Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

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djkgoji
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

Post by djkgoji »

With respect to those analyzing the film in greater depth, I'd like to offer that it works first and foremost because it is one of the most bizarre, psychedelic, and unique cinematic works ever created. Though it bears all the superficial trappings of a formula '70s kaiju film, it is still so radically different than any other movie ever made that it continues to stun, mesmerize, and surprise me each and every time I watch it. And make no mistake, I've seen this movie more times than maybe any other, in any genre.

Great movies are experiences, and there is no experience on Earth quite like Godzilla Vs. Hedorah. Whatever else it may be in terms of political ideology or social commentary, it will always be a first-rate, one-of-a-kind mind trip in my eyes.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

Post by Israha »

One thing I don't get about this movie is why was Banno back then accused of "ruining the entire Godzilla series" with it, especially considering the fact skreeonking Minilla was introduced a few years prior. In my opinion, GvsHedorah is the second best Showa movie, topped only by O.G. Gojira. Very unique entry in the series, meaningful, grim, and sometimes genuinely scary, with Hedorah being the first monster since 54 Goji, who actually felt like a worldwide threat, due to him being more than a match for Godzilla.

Ghidorah was billed as a destroyer of worlds, but most of time, he was an alien puppet and a chickenshit coward, who bails out of fight after taking few hits (no mistake about it, I love Showa Ghidorah, he just never lived up to his reputation). Hedorah, on the other hand, was almost unstoppable, probably the most powerful Godzilla enemy in Showa era, a monster truly capable of destroying Earth.

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

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Israha wrote:One thing I don't get about this movie is why was Banno back then accused of "ruining the entire Godzilla series" with it, especially considering the fact skreeonking Minilla was introduced a few years prior. In my opinion, GvsHedorah is the second best Showa movie, topped only by O.G. Gojira. Very unique entry in the series, meaningful, grim, and sometimes genuinely scary, with Hedorah being the first monster since 54 Goji, who actually felt like a worldwide threat, due to him being more than a match for Godzilla.

Ghidorah was billed as a destroyer of worlds, but most of time, he was an alien puppet and a chickenshit coward, who bails out of fight after taking few hits (no mistake about it, I love Showa Ghidorah, he just never lived up to his reputation). Hedorah, on the other hand, was almost unstoppable, probably the most powerful Godzilla enemy in Showa era, a monster truly capable of destroying Earth.
It was a misinterpretation of a quote that blew out of proportion. Bano said that Tanaka only said to him that he didn't like his portrayal of Godzilla in the film. Bano even wrote a handful of treatments for the next godzilla film but was told his projects were to expensive.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

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Godzillian wrote: It was a misinterpretation of a quote that blew out of proportion. Banos said that Tanaka only said to him that he didn't like his portrayal of Godzilla in the film. Bank even wrote a handful of treatments for the next godzilla film but was told his projects were to expensive.
Well, that makes at least SOME SORT of sense. Still a shame that Banno never got to make another Godzilla movie.

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

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djkgoji wrote:With respect to those analyzing the film in greater depth, I'd like to offer that it works first and foremost because it is one of the most bizarre, psychedelic, and unique cinematic works ever created. Though it bears all the superficial trappings of a formula '70s kaiju film, it is still so radically different than any other movie ever made that it continues to stun, mesmerize, and surprise me each and every time I watch it. And make no mistake, I've seen this movie more times than maybe any other, in any genre.

Great movies are experiences, and there is no experience on Earth quite like Godzilla Vs. Hedorah. Whatever else it may be in terms of political ideology or social commentary, it will always be a first-rate, one-of-a-kind mind trip in my eyes.
Of course. Ultimately, I think a good movie works, first and foremost, as a sensory experience. But the movies that resonate with us the most are those where the elements that constitute that experience fall in line with one another, are of a piece.

In bringing up the movie's themes, its structural choices, and even my sometimes odd interpretations of what's going on in the story, my point is ultimately to make a case for why that trip is just about the best trip it could be.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

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Man, I wish I could love this movie as much as you guys do. Not being snarky, I'm serious - I respect the hell out of Banno and the risks this film takes, but...it's just so goddamn boring. An absolute chore for me to get through.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

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tymon wrote:Man, I wish I could love this movie as much as you guys do. Not being snarky, I'm serious - I respect the hell out of Banno and the risks this film takes, but...it's just so goddamn boring. An absolute chore for me to get through.
I find just so enjoyably odd, and I enjoy the similarities to G14.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

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tymon wrote:Man, I wish I could love this movie as much as you guys do. Not being snarky, I'm serious - I respect the hell out of Banno and the risks this film takes, but...it's just so goddamn boring. An absolute chore for me to get through.
Bummer. Even before I fell in love with the movie, when I actually thought of it as a bottom of the barrel entry (pan and scan and dull VHS colors did it no favors), I still found it entertainingly daft.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

Post by Mechagigan »

I'm not a huge fan of the movie (mainly because of how slow it is, as Tymon said), but I still like it. Hedorah is cool, the trippy-ness is really unique, and even the characters aren't that bad. Actually, the slowness kind of makes it more eerie, so it works more in the movie's favor than against it.

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

Post by three »

i can't believe i'm going to say this...but i agree with Tymon. it's boring and i don't dig the weirdness of it. instead of feeling unique, it feels poorly done. if it is unique, then that's because, IMO, it's a bad film with very poor scenes and an element of absurdity that i cannot (for the life of me) find charming or entertaining. that's not a particularly good sign, given that so much of this franchise can and does include moments that do just that for me.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

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I'm in the boat that loves the hell out of the first 48 minutes for its bizarre narrative deviations and off the wall cinematography choices, but is kinda "ehhh..." about the Mt. Fuji half of the film.

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

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Space Hunter M wrote:I'm in the boat that loves the hell out of the first 48 minutes for its bizarre narrative deviations and off the wall cinematography choices, but is kinda "ehhh..." about the Mt. Fuji half of the film.
if half the boat is sinking, the whole thing will go down.

if only half the movie is interesting...it had better be the last half. (well...roundabouts half the movie).
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axnyslie wrote:I read that too quickly I though you said land MINES. Yes they are still out there so step lightly!
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

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three wrote:
Space Hunter M wrote:I'm in the boat that loves the hell out of the first 48 minutes for its bizarre narrative deviations and off the wall cinematography choices, but is kinda "ehhh..." about the Mt. Fuji half of the film.
if half the boat is sinking, the whole thing will go down.

if only half the movie is interesting...it had better be the last half. (well...roundabouts half the movie).
Well, if the first half isn't interesting, a lot of people are never going to get to the second half, so the conventional wisdom is to front-load a production with good stuff (consider how many musicals put all of their best songs is the first act).

But, then, I'd say that, unlike a boat, half a movie can stay afloat while the other half sinks. If I sit through a good half and a bad half, I'm going to remember and value the good material regardless of my disdain for the weaker portions. I tend to judge a movie at least as much on how high its highs are as on how consistently it maintains its baseline.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

Post by three »

fair enough. i will admit: i watched the whole thing despite the fact that i wasn't enjoying it. so perhaps that's your logic at work? ;D

but i'd rather watch one whole decent movie than one movie with a horrible final act. so many films i've seen have been undone by their ending. there's one in particular, it has nothing to do with kaiju (so forum gods forgive me), that ends with this weird scene where the protagonist is tracking hte people that killed her husband. it was a zombie drama without zombies, so go figure.

or for example: the mist. what a horrible ending that dumps a heap of salt on a key lime pie. but those are bad endings. if a movie is dragging as it goes on, and i can't be bothered to keep up, the good taste fades quickly.
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axnyslie wrote:I read that too quickly I though you said land MINES. Yes they are still out there so step lightly!
Well, I've read through that handbook for the recently deceased. It says: 'live people ignore the strange and unusual. I, myself, am strange and unusual. ~ Lydia Deetz

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

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I'd rather watch a movie that is decent from beginning to end than a movie that starts out decent and ends poorly, if that's the choice. And I'd rather watch one that is brilliant from beginning to end than one that starts out brilliantly and ends poorly. But I'll usually take the one that starts brilliantly and ends poorly over the one that is just decent from start to finish.

Of course, I don't really think Hedorah ends poorly, anyway. While I do consider the first half stronger than the second, and there are a few points that my interest drops during the sequences involving the military, there's still plenty at the end that holds my attention.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

Post by three »

i happen to think the whole movie sucks XD

that's beside the point though. i kind of took up SHM's position without meaning to. i do prefer good endings to strong starts. if i know there's a reward, i am more willing to push to the end. to each their own.
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axnyslie wrote:I read that too quickly I though you said land MINES. Yes they are still out there so step lightly!
Well, I've read through that handbook for the recently deceased. It says: 'live people ignore the strange and unusual. I, myself, am strange and unusual. ~ Lydia Deetz

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

Post by kamilleblu »

Having recently reviewed it, I'll share some thoughts. At the moment, I think it ranks among my favorites. It's definitely an unusual entry, everything from narrative to soundtrack. Also worth noting is the film's inconsistent tone. There are some serious horror elements here, comparable to the original film. Such as the death toll and amount of destruction caused by the monsters being acknowledged and the scene where Ken runs through the streets littered with bodies. Then at the same time there's the silly and odd elements, like Godzilla flying and the animated scenes. As usual, the humans characters aren't the most developed individuals. However, I find them likable enough (especially Ken and Dr. Yano) and they serve their intended purposes. I know some people have strong feelings against Godzilla's more heroic characterization, yet I'm a huge fan of it. It was neat that Godzilla got so much screen time in this film. As for Hedorah, he's a formidable opponent and definitely creepy. Finally, I actually like the soundtrack. Especially Godzilla's theme.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

Post by Goji »

I mean, are the animated sequences really "silly", or are they just an artistic approach to the narrative that simply doesn't appeal to you?

Godzilla flying? Now that's silly.
Godzillian wrote: It was a misinterpretation of a quote that blew out of proportion. Bano said that Tanaka only said to him that he didn't like his portrayal of Godzilla in the film. Bano even wrote a handful of treatments for the next godzilla film but was told his projects were to expensive.
I'm SO glad that people are finally catching on to the fact that that quote never happened, and was just an urban myth that got blown out of proportion over the decades.

More should really watch the SFJ TV interview with him from last year. It's nothing short of fascinating.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

Post by Can of Conspiracy »

^ Can I get a link to that, please?
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

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UltramanGoji wrote: Cranky because you got mad I implied GFW isn't a good movie aren't you
Chrispy_G wrote:I'll say it one last time, Trump wins in a landslide.
I'll gladly eat crow if it doesn't turn out that way....but at this point it feels painfully obvious, as it has for months.

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