Film
Godzilla – Gojira
1954, 2024 – 70th Anniversary Release
24″ x 36″ Single Sided – Limited Edition Hand-Numbered #23/100 Art Print Licensed by Toho
United States (USA)
Near Mint – Rolled, Flat & Unfolded (as issued)
Ishiro Honda
Akihito Hirata, Akira Takarada, Fuyuki Murakami, Haruo Nakajima, Momoko Kochi, Takashi Shimura, Toranosuke Ogawa
“Godzilla, a weapon of science, a great battle of wonder and terror! “
To celebrate the 70th Anniversary for Ishiro Honda’s iconic monster movie “Godzilla” or Gojira to give it its correct title, Bottleneck Gallery have released in association with TOHO Studios a remastered version of the original, country of origin Japanese B2 used in 1954 to promote the film in Japan. As to be expected the modern printing techniques have helped to create a stunning, updated poster, with this limited edition offering further enhanced by being printed on a foil paper. This adds a real depth to the overall effect and allows the lighter colours to shimmer when viewed from different angles – giving the effect of movement. Hand-Numbered #23 of only 100 it presents to excellent effect and is a perfect example of why alternative movie posters are becoming so collectable.
Trivia: A common misconception is that the name of Godzilla was created by its U.S. distributors. The name was actually the idea of Toho and its international sales division, who would transliterate “Gojira” (Go-ji-ra) into English as “Godzilla” (Go-dzi-lla”).
…more detailVintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +
“When 17 vessels explode and sink near Odo Island, Professor Kyohei Yamane, his daughter Emiko and the Marine Hideto Ogata head to the island to investigate. Soon they witness a giant monster called Godzilla by the locals destroying the spot. Meanwhile Emiko meets her boyfriend, the secluded scientist Serizawa, and he makes she promise to keep a secret about his research with oxygen. She agrees and he discloses the lethal weapon the Oxygen Destroyer that he has developed. When Godzilla threatens Tokyo and other Japanese cities and the army and the navy are incapable to stop the monster, Emiko discloses Serizawa’s secret to her lover Ogata. Now they have to convince Serizawa to use the Oxygen Destroyer to kill Godzilla.”
The original, Japanese version of “Godzilla” (Gojira) is the best giant monster film I’ve ever seen. Some fans get carried away and call it one of the best movies ever made; I wouldn’t go quite that far, but it’s damn good.
This film is quite different from the 20+ sequels that followed. Here, Godzilla is not so much a creature as he is a walking incarnation of the atomic bomb. His death ray, which became a rather amusing cartoon laser blast in later films, is here depicted as a sort of radioactive mist that sets its victims on fire. These radioactive horror images still resonate today – and imagine the impact they must’ve had on Japanese audiences seventy years ago.
From a production standpoint, the film holds up well. Godzilla’s costume is much more convincing than the silly monkey suits that featured in the 60s and 70s Toho films, and due to the grayscale photography, the model cityscapes look convincing in most shots – or at least respectable. Akira Ifukube‘s music score is stirring (you know it has to be good, as they kept recycling it in later movies), and director Ishirô Honda makes great use of camera angles and imaginative special effects to give Godzilla a genuine aura of menace.
For once, the human characters don’t let the side down. There’s a compelling love triangle, and a dramatic sacrifice made at the end of the film that adds enormously to its emotional impact. The American version (“Godzilla: King of the Monsters”) cut out much of the character development, and is thus clearly inferior.
In the later Godzilla films, the destruction he causes is almost incidental. Here, it’s the whole point – he’s a force of nature.
Trade Address:
Vintage Movie Posters (UK) Limited
The Malthouse
The Broadway
Old Amersham
HP7 0HL
© 2024 Vintage Movie Posters
Registered Office Address: Vintage Movie Posters (UK) Limited, Aston House, Cornwall Avenue, London N3 1LF GB
Registered Company No: 07664517
Mint
A poster that has never been used or displayed and may show the most minor signs of age and wear. The poster should have no holes or tears.
Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.
Very Fine
A poster with bright colour and crisp overall appearance. It may have very general signs of use including slight fold separation and fold wear. It may have pin holes or very minor tears. This is the highest grade allowed for a poster that has been restored either on linen or on paper.
Fine
A poster with good colors and overall clean appearance. It may have minor tears small paper loss and minor stains. It may have some fold seperation.
Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.
Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.
Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.
All photographs and images used on our site are photographs of the actual poster/item you are buying, we do not use stock photographs.
LOBBY CARD
11 x 14″ printed on heavy stock paper. Used as display in theatre lobbies. Originally made in sets of eight. Some sets have a title card, which contains credits and artwork, essentially a mini-poster. The remaining seven cards are coloured photographic credits and poster artwork showing different scenes from the movie.
WINDOW CARD
14 x 22″ printed on heavy stock paper with the top 4-6 inches usually left blank for the local cinema owner to fill in the cinema and the date it was due to play. Largely discontinued during the 1970’s.
HALF SHEET
22 x 28″ printed on heavy stock paper. The image displayed is normally a smaller version of the main poster, although some do have different artworks and sometimes come in two versions.
INSERT
14 x 36″ printed on heavy stock paper. Inserts usually have the same artwork as a one sheet. Popular with collectors since they are smaller and easier to frame. Normally come tri folded or rolled.
STYLE Y/FORTY BY SIXTY
40 x 60″ printed on heavy stock paper. Rare since they were primarily used for major motion pictures only. Designed to be used outside the theatre, on an easel, normally at a drive-in movie theatre.
ONE-SHEET
27 x 41″ printed on paper. This is the most common size of poster, intended to be displayed in a glass “marquee” case. It is the most sought after size by collectors. Since the 1980’s most posters are sent to the theatre rolled and maybe slightly smaller measuring 27″ by 40″ and with the advent of backlit light boxes a growing number of modern movie posters are available double-sided and the more traditional single-sided.
THREE-SHEET
41 x 81″ printed on paper. These were printed on two or three separate sheets designed to overlap, few survive. Used for larger advertising spaces, normally posted on walls, perfect for huge movie theatres the drive-in, where people could see them from a distance. From the 1970’s on, three-sheets were sometimes printed in one piece and issued as “international” versions to be used abroad.
BRITISH QUAD
30 x 40″ Most common poster size used in the UK. British Quads are horizontal and may have different artwork to the US one sheet. Like a US one sheet they normally come in two versions. Like a US one sheet they are usually supplied single-sided or more commonly now as a double sided poster.
BRITISH ONE-SHEET
27 X 40″, printed on paper. Very rarely used size.
ITALIAN LOCANDINA
13 x 28″ six inches shorter than the US insert, very nice size to frame. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
ITALIAN PHOTOBUSTA
18 x 26″ Glossy, high quality, used as lobby cards in Italy. Size may vary, either vertical or horizontal format. There are also double Photobusta or mini Photobusta.
2-FOGLIO (DUE)
(DUE): 39 x 55″ This is the standard poster size used in Italy. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
4-FOGLIO
(QUATTRO) 55 x 79″ Very large Italian poster printed in two pieces, often contains very beautiful artwork.
FRENCH
47 x 63″ (GRANDE) or 24 x 33″ (PETITE) French movie posters normally come with different artwork to either the US or the UK. Like the Italian’s some of the artwork is extrememly beautiful.
