GOJIRA (1954) Screens Saturday Night at Webster University

GOJIRA  will screen at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium Saturday April 25th at 9:00pm. Admission is FREE

KINEMATIFEST 8 is Webster University’s International Animation and Interactive Media festival. The mission is to showcase student work and foster a worldwide interest in animation and interactive media striving to give students an opportunity to have their work critiqued by industry professionals, facilitate networking opportunities and advocate learning through workshops and seminars. For more details on all of the events, visit the site HERE

http://kinematifest.com/

What caught my eye is that they are screening, as part of Kinematifest, one of my favorite movies. It’s the original 1954 version of GODZILLA (not the Raymond Burr English-dub, but the original Japanese language version better known as GOJIRA).

The original Japanese GOJIRA is a historical classic. While it may seem a little hokey when considering contemporary special effects capabilities, the film nonetheless seems to rectify the hokey destruction scenes with realistic, dramatic, and depressing aftermath scenes where orphaned children are crying, families are destroyed, and lives are lost as a result of Gojira’s destructive wake. When analyzing Gojira’s destructive capabilities it’s important to remember that Gojira was produced at a time when the after-effects of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were still remnant in the Japanese psyche and Western society at large with the looming Cold War and the possibility of a nuclear holocaust. Indeed, Gojira himself is a metaphor for the destructive capabilities of nuclear weapons. Or, forget that and just enjoy the sight of Godzilla breathing radioactive fire and knocking things down! Either way, you’ll have the opportunity this Saturday, April 25^th when GOJIRA screens at 9:00pm at Webster University’s Winifred Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood in Webster Groves).