Godzilla
Godzilla is a kaiju (fictional Japanese monster) and has become one of the world's most recognized movie characters. He was first seen in the 1954 film Godzilla, produced by Toho. To date, Toho has produced 28 Godzilla films. In 1998, TriStar Pictures produced a remake, set in New York City. The film's name was simply Godzilla; however, the monster that starred in this film had been completely redesigned and had only superficial characteristics in common with the original Godzilla.
Godzilla is one of the most recognizable symbols of Japanese popular culture worldwide and remains an important facet of Japanese films, embodying the kaiju subset of the tokusatsu genre. He has been considered a filmographic metaphor for the United States. The earlier Godzilla films, especially the original Godzilla, attempted to portray Godzilla as a frightening, nuclear monster. Godzilla was a representation of the fears that many Japanese held about the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the fear of those types of attacks occurring again. As the series progressed, so did Godzilla, changing into a less destructive and more heroic character as the films became increasingly geared towards children. Today, the character has fallen somewhere in the middle, sometimes portrayed as a protector of the Earth (notably Tokyo) from external threats and other times as a bringer of destruction. The usual explanation of his character is that he defends the Earth from other kaiju not because of any fondness for humans, but because he perceives other monsters as threats to his territory, as well as a natural hostility toward those other monsters. Godzilla is portrayed as a villain, a hero and an anti-hero.
Godzilla's appearance has changed over the years, but many of his characteristics have remained constant. One characteristic that has remained stable is his roar. It was first created by Japanese composer Akira Ifukube by rubbing a resin glove over the strings of a contrabass. Other characteristics that have remained constant across all the Japanese films have been: Godzilla being depicted as a gigantic dinosaur with rough, bumpy charcoal grey scales, a long powerful tail, and bone colored dorsal plates shaped like maple leaves. Although his origins vary somewhat from film to film, he is always described as a prehistoric creature, who first appeared and attacked Japan at the beginning of the Atomic Age. In particular, mutation due to atomic radiation is presented as an explanation for his great size and strange powers. Godzilla's iconic design is composed of a mixture of various species of dinosaurs; specifically, he is based on a Tyrannosaurus Rex, augmented with the dorsal fins of a Stegosaurus and the forelimbs of an Iguanodon.
Godzilla
Godzilla news
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- Roland Emmerich's Godzilla Stomping onto Blu-ray
- A new active pre-order listing at online retailer Amazon.com has Roland Emmerich's 1998 Godzilla starring Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno and Hank Azaria being ...
- Global warming alarmism enriches Gore, bankrupts the rest of us
- ... spouting increasingly inane observations as his bank account grows and his "carbon footprint" becomes ever more Godzilla-like, considering all the jet ...
- In 1979 it was Wimbledon vs. Godzilla Power Hour
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Veronica in Tokyo
![[GX200][HDR][RAW]Godzilla by galactic.supermarket](http://static.flickr.com/2543/3675443066_627d226554_s.jpg)
[GX200][HDR][RAW]God...
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[HDR][GX200]Godzilla
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[HDR][CHDK]Godzilla
![[HDR][CHDK]Godzilla by galactic.supermarket](http://static.flickr.com/3321/3668167726_49b277faa9_s.jpg)
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Godzilla blogs
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- Farm Natters: Godzilla in Carrier
- Godzilla, being the lead gander, is rarely away from the gaggle so I knew something was up. Got him cornered, picked him up (which he does NOT love, natch), set him on the shelter roof, and saw that his right eye was inflamed and ...
- Awesome Mecha Godzilla - Remote Controlled
- For information on East-Asian Arts, Culture, Design, Entertainment and anything that's inspirational!
- Go-Go Godzilla!: Godzilla Vs. Monster Zero Thai Poster!
- Go-Go Godzilla is my daily Godzilla collectibles blog! Come back daily to check out vintage posters, stills, lobby cards, toys, and other Godzilla-related collectibles, plus stuff from other giant monster movies, like Gorgo, ...
- Bits & Pieces » Godzilla basics
- GODZILLA. tincase. July 10th, 2009 at 3:02 pm. ?And Mothra promises that this time we'll get air support.? Gonazar. July 10th, 2009 at 3:39 pm. Audience: ?OOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhh AAAAAHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhh, now this is education ...
Godzilla gifts
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The Godzilla Collection
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Godzilla Bandai 6.5 Inch Classic Figure Godzilla Millennium
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Godzilla Unleashed
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Essential Godzilla (Marvel Essentials)
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Gojira / Godzilla Deluxe Collector's Edition (Gojira/Godzilla [1954] / Godzilla, King of the Monsters [1956])
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Godzilla (1998)
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno
Godzilla
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
A giant radiation-mutated lizard Godzilla is pregnant and chooses Manhattten as a nest site. Godzilla causes havoc in New York as a team of scientists and the military desperately try to destroy him and his offspring.
Godzilla vids
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A part-plant foe?
Godzilla's adversary, Biollante, was formed from Godzilla's cells, mixed with cells from a girl and a rose.
Top Sci-fi & Fantasy movies
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- 001- The Golden Compass
After overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny. Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Sam Elliott co-star in this fantasy-laden family adventure based on the first book of the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials.- 002- War of the Worlds
You know the story: Invading Martians equipped with ships that shoot unstoppable disintegration rays attempt to overwhelm the Earth. Based on the novel by H.G. Wells (and adapted into a famous 1953 movie starring Gene Barry), this version stars Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning as a father and daughter trying to keep one step ahead of the destroying Martians while humanity tries to muster a defense … any defense! Steven Spielberg directs.- 003- I, Robot
Inspired by Isaac Asimov's work, this techno-thriller stars Will Smith as Del Spooner, a mid-21st century Chicago cop investigating the murder of a scientist. Wary of technology, Spooner's not the perfect man for the job, but he takes it on anyway, aided by expert Dr. Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan). When Spooner discovers that an android (Alan Tudyk) may be the culprit, he realizes the entire human race could be at the mercy of machines.- 004- Fantastic Four
During a space voyage, four scientists are altered by cosmic rays: Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) gains the ability to stretch his body; Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) can become invisible and create force fields; Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) controls fire; and Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) is turned into a super-strong … thing! Together, these "Fantastic Four" must thwart the evil plans of Dr. Doom (Julian MacMahon). Tim Story directs.- 005- V for Vendetta
From the pages of David Lloyd and Alan Moore's groundbreaking graphic novel springs the enigmatic "V" (Hugo Weaving of The Matrix), a masked freedom fighter who's taken up arms against the totalitarian government in a futuristic Britain. Finding an unlikely ally in a young woman named Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman), V urges the citizenry to fight the oppression of the state. John Hurt and Stephen Rea also co-star.- Try Netflix free for 14 days
Godzilla links
- Godzilla (1998)
- Directed by Roland Emmerich. With Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo. Visit IMDb for Photos, Showtimes, Cast, Crew, Reviews, Plot Summary, Comments, Discussions, Taglines, Trailers, Posters, Fan Sites
- Godzilla
- Godzilla on monstrous.com is your first source of information about Godzilla or Gojira from Toho and other kaiju monsters such as Angilas, Ebirah, Kumonga, King Ghidorah, Gaborah, Hedorah, Gigan, MechaGodzilla, Megalon, Titanosaurus, Rodan, King Kong, Mothra, Minila, Mynia, Jet Jaguar, Varan, Barago
- Godzilla (1998) - Movie Info - Yahoo! Movies
- Godzilla (1998): find the latest news, photos and trailers, as well as local showtimes and dvd info at Yahoo! Movies
- "Godzilla" Fossils Reveal Real-Life Sea Monster
- Researchers have unearthed fossil evidence of a new species of ancient crocodile that had a head like a carnivorous dinosaur and a tail like a fish.
- Godzilla Monster Music
- All the info you could ever want about Godzilla and other Japanese monster film music.
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Comments
Godzilla
otherlleft wrote...
Great to see such a devoted fan!
I started a group you might be interested in, http://www.squidoo.com/groups/kaiju. (Strangely I can't add my own lens to the group, but I'm sure I'll work that out!)
Posted March 24, 2009
BYE!
Hope to see you again soon...
HILLANDGLEN 
