I thought that I was a Godzilla (Gojira) fan until I saw this film in the original Japanese. The U.S. re-edit, which was good, left out a whole section of the story and an entire anti-nuclear testing subtext. In the American version, Raymond Burr is obviously the main character, with a Japanese policeman as a kind of side kick which actually detracts much from the original story line without adding much except a (then) somewhat familiar American face to the cast.
The original storyline is much richer, with better interaction amongst the main characters, namely Professor Yamane, his daughter, Emiko, and her arranged fiancé Dr. Serizawa, as well as her true love interest, Salvage Officer Ogata. the above named characters have a much more fully developed relationship than in the heavily edited American version. One reason for the loss of story and subtext was the running time, 74 minutes in the U.S. and about 97 in the original Japanese.
Another element missing from the American version was the whole radiation angle, it was barely mentioned, almost as an afterthought, while in the original Japanese, it was a central and recurring theme. Even two films later in the Japanese version of KING KONG vs. GODZILLA, it is pointed out that Gojira is a true monster born of radiation.
This film is a very rewarding find if you watch it in the original Japanese, with subtitles of course. It is also the best of a long line of kaiju films that I've seen. All in all a very good film. If you must see it and cannot find the Japanese version, the American one does keep much of the epic scope of the original and is quite good in its own right, but the original, in my opinion, is far superior.
The original storyline is much richer, with better interaction amongst the main characters, namely Professor Yamane, his daughter, Emiko, and her arranged fiancé Dr. Serizawa, as well as her true love interest, Salvage Officer Ogata. the above named characters have a much more fully developed relationship than in the heavily edited American version. One reason for the loss of story and subtext was the running time, 74 minutes in the U.S. and about 97 in the original Japanese.
Another element missing from the American version was the whole radiation angle, it was barely mentioned, almost as an afterthought, while in the original Japanese, it was a central and recurring theme. Even two films later in the Japanese version of KING KONG vs. GODZILLA, it is pointed out that Gojira is a true monster born of radiation.
This film is a very rewarding find if you watch it in the original Japanese, with subtitles of course. It is also the best of a long line of kaiju films that I've seen. All in all a very good film. If you must see it and cannot find the Japanese version, the American one does keep much of the epic scope of the original and is quite good in its own right, but the original, in my opinion, is far superior.