Last nite my uncle and I went to see Godzilla at the Tivoli. The original Godzilla, in Japanese with English subtitles, and no Raymond Burr. I have never seen this version of the film, I have only ever seen the American version so this was a real treat for me. From what I remember of it (admittedly, it has been awhile since I watched it), it was like a totally different movie. This version is actually quite serious, a drama movie more than a monster movie, and it sends a message about H-Bomb testing, nuclear waste and its negative results.
The film was part of the Tivoli’s periodic “movie appreciation club” or something like that. They have these movie night’s there twice a month on a monday nite. They charge more than the usual admission to the theatre for these, especially for non-members, but they also do things like have discussions, occasional auctions of movie stuff, and they will sell beer and wine. After the movie, a couple film teachers from College of DuPage talked about the movie and fielded comments from the people who stuck around. About 1/8 of the crowd stayed for it, so while the movie got a large turnout, the post-movie thing didn’t.
It was a fun time, and I’m really glad I got to see this version and was glad they did it at my favorite theatre. I missed it when it was played in the summer in Los Angeles by a week, as it was gone before one of my many trips there this year. I hope they release this version in the US on DVD. It being big G’s 50th birthday this year, I think they’d be a fool not to.
Update: My uncle sent an email to Rialto inquiring about a DVD release and they sent him the following.
The DVD rights for the restored GODZILLA has been picked up by a company called Classic Media. They will release it next year.
