The Menace Was Gone... So Was a Great Man. But the Whole World Can Wake Up and Live Again.

You lot may be looking for the original 1954 Japanese version, Godzilla, or the third film in the MonsterVerse series, Godzilla: Male monarch of the Monsters.

"Godzilla has turned the middle of Tokyo into a body of water of fire."

— Steve Martin, as he watches Godzilla destroy Tokyo.

Godzilla: Male monarch of the Monsters! (Kaiju-Oh Gojira in Nippon) is the 1956 Americanized version of the original Godzilla (1954). New footage featuring Raymond Burr was shot by Terry Morse, and dubbing was done only for scenes where the Japanese characters appear without Burr's character. While the film downplayed the symbolism of the original, it still retains some of Dr. Yamane'due south lines about the Hydrogen Bomb being responsible for Godzilla's existence. Despite the fact that it runs at 20 minutes shorter than its Japanese analogue, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is typically considered one of the more than tastefully washed Americanizations of a Godzilla film, especially in regards to the fact that this was the first one. If it weren't for this film, then Godzilla would never accept become popular in the due west, and this page probably wouldn't exist.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters itself is roughly the same story every bit Gojira, but told from the perspective of American reporter Steve Martin (played past Raymond Burr). Because of this, a full plot description is unnecessary. However, in that location are some key differences. In the Japanese version, the story opens and plays out much like a film Noir, slowly building upwardly to the destruction of Tokyo, while the American version opens with the aftermath of Godzilla'due south attack, and the rest of the film is told equally a flashback, except for the scenes which take place later on the attack, equally those scenes are left relatively intact with the only major changes being that the dialogue was dubbed into English, and Steve Martin interacts with 1 or two characters.

Nearly of the sequences cutting from the film involve the Japanese version'due south reporter character, some noncombatant evacuation scenes before and during Godzilla'due south first attack, and a portion of the conference held at the Diet after Godzilla's attack on Otojima Island. While Dr. Yamane's statement about Strontium 90 being plant in the monster's footprints is left intact, he does not say that Godzilla is the illegitimate child of the H-Bomb every bit he did in the original, instead proverb that Godzilla is an ancient beast that was resurrected due to H-Bomb testing. While this does remove much of the emblematic symbolism establish in the original, it still managed to maintain Godzilla'south connection to the bomb without existence off-putting to American audiences at the time, which was arguably necessary for the film to become and then successful in the west.

Interestingly enough, Godzilla: King of the Monsters was so successful that it would later be released in Nihon as Kaiju-Oh Gojira or Monster Male monarch Godzilla. Raymond Burr's character, Steve Martin, would become an influence on reporter characters in subsequently movies, and the success of this film paved the fashion for future releases of Godzilla movies in not only the The states, merely around the earth.

In 1977, Godzilla: King of the Monsters! was recut, colorized, and released in Italia past up-and-coming filmmaker Luigi Cozzi to cash in on the release of King Kong. Often known equally "Cozzilla" and "Psychedelic Godzilla" by fans. For that pic's article, run across here.

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This film contains examples of the following:

• Adaptation Dye-Job: The American version'southward poster depicted him green. The actual accommodate is chocolate-brown but is colored charcoal-gray in other media and merchandise.
• Adaptational Villainy: This version downplays Godzilla's sympathetic traits while treating him equally a menace that must be stopped. The ending is more apparent, since afterwards Serizawa's Heroic Sacrifice, Yamane gives a eulogy for Serizawa and Godzilla. But this version, Steve Martin gives one to his fallen friend.
• Apocalyptic Log: Subverted. Steve Martin keeps recording his observations of Godzilla's set on on Tokyo until the monster is about to destroy the edifice that he [Steve] is in. "This is information technology, George. Steve Martin, signing off!" Information technology's subverted because Steve survives to provide the Framing Device.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Serizawa asks one, when Emiko and Ogata face him about the use of the Oxygen Destroyer.

  Dr. Serizawa: And what will become of usa if a weapon such as I now accept, falls into the wrong hands?

• Armor-Piercing Response: Serizawa's Armor Piercing Question is presently followed by one of the most famous lines in the unabridged Godzilla franchise:

  Ogata: Then you accept a responsibleness no homo has ever faced. Y'all have your fright, which might become reality, and you have Godzilla, which is reality.

• Assault of the fifty-Foot Whatever: While Godzilla is fifty meters in the Japanese version, this version overshot his height to 400 feet (120 meters) for any reason. Probably to make Godzilla audio even more intimidating.
• Breath Weapon: Godzilla'due south diminutive ray. Although information technology'south more of a spray in this film, it is without a dubiety the defining example of this trope.
• Contrived Coincidence: Unlike the Japanese version, the contrived coincidences are actually breathy. Steve Martin somehow conveniently knew where to be at.
• Dub Induced Plothole: In the Japanese version, Masaji survives his run into with Godzilla and washes ashore alive on Odo Island. In this version, he apparently washes ashore dead. Until you lot encounter him talking with Hagiwara and subsequently at his house when Godzilla comes ashore. At face value, Steve Martin's narration seems to imply that his 2d advent is in fact a whole other person.
• Early Installment Weirdness: Existence the outset film to be dubbed and Americanized, the film has its ain share of weirdness. Such as:
  • In the beginning of the film, Emiko is seen talking to Steve Martin (Not THAT One, mind you), she'southward not looking at the guy. This gets corrected later, but if just they corrected the beginning scene.
  • In the Odo Island ceremony sequence, the hamlet elder explaining about Godzilla and how they must appease him, the elderberry says Godzilla's proper name in the almost (unintentional) creepy disembodied mode possible.
  • In the coming together with Dr. Yamane and the officials, Dr. Yamane says "Gojira", which is Godzilla'southward Japanese name. This occurs later on Godzilla scare the patrons on the partyboat in the Japanese version. In this version, information technology was shown as an early on scene. The Classic Media commentary lampshaded this weirdness.
  • In the Odo isle sequence, Tomo says the villagers are running upwards the hills then it would be prophylactic. We see a closer shot seeing they're holding weapons on their hands. In the Japanese version, the villagers arm themselves to fight off the fauna.
  • While the film was dubbed for its American release, just a scattering of dialogue was actually dubbed over a few of the Japanese actors. For the nigh part it's reporter Steve Martin who narrates over the Japanese dialogue. Later on Americanized edits would dub over virtually all the dialogue completely. It's also one of few Godzilla movies to integrate scenes shot in America to be inserted in the Japanese footage, whereas later entries had American actors star in the movies.
• Excited Show Title!: The key difference between the names of this moving picture and the 2019 film is that the latter lacks the exclamation point at the end.
• Fake Shemp: If an any thespian appeared in the same frame as Raymond Burr, they were NOT in the Japanese version. While Steve Martin does appear in the same frame as Emiko, Dr. Yamane, and Ogata, Raymond Burr is non talking with Momoko Kochi, Takashi Shimura, or Akira Takarada respectively although they're the merely ones credited in their respective roles. The telltale sign of a Simulated Shemp is evident in all three cases: just the back of their heads are seen. To the American production's credit, from backside the False Shemps looks a lot like the originals and their simply being seen from backside is disguised as normal cutting for a conversation, ie. they're seen from backside because it's Steve's portion of the chat.
  • Dr. Serizawa is a special case: he's never seen in the same frame equally Steve (ironic since it's Serizawa that'due south Steve'due south old friend). The two do share a telephone conversation, just that all the same wouldn't telephone call for a Fake Shemp... except in that location is no footage of Serizawa talking on the phone in the Japanese version. The Imitation Shemp for Serizawa is shot from the side, so a little of his face up shown simply he's mostly hidden by lab equipment and an centre patch (with that set-upwardly, information technology does await like it'southward Akihiko Hirata on the phone, merely if Terry Morse had him, it's hundred-to-one he'd hide Akihiko like that).
• Behemothic Equals Invincible: Godzilla. The big guy pretty much fix the stage for this trope.
• Heroic BSoD: Serizawa has i after realizing the full weight that rests on his shoulders, the context of which is provided in the quote above. Steve Martin besides appears to have a more subtle 1 while watching Godzilla destroy Tokyo. "Nothing tin save the metropolis now," indeed.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Dr. Daisuke Serizawa. Knowing that if he survives, so someone could capture him and force him to build another Oxygen Destroyer, he chooses to cut his life line and air hose, taking his secrets to the grave.
• In Medias Res: The motion picture opens with the grisly aftermath of Godzilla's 2nd attack on Tokyo, and the rest of the film is told as a flashback.
• Intrepid Reporter: Steve Martin.
• I Want My Dearest to Exist Happy: In this version at least, Serizawa tells Ogata and Emiko to "Be happy together," subsequently his sacrifice.
• Lead Y'all Tin can Chronicle To: Essentially the unabridged purpose of Steve Martin'southward presence.
• Love Triangle: Serizawa, Emiko, and Ogata, although dissimilar the Japanese version, this version doesn't brand it clear if Serizawa knows most Emiko being with Ogata, merely since this is told from Steve's perspective, it's just because he doesn't know if Serizawa is aware of this or not. Steve even points out the love triangle to the audience, only he likewise notes that the triangle volition play an of import part in the events to come.
• Virtually-Invulnerable: Godzilla, of course.
• No Plans, No Image, No Fill-in: Played with. Serizawa clearly has hundreds of research documents and notes for creating the Oxygen Destroyer, but he destroys all of information technology to prevent the device from ever being used over again in the wake of his death and its eventual discovery.
• Nuclear Weapons Taboo: It is oft asserted that the connection between Godzilla and the Hydrogen Flop, while still present, is downplayed significantly to avoid alienating American audiences at the time. However, as David Kalat analyzes in the commentary to the 2011 Criterion Collection Blu-Ray release of the film, this is probable not really the case. Equally he points out, none of the subtext of Godzilla-is-the-bomb-incarnate or connecting the monster's origin to H-flop testing, specifically American testing, is left out. Only the explicit references to the atomic bombings and irradiated tuna are cut, and these are in scenes that feature no main or even secondary characters. Since the American release needed to accept a shorter runtime than the Japanese original to fit a double feature, these scenes, which were not ultimately integral to the plot, were cutting. Terry Morse and the American crew take always denied a political motivation in their edits, an statement that has some credence when one considers Morse's 1951 film Unknown Earth was fifty-fifty more than explicitly anti-nuclear than the original Godzilla.
  • What was a politically-motivated change is the subtle but key distinction in Serizawa's fears regarding the Oxygen Destroyer. In Godzilla: Rex of the Monsters!, Serizawa is afraid that the weapon will fall into the "incorrect hands," whereas in the Japanese original, Serizawa fears the Oxygen Destroyer being used past anyone period, i.eastward., in that location is no "right easily." This reveals the primal deviation in American and Japanese attitudes toward nuclear weapons and the arms race.
• One Head Taller: Raymond Burr was a huge guy. It's even been speculated his advent in this moving picture played a large part in forming the stereotype that Japanese people are short.
• Odd Friendship: In this film, Steve Martin is friends with Daisuke Serizawa, who in the Japanese version isn't keen to having an interview with reporters (with good reason). While the film established that the two are friends, they only had 1 conversation with each other (by telephone), and that's information technology. He never fifty-fifty once tries to speak to him when the final deed starts.
• Oh, Crap!: Steve Martin when he realizes that Godzilla is only a few buildings abroad from him, and is getting closer, before trying to escape. "This is it, George. Steve Martin, signing off!" However, Steve does not make it out of the building in time, although he gets better.
• Pinball Protagonist: Steve Martin. Understandable, of course; given the fashion Raymond Burr had to be inserted wholesale into the existing footage, they were extremely limited with the ways he could interact with the other characters, and and then he spends most of his time commenting from the sidelines.
• Scifi Writers Have No Sense Of Calibration: A rather noticeable example here; during Godzilla's rampage through Tokyo, Steve Martin watches from a news building, reporting what he sees using a tape recorder, and the film shows this as if he's looking down at the destruction. Considering Godzilla is 400 feet (40 stories) in this version, and Steve is looking down, we're led to assume that he's in a rather tall edifice. Then, one time Godzilla arrives at said building - leading to Steve'southward Oh, Crap! moment - Steve looks upwardly. Either the building shrunk or Godzilla got even bigger.
• This Is Gonna Suck: Steve Martin has this reaction when he sees Godzilla tear through the JSDF followed past the Borderline News moment of the reporters on the radio tower:

  Steve Martin: Nothing tin save Tokyo now.

• Likewise Long; Didn't Dub: Subverted. To add realism to the film, the dubbers decided to leave half of the Japanese dialogue, simply dubbing scenes into which Steve Martin or his narration could not exist inserted. But doing this causes a plot defoliation like in the meeting with Dr. Yamane and the government officials.
  • The actual dubbing wasn't done conventionally, either. The actors (James Hong and Sammee Tong are the only identified performers) simply read their lines at varying speeds in a small office during a recording session that reportedly lasted only five hours, then all of the line-past-line synchronization had to be done in mail service-production.
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: If you believe the whole, "they were engaged when they were children" line from Steve Martin, then Serizawa is, in fact, the unlucky 1.

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"The menace was gone...then was a great man. But the whole globe could wake upwardly and live again!"

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Source: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters1956