Before we even begin to talk about “Godzilla” we have to talk about the world of Japan at the time of the film’s release. Japan just got out of the horrible bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a whole revamp of Japan’s government after World War II and a huge cultural influence from America. These two events, especially the nuclear bombing, heavily tie in with “Godzilla” and what the movie is about.
Toho Studios, the studio behind “Godzilla,” was initially going to make another movie called “In the Shadow of Glory” with the Indonesian company Perfini. Later on, Toho Studios received a letter declaring that Perfini had backed out of the production; this was because of the rising tensions between Japan and Indonesia.
This whole event left Toho in a bit of a rush to make a movie by the end of the year. Tomoyuki Tanaka who is known as the creator of “Godzilla” and director of the original 1954 film, originally proposed his idea on a flight back to Japan, the idea being inspired by the 1953 film “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” and the Daigo Fukuryū Maru incident (a boat got contaminated by the Castle Bravo thermonuclear weapon test done by the United States).
The film was accepted by producer Iwao Mori in April of 1954 and released November 3, 1954. The film had around 51 days of shooting. It starts with a shipwreck, mimicking the Daigo Fukuryū Maru incident, and the destruction of a small fishing village. The monster Godzilla emerges from the depths of the ocean as the one responsible for these events. This all leads Japan into a panic. The military starts by using regular weapons and such but they basically do nothing to fight off the monster.
As Godzilla is destroying everything we learn of a weapon called the “oxygen destroyer,” basically a weapon even more powerful than a nuclear bomb that destroys everything. We see this demonstrated with fish turned to nothing in a tank after the device is turned on. Dr. Ishirō Serizawa is the creator of the device; similar to other scientists like Oppenheimer, he fears the device and what it can do.
The device is ultimately used against Godzilla in a big final battle with Serizawa sacrificing himself and his creation. The film ends with the final message:“if nuclear testing continues… then someday, somewhere in the world… another Godzilla may appear.” Godzilla himself is a monster created from the radiation of bombings like Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The film had huge success in Japan along with Toho’s other film “Seven Samurai.” The film in America (edited and with original scenes with new actors) was the first film originally from Japan to actually compete with American films produced in Hollywood. Beforehand most Japanese films didn’t do well in America. This really took off and proved Japan could make really successful movies in the States. The special effects even rivaled those used in Hollywood. Other “Godzilla” movies were made after the original was produced; there have been 38 of them at the time of this writing. Godzilla warns about the devastation of nuclear war and nuclear weapons and is an amazing film even 70 years after its release.