Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956) Saturday Monster Movies

Something that would become a permanent practice with the Godzilla films happened for the first time in 1956. American producers took the first film and changed it substantially for American audiences. Not content to merely redub the excellent story of the film, they shot new scenes involving an American reporter interpreting (and even reinterpreting) much of the story for America. Of course, the American also had to play a heroic role as well. The only role Americans had in the first film was indirect and inspirational. It was a real-life nuclear test that showed a Japanese fishing boat with radiation that inspired the first Godzilla attack in the movie.

Comparing Godzilla (1954) to Godzilla: King of Monsters (1956) is another interesting exercise for cultural explorers.