The Original 1954 GODZILLA Destroys Schlafly Bottleworks April 11th

“I can’t believe that Godzilla was the only surviving member of its species… But if we continue conducting nuclear tests, it’s possible that another Godzilla might appear somewhere in the world again!”

The original GODZILLA (1954) screens Thursday April 11th at 7:00pm at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue Maplewood, MO 63143). The film will be hosted by We Are Movie Geeks own Tom Stockman. A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE

The original Japanese GODZILLA from 1954 is a historical classic. While it may seem a little hokey when considering contemporary special effects capabilities, the film nonetheless seems to rectify the dated 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 the ‘Big G’s’ destructive wake. When analyzing the monster’s destructive capabilities it’s important to remember that GODZILLA 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. GODZILLA as a film seems to dissect these delicate matters by emphasizing how the widespread destruction in the film was brought about by nuclear testing that awakened a dormant monster. Indeed, Godzilla himself is a metaphor for the destructive capabilities of nuclear weapons.

If, like me, you grew up watching the Americanized version, GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS, with much cut out and  footage of Raymond Burr (as Steve Martin) talking on the phone and pointing at the sky with his knit brow added, you may be amazed how different the original Japanese take is. I saw the original version of GODZILLA for the first time at the Tivoli  15 years ago when it played there for a week and I plan on seeing it again April 11th at Schlafly Bottleworks.

$7  for the screening. A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed suds.

“Culture Shock” is the name of a film series here in St. Louis that is the cornerstone project of a social enterprise that is an ongoing source of support for Helping Kids Together(http://www.helpingkidstogether.com/) a St. Louis based social enterprise dedicated to building cultural diversity and social awareness among young people through the arts and active living.

The films featured for “Culture Shock” demonstrate an artistic representation of culture shock materialized through mixed genre and budgets spanning music, film and theater. Through ‘A Film Series’ working relationship with Schlafly Bottleworks, they seek to provide film lovers with an offbeat mix of dinner and a movie opportunities.