Godzilla Raids Again
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was a tokusatsu kaiju eiga produced by Toho Company Ltd. in 1955. It was a sequel to the previous year's successful Godzilla and became second in the long-running Godzilla series. It is the first film in the series (and in kaiju eiga) to feature a battle between two monsters. Raids Again features newcomer director Motoyoshi Oda but retained the special effects talent of Eiji Tsuburaya.
Plot
Following the destruction of the first Godzilla by Serizawa's Oxygen Destroyer, two new monsters appear and threaten Japan: one similar to the previous (and also called "Godzilla") and the other a dinosaur similar to the ankylosaur, called Anguirus.Whereas the first film reflects nuclear anxieties in the wake of World War II, this sequel could be interpreted as an allegory for the Cold War rivalry between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.
U.S. release
A project called The Volcano Monsters was planned for 1957 after Henry Rybnick and Edward Barrison acquired the rights to Godzilla Raids Again. The film was to be altered and the monsters reduced to dinosaurs. In addition, all scenes with Japanese actors and Godzilla were to be cut. Toho, however, was willing to peddle their films in the United States and sent the suits for Godzilla and Anguirus to be used in new footage. Ultimately, the modified film was never produced.
In 1959 Warner Brothers theatrically released a heavily edited version of the film, under the title Gigantis the Fire Monster. For a long time, this change in name was thought to be because Warner did not have the rights to "Godzilla". However, Paul Schreibman, the producer of the American version, said that he changed Godzilla's name to "Gigantis" to give the audience the impression that they were seeing a new monster. He has since regretted that decision.
External link
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