 |
This was excellent! the 2 disc set shows the original Japanese and the American version. WOW! HUGE difference! really enjoying this set and all the special features! If you are a Godzilla fan, this is a must have!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
When Toho Studios released "Gojira" in 1954, only Japanese audiences were privy to the origin of the creature known as Godzilla. Two years later, U.S. audiences were clamoring for more monster movies to keep pace with Ray Harryhausen's Rhedosaurus in "Beast From 20,000 Fathoms," the giant New Mexico ants of "Them!" ('54), the outsized "Tarantula" ('55), and the Gill Man from "Creature From the Black Lagoon" ('54) and "Revenge of the Creature" ('56). One American studio managed to secure the rights to "Gojira" and promptly released a butchered cut-and-paste job, adding scenes with Raymond Burr so that American audiences could relate better. The movie became "Godzilla: King of the Monsters." The '56 Burr version, shorter by about a quarter-hour, was not without its own charm - and purple prose narratives. The film's focus, however, was entirely different from that of director Ishiro Honda's vision: the horrors of nuclear weapons, and not just another rampaging prehistoric monster on the loose. (In the original, Gojira was simply hungry, his oceanic food supply upset and destroyed by radiation from H-Bomb tests.) Toho, through Classic Media, has now released both restored versions, along with an informative 16-page booklet, in a hard cover DVD case. Modestly priced, it's perfect for having both versions side-by-side for your viewing pleasure.Read full review
From the studio that gave us such classics as Rashomon and Seven Samurai, we have 1954's Gojira, a human drama draped over a man draped in a rubber suit. It is a masterpiece. Ishiro Honda's giant monster production is a Japanese original. It's a morality tale of a radiation mutated reptile with a penchant for stomping on elaborate minatures of Toyko landmarks while panicked reporters and stoic scientists ponder the fate of mankind. Gojira is a daikaiju movie; the start of a 50-plus-year franchise on giant monster films. Dozens of sequels and imitators would follow, but none come close to our first outing with this glorious hokum. Devoid anything resembling today's computer generated effects, Gojira is a cinemagraphic joyride for anyone willing to surrender their disbelief and check their sophistication at the door. Gojira may look like the American adaptation, Godzilla, for which it shares roughly 85% of the same film stock, but it is far edgier. Both versions are provided with this DVD release, yet viewers ought to screen the original Gojira before delving into Godzilla. While Gojira has human drama at it's core, Godzilla largely relies on a sense of shock and awe which is no longer con-jured up without scores of technicians poking about gillions of pixels. To placate post-war western tastes, the American film distributor hastily filmed sequences wherein Raymond Burr interacted with a handful of Japanese actors in a dinky Hollywood rental studio. Burr's scenes were cleverly spliced together to create a story of a lumbering America reporter witnessing the destruction and redemption of Tokyo firsthand. Raymond Burr made Gojira marketable in the U.S.A., and luckily it didn't harm his career. Nevertheless, it's as if Ed Wood Jr. was handed La Grande Illusion and commissioned to make a Ma and Pa Kettle movie from it. Get this DVD and view Gojira with friends on your monster Toshiba. Godzilla can wait. Don't forget the sushi!Read full review
An excellent set of DVDs for the Kaiju fan. There is nothing really bad about either disc. The booklet enclosed features the critique and views of only 2 people, when more could be added, but on the whole everything is just what the doctor ordered. When you get the chance, and you like giant Japanese monsters, especially the original, buy this.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The original Gojira was really a great new concept when it came out in 1954. But it was first released in Japan and an attempt was made to convert it to a more “American” version. While the American release was well received, when compared to the original version it wasn’t nearly as good. The film had portions cut out and replaced with cut scenes with Raymond Burr and as a result the movie’s continuity suffers. This set provides both versions so you can decide for yourselves which version is superior.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
