Gojira (1954)
The 1954 film that started the Godzilla franchise.
Godzilla is a 1954 Japanese kaiju film directed and co-written by Ishiro Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Made by Toho, it is the first film in the franchise; Japanese authorities face a giant monster mutated by nuclear bomb testing. It stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as Godzilla.
Quick Facts
- Released
- November 3, 1954
- Director
- Ishiro Honda
- Effects
- Eiji Tsuburaya
- Studio
- Toho
Lore & Background
Tsuburaya first proposed a giant octopus before the team chose a dinosaur-like creature. The film pioneered suitmation, in which a performer in a suit acts among miniature sets.
It premiered in Nagoya on October 27, 1954, and opened across Japan on November 3. Reviews were mixed, but it was a box-office success and won the Japanese Movie Association Award for Best Special Effects.
More in Films
Elsewhere in Godzilla
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