Godzilla (/m/034__)

Godzilla is a 1954 Japanese science fiction kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura and Haruo Nakajima, who portrayed the titular character until his retirement in 1972. The film is produced by Toho and features special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film focuses on Godzilla, a prehistoric monster resurrected by repeated nuclear tests in the Pacific, who ravages Japan and reignites the horrors of nuclear devastation to the very nation that experienced it first-hand. It was the first of many kaiju films released in Japan, paving the way and setting the standard for future kaiju films, many of which feature Godzilla. In 1956, TransWorld Releasing Corp. released Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, a heavily re-edited "Americanized" version of the original film with added footage starring Canadian actor Raymond Burr, shot exclusively for a North American release. In 2004 Rialto Pictures gave the original a limited theatrical release in the United States to coincide with the original film's 50th anniversary.