The first Godzilla movie in 1956 cost $800,000. The largest of any Japanese movie budget at the time.

It was a serious metaphor for the destruction and suffering of the people after Hiroshima and the Tokyo fire-bombing that occurred just 10 years before. Thus, you see a lot of praying scenes.

The name of the monster was Gojira. Go= gorilla. Kujira = whale. So, gorilla whale = Gojira.

A USA producer bought the movie rights for $25,000, hired actor Raymond Burr for only four days, filmed perfectly matching scenes in Hollywood, and changed the name to Godzilla.

Raymond Burr was not in the original movie, but top actors from Japan, including the leader of The Seven Samurai, were. Now you can get the double DVD with the original Japanese version with English sub-titles, or the US version in English with Burr in it.

Burr, at the time, played only villains. Godzilla let him be a hero. A year later, Burr was cast as TV’s Perry Masson, giving him fame.

When you watch it and realize that all of Burr scenes were done later, you will be impressed with how he is cut into the movie. He's often just observing events with Japanese American actors around him to match the original scenes. But it fits because he plays a reporter. 

In the hospital where he is injured and talking to a woman. It was originally the woman talking to a Japanese actor. Burr was flawlessly inserted. And this was before CGI. Fooled me, even as an adult.

For the US version of Godzilla, James Hong (Chinatown) and Samee Tong (Bachelor Father) did seven voices each on it.

The original version had a strong anti-nuclear message, but was watered down in the US version, not because of politics, but because of story pace. The US version was 80 minutes, while the original was 95 minutes.

Godzilla would earn two-million dollars for its first run in America.

Years later, Raymond Burr said: “I’m trying to get the rights to Godzilla because I’ve always liked the movie.” He would appear as the same character in Godzilla 1985.

                            ************************************************************

Please check out my movie: Forbidden Power -  

After a one-night affair with a mysterious woman, a young man wakes up alone with sexually transmitted powers.

39 International Awards - Amazon Link Below -