Godzilla - Criterion Collection Blu-Ray

Godzilla (a.k.a. Gojira) is the grandfather of all monster movies. It is also a remarkably human and melancholic drama, filmed in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from a nuclear attack and H-bomb tests in the Pacific. The raging radioactive beast, which poignantly embodies the fear of an entire population, became a beloved international icon of understanding and spawned more than thirty sequels. An exciting, tactile spectacle that continues to be a cult phenomenon, the original Japanese version from 1954 is presented here, along with Godzilla, King of the Monsters, the "Americanized" version from 1956.

BONUS MATERIAL IN BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION

High-resolution digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural audio track

High-resolution digital restoration of Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Terry Morse's reworking of the 1956 original, with uncompressed mono audio track

Audio commentary for both films by film historian David Kalat

Interviews with actors Akira Takarada and Haruo Nakajima, as well as special effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai

Interview with Akira Ifukube, the legendary composer of Godzilla's film music

Bonus material describing Godzilla's photographic effects, introduced by special effects director Koichi Kawakita and special effects photographer Motoyoshi Tomioka

Interview with Japanese film critic Tadao Sato

The Unluckiest Dragon, an illustrated audio essay with historian Greg Pflugfelder describing the tragic fate of the fishing vessel Daigo Fukuryu Maru, a real event that inspired Godzilla

Trailers

PLUS: An essay by critic J. Hoberman

Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz