To celebrate the anniversary of the first Gojira film, which was released in theaters in Japan exactly 70 years ago, the Academy Museum presents its first- ever all-day marathon, featuring five classic and contemporary Godzilla films. From his origin as a symbol of the atomic menace, through his years as a colossal defender of the Earth, to modern incarnations that continue to reimagine his identity, Godzilla has proven to be a remarkably malleable cinematic icon, his image as indestructible as the monster himself. Throughout the day, be on the lookout for the famous kaiju on the move around the museum! For ticket details and to discover other Godzilla- related programming, visit academymuseum.org. GODZILLA-THON! NOV 3, 2024
Programmed and notes by Robert Reneau. Special thanks to Toho International.
GOJIRA
Gojira in 35mm Sun, Nov 3 | 11am | DGT
The mysterious destruction of several ships off the Japanese coast leads to the horrifying discovery that hydrogen bomb tests have released an enormous, dinosaur-like creature from the bottom of the sea. The first of Japan’s kaiju features and still one of its finest, Gojira brought together some of the key artists of the genre, including writer-director Ishirō Honda, visual effects master Eiji Tsuburaya, and composer Akira Ifukube, whose somber themes are inextricably linked with the colossal monster. For decades, only a dubbed, recut version titled Godzilla – King of the Monsters was available in the US—incorporating added footage with Raymond Burr as an American journalist—but in 2004, the original Gojira was finally screened for American audiences. DIRECTED BY: Ishirō Honda. WRITTEN BY: Takeo Murata, Ishirō Honda. STORY BY: Shigeru Kayama. WITH: Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura. 1954. 96 min. Japan. B&W. Japanese. 35mm.
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