Unique among other books about Godzilla, this work concentrates on the original 1954 version of the film. It explores the subtler, culturally determined motives of its director, writers, and characters including ancient Japanese myth, Buddhism, Shinto, and the trauma of war beyond the often-discussed atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It also discusses the usually-overlooked role of traditional Japanese stagecraft in making an alien situation feel familiar to its domestic audience. Finally, the book includes two chapters on the most recent cinematic commentaries, Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One.
