GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER (1971)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *drama*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTIONS: *cosmological, sociological*

I didn't like SMOG back in The Day, because I didn't appreciate having my giant monster fantasies mixed up with environmentalist messages. But then, in 1971 I may not have appreciated that the original Godzilla film had much to do with humans taking responsibility for having unleashed another sort of doomsday weapon.

On re-screening SMOG I found myself greatly impressed with director Yoshimitsu Banno's colorful visual style, possibly forged during his duties as an assistant director on four Akira Kurosawa features. This is significant for two reasons. First, Banno was not given a very large budget, though he avoided the sin of the previous film in the series, GODZILLA'S REVENGE, with its penny-pinching re-use of earlier footage. Second, all three previous directors of Godzilla films-- Ishiro Honda, Motoyoshi Oda, and Jun Fukuda-- had always depicted the monster's exploits in a very straightforward manner, with few if any stylistic flourishes. So Toho Studios was taking a chance with Banno, not unlike Hollywood in the same era experimenting with its Young Turks (though in 1971 Banno was forty years old).

Because Earth-people have allowed pollution to get out of control, Hedorah, an alien being from a sort of anti-universe invades and begins feeding on industrial wastes. Hedorah then exudes his own gaseous wastes, poisoning innumerable human beings. Godzilla, perhaps sensing a threat to his own environment, gives battle to the intruder. However, the slimy shit-creature far outdoes Mothra in his ability to metamorphose into new combat-forms, and in one such form, he nearly slaughters the King of Monsters.

Although most of the humans are nugatory characters, they are able to render aid to Godzilla with a weapon very like one their ancestors used against him: a giant electrical fence. Godzilla wins, but will humanity learn its lesson this time?

Though SMOG is the film in which Godzilla first used his atomic breath to shot himself backward like a rocket, the monster-battles have a kinetic intensity rare in films of the period. The only human who registers as a character is a young boy, Ken, who has a precognitive dream that only Godzilla can save the world, but his presence doesn't make the story as sentimental as it would in a Gamera flick.

For reasons pertaining to employer prejudice Banno was never given a chance at another Godzilla film, even though in the Japanese box office SMOG did slightly better than REVENGE, and indeed all Godzilla films after DESTROY ALL MONSTERS hovered around the same $6 million BO, with the exception of MEGALON for some reason. Fortunately, before his passing Banno was treated as a prophet with honor outside his own country, functioning as an executive producer on the three Godzilla movies from Legendary Films.