Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

[mikelcho]

I just remembered that Godzilla vs. Hedorah wasn't the only anti-pollution kaiju film in 1971.

So was Daiei's Gamera vs. Zigra. and it preceded this film to the movie screens by two months. The similarities end there.

[LSD Jellyfish]

I just remembered that Godzilla vs. Hedorah wasn't the only anti-pollution kaiju film in 1971.

So was Daiei's Gamera vs. Zigra. and it preceded this film to the movie screens by two months. The similarities end there.

I don't recall it being as integral in the story but that doesn't surprise me.

1960's-to 70's were a horrible time for pollution in Japan.

[Zarm]

Zone Fighter incorporates this prominently in its Ghidorah two-parter as well; a device to clean up the air pollution and end Yokohoma Asthma is the focus that the heroes are trying to protect (even willing to sacrifice their life for it) and the evil aliens are trying to destroy.

[mikelcho]

I just remembered that Godzilla vs. Hedorah wasn't the only anti-pollution kaiju film in 1971.

So was Daiei's Gamera vs. Zigra. and it preceded this film to the movie screens by a few months. The similarities end there.

I don't recall it being as integral in the story but that doesn't surprise me.

1960's-to 70's were a horrible time for pollution in Japan.

[MaxRebo320]

No mention of Spectreman? Pollution is essentially the theme of the show!

[Xenofauna]

Inspired by this week's climate strikes as well as based on a poster I made for the climate strike I attended last Friday at the Georgia State Capitol.

[LSD Jellyfish]

Inspired by this week's climate strikes as well as based on a poster I made for the climate strike I attended last Friday at the Georgia State Capitol.

You made this? I dig it.

[Xenofauna]

Thanks! I'm going to be selling prints since I've gotten a lot of requests for that.

[Terasawa]

Very nice!

[mikelcho]

No mention of Spectreman? Pollution is essentially the theme of the show!

Didn't even think of this one, thanks.

When did this show premiere? Was it in 1971, too, or was it some other time? How long did it last and how many episodes were made? And did Toho release it, or was it another studio that did it?

[Xenofauna]

It wasn't just a Japan thing. The Lorax was not coincidentally published the very same year.

[Terasawa]

Pollution is also referenced by the aliens in Godzilla vs. Gigan and Terror of Mechagodzilla. In the former, particularly, the aliens mention having left their planet after its dominant species ruined the ecosystem through mass pollution and eventually some sort of nuclear power.

Kinda like what we’re doing with our planet. (:

[Xenofauna]

Don't forget the very intentional setting of Godzilla's Revenge, where Honda was visually criticizing the kinds of environments we were forcing our children to grow up in.

Anyway, it's almost as though we only fixed anything on a superficial level instead of addressing any real systemic issues and that capitalism run amok will be the death of us all!

I pissed off a bunch of people on the Facebook Godzilla groups with my poster because they're the sorts who demand their kaiju to be free of any politics, ignorant of the fact that A. Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster has always been wildly political and not just a simple fable about not littering and B. just because things look a little cleaner than the industrial hellscapes of the 70s doesn't mean Banno's film is any less relevant today.

ALTHOUGH, the best kaiju film about the climate crisis is Gamera 3.

[edgaguirus]

Godzilla films have been used to send several messages about society. While G vs H is strongarm with its message, others have done it in a subtle way.
It's impossible to separate film and politics or film and society as people will always use film as a platform for messages.

[LockBite]

I used to have a pretty low opinion of this one, but upon rewatching it, I learned how special it really was.

The main issue I had was the pacing of the kaiju scenes. There are moments that drag on and ON, like when Godzilla shoots at sludge in the ocean. But now I see an almost Lynchian quality in them, coupled with outstanding atmosphere that really permeates the whole film. While the music maintains a distinctly campy tone, it works against the visuals. It’s grungy. It’s nasty. And yet it can be colorful, psychedelic even. I’m not saying the film is perfect; it does have issues. But perhaps it’s underrated.

I will say, there’s something cool about being able to show Godzilla vs Hedorah to the uninitiated. Just revealing to others the fact that such a bizarre film exists. Stepping back, this actually seems like one of those outlandish scrapped concepts. Godzilla was going to fight a ghost version of himself. Godzilla was going to fight Batman. Godzilla was going to fight a living blob of sludge against a backdrop of depressing visuals and goofy music. Except it actually happened! We actually got this one. Even if you don’t really care for the movie, think of how special that is.