Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A Non-review by Professor Popinjay

If you read the list in the previous article you may wonder why it starts not with a Godzilla film but with King Kong. This is with good reason. King Kong was a marvel for its time; a pioneer in many ways. It brought effects films into the public eye and even spawned a rapidly produced sequel film which was a new idea in 1933. The giant ape was an immediate cultural phenomenon, a ray of sunshine piercing the dark clouds of the Depression and it easily transferred to the global audience.

Monster films would become all the rage over the next few years, some decent enough, others not so much; all coming in on the coattails of King Kong and many slapped together to cash in on his fame. 

Unfortunately the monster known as World War II would take center stage in 1939 and would culminate in the use of two of the most terrible weapons ever to be invented by man. We created a monster beyond our control (or perhaps too much within our irresponsible control) and the devastation it wreaked on human life was catastrophic. The atomic bombs leveled entire cities and would ultimately take the lives of an estimated 215,000 people. History books will always mark one group as victors and another as defeated, but in truth, it was the human race who lost.

It is in the aftermath of this world that a Japanese filmmaker by the name of Tomoyuki Tanaka would create a new monster who would embody the anxiety created by war and its weapons of mass destruction. Godzilla would not simply be another soulless spectacle to amuse audiences and make a quick buck. To quote Tanaka himself, He would be “nature’s retaliation against humanity.”

The first Godzilla film would hit the screens in 1954. If you were to remove Godzilla from this film it would play out like a very serious wartime drama. The devastation and sadness is felt. While King Kong’s destructive path was caused by his own panic at being taken from his home, only to be quelled by beauty, Godzilla was a destructive force of nature and would only be quelled by leveling the playing field… literally.

This Godzilla would eventually be stopped of course. But humanity would learn some powerful lessons in the process. The weapon powerful enough to stop Godzilla, its creator would never create again, its secrets he would take to his grave.

The first Godzilla film would bring in $2.25 million. Adjusted for inflation this would equate to almost 27 million dollars in 2025. As sequels were now a fairly common thing, this kind of success would surely demand one.

The Showa Era had begun.