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| Godzilla, King of the Monsters! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Credits | |
| Title: | Godzilla, King of the Monsters! |
| Director: | Ishirô Honda Terry O. Morse [1] |
| Writers: | Ishirô Honda [2] Takeo Murata [3] Shigeru Kayama [4] Al C. Ward [5] |
| Producers: | Tomoyuki Tanaka [6] |
| Composer: | Akira Ifukube |
| Cinematography: | Masao Tamai [7] Guy Roe [8] |
| Editors: | Terry O. Morse [9] |
| Production | |
| Distributed by: | Toho Company, Ltd. Embassy Pictures |
| Released: | April 27th, 1956 |
| Rating: | Unrated |
| Running time: | 80 min. |
| Country: | Japan/USA |
| Language: | Japanese/English |
| Budget: | $650,000 |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | — |
| Next: | King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) |
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is a joint Japanese/American feature film of the science fiction and horror genres. It is a soft remake of the original 1954 film Gojira, which incorporates new U.S. footage edited into the original film, excising many scenes from the original in the process. Gojira director Ishirô Honda collaborated with Terry O. Morse in directing the new scenes which featured American actor Raymond Burr and several Japanese-American actors, some of whom served as stand-ins for original cast members in an effort to interweave new scenes with the original story. The movie was licensed from Toho Company, Ltd. and produced by Jewell Enterprises, Inc. and Embassy Pictures. It was released through TransWorld Releasing Corp. in the United States on April 27th, 1956.
Plot[]
An American news reporter named Steve Martin travels to Japan to visit his old colleague Daisuke Serizawa. As he arrives he is but one of many airline passengers who are questioned by Tokyo police. Steve learns that a Japanese commercial vessel was destroyed outside Tokyo Bay. Witnesses claimed that the water itself seemed to catch on fire and no one could explain the strange phenomenon. Steve’s airline had passed near the scene of the incident but none of the passengers actually witnessed the event. Revealing himself as a reporter for the Global World News out of Chicago, he offers his aid to the beleaguered police department.
The following day, Steve and a security specialist named Tomo Iwanaga travel to Oto Island, where presumably wreckage of the destroyed vessel had been seen washing up on shore. The natives claim to have seen a disturbing creature reminiscent of a monster from their ancient myths - Godzilla.
Before long, Godzilla emerges again and destroys several more sea vessels. The Japanese officials learn that Tokyo may be seriously threatened and decide to take measures against Godzilla’s rampage. They erect a barrier of electrified power stations all along the shore of Tokyo Bay. Godzilla easily ravages the power stations and the Japanese call out the National Guard to evacuate the city.
At this point, the people of Tokyo realize an even greater terror. Godzilla utilizes an atomic breath weapon to set the entire city ablaze. Tanks and heavy artillery prove useless, and before long Godzilla crushes the press staff building. Steve Martin is buried beneath a ton of rubble but miraculously survives.
A few days later, Steve's friend Emiko Yamane tells him of a great secret she has learned. Emiko and Steve's friend Doctor Serizawa has developed a tremendous weapon, which destroys the oxygen cells within biological organisms. Serizawa is reluctant to utilize the weapon because of the danger it represents.
Left with little choice but to use the Oxygen Destroyer, Doctor Serizawa and colleague Hideto Ogata descend deep into Tokyo Bay where Godzilla lies sleeping. The weapon is released and Ogata returns to the surface. Serizawa however, guilt ridden over creating such a destructive device, cuts his lifeline and remains underwater. He is consumed by his own weapon and quickly dies. Godzilla awakens and thrashes about in his own savage death-throes. Eventually however, his body disintegrates into a skeleton and finally disappears all together.
Cast[]
U.S. version[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Raymond Burr | Steve Martin |
| Frank Iwanaga | Security officer |
| Mikel Conrad | George Lawrence |
| James Hong | Ogata/Serizawa (voice) |
| Kuninori Kodo | Old man on Oto Island |
| Tsuruko Mano | Boy's mother |
| Lee Miller | Man in line at airport |
| Sammee Tong | Kyohei Yamane (voice) |
Original cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Takashi Shimura | Kyohei Yamane-hakase |
| Momoko Kôchi | Emiko Yamane |
| Akira Takarada | Hideto Ogata |
| Akihiko Hirata | Daisuke Serizawa-hakase |
| Sachio Sakai | Newspaper reporter Hagiwara |
| Fuyuki Murakami | Doctor Tabata |
| Ren Yamamoto | Master Seiji |
| Toyoaki Suzuki | Shinkichi |
| Tadashi Okabe | Doctor Tabata's assistant |
| Ren Yamamoto | Masaji Sieji |
| Toyoaki Suzuki | Shinkichi Sieji |
| Tadashi Okabe | Professor Tanabe's assistant |
| Ren Imaizumi | Radio operator |
| Toranosuke Ogawa | President of company |
| Kenji Sahara | Man on boat |
| Haruo Nakajima | Godzilla |
Uncredited cast[]
Note: The following is taken from the full credits list for this entry on IMDB. As it is a website with user-submitted information, some of the data listed here, including character names may be inaccurate.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ryosaku Takasugi | Godzilla |
| Katsumi Tezuka | Godzilla |
Notes & Trivia[]
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters! was eventually cycled back to Japan where it was released on May 29th, 1957 under the title, Kaiju Ō Gojira, which is translated as "Monster King Godzilla".
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is included on disc two of the Gojira DVD set by Classic Media, which was released on September 5th, 2006.
- Actress Momoko Kôchi is credited as Momoko Kochi in this film.
- This is the final film work for actor Frank Iwanaga.
Differences from Gojira[]
- The character of Steve Martin, played and narrated by Raymond Burr, is exclusive to the U.S. version and does not appear in the Japanese version.
Recommendations[]
See also[]
Media
The World of Godzilla
Godzilla miscellaneous
External Links[]
References[]
 This article relates to the films within the Godzilla franchise. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Godzilla Films category. |