The Kaijusaurus Podcast! Episode #1: Godzilla (1954)
The Kaijusaurus Podcast: Lifelong kaiju fan Steven Sloss and newbie Ross Menzies make their way through the thirty-film Godzilla canon, sharing their thoughts and waxing lyrical on each film per episode.
The Kaijusaurus Podcast begins proper with Steven and Ross embarking on their kaiju-sized quest to watch and review every film in the thirty-strong Godzilla canon, and they begin in the only way they can: 1954′s Godzilla.
Show Notes
- David Kalat positing that the film shifts protagonists can be found in his audio commentary on the Criterion Collection’s Godzilla release.
- I made a mistake saying it was Godzilla, King of the Monsters! that was reviewed by a hypocritical New York Times. When reviewing Kurosawa’s Ikiru, the NYT said Takashi Shimura “measures up through his performance in this picture with the top film actors anywhere”. However, when reviewing The Mysterians – which featured Shimura – the same paper declared of its cast; “not one of whom can act”.
- The elderly Odo Island fisherman is played by Kokuten Kodo, who worked with Akira Kurosawa on Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, andThe Hidden Fortress, and also appeared in Half Human.
- Gojira, Mon Amour, my final-year university dissertation.
- I know Godzilla is ninety-seven minutes, not eighty-seven minutes! It was a slip of the tongue.
- Me saying Godzilla’s costume was made from “latex” was not in-fact a Freudian slip, I meant latex foam rubber.
FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED AND ENCOURAGED!
Please reblog, spread the word, and share!
I reviewed James Stokoe’s opening issue of Godzilla in Hell (full piece at link):
‘Questions abound as to what led to Godzilla’s apparent damnation. Does he have a soul? Is he dead? What force sent him here? Does he have free will and accountability? Godzilla, ostensibly, is a monster: a killing machine. As much as it may be part of his nature, he is intelligent and has been shown time and again to be capable of making choices and decisions. He is perhaps excused in that he regularly acts in defense, and that man is partly responsible for his awakening and empowerment. For Godzilla then, hell isn’t others: hell is quiet, hell is the confrontation of self.’
