The first comprehensive biography of the director behind Godzilla and other Japanese sci-fi classics
Ishiro Honda was arguably the most internationally successful Japanese director of his generation, with an unmatched succession of science fiction films that were commercial hits worldwide. From the atomic allegory of Godzilla and the beguiling charms of Mothra to the tragic mystery of Matango and the disaster and spectacle of Rodan, The Mysterians, King Kong vs. Godzilla, and many others, Honda's films reflected postwar Japan's real-life anxieties and incorporated fantastical special effects, a formula that appealed to audiences around the globe and created a popular culture phenomenon that spans generations. Now, in the first full account of this long overlooked director's life and career, authors Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski shed new light on Honda's work and the experiences that shaped it?including his days as a reluctant Japanese soldier, witnessing the aftermath of Hiroshima, and his lifelong friendship with Akira Kurosawa. Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa features close analysis of Honda's films (including, for the first time, his rarely seen dramas, comedies, and war films) and draws on previously untapped documents and interviews to explore how creative, economic, and industrial factors impacted his career. Fans of Honda, Godzilla, and tokusatsu (special effects) film, and of Japanese film in general, will welcome this in-depth study of a highly influential director who occupies a uniquely important position in science fiction and fantasy cinema, as well as in world cinema.
Together, the authors have provided audio commentary tracks and produced supplemental material for numerous home video releases, including Ishiro Honda's Godzilla for the British Film Institute. They co-produced the documentary feature Bringing Godzilla Down to Size (2008).
Preface by Martin Scorsese
Acknowledgments
Introduction
DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES: 1911?45
A Boy from the Mountains
Tokyo
Film School Lessons
A Reluctant Soldier
Forging Bonds
War
AWAKENINGS: 1946?54
Starting Over
Allegiances and Alliances
The Documentaries: Ise-shima (1949), Story of a Co-op (1950)
Sea, Land, and Sky: The Blue Pearl (1951), The Skin of the South (1952), The Man Who Came to Port (1952), Adolescence Part 2 (1952), Eagle of the Pacific (1953), Farewell Rabaul (1954)
SCIENCE FICTION: 1954?64
No Laughing Matter: Godzilla (1954)
Obligations: Love Makeup (1955), Mother and Son (1955), Half Human (1955)
Youth Movement: Young Tree (1956), Night School (1956), People of Tokyo, Goodbye (1956), Rodan (1956)
Lovers and Aliens: Good Luck to These Two (1957), A Teapicker's Song of Goodbye (1957), A Rainbow Plays in My Heart (1957), A Farewell to the Woman I Called My Sister (1957), The Mysterians (1957)
Brides, Blobs, and a Bomb: Song for a Bride (1958), The H-Man (1958), Varan the Unbelievable (1958)
Marriage, Money, and the Moon: An Echo Calls You (1959), Inao, Story of an Iron Arm (1959), Seniors, Juniors, Co-workers (1959), Battle in Outer Space (1959)
Accidental Monsters: The Human Vapor (1960), Mothra (1961), A Man in Red (1961)
Going Global: Gorath (1962), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
Dangerous Waters: Matango (1963), Atragon (1963)
Monsters and Gangsters: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Dogora (1964), Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
GOOD-BYE, GODZILLA: 1965?75
East Meets West: Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965), Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), The War of the Gargantuas (1966), Come Marry Me (1966)
Monsters or Bust: King Kong Escapes (1967), Destroy All Monsters (1968), All Monsters Attack (1968), Latitude Zero (1969), Space Amoeba (1970), Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
AT KUROSAWA'S SIDE: 1976?93
Rhapsody in Autumn
Afterword by Ryuji Honda
Ishiro Honda Filmography
Notes
Index
