I hope that movie monster Godzilla never becomes a hidden gem, but I feel obligated to blog about the creature all the same. I was born in 1970 and had the privilege to grow up watching reruns of these sci-fi, effects-driven films. Today I watched the original 1954 film “Godzilla”, which was directed and written by Ishiro Honda. (Takeo Murata also shares a screenwriting credit.) There are plenty of other Godzilla films, but this original one most definitely captures the paranoia of post-war Japan. Godzilla is associated with radiation. Then, of course, there’s the musical tribute a la Blue Oyster Cult.

I jammed this song on guitar once with a couple of friends-of-friends during college. It’s pretty catchy in its own way.

Here are some other general observations about the original 1954 film. First, one of the characters was played by actor Takashi Shimura. (While I haven’t seen tons of Japanese films, this dude was in over 20 of director Akira Kurosawa’s films. He must have been like the Tom Hanks of Tokyo.) He also appeared in the 1955 sequel “Godzilla Raids Again.” In case you’re wondering, the Godzilla franchise has spawned close to 40 films total. Apparently, that’s a world record.

What else? The actual origin of the name “Gojira” is a combination of “whale” and “gorilla” in Japanese. While most prehistoric creatures didn’t have vocal cords, Godzilla’s roar was created by using a standup bass, gloves, etc. Eiji Tsuburaya is the special effects guy who was involved in creating Godzilla and the kaiju (“strange beast”) film genre with Ishiro Honda. Well-played on the roars.

Japan boasts a Godzilla museum and theme park. There’s also an attraction called Tobu World Square which features miniature famous buildings in case you want to stomp around like Godzilla….I mean, who doesn’t?

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!