"Godzilla" Stomps Into Heritage!

DALLAS, TEXAS: Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers (HG&A) will offer a rare style B2 one-sheet from the seminal Japanese giant monster film, Gojira - better known as Godzilla in the West - in their upcoming Movie Poster Signature Auction, to be held November 11 & 12, 2005, in Dallas, Texas.

"This is an extremely rare poster from the original 1954 release of this classic film," said Grey Smith, Director of Movie Poster Auctions for HG&A. "Made in the same year as Akira Kurosawa's immortal The Seven Samurai - using some of the same actors and with twice the budget - Gojira was a landmark film for Toho Studios, and would go on to be the most successful franchise in movie history, spawning over 50 years of classic giant-monster films."

"Most Western audiences are familiar with the American version of Godzilla, which was edited to include scenes of actor Raymond Burr," Smith continued. "But this poster is from the original Japanese, Burr-less version, which was finally released into American theaters for the very first time in 2004, making the 'King of the Monsters' more popular than ever."

"The Style B2 one-sheet is seldom seen, even amongst the elite of kaiju collectors," Smith said. "We sold the more common - yet still extremely elusive - country-of-origin Style A one-sheet in our July, 2005 auction for more than $21,000, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this rare gem meet or exceed that price."

The Gojira Style B2 One-Sheet carries a pre-auction estimate of $10,000 - $15,000.

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HeritageGalleries.com.

Prospective consignors and sellers of vintage movie posters and related material should contact Grey Smith at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 367, or 214-252-4367, or email GreySm@HeritageGalleries.com.

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalog, please contact Nicole Jewell at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272, or visit HeritageGalleries.com to order by email.