Godzilla King of the Monsters (1956)


Godzilla, 1956, Oversized American,
40x60 inches Toho/Trans World Release

GODZILLA: THE ULTIMATE DINOSAUR

Godzilla King of the Monsters blurred the scientific aspects of dinosaurs into total science fiction. No real dinosaur looked like Godzilla. It was a combination of the bipedal carnivorous forms and the armored plated dinosaurs, taken to the extremes of being a caricature. The size barrier was shattered with Godzilla being over three hundred feet tall. While now a cultural icon, sometimes considered high camp and often comedic, the first Godzilla was not intended for laughs. The original Japanese version of the motion picture was serious and used Godzilla to represent the monstrous evils unleashed by the development of the atomic bomb.

--Toho/Trans World Films, 1954/1956