Godzilla
Criterion Collection Edition #594
GODZILLA (a.k.a. GOJIRA) is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear attack and H-bomb testing in the Pacific. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning almost thirty sequels.
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Godzilla
Directed by Ishiro Honda • 1954 • Japan
Starring Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko HirataGODZILLA (a.k.a. GOJIRA) is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear attack and...
Extras
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GODZILLA Commentary
Recorded in 2011, this audio commentary features critic David Kalat, author of “A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series.”
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Godzilla, King of the Monsters
Directed by Ishiro Honda and Terry O. Morse • 1956 • United States
Starring Raymond Burr, Frank Iwanaga, Akira TakaradaThis 1956 feature film, codirected and edited by Terry Morse, is the famous American reworking of the original GODZILLA. It combines footage from the original 1954 production w...
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GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS Commentary
Recorded in 2011, this audio commentary features critic David Kalat, author of “A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series.”
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GODZILLA Cast and Crew: Akira Takarada
In this 2011 interview, actor Akira Takarada recalls his experience starring as Ogata in GODZILLA.
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GODZILLA Cast and Crew: Haruo Nakajima
In this 2011 interview, GODZILLA performer Haruo Nakajima reflects on the challenges and highlights of portraying the iconic creature.
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GODZILLA Cast and Crew: Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai
This 2011 conversation features effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai discussing their work on GODZILLA.
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GODZILLA Cast and Crew: Akira Ifukube
This 2000 interview features composer Akira Ifukube talking about his career and his unforgettable score for GODZILLA.
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"Good Music is Always Simple"
Filmed on VHS-C and edited in 2019, this 1999 program by Jim Cirronella is one of the last known on-camera interviews with the renowned composer Akira Ifubuke.
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Handcrafted Artistry: Alex Cox
Produced by the Criterion Collection in 2019, this new program with Alex Cox features the filmmaker discussing his admiration for the Showa-era GODZILLA films.
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Photographic Effects
This featurette, introduced by effects director Koichi Kawakita and effects photographer Motoyoshi Tomioka, reveals the visual tricks behind certain sequences in GODZILLA.
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Tadao Sato on GODZILLA
In this video interview, conducted in 2011, renowned Japanese-film critic Tadao Sato looks at GODZILLA in terms of Japanese culture.
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The Unluckiest Dragon
This 2011 illustrated audio essay, featuring Greg Pflugfelder of Columbia University, details the tragedy that befell the fishing vessel “Daigo Fukuryu Maru” (Lucky Dragon No. 5), an event that inspired parts of the GODZILLA story.
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GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS Trailer