According Merriam-Webster.com, the term “culture” is defined as “the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization.” Culture is a way of life. It is passed on from one person to another, from one generation to next, and so forth. Culture shapes our personality and attitude towards life. It is a reminder of who we are and where we are from. On this planet that we call home, it is estimated that there are 7.6 billion inhabitants. Each groups of people with their own set of beliefs and values, their own culture. These cultural differences can be as apparent as the food we eat or as subtle as the way we interact with one another. These differences are exhibited all across the globe. However, the most noticeable ones are those between the Western societies and the Eastern societies. More specifically, the cultural differences between the United States and Japan. They are shown through many aspects of the two cultures, ranging from appearance, to cuisine, to even character portrayals in films. The character portrayals are clearly exhibited through films such as Godzilla of the Japanese science fiction film genre and King Kong of the American science fiction film genre, judging by their level of intimacy and personality of the two monstrous characters.
On first glance, to the rest of the world, Japanese people are always appearing as “one of the most socially and ethnically homogenous groups…” (“One People, One Race?”). It is one that is governed by the simple principle that closely resembles that of a Buddhist, “less self, more compassion” (Iyer). The homogeneity and compassionate principle present in the Japanese culture provide film monstrous characters, such as Godzilla his personality, intimacy, as well as legend to the people and the community. These characteristics of Godzilla to the Japanese community give it more significance over King Kong of the American community.
“…The United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan in 1945, an essentially American military occupation force dismantled and rebuilt the Japanese family and society in such a way as to ensure that Japan could never again become a military threat to the Allies” (Noriega 65). After the destruction of the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan and its citizens were left in terror and chaos with nothing but debris in sight. Ultimately, this inspired and led to the creation of Godzilla as a representation of the danger of nuclear warfare. To a certain extent, the creature’s monstrous treads and ferocious roars are symbolisms of the war as well. On one hand, Godzilla was a creature inspired by nuclear warfare to the Japanese people; on the other hand, King Kong was created for the sole purpose of entertainment, without any actual tragedy or significance in relation to its country of origin. King Kong exemplifies the obvious love story between an monstrous ape and a beautiful and innocent woman. Although King Kong does exhibit traits and characteristics of a monster, in comparison to Godzilla, it does not hold the same historical significance to America as Godzilla does for Japan.
In every society that has ever existed, culture has always played an important role of our lives. It reminds us our heritage and the history of our ancestors. The cultural differences between various societies are exhibited through many aspects of life. These aspects include the food that we eat, the way we dress ourselves, the way we interact with one another, the languages and dialects we speak, the music and instruments we play, etc. However, one aspect that does not get enough attention is the cultural aspect in film, in specific the character portrayals. This aspect was exemplified in the Japanese-made, Godzilla, and the American-produced King Kong. Between the two totally different characters, Godzilla holds more significance due to its historical relation to Japan during World War II; whereas King Kong was solely created for entertainment purposes without any actual correlation to its country of origin.