It is a pronouncement ominous in its accurate prophecy.
“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.”
With those words the giant lizard’s sole defender in the original Godzilla, Dr. Kyohei Yamane, set the stage for an unending string of Godzilla movies. It is a string to be continued with a new film being planned for release within the next couple years.
With those words, he also reemphasized the underlying fear of the nuclear age running throughout the movie.
Nuclear Godzilla
Godzilla is much more than a simple monster flick because of this undercurrent. Nuclear annihilation was a genuine fear across the entire planet during the second half of the twentieth century. The Japanese of course knew this better than anyone.
Godzilla’s director, Ishirô Honda, peppered the film with multiple allusions to his country’s horrific experience with the technology. Characters pronounced they would not flea Godzilla because they had already survived the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. Others questioned the use of technology as a weapon of mass destruction.
The radioactive lizard was just a manifestation of all those fears of destruction. The beast also dredged up other blights of the modern age while also being the embodiment of folkloric legends.
Godzilla in Folklore
Following Godzilla’s first appearance on land, villagers tell stories of an ancient beast that would emerge from the depths to eat humans whenever food from the sea becomes scarce. The empty nets the fishermen had been pulling up recently were proof enough to them that Godzilla had returned because there were no more fish to eat.
Today of course overfishing is a major topic of conversation the world over. There are fears of what this decimation means to our long-term habitation of this planet.
Other fears exhibited in the original Godzilla are also still alive and well in 2011. The tsunamis of both 2004 and 2011 have brought them to the forefront.
21st Century Godzilla
Japan is still dealing with the fallout of the nuclear plant meltdown caused by the tsunami in March of this year. Nuclear destruction from the forces of the sea is still a very real possibility for the Japanese people.
The sea’s destructive force is still explained away by ancient beliefs. Following the 2004 tsunami disaster, a sea gypsy told 60 Minutes , "The wave is created by the spirit of the sea…The Big Wave had not eaten anyone for a long time, and it wanted to taste them again."
Clearly folklore is as indestructible as the Godzilla movie franchise.
All of this opens a host of possibilities for the upcoming reboot of the series.
There is no doubt it will be a special effects blockbuster.
Here is to hoping it is more than that. Here is to hoping the producers of the film are able to tap into the forces that have kept the original Godzilla alive and relevant for generations of movie audiences.
Here is to hoping the new movie is able to tap into humanity’s long-held fear of the unknown while exposing just a few of the fears evident of life in the 21st century.
- Godzilla
- Starring Takahi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata and Akira Takarada
- Written by Ishirô Honda and Shigeru Kayama
- Directed by Ishirô Honda
- Year 1954
Running Time 96 minutes
Gregory Dew - Greg is a freelance writer with a Bachelors of Art in Journalism from The Ohio State University. He has been writing about the arts and ...
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