h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Godzilla - A838352
Author: Researcher Æsahættr - U204437

It's my first entry on a topic I love. I just want to know what you think.

I think it's a good start, and the Big Green Dude certainly deserves an entry of his own.

BUT...(and there's always one of these, please don't take it personally! )

I do think structurally the piece is confusing. Maybe it ought to start with an explanation of who, or what Godzilla is, rather than with the rather broad description you've given it. I also think you might want to re-think your comments about (the admittedly atrocious) US blockbuster of 1998.

Perhaps including it on a sub-section dealing with US approaches to Godzilla, which could include the 'insertion' of Raymond 'Ironside' Burr into the 1954 original. I also note that you use the US title 'King of Monsters' for your reference to that movie in the filmography. I think it's worth pointing out that there are two *QUITE* distinct versions of the film. The same point also applies to what you've listed as Godzilla 1985, which is Steve 'Guyver' Miner's rather butchered version of what was known in as Godzilla Returns in Japan. (The first official sequel to the original 1954 movie, to boot.)

As to those people responsible for creating the Big G., whilst I'd agree that Honda is deserving of mention (a man described by Akira Kurasawa as one of japan's great film-makers), I think most fans would agree that the special effects of Eiji Tsuburaya (a man faced with practically inventing an entire way of making this type of movie as stop-motion had been rejected as too slow and too costly) and the music of Akira Ifukube (who also invented G.'s oh so distintive roar) would be worth a mention. (As would the fact that Ifukube was the one member of the original creative team to be invited to work on The 1985 film.) Many fans believe that Jan Fukuda, who took on the directors role for many of the late sixties/early seventies films, made many of the best movies, with Ebirah! Horror of the Deep always scoring strongly with fans.

I think it's also worth looking at the changing role of Godzilla across his career. The original movie was made as a direct reaction to the atomic bomb (a subject that Japanese film-makers were expressly forbidden to make films about by terms of the treaty signed with the Americans at the end of the war) (it is certainly not overly anti-American, I'd suggest), and Godzilla began his career as a dire warning about the threat of science gone awry. This lasted for a while, but audiences reacted well to the big galoot, and it was in the sixties that Godzilla became the protector of first Japan, and then the world from a host of threats such as King Kong ( a dire film, I'd agree, but noteworthy for the interesting piece of trivia that the fight scene between G. and Kong was ripped, almost shot for shot, by the animation crew who made the fight scene between Robocop and ED 209). By the time of the *appalling* but strangely iressistable 'Smog Monster', Big G. had become an early warrior in the Eco war. By the mid-70's, Big G. had become a warrior for children, a move that was pretty disasterous but made in answer to the soaring popularity of Daiho's rival kaiju, the jet-powered, sabre-toothed super-turtle Gamera, who had been marketed specifically at children. It was a losing battle, and by the time the series came to an end in 1975 with Terror of MechaGodzilla, the kaiju era was at an end.

Godzilla Returns, in 1985, by setting the clock back, disregarding all movies except the original, was a deliberate attempt to put the question of science amuck back on the agenda. It was pretty sucessful, and that theme, plus the battle to save the planet, remained the themes of the movies right up to Godzilla vs. Destroyah! in 1995. By that time, however, the deal with Columbia'Tri-Star had been made, and the Big. G. had to die. Though the kaiju dream was kept alive by Daiho with a newly rejuvenated Gamera, Guardian of the Universe and Toho who launched a succesful series of Mothra movies in the 90's. The influence of kaiju is felt everywhere these days, with even Shinya Tsakamoto's hyper-violent cyber-horror 'Tetsuo' being billed as Kaiju Theatre.

As far as the filmography goes, I think it ought to list the Japanese titles first, followed by the US/International titles, eg;
Godzilla aka Godzilla, King of the Monsters 1955.
(Of course, any *proper filmography ought to include the names of all the otherr kaiju in each film. For some reason, destroy all monsters always gets a really big section in Godzilla Filmography's )

I'm sorry if I've banged on, but like you I the Big G and all his fuzzy, flying and slithery friends, and had been thinking about a piece for some time myself.

Like I say, it's a great start, but I think you may need to think about the stylistic content a little before it's edited guide standard. I'm sure there are others who arte better qualified to point those type of things out, as my own entries tend to be a bit on the edge for guide style sometimes .

(Btw, if you've not seen it, I'm told Godzilla 2K is a bit pants. Better by far to get hold of the 90's re-incarnation of Mothra. )

I've just been and had a squint at your u-space, and see your a newbie! Welcome aboard, and congratulations for being so quick off the mark into peer review. Takes a lot of courage before people post in here.

I *really* hope I haven't put you off wanting to do more!

Blimey BS, you know your stuff

It's hard to know what to add... leastways about the details of the subject. On the matter of the entry itself, it would be good to check on any copyright problems which might arise between Scrapie and the BBC - see <./>HouseRules-Copyright</.> for details.

You'll also need to remove the references about this being a piece you wrote for Scrapie, as first person references should be avoided in edited entries. Simply posting the piece itself is sufficient, with a few tweaks which will no doubt be suggested here in Peer Review

You could also try experimenting with GuideML, which will give you the wherewithall to make the entry look even better by using headers, subheaders, lists, italics, etc. This is where to go to find out more <./>GuideML-Clinic</.>. You can change the style of the entry from plain text to GuideML by clicking the box which says 'GuideML' and then the button marked 'Change Style' which you will find just under the text box where you wrote your entry. It might be a good idea to copy your current entry into Notepad or some other text editor just in case it all goes horribly wrong at first attempt

Just been flicking through my copy of 'Japan's Favourite Mon-Star', and it seems that the 'atrocious' 'Godzilla vs King Kong' is yet another movie butchered by American licensees.

The origial Japanese version, if you can find it, is apparently quite good and has some of Tsuburaya's best ever work in!

Bloody Hell!

This is something of a major undertaking isn't it?!

Will take your comments on board gratefully (and I'll have a look at this GuideML too). It may take a while as I have recently moved and only have internet access at work at present.

It's nice to know that there are others out there who love the Big G!

Just a quick thought...

Ebirah: Horror of the Deep is loved by fans?! Really!?

The version that I've seen (which, admittedly, is the one broadcast years ago on terrestrial TV) must have been altered tremendously then! It was appalling! Only beaten by the likes of Son of... and ...vs. Megalon in the travesty stakes.

Having said that... they're all good fun. Which is kind of the point really, isn't it?

I like Ebirah. Taken on it's own merits it has a funky feel to it that none of the others do.

Probably the last of the truly good Godzilla movies before they trailed off in the seventies. But then I like Mothra and Astro-Monsters, so what do I know. The re-make of Mothra is a fabulous movie, I think, the best of the 'new' movies that I have seen, certainly.

It occurs to me that if you want we could pool our resources and collaborate on this green puppy, if you like. Equally you could tell me to get knotted.

It might be a good idea to take this out of Peer Review if you do decide to do extra work on this, that way you can work on it in peace.

Æsahættr, please just make the changes suggested and pretty it up with GuideML. Then repost it in PR. Thank you.

Dr Trout

The author appears to have (temporarily, we hope) de-camped, Dr.

He's not posted anything since the last posting here, if you check his space.
I have a nasty feeling that this may be a case of waiting until this goes in the flea market.

If this does disappear into flea market, there's a pair of hands (tho' not necessarily safe ) waiting here to give it the brush up treatment and whack it back into PR.

Though I really hope that that won't be necessary and that the author will return here.

Predatory instinct, I venture.

It seems to be nowhere.

I think there was a trainee editor on on Monday. I had a front-page entry with no congratulatory felicitations from Mark Moxon.

Trout

That, and the fact that I think the star of the most movies of any single cinema character deserves a guide entry.

Well it's out of PR it seems.

Really? That's early, or I wonder if the author pulled it himself?

I shall have to look into it further.

BTW, Mark's left, packing his troubles in a kitbag all round Africa. I don't know what the policy is now for e-mails about front page entries.

I had a front pager on Tuesday which scored an e-mail from Mark. Maybe he's hacking in from an internet-cafe in Timbuktou?

I doubt it, somehow. I know he has posted once or twice since he left.

I expect it's probably an automated system-and like all such things is prone to error.