According to the lore of Ishiro Honda's original Godzilla film "Gojira" (1954), the title monster came into being as the direct result of nuclear tests held in out in the Pacific. An unseen ancient sea creature was exposed to radiation from said tests, causing it to mutate into a 130-meter-tall amphibious dinosaur-like behemoth that climbs out of the ocean and lays waste to cities in Japan. It crushed buildings underfoot and can breathe clouds of destructive radiation. Nothing seems to be able to stop it.
"Gojira" was partially inspired by the real-life Daigo Fukuryu Maru disaster, an even in which a Japanese fishing vessel was exposed to nuclear radiation during the United States' Castle Bravo H-bomb tests. One of the sailors died, the rest of the crew was sick, and the Japanese public became concerned that the fish may have been tainted. Nuclear fears were justifiably high in 1954, making Honda's film incredibly timely.
"Gojira" was partially inspired by the real-life Daigo Fukuryu Maru disaster, an even in which a Japanese fishing vessel was exposed to nuclear radiation during the United States' Castle Bravo H-bomb tests. One of the sailors died, the rest of the crew was sick, and the Japanese public became concerned that the fish may have been tainted. Nuclear fears were justifiably high in 1954, making Honda's film incredibly timely.
- 5/19/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The first trailer for upcoming MonsterVerse movie "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" featured a baby Kong and a new giant ape villain called Skar King, but both were overshadowed by the star of the show: Pink Godzilla.
Though Godzilla is most commonly associated with his classic white-blue atomic breath, director Adam Wingard isn't the first filmmaker to experiment with the color spectrum when it comes to Godzilla's most lethal power. There have been a dozen different continuities featuring the giant lizard, who has been reinvented and redesigned both drastically and subtly over the years.
The pink-glowing version of Godzilla is the same one that was featured in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures' "MonsterVerse" movies -- starting with "Godzilla" in 2014 and most recently appearing in the spin-off series "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters." But even within the decade-long lifespan of the MonsterVerse, we've also seen other versions of the big...
Though Godzilla is most commonly associated with his classic white-blue atomic breath, director Adam Wingard isn't the first filmmaker to experiment with the color spectrum when it comes to Godzilla's most lethal power. There have been a dozen different continuities featuring the giant lizard, who has been reinvented and redesigned both drastically and subtly over the years.
The pink-glowing version of Godzilla is the same one that was featured in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures' "MonsterVerse" movies -- starting with "Godzilla" in 2014 and most recently appearing in the spin-off series "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters." But even within the decade-long lifespan of the MonsterVerse, we've also seen other versions of the big...
- 2/7/2024
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
The original 1954 "Godzilla" was directed by Ishirō Honda, butithout minimizing his importance, it's impossible that the film would have turned out the same way without the special effects Director Eiji Tsuburaya. Portraying a giant monster with the convincing scale of Godzilla had almost never been done before and crafting the monster was Tsuburaya's responsibility.
Tsuburaya had a prolific career that began almost 30 years before he worked on "Godzilla," and included previous collaborations with Honda on the war films "Eagle of the Pacific" and "Farewell Rabaul." Today, though, he is mostly remembered as "the father of Tokusatsu" or effects-heavy Japanese film/TV. Such productions typically depict actors in costume as giant monsters, robots, or superheroes. Tsuburaya earned this title not just through his work on "Godzilla" and subsequent films (such as "Rodan"), but by creating the 1967 TV series turned media phenomenon "Ultraman."
While Ultraman is a hero, Godzilla is (at least...
Tsuburaya had a prolific career that began almost 30 years before he worked on "Godzilla," and included previous collaborations with Honda on the war films "Eagle of the Pacific" and "Farewell Rabaul." Today, though, he is mostly remembered as "the father of Tokusatsu" or effects-heavy Japanese film/TV. Such productions typically depict actors in costume as giant monsters, robots, or superheroes. Tsuburaya earned this title not just through his work on "Godzilla" and subsequent films (such as "Rodan"), but by creating the 1967 TV series turned media phenomenon "Ultraman."
While Ultraman is a hero, Godzilla is (at least...
- 2/4/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
When the monster was invented in 1954, Godzilla stood as a symbol of nuclear devastation. Indeed, in March of 1954, shortly before Ishiro Honda's film "Gojira" was made, a group of fishermen aboard the ship Daigo Fukuryu Maru was exposed to radiation from a nearby American nuclear bomb test in the Bikini Atoll. One of the fishermen died of radiation poisoning and their fish were irradiated, causing a public panic about the safety of their food and the effects nuclear fallout may be having on the local fauna. As all cineastes know, Godzilla was an animal mutated by nuclear tests, turning into a nuclear-powered, unstoppable force of destruction. Godzilla echoed the devastation of the nuclear bomb that Japan had suffered at the hands of America. Honda's original "Gojira" is a somber and downbeat film about how weapons of mass destruction will never be done destroying us.
In the years since...
In the years since...
- 1/26/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film "Psycho" famously employed a gimmick in its advertising to set it apart from the thrillers of the day. Movie posters and other print ads featured pictures of Hitchcock himself, pointing to his wristwatch, declaring that audiences watch "Psycho" from the very beginning, or face ejection from the theater. This came at a time when many theaters were still operating by a non-scheduled system, showing a well-moneyed "A" feature, followed by cartoons, shorts, newsreels, commercials, and a cheaper "B" feature. This is where we get the term "B movie" from. The cycle would then repeat. You could spend four or five hours in the theater if you wanted to. The entire loop would then repeat, and you could catch up with the movie on its second go-'round. This is where we get the phrase, "This is where we came in."
Hitchcock, of course, was repeating the sensationalist gimmicks of William Castle,...
Hitchcock, of course, was repeating the sensationalist gimmicks of William Castle,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
I loved old monster movies when I was a little kid. I couldn't get enough of bug-eyed mutants, lovestruck fish-men, and giant ants in the drains of Los Angeles. I especially got a thrill from enraged creatures rampaging through a city, so Ray Harryhausen's "20 Million Miles to Earth," "It Came From Beneath the Sea," and "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" were particular favorites. I just wanted the destruction to go on and on, and I always cried when the beast died at the end.
If Harryhausen is commonly known as the master of stop-motion animation, giving us such...
The post Securing Funding For the Original King Kong Was Almost As Impressive As the Film Itself appeared first on /Film.
If Harryhausen is commonly known as the master of stop-motion animation, giving us such...
The post Securing Funding For the Original King Kong Was Almost As Impressive As the Film Itself appeared first on /Film.
- 5/10/2022
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
It was 40 years ago, in June 1981, that Clash of the Titans, the last film to feature the stop-motion animation effects of Ray Harryhausen, was released.
Starring a then-unknown Harry Hamlin, along with veteran stars like Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, and Ursula Andress, the film was loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus (Hamlin), weaving in strands of other mythologies and legends and putting its hero into conflict with creatures like the Kraken, Calibos, Medusa the Gorgon and a two-headed dog named Dioskilos.
“Greek and Roman myths contained characters and fantastic creatures that were ideal for cinematic adventures,” wrote Harryhausen in his memoir, Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life. “If some of the adventures were combined with 20th century storytelling, a timeless narrative could be constructed that would appeal to both young and old.”
Harryhausen was already a filmmaking legend by the time he began work on Clash of the Titans.
Starring a then-unknown Harry Hamlin, along with veteran stars like Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, and Ursula Andress, the film was loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus (Hamlin), weaving in strands of other mythologies and legends and putting its hero into conflict with creatures like the Kraken, Calibos, Medusa the Gorgon and a two-headed dog named Dioskilos.
“Greek and Roman myths contained characters and fantastic creatures that were ideal for cinematic adventures,” wrote Harryhausen in his memoir, Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life. “If some of the adventures were combined with 20th century storytelling, a timeless narrative could be constructed that would appeal to both young and old.”
Harryhausen was already a filmmaking legend by the time he began work on Clash of the Titans.
- 6/20/2021
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
Get Ready for Halloween with Some Vintage Horror on Turner Classic Movies this September and October
I don’t know about you, but this writer is more than ready to start looking forward to the Halloween season. And one of the staples of my own ongoing cinematic celebration every year is checking out all the wonderful classic horror movies that Turner Classic Movies airs on their channel. And considering the mess that 2020 has been over the last several months, I thought this year it might be helpful to also include all the genre films that will be playing on TCM throughout the month of September, as it’s never too early to get ready for Halloween.
Check out all the great classic horror movies playing on the small screen over the next two months on TCM, and be sure to set those DVRs so you don’t miss any of the classic films that are sure to get you into the Halloween spirit this year.
Thursday,...
Check out all the great classic horror movies playing on the small screen over the next two months on TCM, and be sure to set those DVRs so you don’t miss any of the classic films that are sure to get you into the Halloween spirit this year.
Thursday,...
- 8/31/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
This week, the pioneering studio Laika returns with “Missing Link,” the stop-motion animated family film starring Hugh Jackman and Zach Galifianakis. With “Missing Link” landing in theaters on Friday, TheWrap looks back at the history of stop-motion animation, going all the way back to the dawn of cinema.
“The Humpty Dumpty Circus” (1898)
The first ever stop-motion animated film was made by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith between 1897 and 1898, “The Humpty Dumpty Circus.” Though the film is lost to history, the directors used their daughter’s dolls to imagine acrobats and animals in motion.
“The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) and “The Trip to the Moon” (1902)
Early cinema experimented with editing techniques to create illusions and special effects on screen in what would become traditional stop motion. Shorts like “The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) or “Fun in a Bakery Shop” (1902) found actors on screen manipulating drawings or piles of dough as if by magic.
“The Humpty Dumpty Circus” (1898)
The first ever stop-motion animated film was made by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith between 1897 and 1898, “The Humpty Dumpty Circus.” Though the film is lost to history, the directors used their daughter’s dolls to imagine acrobats and animals in motion.
“The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) and “The Trip to the Moon” (1902)
Early cinema experimented with editing techniques to create illusions and special effects on screen in what would become traditional stop motion. Shorts like “The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) or “Fun in a Bakery Shop” (1902) found actors on screen manipulating drawings or piles of dough as if by magic.
- 4/12/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
By Lee Pfeiffer
When it comes to publishing top-end film books nobody does it better than Titan. The company has its pulse on every movie geek’s desires and their recent title “Harryhausen: The Movie Posters” should leave fans of the late, great special effects genius Ray Harryhausen drooling over the superb representations of his films. Author James Holliss wisely leaves the text to a minimum to allow the wonderfully-reproduced graphics exemplify the sheer excitement and wonder of the sci-fi and fantasy films associated with Harryhausen. The book presents a mind-boggling number of rare international movie posters and assorted oddities relating to the promotion of his films. Titan has published the book in an appropriately large size hardback format that allows the stunning graphics to be fully appreciated.
One becomes aware of just how important of a role the classic movie posters played in selling these films to the public,...
When it comes to publishing top-end film books nobody does it better than Titan. The company has its pulse on every movie geek’s desires and their recent title “Harryhausen: The Movie Posters” should leave fans of the late, great special effects genius Ray Harryhausen drooling over the superb representations of his films. Author James Holliss wisely leaves the text to a minimum to allow the wonderfully-reproduced graphics exemplify the sheer excitement and wonder of the sci-fi and fantasy films associated with Harryhausen. The book presents a mind-boggling number of rare international movie posters and assorted oddities relating to the promotion of his films. Titan has published the book in an appropriately large size hardback format that allows the stunning graphics to be fully appreciated.
One becomes aware of just how important of a role the classic movie posters played in selling these films to the public,...
- 10/8/2018
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
To celebrate the release of The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms – available on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD Dual Format from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment 26th Feb. 2018 – we are giving away a copy!
Near the Arctic Circle, an atomic bomb is detonated. This fearsome experiment disturbs the sleep of a giant rhedosaurus encased in ice for over 100 million years and sends it southward on a destructive, deadly rampage! The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms was the first screen adaptation of a work by fantasy-fiction titan Ray Bradbury. It also marked the first time Ray Harryhausen had total control over special effects. He came up with a fantastic creature (constructed at full scale, all 50 tons of it) that swims down from the north to run amok through New York City before being conquered in a spectacular Coney Island roller-coaster finale.
The Premium Collection, revered films across all genres celebrated in a Premium package set containing the film on Blu-ray,...
Near the Arctic Circle, an atomic bomb is detonated. This fearsome experiment disturbs the sleep of a giant rhedosaurus encased in ice for over 100 million years and sends it southward on a destructive, deadly rampage! The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms was the first screen adaptation of a work by fantasy-fiction titan Ray Bradbury. It also marked the first time Ray Harryhausen had total control over special effects. He came up with a fantastic creature (constructed at full scale, all 50 tons of it) that swims down from the north to run amok through New York City before being conquered in a spectacular Coney Island roller-coaster finale.
The Premium Collection, revered films across all genres celebrated in a Premium package set containing the film on Blu-ray,...
- 2/21/2018
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
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