Gojira (Godzilla) | chemiscool.org

Category:

Film

Synopsis:

Inoshiro Honda’s Godzilla (Gojira in Japanese) is a 1954 film, translated with the use of English subtitles, about the effects of using nuclear bombs and the morality behind it. The opening scene shows a Japanese fishing trawler destroyed by a fiery bubble in the ocean, the viewer’s first glimpse at the monster, Godzilla. The movie goes on to explain how U.S. testing of the atomic bomb awakened the terrible monster. When Godzilla arrives on land, a massive storm accompanies him, rumbling and gusting, footsteps shaking the earth, symbolizing the effects of the atomic bomb. Godzilla goes on to attack and destroy Tokyo, along with the Japanese military. Finally, a scientist, Dr. Serizawa, introduces his secret invention as a cure. It’s called the “Oxygen Destroyer,” a mechanism that releases a powder in water that removes all the oxygen. It is dangerous and untested, a metaphor for the atomic bomb. Knowing that using it to kill Godzilla will also destroy himself and anything that lives in Tokyo Bay, Dr. Serizawa sacrifices his life to defeat the monster.

Context for time depicted:

Godzilla is set a few years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Most of it takes place in the highly-populated city of Tokyo, though the beginning is set on and around islands near a nuclear testing site. The overwhelming theme is the effect and morality of the use of nuclear bombs. The whole is riddled with metaphors concerning the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan, including some direct references to it. Godzilla’s destruction of Tokyo mimics the destruction of the cities that were actually hit by the bombs. The movie also follows the plight of the scientist- science vs. morality. Dr. Serizawa is conflicted with the decision on whether or not to use his lethal invention. This imitates the judgment and choices of the scientists and politicians who created and used the atomic bombs.

Context for time of production:

The time of production and time depicted are very similar. It is possible that time of production was a few years later, in which case, the only thing that might change is the viewers may be more removed from the subject. If the movie had been made any earlier people may have been offended and emotional, not feeling as much resonance with the themes. It may have brought on a lot of contempt.

Assessment:

Godzilla is a portrayal of the repercussions of the use of the atomic bomb. It is also an example of the morality of powerful, intelligent scientists who make devastating weapons. Dr. Serizawa looks like the typical mad scientist. The first noticeable thing about him is the eye-patch over his right eye. That’s strike one: a physical defect. Strike two is his lab. It’s locked in a basement and filled with all kinds of instruments and chemicals. Strike three is his invention, the “Oxygen Destroyer”. It is untested and if placed in the wrong hands could kill all underwater life. He may be a little bit mad but not really bad. He used it only to slay the beast and save others while selflessly sacrificing himself.

References:

Allsop, Samara L. "Gojira." The Cinema of Japan and Korea. Great Britain: Wallflower P, 2004. 63-70.

Anderson, Joseph L., and Donald Richie. The Japanese Film. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1982. 262.

Gojira. Dir. Inoshiro Honda. Perf. Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata. DVD. Tokyo Co., Ltd., 2006.

Richie, Donald. A Hundred Year of Japanese Film. Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd., 2001.

How would this be used?:

Godzilla could be used to reinforce the dilemma of the scientist and the responsibilities they carry. It would show that every decision has its repercussions, good and bad. It is in this way that most scientists who make these choices can be considered neither moral nor immoral. It seems that they are incapable of deciding the right way to please everyone because either way is muddled with good and evil.