Castle Bravo Archives - The Monster Island Film Vault

Hello, kaiju lovers!

By popular (and Godzilla’s) demand, MIFV is starting a new series on episodes on the Godzilla franchise called “Godzilla Redux”! It starts with the one that started it all, the 1954 classic Godzilla (aka Gojira) starring Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata, and Takeshi Shimura, among others, and directed by Ishiro Honda. Of course, such a momentous film and occasion required all four of the original Tourists, Nick Hayden, Timothy Deal, and Joe & Joy Metter. Unfortunately for Nate, there is way, way, WAY too much scholarship on this film, so it was overwhelming to research and difficult to condense it all down. Regardless, the roundtable discusses the U.S. Occupation of Japan, the Lucky Dragon No. 5 incident, and how Dr. Serizawa should’ve been a cool anime character, among other subjects related to this film.

Check out Nick and Tim’s podcast, Derailed Trains of Thought!

Additional music:

“Chant My Name!” by Masaaki Endo

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander and Michael Hamilton (co-hosts of Kaiju Weekly); Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Eli Harris (elizilla13); Chris Cooke (host of One Cross Radio); Bex from Redeemed Otaku; Damon Noyes, and The Cel Cast! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month!

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:
Prologue: 0:00-1:11
Intro: 1:11-3:55
Main Discussion: 3:55-1:17:36
Housekeeping & Outro: 1:17:36-end

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Bibliography/Further Reading:

Barr, Jason. The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters.
Brothers, Peter H. Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda.
Brothers, Peter H. “Without Raymond Burr: Godzilla at the Egyptian.” G-Fan, no. 50, March/April 2001.
Galbraith IV, Stuart. Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films: A Critical Analysis and Filmography of 103 Features Released in the United States 1950-1992.
Glownia, Dawid. “Socio-Political Aspects of Kaijū Eiga Genre: A Case Study of the Original Godzilla.” Silva Iaponicarum, vol. 37.
Godzilla Commentary by David Kalat (Criterion Blu-Ray).
Godzilla 2011 Criterion Blu-Ray Special Features.
Gojira Commentary by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski (Classic Media DVD).
Gojira Classic Media DVD Special Features.
Hein, Laura. “Revisiting America’s Occupation of Japan.” Cold War History, Vol. 11, No. 4, November 2011, 579–599.
Hoberman, J. “Poetry After the A-Bomb” (2011 Criterion Blu-Ray booklet).
Kaijuvision Radio, Episode 2: Godzilla Origins: King Kong (1933) and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
Kaijuvision Radio, Episode 3: Gojira (1954) (The Occupation of Japan Part 1: Castle Bravo Test, Cold War, Democracy)
Kalat, David. A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series, 2^nd Edition.
LeMay, John. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies Volume 1: 1954-1982.
LeMay, John. Writing Giant Monsters.
Miwa, Yosjiro, and J. Mark Ramseyer. “The Good Occupation? Law in the Allied Occupation of Japan.” Washington University Global Studies Law Review, vol. 8, no. 2. 2009.
Napier, Susan J. “Panic Sites: The Japanese Imagination of Disaster from Godzilla to Akira.” The Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol. 19, No. 2 (Summer, 1993), pp. 327-351. Published by: The Society for Japanese Studies.
Noriega, Chon. “Godzilla and the Japanese Nightmare: When ‘Them!’ Is U.S.” Cinema Journal, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Autumn, 1987), pp. 63-77. Published by University of Texas Press on behalf of the Society for Cinema & MediaStudies.
“Occupation of Japan” (Wikipedia).
Ryfle, Steve. “Godzilla’s Footprint” (Classic Media DVD booklet).
Ryfle, Steve, and Ed Godziszewski. Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa.

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Hello, kaiju lovers!

The Beast! The Beast! THE BEAST! From 20,000 Fathoms!

Nathan is joined by his friend and regular Monster Island Tourist Nick Hayden for the first Ray Harryhausen film covered on MIFV: The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. This 1953 classic—the Jaws of its time, as Nick says—is one of the seminal films in the kaiju genre. It was the first “atomic monster” movie. Without it, we may have not gotten Godzilla in 1954. It was “suggested by” a Ray Bradbury story, which delights Nathan and Nick as both writers and classic lit nerds. Also, if you’re looking for quirky band names, this is the episode for you! So, join them for the final full-length film discussion of the season—despite Jimmy From NASA’s claims of a special Godzilla vs. Kong premiere on the Island in a few weeks.

The Toku Topics are a brief history of nuclear tests and a brief history of amusement parks since both factor into this film.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our Patreon patrons Travis Alexander and Michael Hamilton (co-hosts of Kaiju Weekly); Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Eli Harris (elizilla13); Chris Cooke (host of One Cross Radio), and Bex from Redeemed Otaku! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can support us on Patreon and get perks like this starting at only $3 a month!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Episode image created by Michael Hamilton.

Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.

Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-6:22
Entertaining Info Dump: 6:22-13:14
Toku Talk: 13:14-1:02:58
Toku Topic: 1:02:58-1:44:08
Outro: 1:44:08-1:52:38
Epilogue: 1:52:38-end