Gojira: Analysis
LCC 3524
Gojira Analysis
Gojira stands as a film that is a temporal representative of the 1950’s, and the threat of nuclear warfare. With the memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still fresh in director Ishiro Honda’s mind, the story of a beast created from the labors of war destroy the very society that caused its deformation. This unleashed beast is a clear metaphor for the nuclear devices that fell upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki, wreaking havoc that would last for years to come. The story goes further than Hiroshami and Nagasaki in that the beast explores the repercussions the populace are left to deal with in the wake of Godzilla’s trail, as well as sharing striking similarities with a literary figure from a century before its time.
Ishiro Honda is able to not only encapsulate the affects of World War II, but also to recreate the events. In the first 5 minutes of the film, the audience is introduced to a nuclear beast as Japan not once, but twice was. This thematic is played out in order to parable the travesty. In the opening scenes, two ships are seen destroyed seemingly by some explosion under water. The fire breath of Godzilla permeating through the water surface represents this explosion, and the roar of the beast represents the sound of the explosion. Further analysis of the scenes brings about even more realism to Ishiro Honda re-telling of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Honda’s re-telling is seen by the duration of time that the respective stories receive. As Hiroshima was afflicted by the nuclear bomb first on August 6, 1945, and then followed Nagasaki three days later on August 9, 1945. The time of the attack from the beast occurred on the 13th of August, and the difference between the attack against Eiko-maru and Bingo-maru is simple as this: the Eiko-maru has more content and importance to the audience as it is the original instance of destruction to society, and thusly receives more screen time than its later counterpart Bingo-maru. While
Gojira Analysis
Gojira stands as a film that is a temporal representative of the 1950’s, and the threat of nuclear warfare. With the memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still fresh in director Ishiro Honda’s mind, the story of a beast created from the labors of war destroy the very society that caused its deformation. This unleashed beast is a clear metaphor for the nuclear devices that fell upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki, wreaking havoc that would last for years to come. The story goes further than Hiroshami and Nagasaki in that the beast explores the repercussions the populace are left to deal with in the wake of Godzilla’s trail, as well as sharing striking similarities with a literary figure from a century before its time.
Ishiro Honda is able to not only encapsulate the affects of World War II, but also to recreate the events. In the first 5 minutes of the film, the audience is introduced to a nuclear beast as Japan not once, but twice was. This thematic is played out in order to parable the travesty. In the opening scenes, two ships are seen destroyed seemingly by some explosion under water. The fire breath of Godzilla permeating through the water surface represents this explosion, and the roar of the beast represents the sound of the explosion. Further analysis of the scenes brings about even more realism to Ishiro Honda re-telling of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Honda’s re-telling is seen by the duration of time that the respective stories receive. As Hiroshima was afflicted by the nuclear bomb first on August 6, 1945, and then followed Nagasaki three days later on August 9, 1945. The time of the attack from the beast occurred on the 13th of August, and the difference between the attack against Eiko-maru and Bingo-maru is simple as this: the Eiko-maru has more content and importance to the audience as it is the original instance of destruction to society, and thusly receives more screen time than its later counterpart Bingo-maru. While
Bibliography: [1] Friedman, Ian. "Symbolism in Gojira." IntroPage. Web. 02 Aug. 2010. . [2] "Amazon.com: No High Ground (9780313242212): Fletcher Knebel…." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 02 Aug. 2010. . [3] Gordon Martel, "The World War Two reader" p.231 [4] "Benjamin Franklin in London." The Royal Society. retrieved August 8, 2007