Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster? in Japanese Giants Forum

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Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster?

Author	Comment
Hachigatsu		#161	[-]
Mar 28 10 1:04 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	In 1970, Toho broke up the company into twelve subsidiaries, and most of their contracts with employees and actors were up, and they didn't renew most of those contracts. Toho was able to stay in business, while many other studios went belly up or were greatly diminished by that decade (Daiei, Nikkatsu, and Shochiku). Upstart studio, Toei (founded in 1950), actually soared in the 1970s, becoming the most prolific studio of the lot. Toei was a lot more shrewd in the late 1950s, by jumping into television production with both feet, while the bigger, older studios poo-pooed television. Once they changed their minds, it was too late, Toei dominated the market with live action and animated films and television shows, and is still going strong today. Their feature film output during the 1970s was also above and beyond the competition with dozens of memorable films, such as THE YAKUZA PAPERS, and they excelled in live action superhero television shows that led the pack (one of their franchises being the POWER RANGERS). August Ragone Author EIJI TSUBURAYA: MASTER OF MONSTERS Blog THE GOOD, THE BAD AND GODZILLA Last Edited By: Hachigatsu Mar 28 10 1:09 PM. Edited 1 times.
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Hollywood Gothique		#162	[-]
Apr 19 10 7:26 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hachigatsu wrote: But, I'm not (and haven't) excused anything. Just putting the film(s) into the proper context of which people, not having the benefit of being Japanese (who would know this) or being intimate with the details of Japanese Cinema, would be privy to. As I've said, like them or hate them, that's up to you, but ignorance is no excuse. More knowledge is more power, isn't it? That's why we're journalists and historians, aren't we? To help people better understand and appreciate what they're watching, no? Well, yes and no. One purpose is to help people better appreciate something. Another purpose is to help people understand why a formerly entertaining franchise goes down the tubes. The fact that something was low-budget and made for kids may explain a drop in quality, and we may have to factor that in when assessing the talents of those involved ("they did the best they could with the time and money they had"), but ultimately, the film must still stand on its own - regardless of how it was "intended." Cultural context can help us appreciate a film (the opening sequence of GOJIRA rings with much louder resonance if you know the Lucky Dragon story). But as the great author Jorge Luis Borges pointed out in his essays, context changes, and when it changes, how we view works of art changes. We don't have to accept the racism of BIRTH OF A NATION because of the context in which the film was made, and we don't have to accept the silliness of the '70s Godzilla films because they were meant for kids. In a later post you offer this disclaimer: 'I have never said, "These movies are great; you just don't get them because of XYZ."' This may be literally true, but you have used phrases like "proper context" and "ignorance is no excuse." Surely you can see how the first could be taken to imply that there is a "proper" or "correct" way to view these films? And might the second not suggest that those who don't see these films "correctly" are ignorant? This might be reading between the lines, but I hope you would see that it's an understandable - even if erroneous - conclusion. And there's this: *"This was not a general-release picture, but rather it was conceived for Toho's Champion Festival kiddie matinee series. So, cut the film some slack...*" "Cut some slack" may not be an exact synonym for "excuse," but it's close enough. You're not saying the film is great, but you are telling us to "pardon, forgive, or overlook" flaws and failings because we're talking about a kiddie matinee flick. Cinefantastique Online: The Review of Horror, Fantasy, & Science Fiction Films
Paul Haight		#163	[-]
Apr 8 12 1:46 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	William Pate, AIP's director of graphic arts, talked to David Elliott about creating the U.S. ad campaign for GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER in this 1972 article: LINK Pate also mentions how proud he was of the FROGS campaign.
Saturday8pm		#164	[-]
Apr 12 12 10:31 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	OUCH, Gothique! Although I do restate that Toho's rebranding of Godzilla towards younger audiences in The Late '60s was a colossal mistake and made for crappy films. But, kids don't care. Now, rebranding the series for kids with doctored monster suits in "UltraMan", great idea. Of course, Toei stole that idea for "Power Rangers". I'm sure the series the Andersons created for TV helped grease the wheels. "Lord I love Spring! The birds, the fair weather, the new flowers. It doesn't get any better than this. HOLY CRAP! what's THAT?!?"
Paul Haight		#165	[-]
Apr 14 12 2:03 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	STANLEY versus SMOG MONSTER: (Page 1) (Page 2) Principles Unknown...
Kaijubait		#166	[-]
Apr 14 12 9:58 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Paul Haight wrote: STANLEY versus SMOG MONSTER: (Page 1) (Page 2) My favorite part of that were the ads on Page 2. Man, I'd like to find me a Swedish Restaurant with a $1.60 AYCE lunch buffet. And... WTF? "Play Toy""Scent Of Love""Psycho Love" and a picture of a little kid?!
Patron Zero		#167	[-]
Apr 16 12 11:30 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It was short but sweet, all the same seeing Hedorah make a cameo appearance in Godzilla: Final Wars was a real unexpected treat !
Saturday8pm		#168	[-]
Apr 20 12 8:00 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Remove the dated psychedelic moments and you have a fairly solid G film. Almost as dark as the original G film from '54. Of course, that baaad suit and some of the dumb fight scenes ( is this the one with the flying G? ) throw it back on the heap of G kiddie matinees. "Lord I love Spring! The birds, the fair weather, the new flowers. It doesn't get any better than this. HOLY CRAP! what's THAT?!?"
Kaijubait		#169	[-]
Apr 20 12 8:05 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Saturday8pm wrote: Of course, that baaad suit Which baaad suit? That was one of G's classic looks, and I thought it looked great.
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Saturday8pm		#170	[-]
Apr 20 12 8:17 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Ugh! Anything from The Late '60s on. No contest the worst of the worst was the one used for "Godzilla's Revenge". How come the designs got so lame after the original "Ghidrah"? "Lord I love Spring! The birds, the fair weather, the new flowers. It doesn't get any better than this. HOLY CRAP! what's THAT?!?"
Goji		#171	[-]
Apr 20 12 10:33 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	...GODZILLA'S REVENGE utilizes multiple Godzilla suits because of the heavy use of stock footage, so you'll have to be more specific. The suit featured in new scenes (Shoshingeki-Goji, or Godzilla 1968) is the same suit that premiered in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS, and was featured in GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (THE SMOG MONSTER) and VS. GIGAN. It's a fan favorite, and I don't see what's so horrible about it. Did you mean the suit from SON OF GODZILLA? If so, then yeah, I can understand. It definitely wasn't great. Here's the SON OF GODZILLA suit Here's the 1968 suit, as seen in GODZILLA'S REVENGE and DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. Last Edited By: Goji Apr 21 12 7:35 PM. Edited 5 times.
Saturday8pm		#172	[-]
Apr 20 12 6:47 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	That's right, the one in "Son". Worst ever. "Lord I love Spring! The birds, the fair weather, the new flowers. It doesn't get any better than this. HOLY CRAP! what's THAT?!?"
Kaijubait		#173	[-]
Apr 20 12 9:58 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Saturday8pm wrote: That's right, the one in "Son". Worst ever. OK, THAT I agree with.
The Giant Pacific Octopus		#174	[-]
Apr 21 12 8:41 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I was never a fan of this particular suit that was originally built for Destroy All Monsters. What made it worse in this particular film is that they obviously lengthened the neck because you can see the shape of Haruo Nakajima's head inside Godzilla's neck. Therefore it just gives me the impression that Godzilla has swallowed a bowling ball. . The Catch of the Day!
dmarks1000	Godzilla Rocks	#175	[-]
Apr 21 12 4:05 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Any suit, any movie. anytime Godzilla is on screen makes my day. Go, Go, Godzilla!
bela lugosi		#176	[-]
Apr 22 12 11:15 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Fond memories of this one. Along with GODZILLA 1985, it's the only Godzilla movie I like after the 60s. Saw it at a Drive-in, and really liked it. I've only seen it once since then, on TV, back in the 90s, and it didn't age real well, but still was fun to watch.
Brett		#177	[-]
Apr 29 12 6:39 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Adryan Russ sent me the link to this YouTube video which features her signature song "Save the Earth" in a pretty unusual way. Enjoy! Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker
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Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster?