Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)

American reporter Steve Martin (Raymond Burr) is a survivor in the aftermath of the devastation in Tokyo. He recounts the events of the past few days. He was flying to Japan to meet scientist Dr. Serizawa. He finds that Serizawa is engaged with some new developments and he joins to cover the situation. Ships have disappeared. Attacks continue and Godzilla lands on Japanese soil. Serizawa suspects that it has been raised by the detonation of the H-bombs.This is the version of Godzilla reworked for the American audience. Raymond Burr's scenes are fine. They are essentially him and his Japanese co-stars reacting to the Godzilla movie. It's the same as the original where the Japanese actors are standing around reacting to the destruction unleashed by Godzilla. Other than being white, Burr's scenes don't stand out much from the rest of the movie. This is Godzilla redux. I do wish for better action with Steve's injury. A building falls on him but it's not really action oriented. This is fine for what it is. It's a cheap way to appeal to the western audience without remaking the entire movie. For purists, this is sacrilegious.

I saw this late one night. My parents were in bed and I sneaked downstairs to watch TV. I was about ten and I was transfixed. I was crazy for dinosaurs and had seen "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms." This was a nice addendum to my enjoyment of these big lizards. I think the big guy was handled very well in this film. I never felt Raymond Burr detracted from anything. This was the time of the fear of radiation, and Godzilla, like the Beast, had epic doses of it. Part of the fun is waiting for the thing to show up in the city and start knocking down buildings. He doesn't disappoint. It's too bad that these Japanese production companies went on the cheap later, also creating ludicrous monsters. I will always remember the first one fondly.

American reporter Steve Martin (an earnest and engaging performance by Raymond Burr) covers the story of a lifetime after a giant prehistoric monster gets reawakened from its centuries of slumber and goes on a rampage in Japan. While this version isn't as bleak and somber as the Japanese original, it's nonetheless still pretty grim and admirably serious in tone, with the added character of Martin incorporated into the main narrative in a clever and convincing way by making him more of an active participant than a passive observer (the Big G even knocks a building on Martin at one point!). Although the love triangle amongst the three main Japanese characters is less prominently featured and the film hence nowhere near as poignant as the original, the American version still registers as a good film in its own right due to the overall respectful treatment its given by director Terry O. Morse and screenwriter Al C. Ward. Moreover, the scenes of Godzilla destroying Tokyo are truly terrifying, the dubbing is generally acceptable (in a nice touch, whole portions are still presented in Japanese), Akira Ifukube's robust score hits the rousing spot, the special effects hold up quite well, and residual traces of the pertinent central message about the dangers of atomic bombs and radioactive fallout can still be discerned throughout.

American version of 1954 Japanese classic Gojira (Godzilla) with added scenes of Raymond Burr as journalist Steve Martin (no doubt a wild & crazy guy) providing narration and an outsider's point of view on the attack on Tokyo by Godzilla. I think most fans tend to prefer the original version to this one. It's easy to see why, though both are good movies. The original is a darker, more intense film. The addition of the Raymond Burr footage in the American version lightens things up as well as eliminating many of the atomic bomb and Hiroshima references. For his part, Burr is fine and his character is well-written and respectful. No boorish American stereotype, thankfully. The Japanese cast is excellent, though you get a much better appreciation for them watching the original. Akira Ifukube's haunting score will stay with you long after the movie is over. The special effects are charmingly quaint but never so poor that it takes you out of the mood the film sets.Godzilla wasn't the first movie of its type but it is one of the better ones, even if judged solely on the level of being a fun monster movie. However, it's the added anti-nuclear theme in a film made by a people directly affected by the atomic bomb a decade before that gives Godzilla a certain gravitas that other giant monster movies from the 1950s don't have. If you are able to enjoy a slowly-paced film with subtitles (not everybody is, let's be honest), then you should seek out the original by all means. Whichever version you watch, I think you will be pleased as both are terrific films with entertainment and historic value. Oh and don't worry about that ending. The movie was followed by a sequel or two...dozen.