Godzilla (1954)
Directed by Ishirō Honda
Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. Now the monster begins a rampage that threatens to destroy not only Japan, but the rest of the world as well.
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4 films that influenced Godzilla
What critics say influenced Godzilla
Shimura insists that Gojira should be studied, not killed, but he's not just a clueless egghead like, say, Robert Cornthwaite in The Thing from Another World.
There is actually quite a bit of character development, and the wonderful actor Takashi Shimura (Ikiru, Rashomon) lends the film a touch of class.
Put another way, Godzilla is the Germany Year Zero of monster movies.
Of course, we know who is responsible, but Godzilla will not actually show himself until late in the first act, peeking over a mountain ridge in an entrance to rival Harry Lime in “The Third Man.”