GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971)
Updated: Mar 17, 2023
The Iconic Japanese Monster Series Takes a Turn for the Surreal
Grade: B
Between 1965 and 1975, the original Godzilla franchise, known as the Showa series, took on a more lighthearted approach to its material. The tone of these films went in sharp contrast to the very first movie, Gojira (1954), which was a dark and serious allegory of nuclear destruction. While several movies in this ten-year period remained high-quality or even serious entertainment, such as Destroy all Monsters (1968) or Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975), others were more heavily juvenile, like All Monsters Attack (1969) or Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973).
A major outlier in this era was Godzilla vs. Hedorah, a bizarre and consistently uneven yet enjoyable romp that nevertheless helped to solidify the famous monster’s campy reputation. To more casual viewers, it may come across as nothing more than pure cheese. But when seen on its own terms, and especially alongside the other movies of the late Showa era, Godzilla vs. Hedorah is quite an interesting flick. Yes, this is the movie where Godzilla actually flies by tucking his tail between his legs and firing his atomic breath downward, propelling himself through the air. But that is only one of many strange things going on here.
At its core, the film is about a conflict between Godzilla and a giant, hideous creature that feeds off pollution and toxins. The series has always been known for its warnings against tampering with nature. For Godzilla vs. Hedorah, the warning is not exactly subtle. It opens with the titular monster Hedorah emerging from scummy polluted waters before cutting to a woman (Mari Keiko) singing a mournful rock song about the destructive effects of pollution as the credits roll. The camera continues to linger on shots of the trash-filled ocean, and by now it is clear that the movie will be making its message loud and clear.
We are then introduced to Ken Yano (Hiroyuki Kawase) and his family, who live in the coastal Fuji City. Ken turns out to be something of a special kid; not only does he deduce where the monster comes from (polluted water), but he also names it and suggests how to defeat it. He also has some weird and unexplained telepathic link with Godzilla, seeing him in his dreams and sensing when he is near. In a lesser film, Ken’s bond with the monster would be the absolute center of attention and the tone would be completely kid-friendly. But director Yoshimitsu Banno wisely doesn’t give it more attention than is necessary to the plot.
Banno and his crew pepper the film with unusual narrative and visual elements, some of which have a kind of experimental feel to them. There are some cartoon snippets depicting Hedorah consuming pollution and a montage of still images of galaxies and comets that are displayed while Hedorah’s origins are discussed. A guest at a wild rock-and-roll party hallucinates seeing the other partygoers as having fish heads. At two points in the movie, the screen is filled with a collage of images from television with angry citizens voicing their fears about the crisis; these soon turn into rectangles of flashing colors. All these and other bizarre moments add up to a surreal concoction that gives the movie a unique and weird identity.
Apparently, Godzilla vs. Hedorah had a lower budget and shorter shooting schedule than previous Godzilla movies. Despite this, it has an impressive production design. Most of the locations are obviously sets, such as the area of Fuji City where Godzilla and Hedorah first fight, but much care has been taken to make it feel as real as possible. Several other Showa entries relied heavily on stock footage, but Hedorah is entirely its own movie. Banno and his crew obviously did everything they could with what little time they were given, and the results are remarkable.
Somehow the tone of the movie manages to be both goofy and sober. The skies are often overcast and full of fog, which would indicate a dour and oppressive feel, yet the musical score by Riichiro Manabe never sounds threatening. It is often playful and absurd, utilizing loud trumpets and, at times, a jaw harp. Godzilla’s flying scene and his bond with Ken would both be right at home in a children’s film, but there are also shocking and graphic moments where sulfuric mist from Hedorah’s flying form reduces people to skeletons. At a certain point, the tone ultimately becomes its own thing.
In movies like this, the action is usually the highlight. For Godzilla vs. Hedorah, the monsters and their battles, much like the tone, are both serious and silly. Unlike most other creatures in the series, which have only one basic appearance, Hedorah has at least four; it goes from being a swarm of various-sized tadpoles to being a squat quadruped. Later it is able to switch between a flying saucer-shaped form and an enormous biped. These features, along with its disgusting and well-constructed appearance, make it harder to laugh at Hedorah than some other giant Japanese monsters.
Godzilla, meanwhile, is given a curious and somewhat intelligent personality for this movie. At one point, while fighting Hedorah, he is touching his hand to his chin. Later he straight-up punches Hedorah in the face, giving him a black eye. It is here that we might be inclined to chuckle; how can we not when faced with a monster who does things like this?
When the monsters fight hand-to-hand, it is mostly them engaging in untintentionally (?) amusing wrestling matches. Godzilla does most of the attacking, whereas Hedorah’s arms are less than helpful. But when they use their special abilities, things get quite violent as Hedorah spews acidic mud which burns the flesh off Godzilla’s hands.
No surprise, but Godzilla vs. Hedorah is one strange movie. So strange, in fact, that producer Tomoyuki Tanaka hated it and fired director Banno. The series then went back to the more traditional monster action formula. While unfortunate, this turn of events does help the movie stand out on its own. Instead of just a straightforward monster vs. monster movie, it is a surreal experience that combines a heavy-handed environmental message with weird imagery and one of the most unusual monster villains in the entire series. It may not be nearly as grand as many other Showa movies, especially the earlier ones, but it is definitely one of the most interesting.
Director: Yoshimitsu Banno
Screenplay: Yoshimitsu Banno, Takeshi Kimura
Producer: Tomoyuki Tanaka
Cast: Akira Yamanouchi (Dr. Toru Yano), Hiroyuki Kawase (Ken Yano), Toshie Kimura (Toshie Yano), Keiko Mari (Miki Fujinomiya), Toshio Shiba (Yukio Keuchi), Yoshio Yoshida (Gohei), Haruo Nakajima (Godzilla), Kenpachiro Satsuma (Hedorah)
Rated: PG (for sci-fi monster violence and brief mild language)
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