User:Rizzleboffin/Japanese films

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1 article on X From Outer Space & Kaiju in General
2 Akira Ifukube
3 Fumio Hayasaka
4 Hiroshi Miyagawa
5 Toshiro /Toshirô Mayuzumi
6 References to check
7 Imamura

[edit] article on X From Outer Space & Kaiju in General

Source:

(1968) This is Japan; 1968. Tokyo: Asahi Shimbun Newspaper Publishing Co.. ISBN.

A Child's View of Monsters

The feature page of the Asahi Shimbun on the morning of May 15, 1967, carried this headline:

"It's Gilala the Monster!"

Prince Hiro Exclaims

In Department Store

(Gilala = The X from Outer Space (Uchu daikaijû Girara 宇宙大怪獣ギララ) (1967))

The seven-year-old Prince, grandson of the Emperor, had been allowed, as a rare treat, to visit a department storoe for the first time. Like all boys, he headed for the toy section. And like most Japanese youngsters today, he chose as purchases a toy robot and a picture-book of "monsters." These "monsters" are the creations of the movie-makers and television producers; they strut across the screens like lords of creation rending and wrecking everything in their way. There are some 120 of them so far, and their bizarre tribe seems likely to increase in number and variety to the delight of children and the dismay of parents.

As promotion for their programmes actors in the monster costumes make public appearances strolling along the streets, and in department stores and amusement parks. Some of them have shown up in May Day parades, or taken up stations in front of bookstores where the comic-book versions of their adventures are sold. Their images help sell school notebooks, shoes, chocolates, chewing-gum and other merchandise.

Toy counters arc full of monsters in miniature. Two thousand plastic models of one particular monster have been sold. The Monster Pictorial magazine with photographs of the bizarre creatures sells about 100,000 copies an issue. A popular boys' maagazine soared to more than a million circulation after it began featuring the weird beasts. The Big Picture Book of Monsters, which includes sound sheets that can be played on a phonograph to reproduce monster bellowings, sold more than 190,000 copies.

Kindergarten children, told to model anything they like in clay, more often than not compete with each other in trying to reproduce their favourite monster. When pupils of Tokyo's Taimei Primary School were asked, "How many movie and television monsters are there?"' they answered in unhesitating chorus, "About 120 or 130." One pupil rattled off the names of 50 monsters and seemed capable of identifying the whole lot before being interrupted by his teacher. The boom in monsters got under way in late 1965 with the network televising of the movies Ultra Q, Ultraman, Ambassador Magma, and the like. Children's magazines were quick to follow up on the new "fan interest," and other mass-communications media began writing of the life and times of the monstrous folk-heroes.

The monster invasion was given particular impetus by the inventiveness of the Tsuburaya Special Effects Production Company, which introduces at least one new monster in each instalment of its serialized 30-minute television programme. Ultraman surged into the lead in audience ratings with an estimated 6,160,000 viewers in January, 1967. Ultraman still had 40.7 per cent of the total viewing audience in tile ratings for tile week of February 20-26, 1967, although Ohana-han (a serialized story of a Meiji-Era wife) had taken over top place in viewers' affections. Ambassador Magma had held 15th place in over-all ratings with 28.4 per cent of the viewers. Booska the Monster scored 25 her cent.

Monsters virtually monopolize children's conversations, and parents are worried about the influence of such "heroes" on the youngsters. Letters to newspapers express such perplexities as, "Our children are crazy about Ultraman and want only toys modelled after the monsters they see on the television programme. Does this sort of thing have a had effect on children's psychology? Should we buy such toys for them?"

Specialists in child psychology offer divided opinions. some say: "This adulation of larger-than-life creatures with stupendous powers recalls the excitement that King Kong evoked in the previous generation. It should not be taken seriously." Others take a more pessimistic view and warn: "Grotesque monsters are lionized because the mass-communications media are feeding children more and more sensational nonsense in order to attract their patronage. If this sort of thing goes on, the sense of discrimination between the ugly and the beautiful in the younger generation will be destroyed." Then there is the practical school of thought which argues: "Instead of taking a negative attitude towards the monster fad among young people, let us capitalize on their aroused interest to divert it, for example, to enthusiasm for acquiring knowledge of science."

In the final analysis, it will be the producers of the monster epics who will be the deciding factor. Many of them are investing heavily in productions where gigantic and inhuman monsters smash all before them, apparently because they believe children are interested only in destruction. One movie company executive has said that he aims his monster films at an audience of the junior-high-school level and below. Should movies he made for children which adults cannot bring themselves to watch?

Let's listen in to the views of the Taimei Primary School pupils:

A boy: "I've watched almost all the television programmes featuring monsters."

A girl: "I've seen most of the monster movies. My grandmother takes me.

A boy: "I like strong creatures that don't care if sometimes they are cowardly."

A girl: "I like the Mothras because they have a nice shape."

A boy: "Godzilla is good, too. He's strong and does a lot of interesting things."

A girl: "There are some things I don't understand about monster films. When a monster runs wild, the Defence Force is called out to attack him, but the soldiers are knocked aside right and left. Finally, Ultraman arrives on the scene. Since the troops have a terrible time when they try to stop the monster, wily doesn't Ultraman come and control the mousier right away?"

A boy: "The way Ultraman acts is fanny, too, isn't it? First, he grapples with the monster and is thrown. Finally, he uses his paralyzing ray to drive back the beast. Why can't he use the paralyzing ray from the start?"

A boy" "I don't think there are such monsters anywhere in the world. They are all imaginary creatures."

A girl: "But somewhere in this vast universe, I think there are living creatures that have different shapes and greater powers than human beings or animals on earth."

A boy: "I don't like Gyaos. He eats people."

Children have a direct view of their world which is refreshing. They are not deceived by appearances even if the "phoney" images arc made for them by adults. To worry about children's imaginations being overstimulated is perhaps to borrow care for tomorrow on the part of adults whose dreams and sense of wonder have become impoverished.

[edit] Akira Ifukube

Voice of Gojira: Remembering Akira Ifukube By Randall D. Larson http://www.musicfromthemovies.com/feature.asp?ID=52

[edit] Fumio Hayasaka

http://www.filmreference.com/Writers-and-Production-Artists-Ha-Ja/Hayasaka-Fumio.html

[edit] Hiroshi Miyagawa

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/collectors_den/2006-04.html

宮川泰

[edit] Toshiro /Toshirô Mayuzumi

no article

[edit] References to check

Vincent Canby. (Jul 22, 1976). Another 'Godzilla' Movie; Monster Is Now a Good Guy (G vs. Megalon film review) at The New York Times.
The Mysterians-- Get reference for the July, 1959 New York Times film review.