Communicating Fears in Film: Cold War Creatures, Part 2 - Godzilla (1954)

Send us Fan MailTraveling deeper into the second unit emphasis on "Cold War Creatures", cohosts Garret Castleberry and Scott McMurry pivot away from Universal movie monsters to examine the alpha creature feature Asian import, Gojira! Setting a cinema standard for what would become the Kaiju sub-genre, Ishiro Honda's Godzilla (1954) functions as an allegorical post-war pandora's box in relation to its focus on nuclear testing in the Atomic Age. The dialogic duo tackle the allegorical and mythological functions of the original Japanese edit of the film (5:40) while exploring the depths of its ensemble performances. The hosts also examine how the film visualizes a fictionalized national trauma in Japan that runs parallel to real-world adjustments to postwar Japan  (18:18).  Garret and Scott then compare and contrast how Godzilla plays within science fiction and also inspires conventions relating to the role of scientists as both saviors and foils within narrative constructions  (34:00). Finally, the hosts look at the role mass media plays as a tool within the story (1:10:30) before returning to an emphasis on the ways in which Honda's original Godzilla communicates fear in film. (1:19:20). Hosts: Garret Castleberry, Scott McMurryProducers: Garret Castleberry, Will McMurry (Audio Engineer), Alli Garner (Cover Art), Austin Foster (Music)Recommended readings paired with Season Seven "Communicating Fears in Film":Kendall Phillips. Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture. Praeger, 2006.Stephen Prince. Apocalypse Cinema. Rutgers University Press, 2021.Murray Leeder. Horror Film: A Critical Introduction. Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2018.Additional Research available via the Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975, the Criterion Collection home video.Ways to Connect with us online:Follow and engage with Special Topics in Media on Twitter at @podcast_topics."Like" to follow our Special Topics in Media Page on Facebook (search Special Topics in Media).Join the Special Topics in Media Facebook Group and share your reviews of the film or this episode.Subscribe to Dr. Castleberry's academic YouTube Channel.Garret's academic website is available at https://garretcastleberry.academia.edu/.Support the show