Godzilla: Special Edition DVD
THE RATINGS
Movie: ** DVD: ****
Birth Of A King
Godzilla, the father of all Japanese monster movies, stomps onto the scene refreshed, reborn and badder than ever. Tomoyuki Tanaka, the father of Godzilla, would turn over in his grave if he saw Godzilla 1998. Oh Tanaka, how we have dishonored your post nuclear hero! In the early 1950’s, Tanaka, a cameraman-turned-producer working for Toho Studios in Japan, was desperate for an idea…
“I was up against a deadline when I first thought of Godzilla, and I made it up all at the last minute. At that time, Toho was collaborating with Indonesia to make a blockbuster film called ‘Beyond the Glory.’ This film was supposed to be Toho’s ‘eyeball’ (premiere release) for the year. Because soon-to-be stars Ryo Ikebe and Toshiko Yamaguchi couldn’t get a visa from the Indonesian government, the film was canceled. It was easy to say that the film was just canceled, but now I had to come up with something big enough to replace it. On the plane ride back to Tokyo, I was so desperate and I was sweating the whole time.”
The title of the film was “Gojira,” a name reportedly adopted from a tough looking crewmember at Toho studios. “Gojira” is a combination of “gorilla” and “kujira” (Japanese for whale). The film was released in the United States two years later with the title “GODZILLA, King of the Monsters.” Godzilla mania hit immediately, and Tanaka and Toho Studios went on to produce 21 more Godzilla films. Tanaka passed away as a result of a stroke on April 2, 1997 at the age of 86.
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