in-person lecture series

70th anniversary of godzilla
2. GODZILLA AND THE JAPANESE ART OF SPECIAL EFFECTS

date & time

monday, november 4, 2024
7PM-8:30PM (PDT)

admission is free, registration is required

Click here to Register

How did Godzilla become “King of the Monsters?” What is the secret to Godzilla’s longevity as star of the longest-running film series in history? Who created Godzilla—and how? 

Godzilla Minus One (2023) won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects for its amazing digital realism, but the Godzilla film franchise is built upon a legacy of handmade special effects craftsmanship that began with a man in a monster suit. This talk uses the films shown during the Godzilla-thon! Movie Marathon at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (AMMP) and more to explore the culture, techniques, and personalities that have brought Godzilla to life on screen. 

The second session, GODZILLA AND THE JAPANESE ART OF SPECIAL EFFECTS, will focus on the creative foundation of the long-running Godzilla franchise, with behind-the-scenes stories and images from the making of the original Gojira (1954) and other classic Godzilla films at Toho Studios during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. 

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.