The Castle Bravo nuclear test took place at the beginning of the Cold War, when nuclear fears were widespread. From threats by otherworldly inhabitants displayed in “The Day the Earth Stood Still” to the killer eight-foot-tall ants seen in the movie “Them!
The film clearly explains that hydrogen bomb testing by the United States is what caused the disaster; the explosive atmospheric test awoke and irradiated a giant green sea creature who arose from the water to wreak havoc on Japan.
Less than a decade after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, anti-nuclear sentiment can be felt throughout the film.
In 1956, “GOJIRA” became Godzilla when the giant monster landed on American shores.
The movie titled “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” was an editing mashup of the original 1954 film with a few new American actors.
The combination of the massive explosion and an unexpected shift in wind meant the sailors on the Lucky Dragon were in fallout range of the largest explosive nuclear test in US history.
The crew all suffered radiation poisoning with one member dying a few months later and others remaining hospitalized for more than a year.
The discussion of the negative impact of the decision to use nuclear weapons on Japan was limited to small circles.
Politics and history aside, the Godzilla franchise has remained a successful piece of culture in both the United States and Japan since its original debut, but in the 30-plus iterations that have come to life since 1954, American productions have avoided a return to the monster’s true origin story and to the message behind its destruction.
In the final line of “GOJIRA,” a serious warning is provided.
The man who discovered Godzilla’s origin says solemnly, “If we keep on conducting nuclear tests, it’s possible that another Godzilla might appear somewhere in the world, again.” Conversely, in “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” the American narrator ends with a message of hope: Even though this tragic event has occurred, “The whole world [can] wake up and live again.” The different perspectives are not surprising; the citizens of the United States and Japan felt completely different fears after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Comments Essays On Godzilla
Godzilla, Gojira & 'Shin' Video Essay 2017 - YouTube
Nov 3, 2017. An analytical look at the symbolism found within the three most poignant film versions of the Godzilla story; Gojira, Godzilla 2014 and Shin.…
For Godzilla and Country Foreign Affairs
May 27, 2014. With the release this month of a glossy, fast-paced, and heavily marketed new blockbuster, Hollywood is attempting to appropriate Godzilla for.…
Godzilla Monster, Metaphor, Pop Icon The New York Public Library
May 21, 2014. Godzilla is an international film icon and his appeal goes beyond. Mark Anderson in his essay "Mobilizing Gojira Mourning Modernity as.…
Godzilla - Cinema and Media Studies - Oxford Bibliographies
Aug 28, 2018. The 1954 Godzilla Gojira is a landmark monster film, and the film. Has short essays ranging from “Godzilla as a Parenting Tool” pp.…
Godzilla Poetry After the A-Bomb The Current The Criterion.
Jan 24, 2012. Initially, as Donald Richie writes in an essay on the representation of Hiroshima. And while I Live in Fear was a box-office failure, Godzilla was.…
Will the Real Godzilla Please Stand Up? - Inkstick
Jun 6, 2019. Essays. Words Rachel Emond and Deverrick Holmes. Pictures Alex. The origin of Godzilla centers around a real-life nuclear incident that.…
The Official Godzilla Compendium Wikizilla, the kaiju encyclopedia
Jul 29, 2019. Packed with photos and illustrations, movie summaries, and entertaining essays that cover all aspects of the last 40 years of Godzilla, this is the.…
Godzilla Research Papers - Academia.edu
View Godzilla Research Papers on for free. J. Barr Eds. Giant Creatures in Our World Essays on Kaiju and American Popular Culture.…
A Video Essay Guide to the 'Godzilla' Franchise - Film School Rejects
Jul 26, 2018. The idea for Godzilla came from the mind of Tomoyuki Tanaka. horrific and heartbreaking reasons the upcoming video essays will explore.…
There's a Little Godzilla in All of Us - Electric Literature
Dec 17, 2018. essays. There's a Little Godzilla in All of Us. What if our stories were. When I was eight years old, my parents rented Godzilla 1985 for our.…