Is Godzilla 1954 a propaganda film?

[gzilla46]

When I first found out a long time ago that Godzilla is supposed to be encouraging people to stop nuclear testing, does that make it a propaganda film?

I always believed a propaganda is a film that tries to encourage people to do or not do something. Like the nuclear bomb thing in Godzilla? Does this make it a propaganda film?

Other examples of this include:

A Donald Duck cartoon where Donald was a Nazi. I think it was encouraging people to oppose Nazi Germany.


There was a Titanic movie before James Cameron's made by Germans in an attempt to discredit British and American captialist dealings and make Germans look like the hero.

[Smuggers]

.......

[gzilla46]

It is a work of social activism, not a propaganda film. It is clearly critical of the United States, but without overstepping the boundary of valid observations and criticism (especially in light of the Lucky Dragon 5 incident). If Honda had pushed the image of Japan as an innocent whipping boy in WWII, and the Americans as heartless monsters, then we would be talking propaganda. However, Godzilla steers clear of the morality of war discussion, and focuses its energy on the issue of continuing nuclear development and testing in the postwar era. There is imagery designed to evoke the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but rather than functioning as a "Remember the Maine!" sort of rallying cry, this imagery seems specifically to say: "This is what happened before, does anyone really want to let it it happen again?"

OOoh. Now, I get it.

You know, I think they got rid of that in the Raymond Burr cut because then if it was still there, it'd probably make Americans feel guilty about the bomb. I bet they felt bad for Japan for what they did as the years went on.

[gzilla46]

Compare that to the despicable change of the Soviet captain from noble soldier to psychotic villain in Godzilla 1985, and it's even more impressive at how the original was respectfully handled in 1956.

I forgot about that. It's been a long time since I saw that. First Godzilla movie I ever saw. Godzilla 1985.

If anything needs to be re-released in 3D, it should be Godzilla 1956 or Godzilla 1985.

[gzilla46]

I'd kill to see Godzilla '84 (either version) on the big screen. It was my first Godzilla film as well.

I've seen the original three times in the theatre. The Japanese cut twice, and the Burr version once.

I've seen none in the theatre. If either movie got put back in 3D, it'd be interesting. With the revived interest in Godzilla these days, it's the appropriate time.

[gzilla46]

Why 3D??

Godzilla 2014 is going to be in 3D. What's to stop them from putting G 1985 or 1954 back in theaters in 3D, too?

[gzilla46]

In the unlikely event that they did re-release one of them, I'd rather it went out in its original form. 3D post conversions never look that great, and the system compromises the quality of the original footage. Dim and murky.

But, it's still true their doing the 2014 movie in 3D. I just don't know if it'll be filmed that way or post-converted.

[Smuggers]

Nobody said it wasn't true.

[eabaker]

The original would look absolutely awful in 3D. I can, however, imagine some of the cityscapes in G85 looking alright in 3D - if it were a really painstaking conversion.

It'd still be pretty pointless, though.

[GodzillaSpawn]

EDIT: Clarified my ideas a bit.

It is a work of social activism, not a propaganda film. It is clearly critical of the United States weapon program, but without overstepping the boundary of valid observations and criticism (especially in light of the Lucky Dragon 5 incident). If Honda had, for example, pushed an image of Japan as an innocent whipping boy in WWII, and the Americans as heartless monsters, I would call that propaganda. If he depicted the U.S. laughing with glee as Godzilla devastated Tokyo, or even subtly expressing indifference and announcing that testing would continue without thought of the consequences, then it would be propaganda.

However, Godzilla steers clear of these moral caricatures, and focuses its energy on the issue of continuing nuclear development and testing in the postwar era in general. There is imagery designed to evoke the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but rather than functioning as a "Remember the Maine!" sort of rallying cry, this imagery seems specifically to say: "This is what happened before, does anyone really want to let it it happen again?" Furthermore, while the U.S. was obviously the main inspiration, the message was not targeted on us like a laser. Godzilla's anti-war message was sent out to the world at large, and it would be selling the creators short if we ignored its global significance.

This is perfectly said. One of the best posts I've seen on here.

I like this thread. Although I have nothing more to add due to Cimmerian Dragon's excellent response, this thread really can generate food for thought compared to so many of the other silly threads.

[eabaker]

EDIT: Clarified my ideas a bit.

It is a work of social activism, not a propaganda film. It is clearly critical of the United States weapon program, but without overstepping the boundary of valid observations and criticism (especially in light of the Lucky Dragon 5 incident). If Honda had, for example, pushed an image of Japan as an innocent whipping boy in WWII, and the Americans as heartless monsters, I would call that propaganda. If he depicted the U.S. laughing with glee as Godzilla devastated Tokyo, or even subtly expressing indifference and announcing that testing would continue without thought of the consequences, then it would be propaganda.

However, Godzilla steers clear of these moral caricatures, and focuses its energy on the issue of continuing nuclear development and testing in the postwar era in general. There is imagery designed to evoke the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but rather than functioning as a "Remember the Maine!" sort of rallying cry, this imagery seems specifically to say: "This is what happened before, does anyone really want to let it it happen again?" Furthermore, while the U.S. was obviously the main inspiration, the message was not targeted on us like a laser. Godzilla's anti-war message was sent out to the world at large, and it would be selling the creators short if we ignored its global significance.

This is perfectly said. One of the best posts I've seen on here.

I like this thread. Although I have nothing more to add due to Cimmerian Dragon's excellent response, this thread really can generate food for thought compared to so many of the other silly threads.

CD did too good a job answering; all that's left for the rest of us is a bizarre tangent.

[GodzillaSpawn]

Yeah, really. He left us without a purpose in this thread.

But I'm happy he said it, because he worded it way better than I would have.

[tymon]

EDIT: Clarified my ideas a bit.

It is a work of social activism, not a propaganda film. It is clearly critical of the United States weapon program, but without overstepping the boundary of valid observations and criticism (especially in light of the Lucky Dragon 5 incident). If Honda had, for example, pushed an image of Japan as an innocent whipping boy in WWII, and the Americans as heartless monsters, I would call that propaganda. If he depicted the U.S. laughing with glee as Godzilla devastated Tokyo, or even subtly expressing indifference and announcing that testing would continue without thought of the consequences, then it would be propaganda.

However, Godzilla steers clear of these moral caricatures, and focuses its energy on the issue of continuing nuclear development and testing in the postwar era in general. There is imagery designed to evoke the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but rather than functioning as a "Remember the Maine!" sort of rallying cry, this imagery seems specifically to say: "This is what happened before, does anyone really want to let it it happen again?" Furthermore, while the U.S. was obviously the main inspiration, the message was not targeted on us like a laser. Godzilla's anti-war message was sent out to the world at large, and it would be selling the creators short if we ignored its global significance.

This is perfectly said. One of the best posts I've seen on here.

I like this thread. Although I have nothing more to add due to Cimmerian Dragon's excellent response, this thread really can generate food for thought compared to so many of the other silly threads.

CD did too good a job answering; all that's left for the rest of us is a bizarre tangent.

This is what usually happens.

[Laserface121]

No. No it's not. It's a cautionary tale about the horrors of nuclear war.