A podcast seeking entertainment and enlightenment through tokusatsu. Origin Story: After vacationing on the Monsterland Resort, professional writer/raging nerd Nathan Marchand got a job as the curator of the Vault containing the films about Monster Island’s many kaiju residents. Now he and his intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA (who miraculously survived the infamous War in Space), record a bi-weekly podcast critically and academically examining each of the films in the prestigious Vault with one to four guest hosts chosen from Monster Island’s many tourists. Philosophy: Kaiju and/or tokusatsu fans will tell you these genres are undeniably fun. What’s often missed, though, are the deeper meanings below the sensational surface. Meanings entrenched in the story’s original historical and cultural context. That’s why this podcast believes in film appreciation. What’s that? It’s studying a movie’s script, direction, cinematography, and other aspects of filmmaking. It’s learning how and why it was created since movies aren’t made in a vacuum. This is especially true with foreign films. Non-native audiences are separated by both time and culture with them...
https://monsterislandfilmvault.podbean.com
Episode 8: Ben Avery vs. ‘King Kong’ (1976)
Hello, kaiju lovers!
We’re kicking off 2020 with the Eighth Wonder’s return to Hollywood in a film brought about by Italian producer Dino de Laurentiis. Writer/podcaster Ben Avery joins Nathan to discuss the 1976 remake of King Kong starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange, which is firmly entrenched in its time and was touted as “the most exciting original motion picture event of all time.” What’s interesting is it straddles the gritty cynicism of early ‘70s films like Dirty Harry and the more hopeful films of the late ‘70s like Star Wars (because no MIFV episode is complete without mentioning that franchise). This was the first time Nathan had seen Kong ‘76 in years, and while he didn’t like it as a teen, he softens to it thanks in part to Ben’s love of it. Their discussion also touches upon the weird love triangle between Dwan, Jack, and Kong; the great but sometimes wonky special effects; and how modern audiences may feel about the film’s climax on the World Trade Center post-9/11. The Toku Topic is the 1973 Energy Crisis since it directly influenced the filmmakers’ decision to have the characters’ expedition be about finding untapped oil reservoirs.
Here’s to the big one!
Check out all of Ben’s podcasts:
–Strangers and Aliens
–Welcome to Level 7
–The Comic Book Time Machine
–Supersonic Pod Comics
Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-3:33
Entertaining Info Dump: 3:33-11:10
Toku Talk: 11:10-1:16:53
Toku Topic: 1:16:53-1:47:11
Outro: 1:47:11-end
Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode when you finish it.
© 2020 Moonlighting Ninjas Media
Bibliography/Further Reading:
- “The 1973 Arab Oil Embargo: The Old Rules No Longer Apply” by Greg Myre (NPR)
- “1973 Oil Crisis” (Wikipedia)
- “Background: What caused the 1970s oil price shock?” by Terry Macalister (The Guardian)
- King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson by Ray Morton
- “King Kong (1976) Review – Kong-A-Thon Episode 5” (DMan1954)
- Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island by John LeMay
- “Milestones: 1969-1976 – Oil Embargo, 1973-1975” (Office of the Historian)
- “Oil Shock of 1973–74” (Federal Reserve History)
- “OPEC Oil Embargo, Its Causes, and the Effects of the Crisis: The Truth About the 1973 Arab Oil Crisis” by Kimberly Amadeo (The Balance)
- “Terrorism and Godzilla’s Future” by Mike Bogue (G-Fan #53)
- Wiki Articles for King Kong (1976)
–Wikipedia
–IMDB
–Gojipedia
–Wikizilla
The post Episode 8: Ben Avery vs. ‘King Kong’ (1976) appeared first on The Monster Island Film Vault.