Godzilla

1954. Japan. Directed by Ishiro Honda. Screenplay by Honda, Takeo Murata, based on the short story by Shigeru Kayama. Special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. A sci-fi classic that also serves as a time capsule for 1950s nuclear anxiety, Godzilla was available in the U.S. for years in only its comically dubbed and recut version. For the film's fiftieth anniversary Rialto restored forty minutes of original footage, reestablishing the film as a dark comment on postwar Japan. In Japanese; English subtitles. 98 min.