Godzilla King of Monsters – How Editing Out the Atomic Bomb Ruins the Movie

There are no fewer than 22 references to nuclear disaster in the 1954 Japanese film Gojira, spread across a smattering of phrases like “H-bomb,” “atomic tuna,” “radioactive fallout,” or, most explicitly, “the atomic bomb in Nagasaki.” The heavily re-edited American version, 1956’s Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, retains a measly four. Japan's film was a clear metaphor for the dangers posed by nuclear proliferation, and a chance for the heavily censored country to explore its healing on the big screen. The monster at the center of it all was a sympathetic character — a gentle giant turned apocalyptic danger by the horrors of nuclear testing. In Hollywood’s cut, Godzilla became a senseless killing machine, nearly all references to World War II and the atomic bomb were removed, and an American reporter was placed smack dab in the middle of the narrative.