Criterion's Peter Becker Discusses Godzilla Showa-Era Release

Above, Godzilla approaching Tokyo's Kachidoki Bridge in 1954.

Godzilla fans over the years have collected the King of the Monsters's movies ever since VHS tapes were made cheaply available.

Some were official releases and others were bootlegs (at one time, the only way to see the Heisei Series (second series) of Godzilla films was through the bootleg market.

Then came DVD and Blu-ray discs which offered the movies in high resolution. Some releases were better than others (a lot of it depended upon the original source material). Again, fans bought and re-bought the movies.

Now, Criterion Collection is releasing the Showa Series (first series) of Godzilla movies in a new box set. Here we go again!

Criterion Collection's Peter Becker discusses the Godzilla release in a Variety article.

Here's a snippet:

He added: “The idea basically is that it would be wrong to treat Bergman the same way as we treat Godzilla, but it would also in some ways be wrong to treat Godzilla with any less respect than we treat Bergman with.” 

Criterion last year released its “Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema” Blu-ray disc box featuring 39 films and a book featuring critical essays on each of the films. 

Its new “Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975” collection, which comprises 15 digitally restored films and a book featuring newly commissioned illustrations by high-profile artists, is scheduled for release Oct. 29. 

Becker stressed that publishing was not just about bringing products into the world but rather “about how you’re putting it into the world. What it looks like, what it feels like. Even just the finish on “Godzilla” feels a little bit like skin, it’s nice. It’s little details like that that you need to pay attention to – those are all part of publishing.”

The fanbase again will be shelling out hard-earned cash. Since Criterion puts out quality videos, it is likely to be worth it.

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