Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Toho Company Ltd via Wikimedia Commons

Opinion The King of Monsters, America, and the legacy of the bomb – will Godzilla be done justice?

Director Gareth Edwards must balance the demands of a big budget blockbuster with the historical and cultural importance of Godzilla. Not a simple task, as previous versions have shown.

GODZILLA OPENS AROUND the world on the week of 14 May. With synchronised international release and a diverse cast from around the globe, it seems like Godzilla is making a conscious effort to court the ever-expanding international box office.

At the same time, there is something just a little uncomfortable about the way that Western cinema has struggled with Gojira, the iconic lumbering Japanese movie monster. Like Anguirus (or even King Kong), there’s a sense of clumsiness to way that American studios have grappled with the King of the Monsters.

Try though we might, it’s hard to forget the cinematic misfire that was Roland Emmerich’s 1998 adaptation of the source material – with much of the audience undoubtedly wishing that Ferris Bueller had taken that particular day off. However, that wasn’t the only time that Godzilla has been defeated by American studios.

There’s a palpable discomfort in how American studios approach Godzilla, and it’s entirely understandable. Much like American science-fiction and horror in the fifties, a great deal of Japan’s post-War culture was overshadowed by the splitting of the atom. However, given that the atomic bomb was dropped on two Japanese cities, the Japanese perspective was rather distinct from that of American pop culture.

The legacy of the bomb

In his wonderfully titled paper Godzilla and the Japanese Nightmare: When Them! is US, Chon Noriega argued that the Japanese perspective on Godzilla must – by its nature – be distinct from the way that America approaches the legacy of the bomb. (He contends that the sympathy for Godzilla in the Japanese films is distinct from the unequivocal horror of atomic monstrosities in contemporary American cinema.)

Godzilla was a monster awakened by the horrors of nuclear war – an atomic-era monster rampaging across the countryside. Gojira was originally released less than a decade after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and it’s hard not to to see that destruction mirrored in the long shots of Godzilla-ravaged Tokyo.

This is, of course, an incredibly simplistic analysis of the creature. Writing in the New York Times in 2004, Terrance Rafferty pondered whether Godzilla was “on some subterranean level a metaphor for Japan’s former imperial ambitions, which finally unleashed the retaliatory fury that levelled its cities?”

How can an American production company hope to handle that sort of subtext? In many cases, the adaptations of Godzilla into American media have seemed heavy-handedly political. Outside of the famous urban myth about the alternate ending to King Kong vs Godzilla, there’s also the controversy surrounding the 1956 American cut of Gojira.

In that version of the movie, Raymund Burr played an American journalist – undoubtedly to provide American audiences with a lead to whom they could relate. However, the movie’s political commentary was all but removed from the film. Peace songs were excised in their entirety, and much discussion about the atomic bomb was trimmed.

The American use of nuclear weapons was a highly controversial topic

This sort of anxiety was obvious even in Roland Emmerich’s 1998 American adaptation of Godzilla. Produced around the 50th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in a context where the American use of nuclear weapons was a highly controversial topic – consider the uproar around a proposed exhibit in the Smithsonian in 1995.

As such, the Godzilla of the 1998 film was awoken by French nuclear testing, as a way of exculpating America. Indeed, Matthew Broderick played a representative of the American Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a body dedicated to preventing nuclear disasters. The result was a horrible tone-deaf blockbuster, one drawing from source material it barely seemed to understand.

Of course, Godzilla is only one cultural icon to suffer through translation – once piece of international pop culture filtered through an American lens such that any unique flavour is lost or distorted. Hollywood has a long history of drawing on the traditions and beliefs of other cultures in order to produce blockbusters, with much of the original material damaged in attempts to appeal to American audiences.

M. Night Shyamalan’s Avatar: The Last Airbender comes to mind – a film that courted significant controversy due to the decision to feature a predominantly white cast. While white actors rounded out the cast, it was unfortunate that the most significant Asian actor in the film was Dev Patal as the movie’s bad guy.

Recently, director Jaume Collet-Serra discussed his forthcoming live action adaptation of the classic Japanese anime Akira. He certainly didn’t endear himself to fans of the source material when he insisted that all the characters were boring, stating: “That’s part of the Japanese culture, they never have strong characters.” The irony of this statement coming from the director of Non-Stop and Unknown was seemingly lost on him.

Are white audiences unable to empathise with non-white protagonists?

One wonders whether the live action Akira adaptation would cast Asian actors in the lead role. The leaking of an all-Caucasian casting shortlist for the remake generated considerable controversy. However, it is far from unusual for American movie studios to focus on white characters.

21, a movie based around the infamous true story of a bunch of card-counting MIT students, famously changed the race of its two lead characters. In real life, all the students involved were Asian – in the feature film, Asian actors were relegated to supporting roles in the ensemble. More recently, Keanu Reeves’ 47 Ronin adapted a classic Japanese myth with a white man in the lead role.

There’s an uncomfortable sense that white audiences are unable to empathise with protagonists of a different racial or ethnic background. It is interesting that the last big budget superhero film focused on a non-white protagonist was Catwoman, a decade ago. Although it has been suggested that Luke Cage may get his own Netflix television show, every single costumed member of The Avengers was white.

The Impossible explored the after-effects of the Asian tsunami through the eyes of a family on vacation. Never mind the people actually living in the wake of the disaster. In a delightful bit of irony, the Spanish family whose story inspired The Impossible were apparently still considered too diverse for audiences; the film portrayed a British family headed by Ewan McGregor and an Oscar-nominated Naomi Watts.

Successful cultural appropriation

To be fair, there is a long history of successful and thoughtful cultural appropriation. After all, Japan’s cinema had a significant impact on the development of the Western. The Magnificent Seven and A Fist Full of Dollars are both successful adaptations of Japanese films, films that are shrewdly aware of the cultural differences between Japan and America.

In fact, it works both ways. Ken Watanabe, who is playing the significant role of Ichiro Serizawa in Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla, recently starred in a Japanese adaptation of Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven. Recasting the story of a retired cowboy as a samurai story, it is a very thoughtful adaptation which brings one of the most fruitful and considerate connections between Japanese and American cinema around a full circle.

Only time can tell whether Gareth Edwards will be able to balance the demands of a big budget studio blockbuster with the historical and cultural importance of Godzilla. Maybe he can break the pattern.

Darren Mooney has a movie blog, them0vieblog.com . You can get in touch with Darren here. To read more articles by Darren for TheJournal.ie click here.

News: This gorgeous film will move you to help abandoned children

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
27 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dylan Drein
    Favourite Dylan Drein
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 7:23 PM

    “It is interesting that the last big budget superhero film focused on a non-white protagonist was Catwoman, a decade ago.”

    Hancock in 2008 starring Will Smith?

    60
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David Jordan
    Favourite David Jordan
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 7:42 PM

    Good point but to be fair to the writer, Hancock was a pastiche of the genre rather then a straight example and it does invoke that joke about every leading man in Hollywood being either white or Will Smith.

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Eric Lensherr
    Favourite Eric Lensherr
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 9:27 PM

    Blade Trinity was 2004 also. Worst of the 3, but about four thousand times better than the catwoman abomination.

    17
    See 4 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ciarán Masterson
    Favourite Ciarán Masterson
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 9:43 PM

    @Dylan Drein

    The statement about Catwoman that you quoted is correct – she was played by Halle Berry.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ciarán Masterson
    Favourite Ciarán Masterson
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 9:45 PM

    @Dylan Drein

    Furthermore, “Hancock” was a comedy, not a serious superhero film.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dylan Drein
    Favourite Dylan Drein
    Report
    May 4th 2014, 12:55 AM

    I know the statement was correct in that Catwoman in 2004 was played by a non-white actress, but I was questioning whether the statement that its the most recent superhero film with a non-white actor is correct. I guess whether you include Hancock depends on what you consider a superhero movie, I would include it based on the fact that he is a superhero, perhaps just not the steroid-headed, cape wearing, square jawed sort that we’re used to. It’s also interesting how other superhero movies such as Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and the earlier Tim Burton Batman movies (just four examples) are all considered superhero movies, even though they use comedy for large parts of the storyline, but Hancock doesn’t count as one. The last 2 paragraphs of this piece may be more true than you’d think. White superheroes can be funny and relatable, all the while maintaining their ‘super’ status. Black superheroes who do the exact same thing evidently aren’t “serious” superheroes.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Darren Mooney
    Favourite Darren Mooney
    Report
    May 4th 2014, 1:23 AM

    Fair point.

    Hancock slipped through because he was an original creation and – as pointed out above – a parody and pastiche of (and subversive take on) the genre rather than a straight-up example of it. But you are correct, I should be more precise in my wording.

    “Adaptation” rather than “film”, perhaps?

    Although @Eric Lensherr above is also correct, Blade III was actually released a few months later than Catwoman.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute L-Plate
    Favourite L-Plate
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 7:10 PM

    Broombridge train station is full of knackers

    31
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave O'Hanlon
    Favourite Dave O'Hanlon
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 9:37 PM

    How dare you say that about Broombridge!, its not a station its just a train stop.

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Graham Dunne
    Favourite Graham Dunne
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 7:46 PM

    “More recently, Keanu Reeves’ 47 Ronin adapted a classic Japanese myth with a white man in the lead role.”

    Keanu Reeves is not white, though. He is part Chinese and part Pacific Islander, which makes him perfect to play the part of a half British, half Japanese character in 47 Ronin.

    27
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jean Paul Valley
    Favourite Jean Paul Valley
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 8:33 PM

    Surely someone who is half British/half Japanese would be perfect in that case?

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Darren Mooney
    Favourite Darren Mooney
    Report
    May 4th 2014, 1:33 AM

    If I am not mistaken, Keanu Reeves’ is 1/64 Chinese; his mother is English and his father is of English, Native Hawaiian, Portuguese, Scottish, 1/32 Chinese, and remote Dutch, French, and Italian, ancestry. There is no Japanese in there of which I am aware.

    I don’t have the exact genealogy here, but it does not change the fact that the story was changed in order to include a character played a “whiter” actor than the lead character featured in the original story.

    1
    See 2 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Lee Crawford McElroy
    Favourite Lee Crawford McElroy
    Report
    May 4th 2014, 2:49 AM

    He is 1/4 Chinese, 1/4 Hawaiian and half English.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Darren Mooney
    Favourite Darren Mooney
    Report
    May 4th 2014, 3:03 AM

    Cheers, Lee – thanks for that.

    Having done a bit of digging, accounts of Reeves’ ethnicity varies from site to site, so I’m willing to take your word on that. (It is worth noting that he has self-identified as “a middle-class white boy” – source, among others: http://www.whoaisnotme.net/others/2007_1115_que.pdf)

    The point remains, though. Adapting a classic Japanese folk tale for the big screen, the story was changed in order to justify not casting a Japanese lead actor.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Thrillhouse
    Favourite Thrillhouse
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 9:20 PM

    Interesting article. More of this please journal! The original 1950′s Godzilla is a fantastic movie with a very strong anti-nuclear message.

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute L-Plate
    Favourite L-Plate
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 7:12 PM

    Broombridge train station is full of Godzilla knackers

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute L-Plate
    Favourite L-Plate
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 7:15 PM

    Broombridge train station is full of Godzilla-like ruffians

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute L-Plate
    Favourite L-Plate
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 7:15 PM

    Post

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute L-Plate
    Favourite L-Plate
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 7:15 PM

    Man

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute L-Plate
    Favourite L-Plate
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 7:15 PM

    Pat

    9
    See 4 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute James Murphy
    Favourite James Murphy
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 7:44 PM

    had

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute gary
    Favourite gary
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 8:11 PM

    C-c-c-combo breaker!!!

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute L-Plate
    Favourite L-Plate
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 8:24 PM

    Up

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Patrick O'Rourke
    Favourite Patrick O'Rourke
    Report
    May 4th 2014, 8:49 AM

    When are they making a postman pat movie and will Hollywood be able to capture it’s essence and pay fidelity to it. How will they cast the b&w cat. Maybe Hallie Berry again?

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Davin Lynch
    Favourite Davin Lynch
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 11:40 PM

    Have my IMAX tickets booked already, grew up watching the classics,love a Godzilla film,except that crap from 2000 or whenever,gojira just wants to eat and have babies….will ya ffff off.

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Shanti
    Favourite Shanti
    Report
    May 3rd 2014, 11:07 PM

    The trouble with remakes is – the reason the original stands out so much is because the story was good to start with. As soon as you start tinkering with the main story – you are likely doomed to failure.

    If they thought the movie was good enough or loved enough that it warranted a big budget remake – then the story was just fine. Preserve it and make it look better, update the time period if you must – but keep that which made the movie worth seeing to begin with.

    Remakes are becoming ever more common, some movies are getting remade far too often (how many Spider-Man’s are there? Superman movies, Batman movies? And they’re remaking them again!), there comes a time when enough is enough and it’s time some new ideas got a look in.

    I can’t believe they’re going to try and do a live action Akira.. That just makes me feel sad, after the absolute mess that was made of The Ring, The Grudge and Dark Water..

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Aus Tereo
    Favourite Aus Tereo
    Report
    May 4th 2014, 8:00 AM

    Hollywood makes films it thinks will make money. Regardless of quality, realism, racial equality etc. Always been that way.

    4
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.