A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series, 2d ed. PDF Download

Author: David Kalat
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476632650
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 286

View

Book Description
This thoroughly updated and revised critical account of the Godzilla movie franchise explores the fascinating story behind Japan’s most famous movie monster and its development from black-and-white arthouse allegory to international commercial juggernaut. Reviled by critics but boasting a dedicated cult following, the films of the Godzilla franchise provide a unique window into the national identities of both Japan and the United States. This work focuses on how differences in American and Japanese culture, as well as differences in their respective film industries, underlie the discrepancies between the American and Japanese versions of the films. It features detailed filmographic data for both the American and Japanese versions of each film, including plot synopses, cast, credits, and detailed production notes.

Author: David Kalat
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 286

View

Book Description
Examines over two dozen Godzilla movies made between 1933 and 1995, emphasizing the cultural differences underlying the changes US distributors have made in the Japanese films. Provides exhaustive data for both versions of each, along with plot synopses, casts, credits, and detailed production notes. Also discusses the various political and social subtexts of the films. No illustrations. c. Book News Inc.

Author: William Tsutsui
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 113705557X
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 260

View

Book Description
This year, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of his first appearance on the screen, the original, uncut version of Godzilla was released in American theaters to the delight of Sci-Fi and B-Movie fans everywhere. Ever since Godzilla (or, Gojira, as he is known in Japan) crawled out of his radioactive birthplace to cut a swath of destruction through Tokyo, he has claimed a place alongside King Kong and others in the movie monster pantheon. He is the third most recognizable Japanese celebrity in the United States, and his fan base continues to grow as children today prove his enduring appeal. Now, Bill Tsutsui, a life-long fan and historian, takes a light-hearted look at the big, green, radioactive lizard, revealing how he was born and how he became a megastar. With humorous anecdotes, Godzilla on My Mind explores his lasting cultural impact on the world. This book is sure to be welcomed by pop culture enthusiasts, fans, and historians alike.

Author: Steve Ryfle
Publisher: ECW Press
ISBN: 1550223488
Category : Godzilla (Fictitious character)
Languages : en
Pages : 376

View

Book Description
Bigger, badder, and more durable than Hollywood's greatest action heroes, Godzilla emerged from the mushroom cloud of an H-bomb test in 1954 to trample Tokyo. More than 40 years later, he reigns as the undisputed monarch of movie monsters, with legions of fans spanning several generations and countless international boundaries.

Author: Jason Barr
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 078649963X
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 213

View

Book Description
The Kaiju (strange monster or strange beast) film genre has a number of themes that go well beyond the "big monsters stomping on cities" motif. Since the seminal King Kong 1933) and the archetypal Godzilla (1954), kaiju has mined the subject matter of science run amok, militarism, capitalism, colonialism, consumerism and pollution. This critical examination of kaiju considers the entirety of the genre--the major franchises, along with less well known films like Kronos (1957), Monsters (2010) and Pacific Rim (2013). The author examines how kaiju has crossed cultures from its original folkloric inspirations in both the U.S. and Japan and how the genre continues to reflect national values to audiences.

Author: Matthew Edwards
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476620202
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 299

View

Book Description
Seventy years after the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan is still dealing with the effects of the bombings on the national psyche. From the Occupation Period to the present, Japanese cinema had offered a means of coming to terms with one of the most controversial events of the 20th century. From the monster movies Gojira (1954) and Mothra (1961) to experimental works like Go Shibata's NN-891102 (1999), atomic bomb imagery features in all genres of Japanese film. This collection of new essays explores the cultural aftermath of the bombings and its expression in Japanese cinema. The contributors take on a number of complex issues, including the suffering of the survivors (hibakusha), the fear of future holocausts and the danger of nuclear warfare. Exclusive interviews with Go Shibata and critically acclaimed directors Roger Spottiswoode (Hiroshima) and Steven Okazaki (White Light/Black Rain) are included.

Author: Stuart Galbraith IV
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 9780786421268
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0

View

Book Description
This is a detailed analysis of 103 Japanese science fiction, horror and fantasy feature films released theatrically or directly to television in the United States from 1950 through 1992. Each entry provides a plot synopsis, critique, background on the production, contemporary review quotes, and a comparison between the U.S. and Japanese versions. The filmography is arranged by studio and includes American and Japanese titles, release dates and releasing studios; comprehensive production and cast credits; running time; U.S. rating (when appropriate); and alternate titles.

Author: David Kalat
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476636524
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 261

View

Book Description
American silent film comedies were dominated by sight gags, stunts and comic violence. With the advent of sound, comedies in the 1930s were a riot of runaway heiresses and fast-talking screwballs. It was more than a technological pivot--the first feature-length sound film, The Jazz Singer (1927), changed Hollywood. Lost in the discussion of that transition is the overlap between the two genres. Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd kept slapstick alive well into the sound era. Screwball directors like Leo McCarey, Frank Capra and Ernst Lubitsch got their starts in silent comedy. From Chaplin's tramp to the witty repartee of His Girl Friday (1940), this book chronicles the rise of silent comedy and its evolution into screwball--two flavors of the same genre--through the works of Mack Sennett, Roscoe Arbuckle, Harry Langdon and others.

Author: Camille D.G. Mustachio
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476668361
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 213

View

Book Description
Dismissed as camp by critics but revered by fans, the kaiju or "strange creature" film has become an iconic element of both Japanese and American pop culture. From homage to parody to advertising, references to Godzilla--and to a lesser extent Gamera, Rodan, Ultraman and others--abound in entertainment media. Godzilla in particular is so ubiquitous, his name is synonymous with immensity and destruction. In this collection of new essays, contributors examine kaiju representations in a range of contexts and attempt to define this at times ambiguous genre.

Author: Camille D.G. Mustachio
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476629978
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 212

View

Book Description
Dismissed as camp by critics but revered by fans, the kaiju or "strange creature" film has become an iconic element of both Japanese and American pop culture. From homage to parody to advertising, references to Godzilla—and to a lesser extent Gamera, Rodan, Ultraman and others—abound in entertainment media. Godzilla in particular is so ubiquitous, his name is synonymous with immensity and destruction. In this collection of new essays, contributors examine kaiju representations in a range of contexts and attempt to define this at times ambiguous genre.