The Japanese poster for Yoshimitsu Banno's Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1971).
Brenco's advertising campaign for its U.S. release of Toho's sci-fi classic Gorath (1962) claimed the movie was "too real to be science fiction," that it was actually "science fact."
Little did anyone know that such a description would eventually prove more accurate for Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, Yoshimitsu Banno's environmentally-aware monster movie.
On the heels of NASA's discovery of a new life form that's "able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical arsenic," a San Francisco Chronicle blogger notes the similarities between it and a certain Toho kaiju eiga:
For humans, arsenic pollution in groundwater has been a major problem. While a naturally occurring element, Arsenic can cause cancer in humans and "cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and neurological effects" according to the National Research Council. Moreover, Arsenic is found in cities and areas with smog and industrial emissions, and Mono Lake, which as far back as 2006 and beyond, has been noted for its air pollution problems.
Which brings us to Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster and the idea that we're a giant step closer to science fiction as fact.To read the entire blog post, click here. Special thanks to Mr. Yoshimitsu Banno for sending along the link.
Thanks Brett for sharing with us this interesting article. Fact or fiction though... "Big G" versus the Smog Monster is still tons 'o fun!
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly. Though the idea that Mr. Banno was onto something with Hedorah is a pretty cool thought.
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