Godzilla (Gojira) is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishiro Honda. It is the first film in the Godzilla franchise and the first film in the Showa series. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as the performers for Godzilla. In 1956, Embassy Pictures released Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, a heavily re-edited "Americanized" version of the original film with additional footage featuring Raymond Burr. Click for other version of poster