Re: Gojira on DVD

Here's more details on the DVD special features and specs

The set includes a pair of single-sided DVDs; one focusing on the original Japanese version of Gojira (1954), the other the American edit, Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956). The 2-disc set goes on sale September 5th and has a suggested retail price of $21.98.

Gojira is over 50 years old, and a half century of wear and tear has left some dirt, marks, and scratches on the film. To present the film in the highest possible quality, Classic Media’s DVD features a Native High Definition master from a brand-new 35mm Fine Grain Print struck by Toho. The print was transferred to HD on the state-of-the-art, full resolution, Dual Link Da Vinci Color Correct System. The end result will be the best DVD presentation of the film to date.

Gojira is uncut, and has a running time of approximately 95:59. The film is in black and white, and presented in the proper Academy aspect ratio (approx. 1.33:1). Anyone hoping for a widescreen release should understand that the movie was not filmed nor originally shown in Cinemascope, so the top and bottom of the image would have to be cropped to make a “faux letterbox” picture (which would be utterly pointless).

The film was not recorded in stereo so Classic Media’s DVD features the original Japanese language track in mono mix audio. The English subtitles were newly translated for this disc by JAMPS, Inc. (Japan Media Productions Support, Inc.). JAMPS is a producer of television shows, corporate videos, and translated and subtitled Japanese television programs and movies, with an international client list that includes the NHK television network, TV Asahi, Capcom, Tokyo Broadcasting System, and Nintendo USA. The subtitles are paced to fit the spoken dialogue, and presented in yellow to stand out against the black and white picture.

The extra materials include a feature length audio commentary by Steve Ryfle (author of the book Japan’s Favorite Mon-Star) and Ed Godziszewski (editor and publisher of Japanese Giants magazine). The Gojira commentary covers the historical background of the film, how it was made, and comments on the plot, scenes, direction, writing, and themes of the movie.

Additional features include the original theatrical trailer and a pair of featurettes covering specific aspects of the making of Gojira. “Godzilla: Story Development” (running time: 12:41) and “Making of the Godzilla Suit” (running time: 12:51) were written and narrated by Ed Godziszewski and edited by Bill Gudmundson. Both were newly produced for this DVD and were not (as was erroneously reported elsewhere) lifted from the British Film Institute’s recent Godzilla DVD.

The second disc features Godzilla, King of the Monsters, the Americanized version of Gojira starring Raymond Burr as a reporter who witnesses Godzilla’s attack on Tokyo. The film is in black and white, and presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio. One nice addition is that Classic Media’s Godzilla, King of the Monsters includes the long-unseen original end credits, which were cut from every previous home video release. The running time for the film is approximately 81 minutes. The English audio is presented in a mono mix.

Godzilla, King of the Monsters also includes a feature length audio commentary by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski. This is not a repeat of the Gojira commentary, but a completely different audio track that notes the differences between the two versions and discusses how Gojira first came to America and was altered into Godzilla, King of the Monsters. The commentary goes into detail about the people responsible for introducing Godzilla to the US, the production of the American version, and changes made to the original film in order to increase its appeal to general audiences a decade after World War II. The commentary also features a new 10-minute long interview with Terry Morse Jr. (an editor on Godzilla, King of the Monsters and the son of the film’s American director) and interview excerpts from the late Edmund Goldman (the man who first bought US rights to Gojira from Toho) and Paul Schreibman, who were producers of the American version.

Rounding out the extras are an extremely rare 1956 Godzilla, King of the Monsters theatrical trailer (NOT the standard trailer that can be found on numerous public domain collections) and a 16 page booklet which includes photos and additional info on the making of Gojira and its transformation into Godzilla, King of the Monsters.