SOMETIMES I THINK THE ENTIRE AMERICAN FILM INDUSTRY SHOULD JUST TAKE A YEAR OFF and study foreign cinema
On the surface GM1 looks like a monster disaster flick – and it is – but it is much more about humanity than monstrosity. The King Of Monsters has always been a metaphor for war, and for the atomic bomb. In this example, it is elevated to high art. It’s like a stage play set in apocalypse. Go watch it; it’s on Netflix.
In the film, we get a very personal look at the hardships of postwar Japan. Think of The Bicycle Thief, only in Japanese and with a monster. The character and story development is on a level that will seem quite unfamiliar to American moviegoers.
The main character is a Kamikaze pilot named Kōichi Shikishima, who didn’t complete his mission, and was branded a coward. On the island where he lands his plane, he becomes the only survivor of an encounter with Godzilla. With a double case of survivor’s guilt and PTSD, he returns to his destroyed Tokyo (the subject of intense firebombing) where Noriko Ōishi, a young woman taking care of a baby she rescued, latches onto him. Together they are a semi-functional family in the wreckage.
The war is over, and he takes a risky job on a boat clearing mines from the coastal waters, and they encounter Godzilla again. When Tokyo is threatened, he reprises his earlier role as Kamikaze pilot, but I won’t spoil what happens with either Noriko or the giant lizard, or the friends he has made on the mine-clearance boat.
Takashi Yamazaki made Godzilla Minus One for Fifteen. Million. Dollars. and it’s unforgettable. It is an involving story full of emotion and drama. It depends on acting, direction, and an actual story. The characters are worth caring about.
- Video essay: Why Godzilla Minus One DESTROYS modern Hollywood. (I agree with this assessment; “A film that shows Hollywood up in every single way”
- “Minus One” refers to the idea that Japan was at ‘zero’ after being defeated in WWII, then Godzilla shows up and tears them down farther.
- ‘Honest Trailers’ is always fun, and right on target, so be sure to see his trailer; Godzilla Minus One
- Other films that treat post-war Japan from the Japanese perspective include:
- This Corner Of The World – a beautifully animated story about a young woman living between traditional and ‘modern’ Japanese culture, and strangely uplifting
- Grave of The Fireflies – also beautifully animated, and brilliantly written, but if you are struggling with depression good god give it a pass
- (James Cameron spent something like a half-billion dollars making Avatar, and it was… OK, I guess. Sure, the special effects were amazing but for that price…)
georgewiman 