"Seen in context, Godzilla is not really a futuristic sci-fi fantasy, it's a very real reflection of contemporary terror drawn from contemporary events."

"With its images of panic and mass destruction - including spectacular nightly attacks on Tokyo - and its references to nuclear contamination, black rain, bomb shelters and the incineration of Nagasaki, Godzilla struck a chord of terror with Japanese audiences traumatized by recent history and still living with the fear of radiation poisoning."

"When this original version was finally shown in America last year, people flocked to see it. They said it was an expression of nuclear anxiety to rank with Dr Strangelove Stanley Kubrick's 1964 black comedy starring Peter Sellers] and Hiroshima Mon Amour [directed by Alain Resnais in 1959]."

"Along with King Kong, Godzilla is one of the most celebrated movie monsters of all time, yet hardly anyone in this country has seen the original that sparked the phenomenon."

"Apart from the two atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, many major cities including Tokyo were targets to extensive bombing campaigns that caused enormous material damage and the killing of between 241,000 and 900,000 people. All of Japan has seen its fair share of destruction and only nine years after the war, the scars were still fresh. This is why Honda’s film made such a huge impact. This metaphorical layer of Gojira sparked a debate on the potential dangers of scientific progress. In the film, a scientist character devises a weapon of such destructive power that he becomes scared of its misuse. Even though he lets the device be used on taking down the monster, he burns all of his notes and eventually commits suicide so that the weapon could never be used again. This act clearly illustrates Honda’s opinion on the use of science in military purposes that was shared by many of his countrymen. His decision to create a monster so cruel and unsympathetic towards anyone―including women, children, and the old―indicated that Godzilla was more of a god than a monster."

"But what really downsized the quality of the original motion picture, directed by Ishiro Honda, was the censorship of its explicit subtext, which dealt with the devastating effects of atomic weapons―effects to which the Japanese were introduced to a decade prior to the release of the original film. The original version became a landmark of kaiju―Japanese film genre featuring giant monsters as main antagonists. Having witnessed the destroyed city of Hiroshima one year after the atomic bomb was dropped, Honda became captivated with the idea of such destructive power in the hands of men."

"When someone mentions Godzilla and its Japanese origins, people often think of outdated visual effects, a clumsy man in a lizard suit, and a number of over-the-top actors who seem to be trying too hard to convince the audience of the creature’s dangers. That stereotype, however, was created by the 1956 American cut of the original Japanese film."

"The Shodai-Godzilla is popular with fans who prefer the first, serious-tone Godzilla film. This suit featured a heavy lower body, small arms and a large, round head. The face had pronounced brows while the eyes were completely round with tiny pupils, a feature unique to this costume. The suit also included several features particular to itself and to the Gyakushu-Godzilla: fangs, four toes, a rough underside for the tail and pointed tail tip, and staggered rows of dorsal plates (these features would reappear with the “second” series of Godzilla films from 1984 to present)."

"A monster of mass destruction!"

"Civilization crumbles as its death rays blast a city of 6 million from the face of the Earth!"

"Mightiest monster! Mightiest melodrama of them all!"

"Incredible, unstoppable titan of terror!"

"spewing flames that scorch the Earth!"

"It's Alive!"

"AWESOME!—and then some!"

"The original, uncut Japanese version—never before released in the US!"

"The legend begins..."

"Ogata, men are weak animals. Even if I burn my notes, everything is still in my head. As long as I'm alive, who can say I wouldn't be coerced into using it again?"

"Ogata...if the Oxygen Destroyer is used even once, the politicians of the world won't stand idly by. They'll inevitably turn it into a weapon. A-bombs against A-bombs, H-bombs against H-bombs. As a scientist - no, as a human being - adding another terrifying weapon to humanity's arsenal is something I can't allow."

"If used as a weapon, it could lead humanity to exctinction, just like the H-bomb. But I'm determined to find a use for the Oxygen Destroyer that will benefit society. Until then, I won't reveal its existence."

"[describing the Oxygen Destroyer] Just a small ball of this substance could turn all of Tokyo Bay into an aquatic graveyard."

"[last lines] I can't believe that Godzilla was the last of its species. If nuclear testing continues, then someday, somewhere in the world...another Godzilla may appear."

"All they can think of is killing Godzilla. Why don't they try to study its resistance to radiation? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Godzilla was baptized in the fire of the H-bomb and survived. What could kill it now?"

"Following Odo Island tradition, I propose for the time being that we call this creature Godzilla. We encountered Godzilla on Odo Island. This is a photo of its head. We can estimate that it stands approximately 165 feet tall. Why such a creature would appear in our territorial waters is the next question. It was probably hidden away in a deep sea cave, providing for its own survival, and perhaps others like it. However, repeated underwater H-bomb tests have completely destroyed its natural habitat. To put it simply, hydrogen-bomb testing has driven it from its sanctuary."

"[to Professor Tanabe] Professor Tanabe...I saw it! A creature from the Jurassic era!"

"Grant looks like a squid, don't know where he's gonna hide... Seaworld maybe."

"Jocelin Donahue - Maryanne Stewart"

"Karl Geary - Fergus Coffey"

"Doug Hutchison - Henry Victor"

"Sean Patrick Thomas - Walnut Callaghan"

"Laura Leighton - Gertrude Spacks"

"William Mapother - William Parcher"

"Clancy Brown - John Clay"

"Evil will surface."

"They wait... They hunt... They feed."

"Yeah, well, I'd rather walk in the right direction than ride with my head up my ass."

"You wanna go face an Indian war party on your lonesome? Those blanketheads will peel you like an orange, boy."

"We find the Utes; they lead us to the Burrower tribe; we kill the Burrowers; you get your girl; you build a cabin on the prairie and you play American."

"Henry Victor would rather pull toes off the Sioux than follow the trail before us."

"Any Christian woman would prefer dying to capture. Mr. Williams had time to reload...because his wife gave it to him. If it came to that... I hope you'd be strong enough to take care of your mother."

"If you so much as touch that gun without my say-so, I will holster it in your ass."

"Tania Saulnier - Kylie Strutemyer"

"Michael Rooker - Grantham "Grant" Grant"

"Gregg Henry - Mayor Jackson "Jack" MacReady"

"Elizabeth Banks - Starla Grant"

"Nathan Fillion - William "Bill" Pardy"

"Feed the fear."

"Slug it out."

"Horror Has a New Face"