Gojira / Godzilla: Deluxe Collectors’ Edition
Millions of people in the U.S. grew up watching Raymond Burr in scratchy prints of Godzilla, King of the Monsters. But as they grew into their teen and adult years, they came to realize there was a different, longer version of the same movie, but without Raymond Burr! How could that be? We all know now, of course, that GKOTM was a re-edited version of the Japanese language Gojira. For decades, however, that movie remained elusive to most people outside Japan. Now Classic Media has packaged Gojira and Godzilla King of the Monsters into a two-disc DVD set, chockablock full of spiffy features.
The movies themselves are very much products of their times. GKOTM follows the general formula of most 1950s era monster movies. While it may seem rather goofy at times, it still holds up rather well compared to many of its contemporaries. Gojira is not just a good monster movie, it’s a good movie, period. In my mind, its anti-nuke message is probably nearly as powerful as it was half a century ago, and there are a couple scenes that pack a huge emotional punch.
Often extra features seem to be packaged with a slapdash approach because there’s extra room on the disc, not because they’re really interesting. This set, however, appears to have been a true labor of love for those involved. The extras really are crafted to add to the enjoyment of the movie. No drunken commentaries, no interviews with silly actors. Just a good solid package.
Each movie gets its own disc and its own commentary from Godzilla experts. For the English language version, the commentary even includes audio clips from interviews with people involved in the translation project. There are documentaries on story development and suit development, plus the the prerequisite original theatrical trailers The highlight of the package is a 16 page booklet about the making of Gojira and its impact on pop culture. It’s all in a case that looks like a varnished book, and would not look out of place on a library shelf.
The only complaint that can be leveled is that even though the transfer comes from an original 35 millimeter print, it was likely a Toho Studios archive copy. It doesn’t seem Gojira was given a full restoration a la Citizen Kane or Gone With The Wind. While it does still look and sound good, there is some scratching and dust damage, and some of the dark, ominous scenes are a bit too dark.
Since the Gojira/Godzilla Collectors’ package was released and this writing, Classic Media has released four more early Godzilla movies. These packages are not quite as extensive as the first, but have included both the English and original Japanese language versions, along with a commentary, a creator personality profile (the profile on composer Akira Ifukube is particularly interesting), and stills of movie posters all on one disc, not two. These are also in handsome book-like boxes. The company plans to release two more Godzilla movies in the near future, as well as other 1960s era Toho giant monster movies.
The Gojira/Godzilla set is a must have. The others are good to have, but not critical. And if you are feeling particularly cheap, many of them are available as free downloads here.