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 28: Nick Hayden vs. ‘The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms’
Hello, kaiju lovers!
The Beast! The Beast! THE BEAST! From 20,000 Fathoms!
Nathan is joined by his friend and regular Monster Island Tourist Nick Hayden for the first Ray Harryhausen film covered on MIFV: The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. This 1953 classic—the Jaws of its time, as Nick says—is one of the seminal films in the kaiju genre. It was the first “atomic monster” movie. Without it, we may have not gotten Godzilla in 1954. It was “suggested by” a Ray Bradbury story, which delights Nathan and Nick as both writers and classic lit nerds. Also, if you’re looking for quirky band names, this is the episode for you! So, join them for the final full-length film discussion of the season—despite Jimmy From NASA’s claims of a special Godzilla vs. Kong premiere on the Island in a few weeks.
The Toku Topics are a brief history of nuclear tests and a brief history of amusement parks since both factor into this film.
We’d like to give a shout-out to our Patreon patrons Travis Alexander and Michael Hamilton (co-hosts of Kaiju Weekly); Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Eli Harris (elizilla13); Chris Cooke (host of One Cross Radio), and Bex from Redeemed Otaku! Thanks for your support!
You, too, can support us on Patreon and get perks like this starting at only $3 a month!
This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.
Episode image created by Michael Hamilton.
Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.
Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-6:22
Entertaining Info Dump: 6:22-13:14
Toku Talk: 13:14-1:02:58
Toku Topic: 1:02:58-1:44:08
Outro: 1:44:08-1:52:38
Epilogue: 1:52:38-end
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© 2020 Nathan Marchand & Moonlighting Ninjas Media
Bibliography/Further Reading:
- “Amusement Park” (Wikipedia)
- “The Fog Horn” by Ray Bradbury (collected in The Golden Apples of the Sun)
- “Harryhausen & Bradbury: An Unfathomable Friendship” (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms blu-ray)
- “How a Manhole Cover Became the Fastest Manmade Object Ever” (Half as Interesting)
- Kaijuvision Radio
- Episode 2: Godzilla Origins: King Kong (1933) and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
- Episode 18: Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) (The Effects of Atmospheric Nuclear Testing)
- “Long Beach Lost: The three roller coasters of the Pike amusement park” by Brian Addison (The Hi-Lo)
- the memory palace – Episode 49 (Dreamland)
- “Nuclear weapons testing” (Wikipedia)
- “The Rhedosaurus and the Rollercoaster: Making the Beast” (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms blu-ray)
- “The Rise and Fall of the Long Beach Pike” (Atomic Redhead)
- Wiki Articles on The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
- IMDB
- Wikipedia
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