Godzilla.

This week we will be using autoenthnography in response to my first viewing  of the1954 Japanese movie “Gorjia”.

Having never seen the classic black and white film that went on to model Japanese cinema, I went in with an average knowledge of what and who Godzilla (as I knew him) was.

The movie was so much different than what I was expecting, especially having seen the modern day remakes, the cinematography and use of camera angles did so much more for the terrifying atmosphere of the revealing of the sea beast than the newest CGI creations. Like the hit movie ‘Jaw’s’ it was the director being forced to be creative with using a monster that was not easy to film, so the directors used that. With lighting and sound the terrified faces of the cowering Japanese citizens was easier to relate to than a reused ‘Jurassic Park’ CGI skin.

The thing about Godzilla that stood out to me the most was the design of Godzilla, the gamer inside of me saw the image and immediately saw a connection to a modern media. In Fallout New Vegas there is a town known as Novac where a large statue of Godzilla stands, with a store inside the statue that sells smaller statues. Of course the statue is not of Godzilla, but of an American edition that existed in the universe.

The small statue of Godzilla was something I held onto with my character throughout the remained of the game, it was a symbol of my own journey to me. This influenced my watching of the movie. I was unable to see Godzilla as a fearsome monster, to me it was a toy statuette in a toy city.