Text: Seapark
In March 1954 in Bikini Atoll of the Marshall Islands, the United States conducted a hydrogen bomb test. The Japanese tuna fishing boat "Fifth Fulong Maru" strayed into the test area and was exposed to radiation. All crew members were injured to varying degrees, and one of them died. This incident shocked the whole country of Japan, and the voices opposed to the US nuclear test were louder than ever. This also evoked the terrible memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the Japanese, and the fear of nuclear threats began to spread. In November of the same year, a huge monster that was mutated by the nuclear explosion came into being. The monster movie "Godzilla" shot by Toho was unexpectedly successful and created a unique feature in the history of Japanese cinema. Filming tradition...
The story of "Godzilla" comes directly from the "Fukulong Maru" tragedy, when a Japanese fishing boat sank bizarrely while fishing. A few days later, the rescued crew member described seeing a bright light and huge unknown creatures at sea. Later, Professor Yamane Kyohei (played by Shimura Joe) went to the island to investigate. Based on the evidence at the scene, it was inferred that the monster called Godzilla by the villagers was actually a dinosaur that survived 2 million years ago. Under the influence of nuclear radiation, it has become more massive and destructive. As soon as this inferred, the nation was in an uproar, and the army began planning to attack Godzilla. Professor Yamane hopes to leave it a way out for research. At this time, Godzilla landed in Tokyo and started a major destruction...
The god of Japanese special effects, Eiji Entani, is the leader of the special effects department in this film, and is also the real brain behind the film. During the filming of "Hawaii Great Battle", Tsutoya formed Toho's stunt team. In an era when special effects weren't put so much emphasis on, Tsutoya and his Toho special effects team were ridiculed at the time, thinking that the "Godzilla" they were about to create was just for children. But Yotaya didn't think so. After watching "King Kong" in the United States, he was inspired to think that special photography is the future development direction of Japanese movies.
At first, Tsutaya’s group consisted of only a few people, and everyone had to take care of the work of several people. Initially, the crew publicly solicited the appearance of Godzilla, and the manuscripts obtained were also diverse, the most exaggerated, and even designed Godzilla's head to look like a mushroom cloud. The final Godzilla shape is what we see now, similar to the Tyrannosaurus rex, except that the body is covered with barbeds. Toho executives initially thought this look was too scary, but Tsutoya still insisted that it would succeed. So far, Godzilla's appearance has not changed.
After the war, Japanese supplies were tense, but Yooya persuaded Toho to buy a large amount of rare silicone materials from the United States at high prices, and the oil was dissolved into Godzilla costumes. Its internal structure is made of bamboo, and then wrapped with cloth to shape Godzilla. The role of Godzilla is stunt actor Haruo Nakajima. At the beginning of filming, he would suggest which parts were too tight or needed to be modified, and they would immediately modify them to facilitate their performance. Haruo Nakajima is Japan’s leading stuntman. When he first got the script, the title was "Work G". Later, the title of "Godzilla" was "Gorira" (orangutan) and "Kujira" (whale) in Japanese. The combination of words. Nakajima has also forged an indissoluble bond with the "Godzilla" series, starring in 12 "Godzilla" movies. Initially, Tsutoya gave Nakajima a copy of "King Kong" for him to imitate, and gave him three months to practice, telling him "The important thing in acting a monster is not the acting, but the way you move, so that the audience feels not. There is still someone inside."
Godzilla's costume weighed 220 pounds. At first, Nakajima couldn't make the monster walk no matter how he moved inside. Even after improvements, it was more difficult to make small movements. In the costume, Nakajima tried his best, and Godzilla could only turn his head about four or five degrees. Fortunately, the neck of the costume has a ventilation hole (corresponding to the position of Nakajima's head), allowing it to breathe easily. Most of the time, it is difficult to see what is in front of Nakajima. When shooting with backlight, it is completely dark. He not only has to create the way the monster walks, but he also needs to constantly shake his hips and let his tail swing from side to side. If it doesn't work, Nakajima still needs to kick his tail with his feet. Soon Yooya pulled a wire on his tail for control. Since the studio did not have air conditioning or electric fans at the time, heat was also a problem that Nakajima had to face. I often sweat like rain without taking a few shots. Fortunately, Nakajima was born in the navy, and he often runs with heavy loads during training, which is nothing to him.
Since Godzilla only faces the camera from the front, it is more realistic, but if it is changed to another angle, it will be slightly stiff. Most of the shots in this film are shot from the front, which creates a lot of difficulty for photography. It must be designed in advance. When shooting a fire-breathing scene, lay a pipe in Godzilla's mouth in advance and ignite it. Some parts will be burned every time and must be repaired in time. On the other hand, Nakajima needs to cover the head with fireproof material. The entire crew has only one set of Godzilla costumes, and different parts are often split to shoot close-ups. After filming during the day, they must be cleaned at night. From the beginning to the finale, costumes have always been the most cherished props.
The theme music produced by Aki Ifukube was later regarded as a classic. Ifukube Akira was a researcher of military equipment during the war. After Japan was defeated, he was told that all test evidence must be destroyed, which also burned his more than ten years of hard work. Later, his physical condition also deteriorated sharply, unable to do his previous job again, so he switched to forest care. However, prices have skyrocketed and wages have been extremely low. At that time, the X-ray technology was not mature, his illness could not be diagnosed, and his life was completely hopeless. Several friends suggested that he try music. He left for Tokyo to teach at Tokyo University of the Arts, and in his spare time to score music for Toho movies. His first work is "The Top of Silver Ridge". During the filming of "Godzilla", director Honda Inoshiro gave him complete creative freedom. In Yifu's recollection, Ben Duo once asked him what soundtrack should be used for a ten-second shot, and he told him that there was no need for a soundtrack. But after the final release, he discovered that Bendo still used music. Ifo immediately looked at Bundo, and Bundo gave him an apologetic smile. It turned out that Bendo thought that although the original preliminary was not to use intensive soundtracks, after watching the film, he still felt that more music would enhance the atmosphere of horror. With music, Godzilla appears more real. The following episodes of Godzilla also used the theme music of this episode. Godzilla’s roar was made by the sound assistant Ichiro Sanwa. He went to the zoo to record at night. Together with the tremor caused by the sound of instrument simulation and the sound of some animals rubbing their feet, it was an accidental hearing that a box full of plates was collided. sound. After all the cooperation, I finally got an extremely realistic movie-watching experience.
(Originally published in "Digital Entertainment DVD Guide")
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