The original 1954 Godzilla film was created in post-war Japan as an allegory for the nuclear bombings, featuring a monster awakened by nuclear testing. It had a low budget but used actors in suits and scaled models. The 2014 Hollywood version had a larger budget and CGI effects, but also dealt with nuclear themes and featured monsters awakened by radiation attacking major cities. Both explored Japan coping with technological destruction and nature retaliating against human innovations.

1. Godzilla/Gojira (1954 original)
Godzilla was originally created in the early-1950s by Toho Studios in Japan. It was released after the
US ceased control of the country in 1952, control that it had since 1946 following the Hiroshima and
Nagasaki nuclear bombings. This allowed Japanese filmmakers more freedom for their productions,
as the US no longer had to be portrayed in a positive light and the theming of films allowed suddenly
expanded. It was made on a budget of 62 million yen (US$175k) and grossed 152 million yen
(US$2.25m). Director Ishiro Honda and screenplay writer Takeo Murata took inspiration from the
recent nuclear tests by the US in the Pacific Ocean, as well as the bombings in 1945, as a basis for
the film but also used Japanese folklore to polish off the story with the awakening of an ancient
beast as a result of the bombings. Also, the scales on the beast were heavily influences by skin burns
from nuclear radiation.
Technically, the film has a low visual and audio quality, likely as a result of the lack of proper
resources from the US rule of the country up to that point. Some scenes, such as the storm scene
near the start of the film, use models to simulate the destruction. The beast itself involved a heavy
suit that an actor would wear for brief periods of time due to its restricted movement and risk of
overheating in the costume. This footage was shot at half speed and sped up to give a more clunky,
unnatural appearance for the beast. It was originally intended for these effects to use stop motion,
but this was turned down as it would take too long to produce, so models and actors were used
instead.
As previously mentioned, the film deals with the theme of nuclear bombing and nuclear
contamination. It can be argued that this film is a coping mechanism for post-war Japan and a
representation of the personal trauma of war, as the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were still
a clear memory for some. There is also a theme of technology vs tradition, as nature has emerged
and retaliated against man’s destructive technological innovations as part of the story. It also
features a representation of Japanese native culture, as there is one scene of a group of dancers
engaged in a ritual to calm the beast.
Godzilla (2014 Hollywood)
This incarnation of the legendary movie monster was the first American version in over 15 years
after a critically unsuccessful 1998 version and only the second version created by Hollywood. It was
licensed to Warner Bros by Toho on the grounds that the story was at least partly set in Japan. As
with the original, there is a very notable historical context, as it was released 3 years after the
Tohuku tsunami and subsequent Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown. It can also be argued that
the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami was influence for the sea surge scene in the middle of the film. Also
like the original, there is a theme of nuclear and radiation, which fuels the monsters in the film.
However, there is an obvious difference in the fact that there are three monsters and instead of
attacking Japan they attack San Francisco to appeal to an American audience. It was made on a
US$160m budget and grossed US$529m.
On a technical level, the film significantly outshines the original. The film is higher quality and the
effects are more realistic due to the use of professional animators for CGI animation of the monsters
and the special effects of destruction. The story also different, using Caucasian actors to appeal to a
more western audience and featuring the US military prominently to appeal to an American
audience. However, there are similarities to the original, as the start of the film takes place in Japan,
the monsters are said to be an awakening of nature and the monsters feed off nuclear radiation.

2. In terms of theming, there are similarities to the original. The heavy presence of nuclear reactors and
weapons reflects the original’s theme of nuclear radiation fuelling the monster. However, there are
several additional themes in this version. Among them are the themes of family and love + loss, two
themes that feature commonly in Hollywood films due to their resonation with more general
audiences, even when they are going through hardships. There is a theme of curiosity and discovery
to open the film to help establish its characters and background to the subsequent events.
Government secrecy is also tackled in this film, as it helps the audience sympathise more with an
ordinary person than to their superiors, especially in a time of great danger. It also ends by
completely overturning the initial perspective of the main monster, the original Godzilla, as it
destroys the more destructive monsters and quietly returns to the ocean where it came from.
1. Anonymous. (2002). Godzilla (1954 film). Available:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_(1954_film). Last accessed 18th Nov 2017.
2. Anonymous. (2013). Godzilla (2014 film). Available:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_(2014_film). Last accessed 18th Nov 2017.