Ahead of the first run of the latest, Hollywood-produced version of "Godzilla" on July 25 in Japan, the digitally remastered edition of the original 1954 "Godzilla" movie has been shown at theaters across the country and broadcast on NHK-TV to mark the 60th anniversary of the birth of the monster — a pop culture icon that has inspired the production of about 30 sequels.
The original "Godzilla" movie not only still shines as great entertainment, but also carries a serious theme that remains relevant today — the horrors of nuclear weapons and related technology, which could inflict devastating damage to the Earth and human lives. It is hoped that the new Hollywood version will also rouse people's interest in the original "Godzilla" film and its message.
Written by Shigeru Kayama and directed by Ishiro Honda, the first Godzilla film took a cue from the hydrogen bomb test the United States carried out on March 1, 1954, on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the northern Pacific.