Godzilla

Godzilla is the ultimate anti-war film masquerading as 50s horror/sci-fi. Made during a time when Japan was still reeling from WWII and nuclear devastation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Godzilla was a beast born of human hubris and atomic fire. The US government still had occupational authority over Japan and there were strict limits on promoting nationalism, politics, and perceived propaganda in all media — films were no exception. However, deft and creative filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa seamlessly blended contemporary issues and banned topics into seemingly benign feudal-era Samurai tales. Likewise, Godzilla director Ishirō Honda also cleverly managed to weave anti-war, anti-nuclear, and pro-nationalist themes into his creature feature. Maybe the US authorities did not feel threatened by a man dancing around in a big rubber dinosaur costume 🙂

This already awesome 1st release poster with art by Belgian artist L.C. has an equally amazing “Les Effets Terribles de la Radio-Activité” attached to the bottom. When this film was released in Belgium in 1956 it had only been 11 years since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Cold War was in full swing with both the United States and Russia having recently tested even more devastating hydrogen bombs. There was a real and persistent risk of full-scale nuclear war and we’ve since learned that mankind is much more a risk to itself than any giant mutant lizard!