At Criterion, Steven Ryfle writes about director Ishiro Honda and Godzilla. “Ishiro Honda gathered his crew and gave them an ultimatum. He was about to put his career at risk, and he would only work with those who approached his current project—a movie about a radiation-spewing prehistoric reptile that destroys Tokyo—with the utmost seriousness, as he himself did. ‘He told them . . . “Read the script. If you are not convinced, please let me know immediately and leave the project,’’ Kimi Honda, the director’s wife, recalled years later. ‘He only wanted those who had the absolute confidence to work with him on this film.'”