will instantly know what I mean . The acting is superb - - extremely realistic ( aren't all Japanese good actors ? ! ) Anyone who appreciates Gojira , or Japan , or history should without a doubt pick this movie up without any hesitation whatsoever ! !
    • 162 4  The original version may be better then the Americanized version I saw as a child , but it is still a bad movie . If you are a hugh Godzilla fan you will want this DVD , but otherwise you will be disapointed . The bad science is fun , though : Dinosaurs and trilobites roamed the earth 2 million years ago during the Jurassic period . Oxygen is split into two fluids to create the oxygen destroyer .

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