Thanks for the ping.
Posted on 11/24/2004 7:55:40 PM PST by NormsRevenge
It's taken 50 years, 29 movies and, owing to one monster-sized tail, who-knows-how-many accidentally knocked over craft-service tables, but Godzilla is finally getting his Hollywood coming-out party.
In the coming days, the made-in-Japan leading lizard will ride in a parade, get starred on Hollywood Boulevard and storm the red carpet for a Grauman's Chinese Theatre movie premiere.
He'll also say goodbye. Or so it's been said.
"It's the latest last movie," says Ed Godziszewski, publisher of Japanese Giants magazine.
"It" is Godzilla Final Wars, billed as "the last Godzilla film."
Well-versed in kaiju eiga (that's Japanese for "monster movie"), Godziszewski is skeptical that audiences have seen the last of the big guy.
"Even when Godzilla is killed in a movie he's never really dead," Godziszewski says.
There is no indication that Godzilla breathes his last atomic breath at the end of Final Wars. But there are pledges from his bosses at Japan's Toho Studios that their star is headed for retirement.
The move comes as fandom wraps a year spent commemorating Godzilla's golden anniversary. It was 50 years ago this month--on Nov. 3, 1954--that Gojira, a serious-minded, black-and-white horror film about a giant creature who doesn't mind where he steps in Tokyo, opened in Japan. In 1956, the movie was redubbed, recut, recast (see: Raymond Burr) and exported to the United States under its new title: Godzilla, King of the Monsters!.
Toho has gone on to produce 28 cult-inspiring films, including Final Wars. In all, Godzilla has starred in 29 films if you count 1998's U.S.-made Godzilla, which most fans frankly don't.
As Godziszewski points out, Godzilla has taken breaks before--he's even been killed before--only to return to make life heck for puny humans and assorted atomic freaks of nature.
"No matter what happens in the end to conclude the movie, Godzilla will never actually die," Godziszewski says.
Tsutomu Kitagawa, however, is emphatic that Godzilla is going away for good this time. Kitagawa is the ultimate Godzilla insider, in that he's been inside the Godzilla suit for five of the last six Japanese-produced films.
"[Shogo] Tomiyama, the producer, and the staff of the movie are doing their best to make this the best movie because it's the final movie," Kitagawa said this week of Final Wars, through a translator. "They put everything in this movie."
Indeed, few parts of the world are safe in Final Wars, with New York, Paris, Shanghai and Sydney all taking hits.
Kitagawa will be on hand, and in character, for Monday night's Grauman's Chinese invite-only screening, the first time a Japanese-made Godzilla movie has premiered outside of Japan. (The movie opens for paying customers in Japan on Dec. 4.)
Other Godzilla firsts: Monday morning's unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; Sunday night's scheduled appearance (in float form) at the 73rd annual Hollywood Christmas Parade; Thursday's Thanksgiving at Peggy Aiken's house in Sacramento, California.
Technically, that last one's a first for Kitagawa, not Godzilla--although how many holiday dinners can a skulking monster possibly have been asked to attend?
Stateside for the last week attending a Godzilla film festival in San Francisco, Kitagawa will be at Casa Aiken at the invitation of Keith Aiken, of the Japanese fantasy film and TV site, Henshin!Online (www.henshinonline.com). Peggy Aiken is Keith Aiken's understanding maternal unit.
"She said, 'Well, you've been a fan since you were a kid, so I guess it's come to this,' " Aiken said of his mother's reaction to having Godzilla over for dinner.
Aiken said the traditional turkey and fixings will be served.
After 50 years, and another looming retirement, Godzilla deserves the drumstick.
Add me to it if there is one.
PINGZILLA STOMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Though it's pretty slow compared to some threads, THIS THREAD is where we all get together to talk Daikaiju Eiga. You're welcome to attend!
Fortunately, they don't have to raise the bar more than a couple inches off the ground to accomplish that.
'Raising the bar is the perfect way to ruin the spirit of a Godzilla movie. That is what made the US version such a stinker a few years ago, too much attention to detail and abandoning the rubber suit for CGI graphics was a huge mistake. Casting Jeff Goldblum was the wrong kind of cheesiness.
I was doing contract work for one of the production's licensed marketing partners at the time and we were all laughing all asses off at how seriously they were taking themselves. You would have thought it was Jurassic Park.
Hmmm...
You might have had a tough time with "Robot Monster," "Plan 9," and a few other classic stinkers!
(They're some of my favorites, which explains alot about me... YIKES!)
Will this be the one where Godzilla incinerates Mecca?
Tell that to my older brother. Godzilla fanatic and loves all of those horrible old "Kung-Fu Theatre" movies.
Jeff Goldblum was in the retarded Godzilla movie? Matthew Broderick was. Are you thinking of Jurassic Park?
I don't remember because it was so lame.
This one was pretty good*.
* Lol, The theatre manager threatened to turns the lights on if the audience didn't settle down. Godzilla supporters vs Kong supporters, on the verge of rioting.
How about making more of the Godzilla flicks available in the *original Japanese,* with subtitles, uncut?
Hey Norm I think Godzilla be back I think they give francise a break but once Hollywood get done with doing story over and again they reintroduce Godzilla in near future
Beside I think maybe Godzilla need knee surgery after those years on stomp on Tokyo
That would mess up the knees
Godzilla movies are nearly perfect for kids...they not only love giant monsters in general, but there's many diferent ones to learn about. Also, there's none of the language or overt sexuality so controversial nowadays.
The ONLY one I'll wait a while to show my son (besides the first, more serious film) is Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah or GMK as fans call it, as it is a bit more violent, and a bit less humorous, than the rest of the series.
Godzilla is to Toho Ltd. like Mickey Mouse is to Disney. He's going NOWHERE, at least not permanently. Bank on it.
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