I'm sorry that we weren't able to watch the original Gojira (Godzilla) in class on Tuesday. The reason I brought in a Japanese DVD is that for more than fifty years, the only way you could watch the uncut original Gojira was by buying a copy from a Japanese media company. There was no version of the film for sale in the U.S. You could buy that bizarre adulterated Raymond Burr version, but not the original. Well, now the original is for sale in the U.S. (actually, there's a Collector's Edition with both the uncut version and the Raymond Burr edit). So I'm going to get a hold of that, and as I said in class yesterday, either I'll figure out a way to upload it for you this weekend, or we'll all watch it together in class next Tuesday.
Since you won't have access to the film till at least the weekend, this week's blog questions pertain only to the assigned readings: Noriega's "When 'Them!' Is U.S." article, Napier's "Panic Sites" article, and the photo of MacArthur with Emperor Hirohito.
So after you do the readings, please read the following questions and post your answers by 5 pm on Monday, 17 Sept 07:
1) According to Noriega, the creature Godzilla has served many different functions and taken on multiple meanings for Japanese filmmakers and audiences. Godzilla, always produced and/or awakened by nuclear weapons, has represented Japan's WWII military monstrosity and atrocities, Japan's suffering as the only nation ever to ever be subjected to nuclear attacks, and Japan's "middle ground" status as a nation that has consistently refused to build or possess nuclear arms, yet is surrounded and deeply affected by nuclear discourses (the U.S. tested its H-bombs near Japan in the 1950s; geographically, Japan was situated between the two mightiest nuclear powers of the Cold War; and today Japan regards nearby N. Korea as a nuclear threat). Yet, Godzilla movies are almost synonymous with light entertainment; they are almost universally regarded as mindless "monster movies," the predecessors of today's comic-book-based summer blockbusters. Do you think that the low-culture status of the Godzilla films has enabled (or allowed) Godzilla to take on so many cultural and historical meanings, or do you think the fact that the films have never attained critical value have hindered the films' audiences from discerning the deeper meanings of the monster? Explain your opinion and give reasons for it.
2) Did reading the Noriega and Napier articles change your point-of-view on the social relevance and importance of popular cinema, particularly sci-fi cinema, in any way? If so, in what ways? If not, why not?
3) Nuclear weapons still exist and are still a major threat to human and environmental health and safety. What examples of (what Napier describes as) "the imagination of disaster" and fantasies of "secure horror" do you see in present-day media (fictional or not) that address or allude to the possibility of nuclear warfare and weaponry? What role do notions of Asia, "the Orient," and Orientalist discourses play in contemporary nuclear narratives?
20 comments:
1) Godzilla, because of its billions of sequels, spoofs, references, and jokes, has slid away from its original concept into more of just a celebrity status. This celebrity status has obviously brought it into worldwide popularity and many people have seen it because of its popularity. However, I feel that its purpose and original concept have been lost in its popularity. Pop culture has a way of scrutinizing without any knowledge on the subject.
Godzilla has a profound meaning that teaches about a culture, a timeframe, and a mentality that is very important in the history of the U.S. and the world. All this is forgotten because all people remember is how silly the special effects were in the clips they have seen. The jokes have hindered the film and declared it comedic. Its popularity came at the price of loosing its point. Like the Bible, nowadays you can take it however you want to see it, mainly because the context has been lost. A would bet money that a vast majority do not know what was going on when Gojira was made.
2) I am a victim of pop culture. I was always under the impression that Godzilla was just a cheap monster movie with no purpose. At the same time I knew that no art form could be made without a reference to the times. It surprised me to read the span of the films cultural importance and the importance of its message. Producers in media have always been slipping their opinions into things thought to be irrelevant. It did surprise me to find the purpose of the film with reference to the times.
3) As I have seen in the news in the past few years, the American people are worried about nuclear threat from Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. Their feelings are not that we should be carefully pursuing the problems. Most people believe that the government should go in and save the American people from the threat. The Orient is so far away that we the people are always victims of its problems, but cannot do anything to help the situation. Most people would be worried, but simply think that the government will rush in and solve the problem. They feel “secure horror” in the fact that the U.S. always runs in and saves the day. I don’t think any westerners actually feel the full sense of fear, its only a passing worry that we know the government will solve themselves.
1) What happened with Godzilla and its many meanings isn’t just something that is in “mindless monster movies.” If you observe other films within the sci-fi and horror genre there are many themes that take place within them. In creating something like Godzilla it is easier to explore the past and the way of thinking of the countries at time. I don’t know if it was critically valued or not is important in this case. Part of me thinks is that so many people aren’t educated enough in history to grasp the full meanings in it. Or if you go to when it was made and you observe the people seeing it then, well, sometimes it’s harder to see things when you’re close to it or you choose to see what you want to see. I know for me that I never looked at Godzilla like this, but now knowing the history it’s like, how did I miss this? Films like Godzilla also don’t get that much respect because if they have a monster in it most people will discredit it as some cheap horror or monster film.
2) Yes and no. For the most part it enforces some of my thoughts on it. The article themselves helped a little because now I know that I’m missing the social relevance in probably a lot of films that would probably help enhance the film for me. In my other sci-fi class that I have we took at Battlestar Galactica and its interpretation of the Iraq war and it is done in such a way where you’re rooting for the side of “terrorists” more or less. Also with popular film it seems like a lot of people don’t grasp the deeper meaning to it and just watch it on the ground level.
3) To be honest, I’m not completely sure. I know we’ve had a few films that deal with the “imagination of disaster” with the films like “Day After Tomorrow,” but those films don’t deal with nuclear but with nature. Some of the zombie films we see these days are turned by nuclear waste and become weapons of mass destruction that terrorizes the world. It seems like on the news when it comes to different things they play out a worst case scenario where they give a vision if nuclear war happens. One film that jumps to my mind about nuclear war is Dr. Strangeglove, but I’m not sure if that is relevant here. I can see some of the orient being a stronger threat than others, like the middle east would be portrayed as a supposed thread.
1. This is a question that seems more directly pointed at the power of a polymorphic popular culture to sneak under the radar of cultural critics. The lighter fare of popular culture has the ability to be mistaken for the low, but is still ultimately a product of the culture it emerges from, creating an image of that world of more interest for outsiders than those privileged to share in the expected audience's reading and experience of culture. As Americans watched an edited version of Godzilla featuring Raymond Burr as the benshi their local cinema, they were allowed not only as Napier says, a cathartic experience of nuclear terror, but also what became a sort of fun-house mirror window into Japanese culture. These distortions formed the basis of a popular understanding, undermining the necessity of producing the serious criticism necessary to make the film be seen as more than just “destruction, for the fun of it.” This lack of critical analysis probably also allowed Godzilla to be accessible in a way that loud critical focus usually stops a film from just being fun once it must be taken seriously. Godzilla seems to better represent a kind of international deconstructionist discourse where each viewer takes away from the experience whatever they want to, and in effect becomes all things to all people, be it Toho monster movie, smashy-fun, a picture of Japan, or the psychic portrait of nation's nuclear angst.
2. I've always thought science fiction was important, so this hit of reinforcement just had me shaking my head 'yes.' Popular cinema has this in common with science fiction: they both present a portrait of the moment at which they were created, after which they start to acquire what science fiction author William Gibson calls, “the immediate patina of age.” These things don't usually age well as depictions of the future because they represent a future that quickly doesn't arrive, and our vision of the future shifts totally. One of my favorite films continues to be Blade Runner, despite its due-date for the future long being passed, simply because the imagery of the times are so appealing; it's easy to see Blade Runner as being so quintessentially 80's. Popular cinema produces a picture of the world as seen by not necessarily a viewing audience it appeals to, but producers who have created an image of what they believe their audience's anxieties and desires look like. This overlaps strongly with the creative urge satisfied by those working on the film, producing an interesting hybrid picture of the audience of that time and the ideology of the movie's creators.
3. Secure horror has been in recent memory, as Noriega said, around since Reagan's Star Wars project, and continue to give us impressions of a world that can survive destruction. While the bomb-shelter cuture of the 1950's produced the notion that you could survive nuclear holocaust by hiding under a desk or, more importantly, that you would want to survive a nuclear war that leaves the landscape desolate, irradiated, and destroyed, modern depictions of secure horror display avoiding destruction at the very last minute. Disaster movies haven't stopped coming, and the relaxed 90's, with it's lack of a direct enemy, produced a slew of films where the world is threatened by meteorites, comets, and a variety of outer space natural threats. Today, the notion of secure horror projects itself into the realm of terrorist fiction, ala 24 and Sleeper Cell. So long as we have Jack Bauer to kill and torture terrorists, we can find out where the weapons are, that could be as small as something you could fit in your pocket, that could be in anyone's hands, that could be set up to work remotely, we will be safe as a nation. It's fairly cynical to say that danger looms around every corner, and perhaps the definition of a national paranoia, but I hope I'm not quoting Joseph McCarthy when I say, “they're all out to get us, and it could be any minute.” Asia becomes part of the potentially allied forces of less-than-white people who have suffered and been exploited at the hands of American economics, looking again like potential enemies with a grudge. While the Middle East is included in this Orientalist discourse, the mysticism, alienation, and seeming foreignness that is applied to the Far East has been removed from the sphere of nations with extensive oil wealth, putting them into separate camps with distinct features, simply because as the world is more connected, anything east of Europe becomes more distinct. Of course, Japan has been the major third party in the nuclear discourse, as Noriega points out, first as nuclear bomb victim, then as neighbor to Russian and American nuclear displays, and later as nervous host to North Korean missile tests.
1.) Godzilla has long been a powerhouse in the film industry. It has numerous sequels and it seems to have had a lasting impression on its viewers. I do feel that the true meaning behind the movie is somehow lost in it all because it became such a "hollywood" success. Some of the sequels became just outright propganda and i think along the way it became just like any other form of pure entertainment. To Japan it had probably meaningful value but I feel that it was never recognized because it somehow got lost on its rise into hollywood. Some of the sequels got to flasy and high-tech w/ lack luster plots and bad acting. I have only seen one full-length Godzilla film and it was the 1999 one which was based in New York. I myself have yet to discover what the ultimate purpose of Godzilla was and what message was it trying to convey to its countless viewers.
2.) I dont think so. I never cared for sci-fi anything really especially not cinema. It Just is not an area of my interest. I hardly ever watch any sci-fi flims and the reason being that I am never able to decipher what is going on half of the time. If it was up to me, I don't think there would be any sci-fi movies because I don't see the need for them in popular culture. My feelings probably stem from the fact that I've also never really even given this genre an actuall shot or have even made any attempt to learn more about it. In any case, I somehow believe that I am not missing anything nevertheless.
3.) Well the fact that the U.S. till this day still won't allow Japan to have an army. I feel as though the U.S. in a sense fear Japan because they know what a threat they could possibly be if that type of warfare were to occur. As a matter of fact, I feel that there are a few countries in Asia that could pose a nuclear threat to the U.S. as well as everywhere else in the world. Also the whole 9/11 catastrophe brings to mind nuclear warfare even though there were no evidence of it during the tragic day. I wouldn't be surprised though if the middle east was able to get its hands on some nuclear weaponry.
1. I feel that at an American stand point, the Godzilla movies do not hold as significant a meaning as it has or does for the Japanese. Not only do I feel that way, I also feel because of the Godzilla movies being older, I do not think it holds the same meaning to those of my generation as it did to those of the older generation. Before reading either articles or the discussion in class I personally did not know the true meaning of the Godzilla movies, I thought I was a silly sci-fi movie about an angry giant dinosaur. I now know there was a deeper meaning to the creation of Godzilla; he was the symbol of the Japanese peoples fallowing the Second World War. In 1954 the creation of Godzilla was to put into full view the relationship between Japan and the U.S. Having Godzilla be the threat coming to destroy Japan was a symbolic way of showing how Japan was being over powered, or as Noriega put it, “Japan in 1954 is a transitional monster caught between the imperial past and the postwar industrial future, aroused by United States H-bomb tests.” I feel back in 1954 this held a very deep meaning to the Japanese people because they had to live through the experiences of World War II. As far as today, I do not think it honestly holds any meaning to anyone unless they look beyond what they see in the movie and find the true meaning of why it was made. I honestly do not believe the critical value of the films are to blame for viewers to find a deeper meaning in the movies, I feel it is just the passing of time. As we get further away from World War II we tend to almost forget there were movies made around that time and several of them held a stronger symbolic meaning from what they appear to have a first glance and unfortunately, Godzilla falls in that same category.
2. I do not feel reading the articles changed my point of view of popular cinema as much as it opened my eyes to sci-fi cinemas. I never before thought there was ever a deeper meaning to sci-fi movies other than the plot you see before you. I know other genres of film (with the exception of fantasy) are more or less “take it as it is” type of stories, but I would never have thought to look beyond the plot of a sci-fi movie to find the meaning it holds. For example, I have never seen the movie Akira, but from the description of this movie I would have never have seen the significant symbolism being thrown at the viewer. It more of less all came together when Napier stated, “Just as Tetsuo no longer needs a father and mother, Japan no longer needs its American ‘parent.’ Thus, Tetsuo’s no-holds-barred display of power is ultimately both frightening and exciting, suggesting a new Japan and a new world.” Never in a million years would have made that connection with this film. I feel learning about this film, Godzilla and Nippon chinbotsu I have learned that all forms of movies have a meaning no matter how imaginative they may appear.
3. In present-day media it almost seems like you cannot escape the stories of nuclear threat. Every national news show generally will have at least one story about one threat or another to the United States about the possibility of any form of warfare, weather it be the suspected “Weapons of Mass Destruction” in Iraq or the threat North Korea has recently been showing. It has seemed ever since September 11th the major focus is of how other nations, especially those to the east, are out to take over. We are bombarded with negative press involving a part of the world we are not familiar with; very few times do we hear anything positive about Iraq or most any nation to the east. Movies or television specials exenterate the stereotypical view of cultures and people of the east. More often than not they are seen as mindless killers with no other view on the U.S. but menacing. It is because of these negative images that we may never get out of the on going hostile feelings we have to the nations we do not understand.
1. Godzilla is an iconic film. If you mention the name nearly anyone can tell you it’s about a giant lizard who smashes Tokyo. This association is cartoonish to most people at best, and many haven’t even seen the film in it’s entirety. This comical vision that has been attached to the film hinders people from seeing the deeper meaning, and most miss any sort of historical references being made.
2. I’ll be the first to admit that I, for the most part, took sci-fi movies as nothing more than pure entertainment. Some movies were blatantly obvious with the social commentary, but others were nothing more than fantastical stories and special effects. After reading these articles I’ll take a closer look at the movies I’ve so frequently dismissed.
3. Secure Horror is prevalent in much of today’s film and television. Shows like 24 and Alias constantly use nuclear weapons as the threat to be stopped, and has been the goal of every villain from Bond to Austin Powers. But in the end the hero stops the bomb and saves the day. The threat is there and no one can turn a blind eye to it, but it never reaches and ‘end of the world’ fallout because the good guy steps in. Unfortunately this is no longer the way the media can swing the news. There is no longer a good guy of bad guy, just the country with the most powerful weapons.
1) With anything becoming popular and attaining a cultural spotlight and historical status it tends to lose it's integral meanings with the popular consumer. As with anything that we consume or absorb today, we all attach racial or a “good & bad” label. Godzilla was a big monster from Japan, that went around and destroyed things. What critical values could be drawn from that? If there was an attempt to draw out the meaning and value, then you might as well sit down and analyze Power Rangers and their possible cultural significance. If there are values, they would simply be just hero against villain and then their character types. Godzilla is Japan, sometimes good guy sometimes bad guy, regardless, some part of Japan will end up in destruction when Godzilla shows up. It is simply just that, Godzilla is a cultural label, Godzilla is Japan, how else would an abominable creature be born if it weren't for the simple idea of life from mutagenic radiation. Noriega is fishing way too deep for a meaning and needs to swim back to the Lucky Dragon 5.
2) Sci-fi in itself is more an explorative and fantasy genre. It just particularly points out how far we have technologically evolved and what might be the the natural and physical reaction to our technology. Again Noriega is fishing way too deep, there might be little symbolisms here and there but searching that much to back up those little ideas is poor use of time and thought. However upon reading Noriega's article it does make you want to pay more attention to the minor details that might have social relevance.
3) There are so many countries that are repeating Japan's historical steps, the attempt to earn a recognizable stance that stands out from all other countries and to establish ones self as a powerhouse and a force. Countries that are already in the race are still trying to hold their position, and those countries have proven that it's ok for them to hold that power. But many understand power is beneficial, and it's benefits those investing for capital wealth and preserving their position in the power struggle. Countries, and their nations of people how have been at war for years have felt what it is like to have their country raped and plundered, and under scrutiny, especially in Asia. When you feel that you no longer have to defend, then it most likely means that you are ready to invade. But tension between the Asian nations are beyond the idea of economic control, I believe it is hatred that has been harbored historically, but now in a modern setting with missiles instead of catapults. Lastly, as far as nuclear paranoia, I hope the middle east spawns a creature made of petroleum with their secret WOMD.
1. When we look back at all the films and books of our childhood, we find all the alternative meanings and deep issues that we never noticed until someone brought them to our attention. Godzilla didn’t escape that cluster of films that the public only took at face value, instead of being taken as cultural commentary, it was a monster movie. And that was that. I think that Americans really don’t want to take Godzilla any deeper because it shows the evil of our past and i honestly think that is why this film has coasted under the radar as a silly monster movie that perpetuated more asian stereotypes. An American audience does not want to feel guilty. They want to be entertained.
2. I suppose it changed my view a little bit. When I think about the fact that I am at school to be a filmmaker and realizing that I could have the potential to be more powerful than some politicians with my art, that scares me. I think that we are a culture driven by movies and television. It is from those mediums that we may start looking at what we could become.
3. Well, the whole issue with North Korea and their nuclear weapons program is enough of “secure horror”. North Korea realizes that we could turn their country into a parking lot, however, we are terrified of the North Koreans attacking us and we are obsessed with taking away their weapons. All the while, we preach at the rest of the world while we are perched on a pile of our own weapons. Hm... God bless America.
1. I believe the low culture status of Godzilla has given it opportunity to become so many different cultural aspects at once. If you think about it if this series was wildly popular and commercialized endlessly then it would only have a chance to take on the cultural ideas of that time, dating it and limiting its cultural impact. However since it has more of a cult following and a long trail of spin offs, knock offs, and sequels that it can change meanings and themes along with the era and audience it encapsulates. This does not mean however that the message is lost due to its small audience. On the contrary, the cult following of this movie and its replicas and sequels is so large and practically timeless that its messages and themes can be heard worldwide. Now weather or not the audience chooses to listen to the message is a different subject. The fact of the matter is a lot of people take the meanings behind this and other horror/science fiction works simply at face value when there are meanings and themes that afford a rich wealth of deconstruction and analysis on several different levels.
2. As a huge horror movie fan I am no stranger to the vast interpretations that this and other genres carry with them. Horror and sci-fi works can perfectly mask their socio-political and other cultural and emotional themes within the confines of pure entertainment. In the case of Godzilla it contains repressed and projected themes of guilt and shame over Japan’s nuclear ambitions and failures, as well as a hidden national pride and oneness. The ability to carry conflicting themes and feelings as well as entertain those who don’t care to accept the messages within is the special aspect that horror and sci-fi films have.
3. The idea of secure horror is a fascinating one. We create our own horror in order for us to overcome our fears and let good triumph over evil. There are many cases in today’s society where this is true. Fist and foremost here is the influx of horror movies present in America’s film culture. This may be a reaction to the increasing state of war that we are in. In any war time, fear is rampant; the worst is always around the corner. So we, as a whole, have created controlled horror in these movies where good can always triumph over the forces of evil. I think this secure horror is present in today’s news media as well. I think the news, in any form; tend to blow things out of proportion when it comes to bad news. This way when the conflict is resolved the forces that were overcome seem like a much greater victory, thus making society feel considerably better.
1.) I feel that once Godzilla turned into a brand, it lost it's deeper political, and philosophical meaning. The creation of other characters and the creation of plots based around huge monsters fighting each other has seemed to mask it's original purpose and turned the series into more of a cash cow aimed at children than a sci-fi epic about post-nuclear war. I also feel like the ravages of time have taken a toll on Godzilla, seeing that most people who would watch the original today, would be more interested in the cheesy special effects and hilarious over dubs than the deep subliminal meaning behind it all.
2.)As a huge fan of science fiction myself, what has always kept me going back to the genre was it's way of creating 2 stories at once. Science fiction always has you travel to 2 different places at the same time. The first place takes you either forward or backward in time to new worlds and societies and people, and the other place is where you are, what was referenced in your time in the story. Science fiction is a way of explaining the human condition in our times by taking key points and characteristics about our society and pushing them as far as they can possibly go.
3.) Disaster is still a prevalent theme in todays media. We as a society seem to be conditioned to watch things that are constantly keeping us worrying. We're bombarded with nothing but terrorists, north korea, and the middle eastern threat every single day and we also have the option to be connected to it 24/7 on our televisions. Television offers TONS of secure horror and I think that the idea of the "imagination of the disaster" is something that is in our nature as Americans. We always need to know what's threatening at all hours of the day so we can feel secure.
[1] I think that even if it had received critical value, audiences would still not get the deeper meaning. How could they? Godzilla has had numerous sequels and has been referenced to and spoofed so many times that it has lost all meaning. Godzilla is now, like most people thought and still think, just a big stupid monster. Pop culture tends to ruin things and drag them out until you’re sick of them. Godzilla is no more.
[2] The article didn’t really change my mind. I took a film appreciation class last year where I learned to dig out the motives for certain actions and such. I learned a lot about connecting events from that time to the events in the movies, so the article didn’t affect me as much as it probably should have.
[3] There are so many news reports about nuclear warfare for one. The whole Iraq situation happened because we thought he had weapons. North Korea is also in the news for having those weapons as well. It doesn’t help the fact that movies and shows present the threat of nuclear warfare. Take Team America: World Police for instance. Kim Jong Il threatens to take over the world with a warhead. In pretty much action tv show, you can find the word bomb or terrorist nowadays.
1. I think the reason Godzilla is seen the way it is in America is because most Americans that see these films don't know the entire meaning behind the movies, don't know the history. They just want to see a hardcore action film packed full of violence and building crushing power. It's mostly for entertainment that Americans see movies of this nature. I think that if it was as common knowledge as Brittney Spears' relationships or Paris Hilton's mew hip catch phrases then people would see it in another light.
2.Yes, it changed the way I see the whole cinematic industry. I've never realized the sexuality in asian films. I've always seen it as less sexual than others, like euro or american films. I had always seen the asian culture as more respectable sexually, and seen the asian films the same way. Maybe because of the newer oriental movies, where the oriental women are desired often, and I thought to myself..."When there is an african-american woman around guys don't go goo goo ga ga over her the same way" (unless she's Beyonce or Hallie Berry). But after reading the articals I can see how that may be taken into perspective. But I think that it's like that with all women from every culture.
3.The orient tends to get the crap side of the whole nuclear thing here in the western world. The news says "bombs in Iraq", " Terrorist war in the Middle East", and "North Korea: Nuclear threat!", yet none of them have ever dropped a nuclear bomb anywhere near us. They hadn't even found any bombs while searching Iraq. They try and strick fear into our own people, get them to sign-up for the army and support something against another thing that most of us don't even know much about. Which goes back to my 'fear' thing, once the royal US fears something because WE don't understand we want it gone. Once word of al-quata in America we went into the middle east trying to stop them, a terror that nobody could believe existed, a terror that could have only come from a foreign country WE didn't understand. "If a group like Al-Quata could be formed in any country it has to be the countrys fault" I heard someone say once. A country's fault? That just sounded insane to me. It's not a whole nation of people's fault, its certain individuals. This nuclear thing needs to be pined on a group, not a nation. If America was being put under the microscope for nuclear weapons and questionable tactics I wouldn't want to be scrutinized and looked down upon if it never involved me.
1.) I think that Godzilla’s image has fallen very short of its original meaning. I believe that his iconic image as a product of nuclear testing is overwhelming misunderstood as a crazy monster created in Japan. I believe his persona has taken more of a character then the thought of animals and other living things being mutated by bomb testing byproducts. Pop culture has exploited Godzilla as an image. In print they have showed him as a vintage image representing the beginning of video, not what he really is an image for.
2.) Since Godzilla was created way before I was born, and that during world studies in grade school, the bombings in Japan were not explained well enough to demonstrate the importance of japans Godzilla movies. My thoughts and feelings of Godzilla have not changed drastically because the idea of Godzilla is kind of skewed through the bad filming and acting along with the terrible sequels that further altered the real reason why Godzilla was created.
3.) I have a general comprehension of which the US is scared of and that nuclear threats from Iraq, Iran, and North Korea are imminent. At this point I can’t really say confidently what kind of role the orient has played. Lately I have been seeing a lot of movies about the US government participating in a lot of sneaky and almost terrorist like actions. I believe that the US has a lot to with what could soon be a disaster. But again I cant really take a stand since I have been out of the government loop because I don’t know what is the truth and I don’t know what to believe.
1.) Although I do understand the meaning and message of Godzilla as well do a fair amount of people, I think the film's message has been lost to the vast majority. Since there has been so many spin offs and so many references to the film in all areas of pop culture, Godzilla has become more of an icon of what people think of when they hear Japan rather than thinking of it as a story with a deeper message. I think there has been a Godzilla parody in just about every cartoon show that I've seen since I was a kid, from Rugrats to South Park. Many people think even though they've never seen the original Godzilla that they understand what it is about since they've seen it parodied so many times before, 'giant monster destroys city' and it's with that kind of thinking that the meaning of Godzilla is completely lost.
2.) The articles opened me up a little more to sci-fi cinema. I've usually just narrowly thought of sci-fi as bad acting and poor scripts. Although now I will be taking a closer look into some sci-fi movies with a little more openness.
3.) I think what we see on television is great example of secure horror. We are constantly being bombarded with stories of the worst case scenario and we allowed to see this from the comfort of our own home which gives of a sense of safety.
1.)Godzilla was released at the eve of Nuclear Warfare. With the US testing nuclear weapons near Japan, Godzilla creator Tomoyuki Tanaka, fought back with the Monster created by the US. His purpose was to give the Japanese a hero against the onslaught of a foreign superpower's nuclear attacks. In the 1950's, Godzilla stood for something more. It was the constant changes, and sequels that thrust the figure into popular culture, and that is where the "real" meaning of Godzilla was lost. Godzilla has always been a low budget, classic typical B movie,and The fact that the movie has not recieved any critical acclaim is in no way a shock. Godzilla is not a movie that requires a lot of thinking. The adaptations into popular media, like "The Rugrats: Reptar" or the popular video game "Rampage" have shown the kind of audiences that the monster attracts. Tanaka's deeper meaning for Godzilla "a metaphor for Japan itself" is lost, and replaced with "A giant lizard tearing up sh#t." The audience of today has forgotten, or never known, Godzilla's original meaning.
2.)The article didn't really change my views, but it did give me more of an insight into popular media. When I am watching a movie or tv show like a Godzilla, or King Kong, I am only watching it for entertainment. I never question what motives the director had for putting a certain twist or scene in a movie because I only see it as entertainment. The article and this class in general has shown me to look for a deeper story, in these old films. I did not know how culturally important Godzilla was, and how many things that figure stood for. I always just thought that he was a huge monster who spawned a ton of sequels, and bad b movies and tore stuff up.
3.)I believe that the idea of secure horror, is centered around the war on terror. Those affected are mainly those whose loved ones are serving in Iraq. With the threat of nuclear warfare around every corner, americans expect the government to swoop in and save the day. George Bush tries to scare the public by saying that the terrorist hate our freedom, and they must be stopped at all cost. Then we go to Iraq on a campaign to find WMDs and they are no where to be found. They were never there. As long as we have the idea that someone else is out there with biochemical apocolyptic weapons of mass destuction, but never actually see them. Our horror is safely secured.
(1) I think the low culture status of the Godzilla movies have hindered it from discerning the deeper meanings of the monster. I never truly understood how Godzilla came around in the movies. It wasn’t until reading this article and doing a little extra research that uncovered some of the repressed meanings to Godzilla. I knew about Hiroshima, and the nuclear bomb testing but being stuck between the USA and Russia during the cold war never would have caught my attention. I think Godzilla is representative of why Japan remains resilient in creating nuclear weapons. They know first hand the damage that can be done and the effects that it has on the people.
{2} Not entirely, I love sci-fi. I have seen a lot of X-files which have deeper meanings then just to continue the plot line. It’s not just the idea that there is a secret shadow government controlling our government. There are a bunch of episodes based on things that had actually happened such as the DDT Experiments.
[3] Now days we see a lot of Sci-Fiction horror movies based around zombies and creatures created from the aftermath of a nuclear war and a nuclear winter, or a biological experiment gone terribly wrong. “28 Days Later” is possibly one of the best horror movies I have ever seen, then again I am not a big horror fan. In the movie there is “secure horror” in the belief that the military is going to sweep in and save them.
1. I do think that the low culture status of the Godzilla films has allowed Godzilla to take on so many historical/cultural meanings. I believe that the “monster” theme associated with Godzilla attracts viewers to them. Godzilla has a strong following and according to “Godzilla and the Japanese Nightmare” article “[Godzilla] is one of the first images Westerners think of when they hear the word Japan.” I think that statement alone proves that Godzilla is truly a Japanese staple. Godzilla certainly has some history mixed within its films, but I also feel that the historical aspects have slowly been disregarded. Now people want to watch Godzilla because of its “pop-culture” popularity.
2.)The articles definitely made me realize that popular cinema isn’t necessarily false. Godzilla obviously has some history incorporated within it. I do feel that having some knowledge before watching Asian Sci-fi films can certainly be helpful. I think these articles made me keep a more open mind while viewing these films. I never knew that Godzilla had any historical/cultural meaning before reading these articles.
3.)Today America is concerned with Iraq. I am not positive if nuclear weapons/warfare still exist. It doesn’t seem as likely as it used to be, but I don’t think it is impossible either. It is scary to think that something so powerful could be used against us. Terrorism is a major concern for us. The 9/11 attacks won’t let America forget about terrorist activities and the threats they pose.
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