I don't think I had ever actually seen the original Godzilla title before. Having seen the more modern Japanese and unfortunately western releases. I knew that the creation of Godzilla as a monster was something of a metaphor that came shortly after the aftermath of the United States dropping two nuclear bombs on civilians in two different cities during the Second World War. The monster being a reference to the nuclear bomb itself and the film being a coping method of the trauma it caused on so many. These days these two cities have since regrown far beyond major recognisable destruction from these two nuclear bombs, and the character of Godzilla is more a fun Kaiju that everyone loves, with the film also contributing to the creation of a giant monster genre in the process. It's interesting to see the development of a character and the birth of a new genre from a film that was otherwise deeply emotion and symbolic, completely changing it into something more cartoonish and enjoyable, somewhat steering from its original concept.
The newer Japanese titles still mange to use the monster as a coping method. Referencing different aspects of disaster and turning it into a giant lizard monster from the depths of the ocean. More recent titles referred to the 2011 earthquake that caused mass destruction through the tsunami that swept away towns and people. Another newer film made connection to the more recent event in which a nuclear power station suffered a leak which led to towns having to be abandoned, uninhabitable while also suffering great damage to the nearby ecosystem. Both wildlife from the water and land completely changed from the radiation spillage. The common theme of Godzilla is hardships faced. Often films about the people more than the monster itself. Showing the perspectives of these events from the eyes of mostly everyday people. Ground-up perspectives that look up into the sky at something far greater than them, something that they have little power of. Though the common theme in the end tends to be human perseverance in the face of challenge.
1954's Godzilla begins this theme. Starting with the sudden arrival of a strong force in the sea. It ends up causing great havoc to nearby settlements. Though we directly don't see the monster, more the people that were impacted by its path that caused great destruction to homes, farms, and people. Reports state that what it was was in fact alive, though few believe it. All evidence gathered shows that something had left radiation in its wake; footprints and destruction of buildings proves something out of the ordinary is taking place. This is where the first mention of radiation is mentioned in the film, connecting the damage of radiation to the environmental and emotional impact on people in the area. And soon after the roars of Godzilla are heard, and the first sighting of the monster is seen. The radioactive bomb of the ocean. It's interesting how the film came to make such decisions with displaying the monster, how it came to addressing the nuclear strikes and turning their fears and trauma into something mixed with fiction. And despite the very real themes, much of this film centres around the fictional aspects.
There's a very militarised aspect of the film that I think is also quite interesting. The way in which the Japanese attempt to deal with the problem, how they also bomb the ocean in return. That usual ignorance regarding war in how fighting the force head-on can only cause more destruction and suffering in the process. This I guess is more focused on the actions of the Second World War. The attempts to fight with strength without really understanding the repercussions. More a reference to humanity's general ignorance rather than specific self-reflection. These militarised moments are also served up with some contrasting scenes on how everyday people live. There's the military and government action, and the impact it holds on the civilians. Those with nothing to do with the acts now faced with a harsh reality as the attacks return to their own homeland. A very real portrayal of the difference types of outcomes that war has on a population. And even then, a nation in disarray will continue to prioritise its economy to function.
The film feels like it's full of little layers looking into the struggles the nation of Japan faced. The ignorance of its government. The innocence of its population that suffered in wartime, and also the ways that the nuclear strikes introduced a totally new type of fear into the people. The film showing the difference ways in which a nation would react to such a threat. And while there are many disaster films, many war films, many that portray nuclear war, Godzilla's 1954 original release is the realest there is. Coming straight from the only nation to have directly suffered from nuclear strikes. The one and only to truly witness the radioactive monster rise above the towns and bring lasting destruction.