blog




  • Essay / The tragedy of World War II and nuclear testing in the film Godzilla

    The 1954 film Godzilla, directed by Ishiro Honda and written by Takeo Muraka, depicts a monster created by the devastating effects of nuclear weapons. In the film, Japan is plunged into panic after the mysterious explosion and sinking of several ships. One night on an island, a storm devastates a number of homes and ends several lives. Professor Kyohei Yamane suggests that a task force investigate the mysterious incident on the island. This team detects radiation and discovers gigantic footprints. Later that night, the legend of the huge reptilian monster named Gojira (Godzilla) emerges before the villagers and disappears into the vast ocean. Professor Yamene announces that the monster dates from the age of dinosaurs and that it has awakened thanks to recent hydrogen bomb tests. Serizawa invents a weapon that could destroy Godzilla, but in the wrong hands, this weapon could be used to destroy humanity. Due to the monster's great destructive power, Serizawa ultimately decides to use his weapon. After Godzilla's death, Professor Yammi hypothesizes that there may be other monsters waiting to be awakened by humanity's experimentation with atomic weapons. The Godzilla monster represents society's fear of nuclear weapons and the emerging risk of the United States' nuclear power. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay The film Godzilla represents a complex metaphor for Japan's tragic history of nuclear technology. In August 1954, the United States bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the first explosion, approximately 70,000 people died instantly, followed by the deaths of thousands from radiation exposure. The second atomic bomb dropped immediately killed around 80,000 people. To this day, background radiation remains in these cities. The film's author Isirō Honda visited Hiroshima a year after the tragedy and was captivated by the idea of ​​humans capable of such monstrous destruction. Due to censorship laws in Japan, Honda was unable to directly create a Cold War film. However, Honda applied his experiences from the war and the characteristics of the atomic bomb to the film. Just like nuclear weapons, Godzilla causes destruction and chaos. When the monster enters Tokyo, it is electrocuted by power lines and uses its radioactive breath out of anger. Instantly, buildings catch fire and the monster's victims disintegrate within seconds. These scenes of fire and chaos reflect the devastation of buildings and victims of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In March 1954, the Lucky Dragon, a tuna fishing boat, ran into trouble when the ship's mooring lines snagged on coral reefs. Hoping to find more interesting fishing grounds, the ship headed to the Marshall Islands. However, the United States was conducting nuclear testing near the ship and yet the Lucky Dragon was outside the exclusive zone. The weapon nicknamed “Castle Bravo” was the largest nuclear test ever carried out by the United States. Due to an error, the explosion occurred two and a half times more powerful than expected and a thousand times more powerful than the bomb previously dropped on Hiroshima. Radioactive dust rained down on the boat. After the incident, the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that more than twenty thousand crew members had been exposed to radiation causing numerous health problems and deaths. If tuna consumption has.