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Special Features
New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
Audio commentary by David Kalat (A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series)
New high-definition digital restoration of Godzilla: King of the Monsters!, Terry Morse’s 1956 reworking of the original, starring Raymond Burr
Audio commentary for Godzilla: King of the Monsters! by Kalat
New interviews with actor Akira Takarada (Hideto Ogata), Godzilla performer Haruo Nakajima, and effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai Interview with legendary Godzilla score composer Akira Ifukube
Featurette detailing Godzilla’s photographic effects
New interview with Japanese-film critic Tadao Sato
The Unluckiest Dragon, an illustrated audio essay featuring historian Greg Pflugfelder describing the tragic fate of the fishing vessel Daigo fukuryu maru, a real-life event that inspired Godzilla
Theatrical trailers
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The first of the Godzilla movies, and the most somber and serious in tone, Godzilla, King of the Monsters was originally a 98-minute Japanese horror film, until a U.S. company bought the rights and reissued the film at its current 79 minutes, replacing sequences involving a Japanese reporter with new inserts of a dour, pipe-smoking Raymond Burr. True to the fashion of cautionary monster movies, Godzilla has arisen due to nuclear radiation--a 400-foot, fire-breathing dinosaur resurrected in Tokyo Bay--and proceeds to devastate Tokyo. Hardly a bogus building is left unbusted, nary a toy tank unmelted, by the reptilian rogue, until scientists discover another weapon of awesome destruction that just might stop him. The special effects are impressive, with the filming done so as to mask the fact that the monster is just a guy in a rubber suit, working better here than in the sequels, where they seem to have given up any pretense to that fact, in favor of flamboyant effects and battle sequences that more often than not are delightfully, unabashedly juvenile. --Jim Gay
Product Description
Ishiro Honda’s Godzilla is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama made in Japan at a time when the country was still reeling from nuclear attack and H-bomb testing. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning more than twenty sequels and spinoffs. This first thrilling, tactile spectacle continues to be a cult phenomenon; here, we present the original, 1954 Japanese version, along with Godzilla: King of the Monsters!, the 1956 American reworking starring Raymond Burr (Rear Window).
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
131 of 135 people found the following review helpful
By M.B.
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I just got my copy in the mail a day early and have just sat down to watch the American Version with Raymond Burr. I also own the Classic Media version that came out a few years back [The two disc set that's titled "Gojira"]. I have two computers side by side and decided to do a side by side compare of the two versions. My efforts have resulted in this conclusion. Both versions are nice for a film this old. Each has its good points and bad points. The earlier version by Classic Media has better, more balanced lighting. But it does show up more dirt specs and lines. Not a lot more i should add. The Criterion version has less specs and lines and is darker in dark areas and brighter in bright areas. The Criterion version has more contrast, Both films are very watchable. If i had to put a number on it, i would say the Criterion version is at least 20% better looking [video quality] than the older version. And the newer versions sound quality is 50% better than the older version. Here's the big major difference between the two. It appears that the Criterion version is giving us the absolute whole image from side to side and top to bottom. In the older version there are items in the film on the outer edges that are cut off more than the newer version. Its like the older version was mastered slightly zoomed in for whatever reason. If you didn't compare, you really wouldn't notice much difference. I have not watched anything else yet on the two discs, so cant comment on that "yet". Will update more then. In my opinion, this is worth double dipping. Another difference with the new version is the beginning opening titles. This new version has the old original Trans World Release opening. The older version has no opening titles. Also one last thing. The sound in the new version is excellent!... Read more ›
55 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
Gojira is a film about the horrors of nuclear war. Japan was still feeling the effects, so to speak, of the nuclear strike on their country and weren't happy with a-bomb testing in the Pacific. What we have here is a giant lizard awoken by a nuclear bomb, destroying the Japanese country side with an anti-nuclear message.
Also included is the American re-working, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. This one is the one starring Raymond Burr. While it isn't a faithful translation and mutes some of the anit-nuclear message, it still manages to be a decent film.
Crirterion has done an amazing job with this release.
Video:
Being a Criterion release, you know this is a good looking transfer. There are some instances of dust, dirt and scratches, but nowhere near what we saw with Classic Media's release. The greytones are more solid and details are clear. This assessment goes for both Gojira and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Encoded in AVC with bit rates ranging from about 15-30 Mbps. It looks very, very good.
Audio:
Both movies contain remastered audio (mono only for both) and are free of hiss, pops and clicks. I don't know that either film has ever sounded this good.
Extras:
You have Photographic Effects where the director and effects photographer go into detail behind how some of the visual effects for the film were created. 1080i full screen (both people appear in a pillar and letter boxed format, though the effects are done full screen just as the movie was filmed). About 9 minutes.
Cast and Crew. These are interviews with various staff behind the film speaking about the film. There are 4 interviews total. Akira Takarada, 13 mins. Haruo Nakajima, 10 minutes.... Read more ›
Also included is the American re-working, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. This one is the one starring Raymond Burr. While it isn't a faithful translation and mutes some of the anit-nuclear message, it still manages to be a decent film.
Crirterion has done an amazing job with this release.
Video:
Being a Criterion release, you know this is a good looking transfer. There are some instances of dust, dirt and scratches, but nowhere near what we saw with Classic Media's release. The greytones are more solid and details are clear. This assessment goes for both Gojira and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Encoded in AVC with bit rates ranging from about 15-30 Mbps. It looks very, very good.
Audio:
Both movies contain remastered audio (mono only for both) and are free of hiss, pops and clicks. I don't know that either film has ever sounded this good.
Extras:
You have Photographic Effects where the director and effects photographer go into detail behind how some of the visual effects for the film were created. 1080i full screen (both people appear in a pillar and letter boxed format, though the effects are done full screen just as the movie was filmed). About 9 minutes.
Cast and Crew. These are interviews with various staff behind the film speaking about the film. There are 4 interviews total. Akira Takarada, 13 mins. Haruo Nakajima, 10 minutes.... Read more ›
73 of 84 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
This is the ultimate home video release of Godzilla. Not only has Criterion carefully remastered the original Japanese version of the film, but they've put just as much love and effort into restoring the 1956 American version as well. Most Americans grew up with that version, and even though many film buffs agree that the Japanese version is the definitive one, I'm very happy to that for Criterion's new release the American version was not just an afterthought. Unlike the disappointing Blu-Ray release of "Gojira" by Classic Media a few years back, this Blu-Ray not only gives you both versions of the film looking the best they have since their original theatrical releases, but also a monster-sized helping of supplimental features including new audio commentaries and interviews with the film's crew.
In short, it's a Criterion release through and through, which means you are getting the very best that the Blu-ray format has to offer. Fans of "Big G" would be remiss to not put this edition in their film library.
In short, it's a Criterion release through and through, which means you are getting the very best that the Blu-ray format has to offer. Fans of "Big G" would be remiss to not put this edition in their film library.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
This review is for the Blu-ray edition, and I am going to focus on the technical aspects of the release, not the movie itself, the movie is a great classic and should be seen in its Japanese original form, whether through this BD or the previous Classic Media DVD, that's your choice.
First of all, the movie is not 1080p is 1080i, which might be because it's not comming from a direct filmscan, but through an HDCAM tape, since it's a film, not TV, the fields show half and half of the frame and when a projector or the TV does the conversion to progressive you have the original frame, if you have your BD and TV/Projector properly set up you won't see any interlaced images.
The film is not presented in it's original 1.33 aspect ratio, the width is perfect but there is a slight loss in the upper and lower parts of the image (it is clearly seen in the original GODZILLA title, look at the lower right logo), therefore the aspect ratio might be around 1.45, still and improvement from the previous DVD release, it was 1.33 but because it lost both width and height.
There is also another HUGE problem: the Noise Reduction. Since it's a pretty old film, film stocks from the original movie are in pretty bad shape, and CM instead of performing a full restoration (a-la Criterion), simply applied an inmense quantity of automatic Noise Reduction, resulting in lots of jittering and screen tearing. To tell you the truth, when checking the DVD versus the BD, I found hard to decide wich was poorer in Image quality, but I guess that MPEG-2 is quite an old codec now, and the Standard Definition makes everything look slightly blury, so all in all I prefer the BluRay since it's coded in AVC.... Read more ›
First of all, the movie is not 1080p is 1080i, which might be because it's not comming from a direct filmscan, but through an HDCAM tape, since it's a film, not TV, the fields show half and half of the frame and when a projector or the TV does the conversion to progressive you have the original frame, if you have your BD and TV/Projector properly set up you won't see any interlaced images.
The film is not presented in it's original 1.33 aspect ratio, the width is perfect but there is a slight loss in the upper and lower parts of the image (it is clearly seen in the original GODZILLA title, look at the lower right logo), therefore the aspect ratio might be around 1.45, still and improvement from the previous DVD release, it was 1.33 but because it lost both width and height.
There is also another HUGE problem: the Noise Reduction. Since it's a pretty old film, film stocks from the original movie are in pretty bad shape, and CM instead of performing a full restoration (a-la Criterion), simply applied an inmense quantity of automatic Noise Reduction, resulting in lots of jittering and screen tearing. To tell you the truth, when checking the DVD versus the BD, I found hard to decide wich was poorer in Image quality, but I guess that MPEG-2 is quite an old codec now, and the Standard Definition makes everything look slightly blury, so all in all I prefer the BluRay since it's coded in AVC.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Godzilla comes to Criterion?
Finally got this version of the film. Being a huge fan of Criterion and a beginner for Godzilla films (my first being Godzilla Vs. King Kong, take that 1997 Godzilla!). Read more
Published 6 days ago by J. Rodriguez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Transfer
This is the best version of the film you can get. It has been remastered and looks awesome. Highly recommended!
Published 9 days ago by Timothy Forrester
5.0 out of 5 stars
As good as it's ever looked
This is the best you're ever likely to see this masterpiece. Many of the scratches and grain you still see are because of the film stock used and some of the filming techniques,... Read more
Published 10 days ago by CarlosTheDwarf
5.0 out of 5 stars
both us and japanese versions
Its kind of hard to kind the us version yet it is there I fealt like crying as a kid now its interesting
Published 10 days ago by the Wagors
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disapointing
This is a good old monster movie. Don't get me wrong if another company had put this movie out for seven, or eight dollars I would say a good deal. Read more
Published 13 days ago by ronald kaufman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can't beat the original
I think everyone looking into this blu-ray already knows how great the movie is so I'll get right to the review of the blu-ray.
Features both versions of the movie. Read more
Features both versions of the movie. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Blu-ray Blues
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic
All that can be said about this movie is...it is a classic. It can be funny at times since the special effects look silly. But it is still a great classic. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Edward Benitez
4.0 out of 5 stars
Godzilla at his best!
I first watched This late one morning. I was ok with the black and white. But doesn't matter, I got existed when I first saw Gojira pop on my screen. OH THE HORROR! Read more
Published 20 days ago by Ryder
5.0 out of 5 stars
The King.
Best version of the classic film that started it all. Clear, clean copy with loads of cool extras. It's Criterion so you know the quality's good.
Published 24 days ago by JOHN TAGTMEIER JR.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The definative work
Great transfer and even has the American version, well worth the price. Watching the original Gojira was cool, very dark and not a funny monster movie.
Published 1 month ago by Jose Colon
