Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa

Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa - Paperback

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Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa

Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa - Paperback

by Steve Ryfle , Ed Godziszewski
$26.95
Sale price  $26.95 Regular price 

Book Overview

The first comprehensive biography of the director behind Godzilla and other Japanese sci-fi classics

Ishiro Honda was arguably the most internationally successful Japanese director of his generation, with an unmatched succession of science fiction films that were commercial hits worldwide. From the atomic allegory of Godzilla and the beguiling charms of Mothra to the tragic mystery of Matango and the disaster and spectacle of Rodan, The Mysterians, King Kong vs. Godzilla, and many others, Honda's films reflected postwar Japan's real-life anxieties and incorporated fantastical special effects, a formula that appealed to audiences around the globe and created a popular culture phenomenon that spans generations. Now, in the first full account of this long overlooked director's life and career, authors Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski shed new light on Honda's work and the experiences that shaped it--including his days as a reluctant Japanese soldier, witnessing the aftermath of Hiroshima, and his lifelong friendship with Akira Kurosawa. Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa features close analysis of Honda's films (including, for the first time, his rarely seen dramas, comedies, and war films) and draws on previously untapped documents and interviews to explore how creative, economic, and industrial factors impacted his career. Fans of Honda, Godzilla, and tokusatsu (special effects) film, and of Japanese film in general, will welcome this in-depth study of a highly influential director who occupies a uniquely important position in science fiction and fantasy cinema, as well as in world cinema.

Together, the authors have provided audio commentary tracks and produced supplemental material for numerous home video releases, including Ishiro Honda's Godzilla for the British Film Institute. They co-produced the documentary feature Bringing Godzilla Down to Size (2008).

ISBN9780819500410
Author Steve Ryfle , Ed Godziszewski
PublisherWesleyan University Press
GenreBiography and Arts
FormatPaperback
PublishedJanuary 2023
LanguageENG- English
Pages352
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

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About Steve Ryfle
Steve Ryfle is coauthor, with Ed Godziszewski, of Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa. His writing has been published in Cineaste, Criterion Current, TheLos Angeles Times, the Virginia Quarterly Review, Zyzzyva, and other publications, and he has contributed audio commentaries, essays, and other material to numerous home-video releases. He is cowriter, with Joal Ryan, of the documentary feature film Miracle on 42nd Street, which won the 2020 New York Emmy Award for Best Documentary. He is also coproducer and cowriter, with Ed Godziszewski, of the documentary feature film Bringing Godzilla Down to Size. Ed Godziszewski is coauthor, with Steve Ryfle, of Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa. He is the longtime editor-in-chief and publisher of the independent genre magazine Japanese Giants and was an original contributor to Fangoria magazine. He has contributed audio commentaries and other materials to numerous home video releases, and is coproducer and cowriter, with Steve Ryfle, of the documentary feature film Bringing Godzilla Down to Size. John Carpenter has brought to the screen some of the most popular and influential films in history, beginning with his 1978 breakthrough, Halloween. He directed such horror classics as The Thing, The Fog, Christine and In the Mouth of Madness, as well as Assault on Precinct 13, Escape from New York and Escape from L.A., the Oscar-nominated Starman, Big Trouble in Little China, Village of the Damned, Vampires, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Ghosts of Mars, and The Ward. Carpenter is the recipient of dozens of awards and honors, including the Le Carrosse D'Or (Golden Coach), from the French Directors Guild during the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, and lifetime achievement honors from the Bram Stoker Awards, the Online Film Critics Society, and the Saturn Awards (George Pal Memorial Award). Megumi Odaka portrayed psychic Miki Saegusa in six consecutive films, from 1989's Godzilla vs. Biollante through 1995's Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. As Miki, Ms. Odaka has made the most appearances and had the greatest longevity of any character in the Godzilla film series. A former idol, singer, and actress, Ms. Odaka won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Newcomer of the Year for her debut in Princess from the Moon (1987) opposite Toshiro Mifune. She retired from acting in 2000. Shogo Tomiyama originally joined Toho in the film promotion department, eventually assuming the role of film producer. Tomiyama assisted Tomoyuki Tanaka on the Godzilla series starting with Godzilla vs. Biollante in 1989 and eventually succeeded Tanaka as executive producer for all of Toho's science-fiction and monster films through 2004'sGodzilla Final Wars. He also served as president of Toho Pictures from 2004-10.
About Ed Godziszewski
Steve Ryfle is coauthor, with Ed Godziszewski, of Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa. His writing has been published in Cineaste, Criterion Current, TheLos Angeles Times, the Virginia Quarterly Review, Zyzzyva, and other publications, and he has contributed audio commentaries, essays, and other material to numerous home-video releases. He is cowriter, with Joal Ryan, of the documentary feature film Miracle on 42nd Street, which won the 2020 New York Emmy Award for Best Documentary. He is also coproducer and cowriter, with Ed Godziszewski, of the documentary feature film Bringing Godzilla Down to Size. Ed Godziszewski is coauthor, with Steve Ryfle, of Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa. He is the longtime editor-in-chief and publisher of the independent genre magazine Japanese Giants and was an original contributor to Fangoria magazine. He has contributed audio commentaries and other materials to numerous home video releases, and is coproducer and cowriter, with Steve Ryfle, of the documentary feature film Bringing Godzilla Down to Size. John Carpenter has brought to the screen some of the most popular and influential films in history, beginning with his 1978 breakthrough, Halloween. He directed such horror classics as The Thing, The Fog, Christine and In the Mouth of Madness, as well as Assault on Precinct 13, Escape from New York and Escape from L.A., the Oscar-nominated Starman, Big Trouble in Little China, Village of the Damned, Vampires, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Ghosts of Mars, and The Ward. Carpenter is the recipient of dozens of awards and honors, including the Le Carrosse D'Or (Golden Coach), from the French Directors Guild during the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, and lifetime achievement honors from the Bram Stoker Awards, the Online Film Critics Society, and the Saturn Awards (George Pal Memorial Award). Megumi Odaka portrayed psychic Miki Saegusa in six consecutive films, from 1989's Godzilla vs. Biollante through 1995's Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. As Miki, Ms. Odaka has made the most appearances and had the greatest longevity of any character in the Godzilla film series. A former idol, singer, and actress, Ms. Odaka won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Newcomer of the Year for her debut in Princess from the Moon (1987) opposite Toshiro Mifune. She retired from acting in 2000. Shogo Tomiyama originally joined Toho in the film promotion department, eventually assuming the role of film producer. Tomiyama assisted Tomoyuki Tanaka on the Godzilla series starting with Godzilla vs. Biollante in 1989 and eventually succeeded Tanaka as executive producer for all of Toho's science-fiction and monster films through 2004'sGodzilla Final Wars. He also served as president of Toho Pictures from 2004-10.

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