Godzilla Raids Again
Encyclopedia
, also known in the United States as Gigantis, the Fire Monster, is a 1955 Japanese black-and-white
kaiju
film directed by Motoyoshi Oda
, written by Shigeru Koyama, Shigeaki Hidaka and Takeo Murata, and produced by Toho
.
It is a sequel to the previous year's successful Godzilla
and the second film in the Godzilla franchise. It is the first film to feature Anguirus
and the first film in the series to feature a battle between two giant monsters. This would become a long standing tradition in Godzilla films after this film. Although director Ishirō Honda
and composer Akira Ifukube
did not return for this sequel, the special effects were once again created by Eiji Tsuburaya
.
The English title Godzilla Raids Again was created by Toho in the 1950s, but only appeared onscreen in later US television and home video releases. The 1959 U.S. release was titled Gigantis the Fire Monster, and Godzilla's name was changed for this version of the film as well as his roar, replacing his original roar with Anguirus' roar. The American and Japanese versions of the film vary considerably.
. The two monsters then fall off a cliff, into the ocean.
Tsukioka and Kobayashi report to the authorities in Osaka
, and find out that the other monster Godzilla was fighting is Anguirus
. A group of scientists with the two pilots research Anguirus in a book written by a Polish scientist. Godzilla and Anguirus lived around the same time millions of years ago. Anguirus hated Godzilla, which explains the intense rivalry between the two monsters.
Dr. Kyohei Yamane, who experienced Godzilla's attack in 1954, was also present at the meeting, and shows a film of Godzilla attacking Tokyo
. Yamane states that there is no way to kill Godzilla, and that Dr. Daisuke Serizawa, the inventor of the Oxygen Destroyer, had died and burned the formula. Yamane, though, suggests that the military should use flares on Godzilla to attract the monster away from the shore. Godzilla becomes angry when he sees lights because the hydrogen bomb's bright explosion had awakened and mutated him.
One day, Godzilla appears on shore of Osaka. Jets are sent to shoot flares from their planes to lead Godzilla away from the shore. Godzilla sees the flames, and starts to walk away.
Meanwhile, a prison truck transports dangerous criminals to another part of the country. All of the criminals, using body language, decide that this would be a great opportunity to escape from prison. The prisoners beat up the two policemen guarding the back door of the truck, and run away. A few of them use a gasoline truck which then crashes into an industrial building and starts a massive fire.
The fire attracts Godzilla to the shore of Osaka again. A few minutes later, Anguirus swims to shore and attacks Godzilla. The two monsters fight an intense battle, in the courswe of which they destroy several buildings, including the tuna cannery where Tsukioka and Kobayashi work. Godzilla bites Anguirus's neck and throws him into a moat near Osaka Castle
. Godzilla then fires his atomic breath and burns Anguirus to death. While this saves Japan from Anguirus, it also lights a large number of structures on fire.
Tsukioka and Kobayashi are transferred to a Hokkaido plant. During a company party, the two are notified that Godzilla has destroyed one of the company's fishing boats. The military and Tsukioka begin a massive search for Godzilla. Tsukioka spots Godzilla swimming to the shore of a small icy island. He notifies the cannery, and Kobayashi takes off in his plane to switch shifts with Tsukioka.
Kobayashi dives his plane towards Godzilla to distract him from walking back into the ocean. Tsukioka then transferred to the air force, travels on a jet with an old college friend. They drop bombs on Godzilla but are unsuccessful. Godzilla then wades towards shore. Kobayashi dies when he swoops down towards Godzilla, but Godzilla counterattacks with his ray, knocking Kobayashi off course, causing him to crash on an icy mountain.
Tsukioka grieves but then realizes that the military can shoot missiles at the mountain, and bury Godzilla in an avalanche
. The jets fire the missiles, and bury Godzilla in snow to his waist.
The jets return to base to reload, and Tsukioka is authorized to fly in his own jet. The jets return to the icy island, and shoot missiles at the mountain, burying Godzilla to his neck. Tsukioka then shoots his missiles and defeats Godzilla by burying the monster completely.
.
, and Ed Watson
to be shot with American actors. New special effects footage was to be shot as well, and to that end Toho
sent the suits for Godzilla and Anguirus to the United States.
The Volcano Monsters never went into production because the studio that was supposed to produce it, AB-PT Productions, closed its doors in 1957. In 1958, producers Paul Schreibman, Edmund Goldman and Newton P. Jacobs bought the rights to Godzilla Raids Again and planned to dub the film since The Volcano Monsters fell through. While the finished product was much closer to the Japanese original than The Volcano Monsters would have been, it still differed greatly from Toho's original movie. Instead of marketing the film as a sequel to the original Godzilla movie, Schriebman decided to rename the monster "Gigantis" and change his trademark roar to Anguirus' roar to convince the audience that they were seeing an entirely new monster. This act of changing Godzilla's name and roar was greatly criticized by fans and critics.
Schreibman, Goldman and Jacobs hired Hugo Grimaldi to dub and edit the film. George Takei
, who would later play as Lt. Hikaru Sulu
in the original Star Trek
television series, was among the voice-actor cast.
The film was dubbed at Ryder Studios in New York.
Various Edits and Changes:
In 1959, Warner Brothers theatrically released Gigantis the Fire Monster on a double bill with Teenagers From Outer Space
.
released both the Japanese and English versions of Godzilla Raids Again on DVD. Prior to this release, the film had been unavailable on North American home video since Video Treasures' VHS release in 1989. A notable difference between the original Gigantis and the U.S. version featured on this DVD, is the fact the Gigantis title card has been replaced with a newer Godzilla Raids Again one, by request of Toho.
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
film directed by Motoyoshi Oda
Motoyoshi Oda
Motoyoshi Oda was a Japanese film director.An English major who graduated from Waseda University, one of Japan's most prestigious, in 1935, Motoyoshi Oda was promptly accepted into the directors' program at Tokyo's P.C.L....
, written by Shigeru Koyama, Shigeaki Hidaka and Takeo Murata, and produced by Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
.
It is a sequel to the previous year's successful Godzilla
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
and the second film in the Godzilla franchise. It is the first film to feature Anguirus
Anguirus
is the second Kaiju to appear in the Toho franchise. Anguirus appeared only a year after Godzilla in the 1955 Toho film Godzilla Raids Again...
and the first film in the series to feature a battle between two giant monsters. This would become a long standing tradition in Godzilla films after this film. Although director Ishirō Honda
Ishiro Honda
Ishirō Honda , sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", was a Japanese film director...
and composer Akira Ifukube
Akira Ifukube
was a Japanese composer of classical music and film scores, perhaps best known for his work on the soundtracks of the Godzilla movies by Toho.-Biography:...
did not return for this sequel, the special effects were once again created by Eiji Tsuburaya
Eiji Tsuburaya
was the Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla series...
.
The English title Godzilla Raids Again was created by Toho in the 1950s, but only appeared onscreen in later US television and home video releases. The 1959 U.S. release was titled Gigantis the Fire Monster, and Godzilla's name was changed for this version of the film as well as his roar, replacing his original roar with Anguirus' roar. The American and Japanese versions of the film vary considerably.
Plot
Pilots Shoichi Tsukioka and Koji Kobayashi are hunting for schools of fish for a tuna cannery company in Osaka. Kobayashi's plane malfunctions and is forced to land near Iwato Island, an uninhabited strip of rocks formed by volcanic eruptions. Tsukioka then looks for Kobayashi and finds him safe, with only a wrist sprain. While talking, the two men hear strange sounds and find two kaiju fighting. Tsukioka immediately recognizes one of the monsters to be GodzillaGodzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
. The two monsters then fall off a cliff, into the ocean.
Tsukioka and Kobayashi report to the authorities in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, and find out that the other monster Godzilla was fighting is Anguirus
Anguirus
is the second Kaiju to appear in the Toho franchise. Anguirus appeared only a year after Godzilla in the 1955 Toho film Godzilla Raids Again...
. A group of scientists with the two pilots research Anguirus in a book written by a Polish scientist. Godzilla and Anguirus lived around the same time millions of years ago. Anguirus hated Godzilla, which explains the intense rivalry between the two monsters.
Dr. Kyohei Yamane, who experienced Godzilla's attack in 1954, was also present at the meeting, and shows a film of Godzilla attacking Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Yamane states that there is no way to kill Godzilla, and that Dr. Daisuke Serizawa, the inventor of the Oxygen Destroyer, had died and burned the formula. Yamane, though, suggests that the military should use flares on Godzilla to attract the monster away from the shore. Godzilla becomes angry when he sees lights because the hydrogen bomb's bright explosion had awakened and mutated him.
One day, Godzilla appears on shore of Osaka. Jets are sent to shoot flares from their planes to lead Godzilla away from the shore. Godzilla sees the flames, and starts to walk away.
Meanwhile, a prison truck transports dangerous criminals to another part of the country. All of the criminals, using body language, decide that this would be a great opportunity to escape from prison. The prisoners beat up the two policemen guarding the back door of the truck, and run away. A few of them use a gasoline truck which then crashes into an industrial building and starts a massive fire.
The fire attracts Godzilla to the shore of Osaka again. A few minutes later, Anguirus swims to shore and attacks Godzilla. The two monsters fight an intense battle, in the courswe of which they destroy several buildings, including the tuna cannery where Tsukioka and Kobayashi work. Godzilla bites Anguirus's neck and throws him into a moat near Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle
is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan.Originally called Ozakajō, it is one of Japan's most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.-Description:...
. Godzilla then fires his atomic breath and burns Anguirus to death. While this saves Japan from Anguirus, it also lights a large number of structures on fire.
Tsukioka and Kobayashi are transferred to a Hokkaido plant. During a company party, the two are notified that Godzilla has destroyed one of the company's fishing boats. The military and Tsukioka begin a massive search for Godzilla. Tsukioka spots Godzilla swimming to the shore of a small icy island. He notifies the cannery, and Kobayashi takes off in his plane to switch shifts with Tsukioka.
Kobayashi dives his plane towards Godzilla to distract him from walking back into the ocean. Tsukioka then transferred to the air force, travels on a jet with an old college friend. They drop bombs on Godzilla but are unsuccessful. Godzilla then wades towards shore. Kobayashi dies when he swoops down towards Godzilla, but Godzilla counterattacks with his ray, knocking Kobayashi off course, causing him to crash on an icy mountain.
Tsukioka grieves but then realizes that the military can shoot missiles at the mountain, and bury Godzilla in an avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
. The jets fire the missiles, and bury Godzilla in snow to his waist.
The jets return to base to reload, and Tsukioka is authorized to fly in his own jet. The jets return to the icy island, and shoot missiles at the mountain, burying Godzilla to his neck. Tsukioka then shoots his missiles and defeats Godzilla by burying the monster completely.
Box office
The film sold approximately 8,340,000 tickets in Japan. It is the third most-attended Godzilla film in Japan, even though the film was poorly received by fans and critics, and Godzilla would not re-appear until 1962 in King Kong vs. GodzillaKing Kong vs. Godzilla
is a 1962 Japanese science fiction kaiju film produced by Toho Studios. Directed by Ishirō Honda with visual effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, the film starred Tadao Takashima, Kenji Sahara, and Mie Hama. It was the third installment in the Japanese series of films featuring the monster Godzilla...
.
English version
Instead of merely re-dubbing the film, Henry Rybnick and Edward Barrison planned on a radically altered Americanized version called The Volcano Monsters which was planned for a 1957 release. All scenes with Japanese actors would be cut, saving just special effects scenes, and these would be altered to reduce the apparent size of the monsters to a more dinosaur like scale. In addition, all scenes with Godzilla breathing fire were to be cut. A totally new script was written by SF screenwriter Ib MelchiorIb Melchior
Ib Jørgen Melchior is a novelist, short story writer, film producer, film director, and screenwriter of low-budget American science fiction movies, most of them released by American International Pictures...
, and Ed Watson
Ed Watson
Ed Watson may refer to:*Edwin Moss Watson , American newspaper editor*Edward B. Watson , American judge*Edgar Watson , American outlaw*Edwin "Pa" Watson , top aide to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
to be shot with American actors. New special effects footage was to be shot as well, and to that end Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
sent the suits for Godzilla and Anguirus to the United States.
The Volcano Monsters never went into production because the studio that was supposed to produce it, AB-PT Productions, closed its doors in 1957. In 1958, producers Paul Schreibman, Edmund Goldman and Newton P. Jacobs bought the rights to Godzilla Raids Again and planned to dub the film since The Volcano Monsters fell through. While the finished product was much closer to the Japanese original than The Volcano Monsters would have been, it still differed greatly from Toho's original movie. Instead of marketing the film as a sequel to the original Godzilla movie, Schriebman decided to rename the monster "Gigantis" and change his trademark roar to Anguirus' roar to convince the audience that they were seeing an entirely new monster. This act of changing Godzilla's name and roar was greatly criticized by fans and critics.
Schreibman, Goldman and Jacobs hired Hugo Grimaldi to dub and edit the film. George Takei
George Takei
George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
, who would later play as Lt. Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by George Takei in the original Star Trek series, Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek movies, one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in numerous books, comics, and video games...
in the original Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
television series, was among the voice-actor cast.
The film was dubbed at Ryder Studios in New York.
Various Edits and Changes:
- A prologue, in which a story of the atomic bomb and "mechanical monsters" was added.
- Stock footage from educational films and earlier U.S. films such as Unknown Island which featured dinosaurs were inserted before the scenes from the first Godzilla movieGodzilla (1954 film)is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
are shown.
- One infamous dubbed line in the U.S. release used the slang term "banana oil". George TakeiGeorge TakeiGeorge Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
has noted on Late Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
that the phrase was used to synchronize with the mouth movement of the original Japanese word, "bakayarou", loosely meaning "idiot" or "bonehead".
- Godzilla's roar was altered at times to sound like Anguirus'Anguirusis the second Kaiju to appear in the Toho franchise. Anguirus appeared only a year after Godzilla in the 1955 Toho film Godzilla Raids Again...
roar.
- Tragic hero Kobayashi, played by Minoru ChiakiMinoru Chiakiwas a Japanese actor who appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and The Hidden Fortress.In Seven Samurai, he was the good-natured samurai Heihachi, and he was the first of the samurai to be killed. Ironically, in real life, he turned out to be the last of the seven actors to...
in his only science fiction role, was dubbed as a bumbling oaf.
- An entire subplot, which had Kobayashi looking for his future wife through a matchmaker and the revelation that he had chosen a female coworker, Hidemi Yamaji, was all but removed. All that remains of this subplot is the final conclusion where Hidemi discovers a picture of herself in Kobayashi's wallet. The whole thing being reduced to nothing more than a secret crush.
- Masaru Sato's music score was mostly replaced with stock music from films like KronosKronos (film)Kronos is a 1957 black and white science fiction film directed by Kurt Neumann, starring Jeff Morrow and Barbara Lawrence. The film is also known as Kronos, Destroyer of the Universe...
and Project MoonbaseProject MoonbaseProject Moonbase is a black-and-white 1953 science fiction film directed by Richard Talmadge. The film is also known as Project Moon Base and is based on a story by Robert A. Heinlein, who shares screenwriting credit...
.
Teenagers from Outer Space
Teenagers from Outer Space is a 1959 science-fiction film about an extraterrestrial space ship landing on Earth to use it as a farm for its food supply. The crew of the ship includes teenagers, two of whom oppose each other in their activities. The independent film was originally distributed by...
.
Titles
- Godzilla's Counterattack - Translated Japanese title
- Gigantis, the Fire Monster - American theatrical-release title
- Godzilla Raids Again - Toho's English title, and U.S. DVD title.
Reception
The American version of the film wasn't popular with neither critics nor fans who felt that the Japanese version was superior to the Americanized version. The film is, however, notable for introducing the monster Anguirus.Home media
On November 7, 2006, Classic MediaClassic Media
Classic Media, LLC, is an American production company and distributor of family programming. It was founded in 2000 by former Marvel Entertainment CEO Eric Ellenbogen and former Broadway Video executive John Engelman in hopes of acquiring mismanaged classic properties and giving exposure to...
released both the Japanese and English versions of Godzilla Raids Again on DVD. Prior to this release, the film had been unavailable on North American home video since Video Treasures' VHS release in 1989. A notable difference between the original Gigantis and the U.S. version featured on this DVD, is the fact the Gigantis title card has been replaced with a newer Godzilla Raids Again one, by request of Toho.
External links
- G,history(Japan)
- The Volcano Monsters at Toho Kingdom
- Raids Again at Toho Kingdom including several reviews
- Gigantis, the Fire Monster on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....