from the vault :: on the set of gojira

Today on Facebook, Criterion shared this gem:

On the set of Gojira (1954)

Part of what makes the Japanese Kaiju films so great is that they were all made so practically. And I don't mean budget, I mean with practical effects. Models, guys in dinosaur suits…There was a lot of heart put into those movies. It's like of like the difference between the Star Wars trilogy and those other three movies that came out much later. The original Star Wars run was practical effects, models, props, which gave so much depth and purpose to everything on screen. The same goes for Kaiju films; sure, the scripts were barren wastelands (for the most part) and you could smell the rubber from the costumes through the tv (and across time and space), but it was all there for a reason. It all had purpose. It took careful execution, attention to detail. It was a production, not a post-production. You have to love them for that.

Thank you for sharing this great window into cinematic history, Criterion.