Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Kaijû Cinema: An Introduction to Japanese Giant Monster Movies (ACTUAL COURSE AT BERKELEY)
Democratic Education for Cal. ^ | 1/23/05

Posted on 01/23/2006 5:37:04 PM PST by Brian Mosely

Course Details

Kaiju Cinema: An Introduction to Japanese Giant Monster Movies

Astronomy 98/198 - (Units: 2)

Shortcuts:     decal.org/122     decal.org/kaijucinema

Course Description: This course will be lecture/discussion based, but with most of the time in class devoted to watching the actual films. The course will also have short required readings from a reader.



Since the release of Tôhô Studios's seminal Gojira in theaters across Japan in 1954, kaijû eiga—roughly translated "giant monster movies"—have made their mark on the landscape of Japanese film and television. Gojira (largely known in America as Godzilla, King of the Monsters!) paved the way for a host of movies in a similar vein; many of these were also produced by Tôhô, but several other studios tried their hand at the genre as well, most notably Daiei with its moderately successful Gamera series. Although television shows such as Ultraman and Kamen Rider had by the late 1960's eclipsed their cinematic forebears in popularity, leading to a decline in theater attendance and worsening quality in the films themselves, the genre has weathered the storm and continues to be an important part of the country's cinema.

Enrollment Info: Show up to the first class meeting (January 26th at 5:00 PM), and we'll give you the CCN.

Course Contact: dwinslow@berkeley.edu, mhorwitz@berkeley.edu

Faculty Sponsor: Eliot Quataert


TOPICS: Education; Humor; TV/Movies; UFO's; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS:
A longer course description is here

Your tax dollars at work...

1 posted on 01/23/2006 5:37:05 PM PST by Brian Mosely
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Brian Mosely

Sounds like a neat film class.


2 posted on 01/23/2006 5:38:18 PM PST by HitmanLV (Listen to my demos for Savage Nation contest: http://www.geocities.com/mr_vinnie_vegas/index.html)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brian Mosely

I would sign up.


3 posted on 01/23/2006 5:49:50 PM PST by carlr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: HitmanNY

Wow, Gorazhira, this was only the introductory course. Think about next semester in 102...J Monsters major... masters...PhD!


4 posted on 01/23/2006 5:54:30 PM PST by cloud8
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Brian Mosely
I believe that Dr. Quataert should review the romanizations for 怪獣 that are used in this course description. I think kaijyuu would probably be better than either of the ones used here. Just kaiju is clearly wrong, and kaijû is not much better in my opinion (though I guess you could make an argument with Hepburn using circumflexes that, while ambiguous, it is a "correct" romanization.)
5 posted on 01/23/2006 6:21:51 PM PST by snowsislander
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: snowsislander
Sorry, Free Republic unfortunately is not very friendly toward non-English:

kaijû should read kaijû

6 posted on 01/23/2006 6:23:28 PM PST by snowsislander
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Brian Mosely

Look at it from the bright side. At least the students won't have to hear Godzilla say, "I wish I knew how to quit you!"

7 posted on 01/23/2006 6:26:11 PM PST by melt (Someday, they'll wish their Jihad... Jihadn't.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: melt

How much you want to bet this is going to turn into an bash America fest due to the anti-atomic testing theme that runs through most of these films. The orginial Japanese version of Godzilla ("Gojira"-20 minutes longer and without Raymond Burr) really hammered that point down everyone's throats. The ones in the 90's preached the environmental (we're destroying the earth) theme too.


8 posted on 01/23/2006 6:34:57 PM PST by Brian Mosely (A government is a body of people -- usually notably ungoverned)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Brian Mosely

I think it was one of these crazy "De-Cal" classes that offered U.C. Berkeley students credit for, among other things, going to a gay strip club in S.F.


9 posted on 01/23/2006 7:23:38 PM PST by 04-Bravo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brian Mosely

Will the course include reruns of Mystery Science Theater? You can't do Japanese monster movies right without the awe-inspiring badness that is the 'Gamera' franchise.


10 posted on 01/23/2006 8:15:46 PM PST by Jessica24
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brian Mosely
Interesting points. It's not fair to Godzilla. Here are the real Monsters at Berkeley :


11 posted on 01/23/2006 10:18:30 PM PST by melt (Someday, they'll wish their Jihad... Jihadn't.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Brian Mosely

What a fun sounding little two-unit class, just the thing to balance out a few serious classes.


12 posted on 02/02/2006 11:41:28 PM PST by TChad
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson