Episode 199: Ishiro Honda: The Artist Who Directed Godzilla

## Show Notes

We discuss the films of Director Ishiro Honda, with a focus on GODZILLA (1954), FAREWELL RABAUL (1954) and his work with Akira Kurosawa.
## Films Discussed

* Directed by Ishirō Honda
	+ *The Blue Pearl* (1951)
	+ *The Eagle of the Pacific* (1953)
	+ *Godzilla* (1954)
	+ *Farewell Rabaul* (1954)
	+ *Rodan* (1956)
	+ *The Mysterians* (1957)
	+ *Mothra* (1961)
	+ *King Kong vs. Godzilla* (1962)
	+ *Gorath* (1962)
	+ *Matango* (1963)
	+ *Atrigon* (1963)
	+ *Frankenstein Conquers the World* (1965)
	+ *Invasion of Astro-Monster* (1965)
	+ *War of the Gargantuas* (1966)
	+ *Latitude Zero* (1969)
	+ *Terror of Mecha-Godzilla* (1975)
* Directed by Akira Kurosawa
	+ *Stray Dog* (1949)
	+ *Throne of Blood* (1957)
	+ *Dodesukaden* (1970)
	+ *Dersu Uzala* (1975)
	+ *Kagemusha* (1980)
	+ *Ran* (1985)
	+ *Dreams* (1990)
	+ *Rhapsody in August* (1991)
	+ *Madadayo* (1993)
* *King Kong Appears in Edo* (1938) Dir. Sōya Kumagai
* *Only Angels Have Wings* (1939) Dir. Howard Hawks
* *The Red Shoes* (1948) Dir. Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
* *Twelve O'Clock High* (1949) Dir. Henry King
* *Godzilla Raids Again* (1955) Dir. Motoyoshi Oda

## Discussion Notes

* Our hosts discuss Godzilla's many dads
	+ Ishirō Honda (director)
	+ Tomoyuki Tanaka (producer)
	+ Eiji Tsuburaya (special effects)
	+ Akira Ifukube (music)
* Ishirō Honda: one of the most famous and most seen Japanese directors - with a nearly-entirely forgotten filmography
	+ A great director not given the opportunities he needed to make great films in his time
		- *Ishirō Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa* by Steve Ryfle & Ed Godziszewski
* Themes in his filmography
	+ Disillusionment with war, based on his WWII experience
	+ Optimistic humanism, dreaming of a world coming together to solve problems peacefully
* *Farewell Rabaul*
	+ Platoon of WWII fighter pilots realizing they aren't going to win the war
		- Compare to Only Angels Have Wings and Twelve O'Clock High
	+ Portrays the anger at the lack of value the Japanese leadership had in their troops lives
* *Godzilla*
	+ A grim tale of the push and pull of bodies of people wondering if their loved ones are alive
	+ Will - "this is what a society that has been bombed with nuclear weapons dreams after nine years"
	+ The '54 Godzilla - no personality, just an force of destruction moving forward
	+ The film asks - where do we go from here? What happens after we kill Godzilla?
* What would have happened if Honda had gotten away from Godzilla?
* Honda's late career team-up with Akira Kurosawa
	+ An odd couple - Honda's even-keel attitude balanced Kurosawa's fiery temper
		- Honda was brought on as assistant director/co-director under Kurosawa
	+ Honda's son suggested these Kurosawa partnerships were the happiest parts of his fathers career
* *Dreams*
	+ Honda worked as creative consultant
	+ Based on the supposed dreams of Kurosawa
		- Scorsese plays Vincent van Gogh in a scene!
	+ One sequence involving a dead soldiers is clearly based on the experiences of Honda
		- Returns to the concept of unwinnable wars introduced in Farewell Rabaul
* Justin on Honda's other sci-fi movies like *The Mysterians* - "It doesn't need to have Godzilla in all of them"
	+ Moments later - "I wish Godzilla would show up"

## Post-Outro Discussion

* Our hosts discuss the film doldrums of January
* *Bad Bays 3* - more watchable than *Bad Boys 2*!
* *Dolittle*
	+ Will on the visual style - it's 'an assault of experiences'
	+ Robert Downey Jr. - doesn't he have enough money now? Will he ever?

* Richard Fleischer's *Doctor* *Doolittle* went up against *Bonnie and Clyde*, *The Graduate*, *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner*, and *In the Heat of the Night* for Best Picture in 1967
	+ *Pictures of the Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood* by Mark Harris - book
	+ Do people actually like the original? Or The Eddie Murphy ones?
* Our hosts discuss blockbusters destroyed in post-production
	+ *John Carter*
	+ *Suicide Squad*
	+ *Justice League*
	+ *Rise of Skywalker*
* Justin on the need for big-budget success and the accompanying doubts - "Oh my god my child is gonna run this marathon and I don't want anything to go wrong so let's chop his legs off!"