Source: The Criterion Collection press release
Special Thanks to Courtney Ott

Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD.

The Criterion Collection has announced that Toho's classic GODZILLA (ゴジラ, Gojira, 1954) will be released November 5th in a 2-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray set. The previously released single disc Blu-ray and two disc DVD editions are also available for purchase.

GODZILLA is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear attack and H-bomb testing in the Pacific. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning more than thirty sequels. A thrilling, tactile spectacle that continues to be a cult phenomenon, the original 1954 Japanese version is presented here, along with GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS, the 1956 “Americanized” version.

1954 • 96 minutes • Black & White • Monaural • In Japanese with English subtitles • 1.37:1 aspect ratio 

4K UHD + BLU-RAY COMBO EDITION

SRP: $49.95

PREBOOK: 10/1/24

STREET: 11/5/24

CAT. NO.: CC3616UHDBD

ISBN: 979-8-88607-208-2

UPC: 7-15515-30511-2

 

4K + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

• One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features

• High-definition digital restoration of GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS, Terry Morse’s 1956 reworking of the original, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

• Audio commentary for both movies by film historian David Kalat

• Interviews with actors Akira Takarada and Haruo Nakajima and special effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai

• Interview with legendary Godzilla score composer Akira Ifukube

• Featurette detailing Godzilla’s photographic effects, introduced by special effects director Koichi Kawakita and special effects photographer Motoyoshi Tomioka

• Interview with Japanese-film critic Tadao Sato

• The Unluckiest Dragon, an illustrated audio essay featuring historian Greg Pflugfelder describing the tragic fate of the fishing vessel Daigo Fukuryu Maru, a real-life event that inspired Godzilla

• Trailers

• PLUS: An essay by critic J. Hoberman

---