Godzilla (1954 film)
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Godzilla is a 1954 Japanese epic kaiju film directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the first film in the Godzilla franchise. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as Godzilla. In the film, Japan's authorities deal with the sudden appearance of a giant monster, whose attacks trigger fears of nuclear holocaust in post-war Japan.
Theatrical release poster
The main characters of Godzilla (1954). From left to right: Akira Takarada, Toshiaki Suzuki, Kokuten Kōdō, Momoko Kōchi, Takashi Shimura, and Akihiko Hirata.
The filmmakers took inspiration from various dinosaurs to shape Godzilla's final design.
The Godzilla suit was produced with rough materials, which only gave suit-performer Haruo Nakajima three minutes inside the suit before he would pass out from heat and exhaustion. The miniatures were constructed at certain scales to appear smaller than the Godzilla suit.
Kaiju
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Kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. A subgenre of science fiction, it was created by Eiji Tsuburaya and Ishirō Honda. The term can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monsters.
Poster for Godzilla (1954), widely considered the first official kaiju film
King Kong (1933) was a major influence on the Japanese kaiju genre.
The Arctic Giant (1942) is one of pioneering productions to depict Godzilla-esque characters to attack a modern civilization.
The Gamera franchise played a significant role in forming kaiju genre along with the Godzilla franchise.