Godzilla



The complete, uncut, original Japanese Godzilla (Gojira) was released in UK cinemas for the first time in October 2005 by BFI Distribution. Now this legendary film - one of the great classics of cinema from noted special effects director Ishiro Honda, a friend and collaborator of Akira Kurosawa - is released for the first time in the UK on DVD by BFI Video.

Made in 1954, Godzilla was Japan's first foray into the big budget feature, costing ten times as much as the average Japanese movie and twice as much as the same studio's Seven Samurai which was released the same year.

Takashi Shimura stars as the revered paleontologist who uncovers the horrible secret at the heart of the monster (Godzilla is a long dormant Jurassic beast awoken by the atom bomb). The original Godzilla is a fierce indictment of the atomic age. Sold to an American distributor, the film was cut, dubbed into English, re-titled Godzilla: King of the Monsters! and new scenes were added starring Raymond Burr as an American reporter observing the monster's rampage from the sidelines. All trace of the anti-nuclear message was excised in the American version.

An enormous hit for the Toho film studio, the original film created a legendary monster that would enter the lexicon of popular culture worldwide, spawning more than twenty sequels over fifty years, countless rip-offs, and a new genre: the kaiju eiga or Japanese monster movie. Still rated amongst the top twenty Japanese movies of all time, the original Godzilla is perhaps the definitive monster movie - both a bold metaphor for the atomic age and a thrilling tour de force of pioneering special effects.

Extras:

- Full voiceover commentary by three Godzilla experts
- The Japanese Fishermen (1954)- short documentary on the incident that inspired the story of the film
- 'Designing Godzilla' featurette
- 'Story Evolution' featurette
- Original Japanese trailer
- US trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters!
- Gallery of posters, storyboards and original artwork
- Illustrated booklet including notes by author and Asian specialist Ian Buruma


The Mysterians



The Mysterians (Chikyu Boeigun), Ishiro Honda's classic of 50s Japanese sci-fi, filmed in glorious colour Tohoscope is released on DVD by BFI Video alongside his legendary Godzilla (1954).

Like Godzilla, The Mysterians also explores the dangers of the atomic bomb combined with the kaiju eiga (Japanese giant monster movie) sub-genre, but for the first time in Japanese culture it introduced a new concept - alien invasions.

After an unexplained landslide destroys a village near Mount Fuji, investigating scientists find traces of radioactivity and rivers full of dead fish. Soon they find themselves pursued by Mogera, a massive robot who shoots death rays from its eyes and sets to destroy everything in its path.

The robot is being remotely controlled by the alien Mysterians, survivors of a planet destroyed by nuclear war, who have landed on Earth in order to rebuild their scientifically advanced but dwindling population. When a group of Earth scientists accept an invitation to meet with the Mysterians inside their dome-like ship, they soon discover that the aliens' intentions are far from benign.

The Mysterians was the first colour Japanese science fiction film to be shot in widescreen. The creative team responsible for Godzilla reunited for the production and the special effects are striking. Flying saucers, zeppelin-type aircraft, ray-gun blasts, mass floods and violent explosions are fantastically executed, setting the standard for model effects and science fiction art design for years to come.

Vibrant and bursting with action, The Mysterians is an arresting vision of futuristic warfare and a cautionary tale for the atomic age. A treat not only for robot fanatics and cult sci-fi film fans, The Mysterians is one of Ishiro Honda's most celebrated and spectacular extravaganzas, not to be missed.

Extras:

- Original theatrical trailer
- Rare production designs and artwork
- Storyboards
- Posters and stills galleries
- Illustrated booklet including notes by author Kim Newman and biographies

Brilliant news! Thanks, antnield.

Godzilla
- 1.33:1
- Original Japanese mono
- Optional English subtitles
- Full voiceover commentary
- 12 Japanese Fishermen: short film
- Featurette on the Godzilla suit
- Feature on adaptation from original short story to finished film
- Original poster/stills gallery

The Mysterians
- 2.35:1 anamorphic
- Original Japanese mono
- Optional English subtitles
- Original press book
- Poster and stills gallery
- Biographies

The specs are from Play.com who are asking £14.99 each, so order through Bensons, who always have the lowest prices for BFI discs.

Godzilla will be the restored, original 98-minute version, of course. A pity that we don't also get the USA re-edit with Raymond Burr re-shoots.

I have the superb region 1 edition of The Mysterians, so I won't be double-dipping.

Here are the specs for the upcoming Godzilla disc:

The cover looks like something off an oekaki. Fitting in a way, I suppose, but still...

How would one create DVD artwork for Godzilla without it being cheezy or pretentious? It would be pretty difficult. I think that this treads that fine line between the two. I can't wait to check this disc out!

Bfi's Godzilla page

"To mark the first ever UK release of the original, uncut Godzilla (Gojira) the bfi has commissioned a limited edition run of signed and numbered prints based on the artwork used for the theatrical release poster."

What a kickass cover! And I bet it looks even better in real life.

Equally funky cover for 'The Mysterians' can be found at MovieMail...

Thanksm Kinjitsu. There's an ad in this latest Sight and Sound for ordering the prints. Godzilla is breathing fire on an electricity pylon - this was hard to make out on the gif above.

It's strange that no reviews for Godzilla have appeared, although this month's Sight and Sound, Ken Hollings remarks that the tranfer is excellent, although fails to mention the audio commentary.

DVD Times review of Godzilla.

Brilliant! Cheers, Anthony. Sounds great.

Benson's shipped mu copy yesterday, btw.

Here's DVD Beaver's review, btw. Indeed, it looks fantastic.

I'm wondering how the BFI disc of The Mysterians will compare with the Media Blasters release. Perhaps DVDBeaver could do a comparison of the image, although it looks like the BFI disc does not have the extras of the Media Blasters, with the subtitled commentary track.

Here is a review from DVDTalk of the Media Blasters release.

Does anyone else's Godzilla freeze up around 55 minutes?

Anyway, here's something I just spotted while doing a review of this disc. Raymond Burr being inserted into the Japanese version might be considered a sort of clumsy forerunner of Steve Martin in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, right? And what was Raymond Burr's character called in the international Godzilla? Steve Martin! Is that weird or is it just me drinking too much coffee?

Well, since this has gone unanswered for two and a half years, I'll assume the latter option to be true.

(I didn't dig this out, it was only a little way down the BFI page. Truly.)