User:SlimerJoel/Sandbox/Production Histories

Godzilla (1954)

In the spring of 1954, Toho Studios had planned to produce Eikō no Kage ni (栄光の影に; In the Shadow of Glory), a war film that was intended to be co-produced between the Japanese studio and Indonesian studio Perfini. However, political tensions between the two nations caused the film to be suspended indefinitely, leaving Toho producer Tomoyuki Tanaka without a scheduld film for the fall release schedule. [Ryfle, Godziszewski p. 84] On his flight back from Jakarta, Tanaka began pondering a possible replacement. He came upon the idea of a giant sea monster altered by radiation coming ashore and demolishing Tokyo, utilizing the incident involving the Japanese fishing trawler Lucky Dragon No. 5 (第五福龍丸, F/V Lucky Dragon 5) in which the boat had sailed too close to the United States Castle Bravo nuclear test causing its crew to become contaminated with fallout as a primary inspiration. Tanaka also cited the recently released American monster movie The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, released in Japan as The Atomic Monster Appears (原子怪獣現わる Genshi Kaijū Arawaru) and the 1952 re-release of King Kong (1933) as additional influences. [Ragone, p. 34]

Upon his return to Japan, Tanaka presented the idea under the title “The Giant Monster from 20,000 Miles Under The Sea” to chief Toho executive Iwao Mori who approved of the pitch [Ragone, 34]. Mori sought out veteran cinematographer Eiji Tsuburaya to direct the film’s special effects sequences, knowing that Tsuburaya’s prior work in war films would convince the studio that the project could be feasible and that he had long desired to produce a monster movie of his own [Mariner Tucker, p. 7, p. 9]. Tsuburaya and Tanaka hired author Shigeru Kayama to pen the film’s story, based on his background writing science fiction stories and tales involving strange creatures. Kayama’s initial treatment borrowed heavily from The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and mostly revolved around the monster’s search for food. The treatment had also retitled the film as “Project G” with the letter standing for “giant” [Ryfle, Godziszewski p. 88]. In The Shadow of Glory’s original director Senkichi Tanaguchi was intended to direct this new monster movie but declined the project leading Tanaka to choose Ishiro Honda in his place. Honda’s experience with documentary features and his interest in science played a part in his acceptance of the project [Ryfle, Godziszewski p. 86].

With the basic staff in place, production finally began on the film which eventually received the final title of Godzilla (ゴジラ Gojira). The exact origin of the name remains a mystery, though it is likely a combination of the Japanese words gorira (ゴリラ), meaning gorilla, and kujira (鯨 or クジラ), meaning whale, originating from an early concept in which the titular monster would evoke elements of both animals [Ryfle, Godziszewski p. 88]. The name would be transliterated in English as “Godzilla” by Toho. Pondering how to achieve the effects of the monster, Tsuburaya initially chose the technique of stop-motion animation, inspired by King Kong, but realized the process would be too costly and time-consuming and eventually settled on utilizing the miniature techniques from his earlier war films and a stuntman in a costume to depict Godzilla [Ragone, 35]. Scriptwriter Takeo Murata was assigned to develop the film’s screenplay alongside director Honda. The two spent three weeks writing and were frequently visited by Tsuburaya and Tanaka who gave their own input [Ryfle, Godziszewski, 89].

Designing Godzilla was a lengthy process that began in the summer of 1954, after the first draft of the screenplay was submitted [Mariner Tucker, 15.] One prominent design by manga illustrator Wasaku Abe featured an ape-like monster whose head resembled a mushroom cloud, tying into the nuclear themes established by Tanaka’s initial proposal. Abe’s designs were rejected, but he would later work on the film’s storyboards. Inspired by Rudolph Zallinger’s Tyrannosaurus and Zdenek Burian’s Iguanodon paintings found in children’s books and an issue of LIFE magazine respectively, the team settled on a reptilian design that incorporated elements from both animals, but also utilized the spines of a Stegosaurus for a more impactful look [Ragone, 38-39]. With basic design elements in place, Tsuburaya delegated Teizo Toshimitsu with sculpting the first models of Godzilla. Toshimitsu produced three different designs, a “scaly” look whose skin resembled fish, a “warty” look with a raised bump texture, and an “alligator” model whose skin was bumpy and craggy like that of crocodilians which was eventually chosen as the desired design. The initial Godzilla suit was modeled by Toshimitsu, Kanju and Yasuei Yagi, and Eizo Kaimai and was constructed using a wire frame poured over with hot, melted rubber. Weighing in at over 220 pounds, the initial suit was much too heavy for the actor inside to wear and was eventually cut apart and used for scenes involving the lower half of Godzilla exclusively. A second lighter, more flexible suit was created that was used during filming. Additionally, Toshimitsu sculpted a small, hand-operated puppet to use for scenes involving facial expressions and close-ups of the monster [Ragone, 39]. Chosen to wear the Godzilla suit were stuntmen Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka, having both frequently appeared in bit roles in prior Toho films including various stunt work.

Location scouting for the film occurred in July 1954, with sites such as Shima peninsula and Gokasho Bay being utilized for the film’s sequences on Odo Island and the finale respectively [Ryfle, Godziszewski, 90, 92]. While scouting Godzilla’s path of destruction atop a department store in Tokyo’s Giza ward, a security guard stopped Honda and Tsuburaya under the assumption that they were planning an attack on the city but were let go once they were cleared. Production designer Akira Watanabe’s team of model builders took to the streets of Tokyo taking photographs and sketching buildings to construct the film’s required miniatures [Ragone, 35, 38].

Filming began in early August 1954 and lasted approximately three months. Three teams were established to handle production: the first, led by Honda, focused on the film’s dramatic portions, the second, helmed by Tsuburaya, focused on miniature effects scenes, and the third, led by Hiroshi Mukoyama, dealt with composite shots of effects and dramatic scenes [Ryfle, Godziszewski p. 91]. Honda took a more hands-on approach with his directing due to the younger cast members’ relative unfamiliarity, often physically acting out what he wanted from them on set. High temperatures plagued the location sets in Shima, resulting in crew members often being drenched in sweat or receiving frequent sunburns. During the filming of the final scene, actor Akihiko Hirata joked that the conditions on set were so excruciating that he “wanted to just throw the Oxygen Destroyer on the deck and put us all out of our misery [Ryfle, Godziszewski p. 91-93].

The miniature effects for Godzilla were built from thin planks of wood reinforced by plaster and white chalk. Explosive charges placed inside also helped to emphasize Godzilla’s radioactive breath [Ryfle, p. 29]. On the first day of shooting the visual effects scenes, a sequence involving Godzilla destroying the National Diet building was planned. When stuntman Katsumi Tezuka donned the suit and attempted to act out the destruction, the foot of the suit was caught in the miniature causing Tezuka to topple forward and break his jaw. Due to the production’s already strained budget, the miniature was unable to be rebuilt and the final shot of the film utilizes a composite shot of the real-life building and close-up shots of Nakajima in the Godzilla suit [Ragone, 42].

Filming commenced for the Honda-led drama unit after forty days while Tsuburaya and Mukoyama’s effects teams finished after sixty-two [Ragone, 42].