Criterion's Peter Becker Discusses Godzilla Showa-Era Release

Above, Godzilla approaching Tokyo's Kachidoki Bridge in 1954.

Godzilla fans over the years have collected the King of the Monsters's movies ever since VHS tapes were made cheaply available.

Some were official releases and others were bootlegs (at one time, the only way to see the Heisei Series (second series) of Godzilla films was through the bootleg market.

Then came DVD and Blu-ray discs which offered the movies in high resolution. Some releases were better than others (a lot of it depended upon the original source material). Again, fans bought and re-bought the movies.

Now, Criterion Collection is releasing the Showa Series (first series) of Godzilla movies in a new box set. Here we go again!

Criterion Collection's Peter Becker discusses the Godzilla release in a Variety article.

Here's a snippet:

He added: “The idea basically is that it would be wrong to treat Bergman the same way as we treat Godzilla, but it would also in some ways be wrong to treat Godzilla with any less respect than we treat Bergman with.” 

Criterion last year released its “Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema” Blu-ray disc box featuring 39 films and a book featuring critical essays on each of the films. 

Its new “Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975” collection, which comprises 15 digitally restored films and a book featuring newly commissioned illustrations by high-profile artists, is scheduled for release Oct. 29. 

Becker stressed that publishing was not just about bringing products into the world but rather “about how you’re putting it into the world. What it looks like, what it feels like. Even just the finish on “Godzilla” feels a little bit like skin, it’s nice. It’s little details like that that you need to pay attention to – those are all part of publishing.”

The fanbase again will be shelling out hard-earned cash. Since Criterion puts out quality videos, it is likely to be worth it.

To read more, go here.

"Reiwa" Is the New Upcoming Japanese Era

Above, the Imperial Palace Double Bridge in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The new Japanese era name has been announced.

The previous era was Showa. The current one is Heisei.

From the Japan Foundation:

The name of the new era, “#令和 (#reiwa)”, has been announced today!
In Japan, we use one era name during each emperor’s reign, along with the Western (Gregorian) calendar.

The new era is to begin on May 1. 

Emperor Hirohito In Anguish During Final Years Over War

Above, Emperor Hirohito and President Nixon in Alaska in 1971.

Before the Japanese surrendered in 1945, they were worried that a surrender would cause the arrest and possible execution of Emperor Hirohito.

But, part of the surrender agreement between the U.S. and Japan included allowing Hirohito to stay on as Emperor, but his role would be drastically changed.

It has been revealed that Hirohito, during his final years, was in anguish over being blamed for his role in World War II.

Kyodo News reported:

Emperor Hirohito said during his final years that he did not wish to live much longer as he would only experience more anguish at sad events and being blamed for his role in war, the diary of a close aide obtained by Kyodo News for the first time showed Wednesday. 

The diary kept by late chamberlain Shinobu Kobayashi revealed the aging emperor was haunted by talk of his wartime responsibility following the Sino-Japanese War and World War II. 

"There is no point in living a longer life by reducing my workload. It would only increase my chances of seeing or hearing things that are agonizing," according to the diary entry dated April 7, 1987. The emperor, who died in 1989, was 85 at the time.

To read more, go here. 

Latest Blog Post Pick-ups

The fine folks at The Japan Daily have picked up several of yesterday's blog posts for sharing with their readers.

They include:

To read The Japan Daily, go here.

Remembering The Showa Period

Above, a postcard of Ginza Crossing during the Showa period.

When a Godzilla fan thinks of the Showa period, they generally think of more entertaining and inventive movies featuring their favorite monsters along with Tomoyuki Tanaka, Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya.

However, the Showa period is looked upon differently by Japanese society. Some think of the period as "the good ol' days," while others are glad it's over.

Rocket News 24 has an interesting article on a recent online poll of Japanese netizens and the results are interesting.

The results are listed in the article that begins with:

The Showa period (1926-1989) was a time of immense change for Japan when the country went from being an imperial power to a poverty-stricken post-war nation and then becoming an economic powerhouse that dominated automotive and electronic industries around the world. Twenty-seven years since that era ended and the current Heisei era began, fond memories of “Showa Japan” still flood many Japanese minds. 

But a recent online poll asked netizens to take off their rose-tinted glasses and consider the aspects of daily Showa-period life that, while seeming completely normal back then, would be unthinkable now. Join us after the jump for a look at the slightly grim feedback.

 To read the results, go here.