‘Godzilla’ Looks Better Than Ever 70 Years Later With New Criterion 4K Release [Review]

Godzilla premiered in November of 1954, eight months to the day after the United States set off its first hydrogen bomb. Indebted to but distinct from pioneering giant monster movies like 1925’s The Lost World, 1933’s King Kong, and 1953’s The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, the seminal Japanese kaiju film is more than just another special effects-driven creature feature. Working from a story by Shigeru Kayama, writer-director Ishirō Honda and co-writer Takeo Murata provide an outlet for post-war Japan’s fears.

In the atomic age parable, an ancient, 164-foot creature dubbed Gojira ravages Tokyo after being awakened from its deep-sea hibernation by nuclear testing. Scientist Daisuke Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata), salvage ship captain Hideto Ogata (Akira Takarada), paleontologist Kyohei Yamane (Takashi Shimura, Seven Samurai), and his daughter Emiko Yamane (Momoko Kōchi) are tasked with fulfilling their social obligations to stop the seemingly indestructible beast.

The decision to use an actor (Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka) in a suit to portray Godzilla after the original plan for stop-motion effects proved to be too time consuming was a blessing in disguise, setting Godzilla apart from other monster movies. Eiji Tsuburaya, who went on to co-create another Japanese media icon with Ultraman, helmed innovative in-camera special effects that included precise double-exposure shots and detailed miniatures.

Although the franchise went on to earn a reputation as kid-friendly entertainment, the original Godzilla is contemplative and brooding. Beyond the social commentary, Honda paints the civilian casualties as more than just faceless victims to maximize impact. For much of the film, the monster is kept hidden from viewers in favor of character development, an effective tactic later adopted by Jaws. Despite the destruction left in its wake, Godzilla inspires empathy as a victim as well.

In honor of its 70th anniversary, Godzilla has been released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray via The Criterion Collection. The film has been newly restored in 4K from a 35mm master positive by Toho with original Japanese monaural audio remastered from a 35mm soundtrack positive by Criterion. Despite the lack of an original camera negative, picture quality is improved from the Blu-ray with stable framing, minimal print damage, and deeper contrast in Masao Tamai‘s black-and-white photography. Akira Ifukube‘s iconic score, which nimbly fluctuates between bombastic and haunting like the film itself, sounds larger than life.

Beyond the 4K disc, the release is otherwise identical to Criterion’s 2012 Blu-ray release, down to the digipak packaging featuring artwork by Bill Sienkiewicz and a pop-up centerfold. Terry Morse’s 1956 American reworking of the film, Godzilla, King of the Monsters, is included from a 35mm fine-grain master positive and a 16mm dupe negative. The insertion of the new material — starring Raymond Burr (Rear Window, “Perry Mason”) as a reporter, among other Western actors — into the existing footage is clever, but the Cold War subtext is muddled in the process.

A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series author David Kalat provides effusive commentaries for both films (circa 2011) with no overlap. For Godzilla, he recapitulates the film’s historical context and how it resonated with Japanese audiences. With King of the Monsters, he investigates Godzilla’s larger implications in global pop culture.

Other special features include: interviews with Takarada, Nakajima, Ifukube, special effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai, and Japanese film critic Tadao Sato; a featurette breaking down the photographic effects used to bring Godzilla to life; “The Unluckiest Dragon,” an audio essay by Columbia University professor Greg Pflugfelder on the real-life event involving the fishing vessel Daigo Fukuryu Maru that inspired Godzilla; Japanese and English theatrical trailers; and a booklet written by critic J. Hoberman.

After 70 years, Godzilla‘s legacy not only endures but thrives. Toho’s signature franchise — recognized by the Guinness World Records as the longest continuously running film series — earned its first Academy Award, among other international acclaim, with the recent 33rd installment, Godzilla Minus One, while Godzilla’s American counterpart in Legendary’s MonsterVerse continues to achieve success and expansion. Special effects technologies have advanced exponentially since 1954, but Godzilla’s emotional impact still resonates.

Godzilla is available now on 4K UHD + Blu-ray.

The post ‘Godzilla’ Looks Better Than Ever 70 Years Later With New Criterion 4K Release [Review] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

source https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3839533/godzilla-looks-better-than-ever-70-years-later-with-new-criterion-4k-release-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=godzilla-looks-better-than-ever-70-years-later-with-new-criterion-4k-release-review