In the reading “Oh No There Goes Tokyo”, it talks about Gojira (1954), a dark film that portrayed the memories of the nuclear bomb of Hiroshima. The original aim of the movie was to deliver a situation similar to the end of nuclear testing. However, Godzilla was defeated at the end, which conveyed a message that despite radioactive impacts overseas, Japan is a nation that is able to overcome such difficulties.
This message had a strong impact on Japanese society. Despite the tragedy that Japan faced after the nuclear bomb, Japan’s economy grew rapidly from the 1950s to the 1970s. This was possible since the movie conveyed optimism to the people in Japan. People began to possess a positive mindset in order to overcome the difficulties and to bring its nation back to a leading country.
From the movie Gojira, it shows how much important it is to have a positive ending that relates to the current situation of that country. If the movie ended coinciding to the result of the nuclear bomb, people wouldn’t have been able to restore the economy of Japan as fast as they could.
Movies are important since it conveys lessons and emotions to the audiences. People might be skeptical of how a movie can capture the heart of people in a society. Nevertheless, the story of a movie and how it depicts the city is quite an important factor, since it could bring positive effects to the people in difficult situations. The more the movie mimics the current situation of a society well, the more it would bring greater effects on people. Therefore, it would be important for a movie not only just to portray a memory in the past, but also to show an ending that could change the minds of people more optimistic.
By : Yonghyun Kwon (3035555626)