odzilla first destroyed Tokyo in the classic 1954 film Godzilla, King
of the Monsters!, and since then he has alternately attacked and
protected the people of Japan in nearly two dozen separate movies. He
has also battled many exotic creatures, including Ghidrah, Mothra,
Rodan and the venerable King Kong. With all this action going on, it can be tough
keeping track of who's who and what's what in Godzilla's universe. Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The
Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G" tries to correct that situation by offering a
treasure trove of behind-the-scenes information and little-known minutiae
about Japan's most monstrous export and his numerous costars.
This 375-page trade paperback explores the evolution of Godzilla, from his
earliest appearances to 1998's ill-fated American motion picture by Dean Devlin
and Roland Emmerich. Author
Steve Ryfle divides the book into seven categories, beginning with a section
called "Ground Zero - The 1950s" that explores Big G's atomic origin
and earliest adventures. The following segments encompass "Golden Age - The
1960s," "Dark Days - The 1970s," "Resurrection - The 1980s" and "Second
Coming - The 1990s." A chapter titled "Godzilla vs. Hollywood - The Future"
examines the recent Devlin/Emmerich debacle, while the remainder
of the volume is devoted to five appendices that feature cast and credit
information, video resources, Web site addresses, end notes and a brief
bibliography.
There are numerous subsections that showcase interviews with, or profiles of,
key Godzilla personnel, such as director Ishiro Honda, composer Akira Ifukube and
Kenpachiro Satsuma, an actor who has portrayed Godzilla in seven films.
There are also sidebars that examine more obscure details like the English
dubbing process and a 1970s cartoon
spin-off. Ryfle has also sprinkled pop culture references throughout the book, along
with a recurring column called "The G-Archives" that spotlights, among other
subjects, rare Godzilla TV sightings and unproduced projects like the
spoof Godzilla vs. Cleveland.
Big G's "stomp" of approval
As the ambiguous title implies, Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The
Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G" is neither sanctioned nor supported
by Toho Studios or TriStar Pictures, the two companies respectively
responsible for the Japanese and American versions of Godzilla. While that
means the book gets to dish more dirt than the average authorized tome, it
also restricts Ryfle's ability to obtain official photos or production
details. Even so, the work contains a
wealth of insight into the gargantuan green monster, his many motion
pictures and his worldwide popularity.
The volume is chock-full of fascinating facts that should delight both
G-fans and general SF trivia buffs. At times it seems as if no
detail is too small to include. Ryfle examines the oft-told tale concerning the source of the name
Godzilla--that the moniker, pronounced in Japanese as Gojira, is derived from
the words for gorilla (gorira) and whale (kujira)--along with
the mobility problems of early costumes, at least one of which supposedly
weighed more than 220 pounds. He also looks at sub-par productions from the 1970s,
offering an assessment of Godzilla vs. Megalon
that accurately describes "The Big G" as "a punch-drunk do-gooder with a
cute, puppy-dog face and a penchant for ridiculous fighting tactics and
stunts."
Meanwhile, a brief overview of the character's TV commercial appearances
and a cursory look at rival studio Daiei's flying turtle Gamera indicate just
how much influence Godzilla has had on popular media as well as monster movies in
general. Though the book could certainly benefit from better photographs and
an index, Godzilla himself would undoubtedly give Japan's Favorite
Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G" his "stomp" of
approval.
