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Irvin Perez

Professor Beadle

English 115

6 November 2017

History Repeats Itself

It is easy for something to get lost in translation; even more so when it is sixty-two years

old. Godzilla has been a notable figure in both cinema and pop culture since its inception. And it,

has been portrayed in numerous films in both Japan - where it originally released - and America.

Consequently, because it has been re-made numerous times since the original Godzilla to the

more recent Shin Godzilla the amphibious creature has changed in both its meaning as well as its

appearance. The original message that Ishiro Honda was trying to convey to viewers through his

film with monster Godzilla has been lost. The original message Honda was trying to convey

became lost in time because times changed and the directors changed, so rather than use the film

as a platform to inform people but time and different directors changed this and turned it into a

platform of entertainment. This message is significant because it showed us the hidden dangers

behind nuclear warfare and how damaging nuclear testing and nuclear weapons are.

World War two began in 1939 and ended in 1945 after the United States dropped the first

atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The damage cause by this nuclear bomb was catastrophic and left

permanent damage to the land as well as people whose bodies began to mutate and many

contracted various diseases, cancers and physical deformities. This served as the catalyst for

Godzilla as the events that had occurred were still very much recent and Japan was on the road to

recovery after the country had suffered great loss after the war. Peter H. Brothers states in his

article Japans Nuclear Nightmare: How the Bomb Became a Beast Called Godzilla In 1954,
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while barely recovering from a devastating defeat in the Second World War and a humiliating

seven-year-long American occupation(brothers, 51). This quote explains the strife that Japan

was undergoing while the film was being produced. Ishiro Honda decided to take all this and

used it as inspiration for his film in developing Godzilla into a more complex character with

more substance. But, this was decades ago and Godzilla is no longer a symbol but a parody of

what it once represented, since the original Godzilla film to the recent Shin Godzilla the creature

has changed his appearance, but also has changed the way he is presented. In the original he was

shown as a victim of the sins of the humans and is even shown an amount of empathy. Unlike the

most recent where he is presented as nothing more than monstrous nuisance terrorizing the

innocent people of japan.

To many Godzilla signifies nothing more than a monster who came from the water to

terrorize and attack Japan that became popular because of the various renditions that have been

made. Due to this, one of the message that Ishiro Honda was trying to impart onto his viewers

the negative repercussions the nuclear war and its weapons brought upon Japan. An example of

this in the film there was a scene where the professor tells the japanese government how exactly

this monster came to be and how we were to blame for its inception. When Godzilla was created

he was a symbol of Japans fear of nuclear weapons that came to fruition after the United States

dropped the atomic bomb on Japan during the second World War, which was just a few years

prior to the filming and release of the film. Jason Ingoglia states in his article Godzilla:

Metaphor, Pop Icon that the United States showed this message is gone and forgotten In 1963

the Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed and Godzillas original function as a warning against

nuclear testing was no longer relevant. Ingoglia illustrates in this quote that Godzilla serves as

an advisory to the world of the dangers and effect that stem from nuclear testing. Moreover,
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nuclear testing in Japan became prevalent after Japan was hit with the atomic bomb in the

Second World War. Realizing its inferiority, Japan began testing nuclear weapons trying to

create their own atomic bomb in order to compete with rivaling nations who were also beginning

to do their own nuclear testing.

This warning of nuclear weapons as previously stated stemmed from the nuclear attacks

on Japan during the Second World War leading to them conducting their own research and

become plagued with the fear of another possible nuclear attack of the same or larger

magnitude. These nuclear attacks caused a lot of damage to Japans economy, land, and its

citizens; in addition, soon after World War two and during filming the Cold War between the

United States and Russia began. This became the atomic age because these countries raced to

create more nuclear bombs and testing occurred more often. William M. Tsutsui states in his

article Godzilla and Post War Japan Godzillas genesis was also conditioned by cold war

tensions and atomic age anxieties. The message that Tsutsui presents are the events that helped

spawn the creation of Godzilla is the Cold War. The war fought between Russia and Cuba versus

The United States, and the atomic age - a period of time in which countries started to research

and develop nuclear weapons - and how these events left Japan with a feeling of unease. The

filming and release of the original Godzilla was in 1954, The Cold War began in 1947 and did

not end until 1991; meaning, that while this movie was in production these events were already

occurring in the world around them and helped inspire Ishiro Honda in his film. These events

were occurring during the time that Godzilla was created and Ishiro Honda uses these events and

also saw how other countries from around the world were trying to follow suit with America and

began developing weapons. Realizing this, Godzilla was made during this time to show viewers

the negative repercussions of using and testing nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, much has
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changed since the original Godzilla to the most recent Shin Godzilla but the world is still going

through many of the similar problems as before only now rather than learn from Honda and his

creation we refuse to acknowledge its symbolism leading us back to the brink of war

Times have changed very since the original Godzilla to the more recent Shin Godzilla.

We no longer live in constant fear that a nuclear attack could occur at any point in time. Due to

this fact Godzilla has changed a considerable amount since his original rendition. For starters,

physically his appearance was changed drastically; he has multiple forms including a landform,

water form, and full form. Whereas in the original film he only had one form throughout the

film. Moreover, the way he is portrayed in the newer film is more of a parody of the original and

looked as nothing more than a giant primitive monster destroying Japan, there is not much depth

into his character. In the original film he is shown to have more depth and is even shown

empathy by certain characters in the film because they understood that it was not the creatures

fault for his actions or appearance. But rather, humans are too blame as this monster spawned

from the sins and actions of those who came before them. This change is significant because

Godzilla was created as a matter of warning not only to the Japanese but to viewers all instead

around the world that radiation and nuclear weapons should not be taken lightly. Once this

message is lost the world will return to its old ways.

Conversely, some could argue that this is false and the Shin Godzilla rendition of the

infamous monster has not changed at all since its inception because the plot is still based on the

same premise of the original script and uses similar elements such as nuclear weapons. Also,

coincidentally just like the first film the latter was made in a period of great tension as now North

Korea and America are in midst of a full scale nuclear war with the possibility of Russia also

getting involved as they have not completely settled their differences with the United States.
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Previously it was America and Russia on the verge of war were as now it is the same scenario

except with North Korea. Despite this, from then until now Godzilla has changed since the

original because the monster isnt given much depth to its story which is where the true meaning

of the film lies but is not as apparent in Shin Godzilla. To get more in depth into understanding

Godzilla and how he came to be we must understand the events that transpired that served as

inspiration to make this creature.

Godzilla is one of the most notable figures in popular culture. Since its cinematic debut in

1951 the amphibious creature has appeared in more than just the silver screen. It has since

appeared in video games as well as merchandise such as clothes, toys, and other various trinkets.

Even spanning beyond its own films and has made cameos in other films and television shows

such as The Simpsons; often, used as a clich stereotype towards Japanese people. He no longer

stands for what he once stood for - an example of the possible consequences if nations continue

to ignore Honda's message. This has left Japan as well as other nations fearful of another large-

scale nuclear attack, especially now that America and North Korea are on the brink of nuclear

war with tension between both countries rising leading many to feel as though a nuclear war is

eminent. The message has changed but tragically the world has not.

It is easy for something to lose its meaning and get lost in translation after having been

touched by different hands and been reinterpreted by numerous directors. Godzilla has been

remade numerous times and each time it become interpreted differently by each director, even

more so when it has been remade in a different language. The original message behind the film

that director Ishiro Honda attempted to convey to viewers and its significance has become lost in

time and people have become oblivious to it. Even now in its most recent film Shin Godzilla the

monster no longer serves as a symbol of fear but rather a satirical figure of the fear it once
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symbolized and many have become oblivious to this fact. And now history is repeating itself

with America and North Korea and in a time like this Godzilla is a symbol of what could happen

if we continue down this path.

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Work Cited .

Hoffman, Andrew J. Chapter 1. Monsters: a Bedford Spotlight Reader, Bedford/St. Martin's, a

Macmillan Education Imprint, 2016, pp. 5161.
Ingoglia, Jesse. Nypl.org, New York Public Library, www.nypl.org/blog/2014/05/21/godzilla.
Tatsui, William M. Godzilla and Postwar Japan. Godzilla and Postwar Japan,
Www.international.ucla.edu/asia/article/24850.