in-person lecture series

70th anniversary of godzilla
1. GODZILLA IN CONTEXT: THE MONSTER, JAPAN, AND AMERICA

date & time

saturday, november 2, 2024
11AM-12:30PM (PDT)

admission is free, registration is required

Click here to Register

Why does Godzilla attack Japan? How did Godzilla evolve from a symbol of the horror of Hiroshima into Japan’s hero and protector? How did Raymond Burr help Godzilla conquer America and the world? What does Godzilla represent today? 

Godzilla was born in 1954 as a tragic avatar of nuclear war, but this “King of the Monsters” has adapted to an ever-shifting postwar geopolitical landscape. Over the course of seventy years, Godzilla has remained relevant by responding to geopolitical, economic, and environmental changes and challenges. This lecture will contextualize the five films which are being shown during the Godzilla-thon! Movie Marathon at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (AMMP) on November 3, 2024. 

The first session, GODZILLA IN CONTEXT: THE MONSTER, JAPAN, AND AMERICA, addresses themes of war, environmentalism, and the past, present, and future of US-Japan relations as they are reflected in five of the most popular Godzilla films of all time: Gojira, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Hedorah, Shin Godzilla, and Godzilla Minus One. A follow-up lecture, covering the broader culture of Godzilla, will take place after the Godzilla-thon! on Monday, November 4. 

This lecture series is offered through a community partnership with the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. 

About Lecturers:

Steve Ryfle
Steve Ryfle is a former Los Angeles Times reporter. His journalism, criticism, and writing have been published in Cineaste, the Virginia Quarterly Review, Criterion Current, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, and many other publications. He is coauthor, with Ed Godziszewski, of Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, From Godzilla to Kurosawa (Wesleyan University Press) and the forthcoming book Godzilla – The First 70 Years: The Official Illustrated History (Abrams Books). He has written, produced, and narrated many audio commentaries and other materials for home video releases. He cowrote, with Joal Ryan, the NY Emmy-winning feature documentary Miracle on 42nd Street (2018).

Ed Godziszewski
Ed Godziszewski is coauthor, with Steve Ryfle, of Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, From Godzilla to Kurosawa (Wesleyan University Press) and the forthcoming book Godzilla – The First 70 Years: The Official Illustrated History (Abrams Books). He is the longtime Editor and Publisher of Japanese Giants magazine and has written for Fangoria and other publications. He has contributed audio commentaries, essays and other materials to numerous home video releases. With Steve Ryfle, he cowrote and coproduced the documentary film Bringing Godzilla Down to Size.