Product Details

• Actors: Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura
• Directors: Terry Morse
• Format: Collector's Edition, Black & White, NTSC, Full Screen, Subtitled
• Language: Japanese (Dolby Digital 1.0)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Classic Media
• DVD Release Date: September 5, 2006
• Run Time: 175 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (171 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000FA4TLQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,924 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Gojira / Godzilla, King of the Monsters" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The first of the Godzilla movies, and the most somber and serious in tone, Gojiro was originally a 98-minute Japanese horror film, until a U.S. company bought the rights and reissued the film at 79 minutes, replacing sequences involving a Japanese reporter with new inserts of a dour, pipe-smoking Raymond Burr. Both versions appear together for the first time in this release from Sony Wonder.

Stills from Gojiro (click for larger image)

Product Description

This package contains:

* Godzilla (1954 Japanese Edition-english subtitles)
* King of the Monsters (1956 U.S. Release Edtion-english v/o dub)

Featuring:
* Audio commentaries
* Original trailers
*"Making of the Suite" Featurette
*"Godzilla: Story Development" featurette

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

195 of 203 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The original, and the best April 29, 2006

By Zack Davisson HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

If you are like most Americans, you have probably never seen the original, unadulterated "Godzilla" (Original title "Gojira." the name being a mix of the Japanese words for "gorilla" and "whale.") More familiar with the campy, badly dubbed and edited version that graced TV screens in the 70s, we have seen Raymond Burr awkwardly inserted into the plot, anti-American political sentiments removed, and a horde of mismatched dialogs and ridiculous translations. Well, we are in for a real treat!

The Japanese "Godzilla" is a serious film, starring Kurosawa veteran Takashi Shimura ("Seven Samurai," "Ikura"). (In fact, two of Shimura's films, "Godzilla" and "Seven Samurai" competed for the 1954 Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture.) Only nine years after the atomic bombs devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the threat of nuclear power was very much in the minds of the average Japanese citizen. Contamination, mutation, radiation...this was far from science fiction. This is the fire from which sprang the King of Monsters.

In a now-familiar plot, American nuclear testing has given rise to a 150-foot tall engine of destruction, breathing atomic fire and hell-bent on destroying Tokyo before taking on the world. Assembling the army, and all of the modern science Japan can muster, they battle the rampaging monster to the inevitable conclusion.

Standing along side the original 1933 "King Kong," "Godzilla" is a classic monster movie, as well as a fine film in its own right. A suspenseful horror-drama, the acting, filming and special effects are all far above other entries in the genre. The black and white filming is used superbly, with the fire-cast shadows making the monster all the more menacing.

What is great about this set, is that not only do you get a restored and beautiful version of the original classic, you get an additional disk with the American edit complete with the stuffy professor Raymond Burr and the additional footage thought necessary for American audiences. It is a rare chance to compare the two versions, and see how politics in the US affected what audiences were allowed to view in the 1950s.

I have been waiting a long time for the original "Godzilla" to get a DVD release, and it is great to see it finally being treated with the respect it deserves.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The way Toho intended for Gojira to be seen. July 19, 2006

By Asian Mack

Format:DVD

Bottom line: If any of you grew up watching or watched recently: "Godzilla, King of the Monsters", the chopped up "U.S." version, take it out of your mind and forget about it. You are in for a cinematic masterpiece when this DVD releases. I had the honor of watching the original "Gojira" at a theater in my town. This is the film that started it all. When it was relased in the U.S., it was butchered, altered and changed into an average science fiction film with Raymond Burr fill-ins. He wasn't even in the original film. The original "Gojira" is a sci-fi/horror masterpiece. The film creates feelings of dread and sorrow. The "original" version is a much darker, sinister film. AWESOME! The film also focuses more on the suffering of the Japanese people during the atomic age. The film makes you feel their tension and suffering. There is one scene where Gojira is staring at a big ben style clock. He is staring at it for no apparent reason. The scene makes you wonder what Gojira is thinking at the time. Then, for no reason, he tries to take a bite out of it. That scene alone changes the feeling of the film to something more than a lumbering beast destroying everything. MUST SEE! MUST BUY!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gojira on DVD is the king of home video! September 28, 2006

By Valnastar VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Finally, English-speaking fans of Godzilla can see the original film, Gojira, in its original language without any of the American release edits. The print for this spectacular Japanese language with optional English subtitles release has been nicely cleaned up with most (but not all) of the flaws from the more than 50-year-old source material eliminated. The stereo mix of the soundtrack sounds great and you'll get chills just listening to the original Gojira roar over the opening credits! The second disc in the set contains the full length American version of the film, Godzilla. This is the English language theatrical release with Raymond Burr that we've all come to know and love.

The enclosed booklet has a wealth of information about the making of the film, both versions, and the extra features on the DVDs regarding the creation of the Gojira story, costume, and more are most welcome. If you're a fan of Godzilla, young or old, you will love this DVD set and at the very reasonable prices I've seen this set at, from about $13 to $16 as of this writing, it is a bargain you will enjoy for years to come. Take "the king of the monsters" home and pop it in your DVD player as soon as possible!