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Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda

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For the first time in America, a book has been published on Japan's foremost director of fantasy films, Ishiro Honda.

Known primarily for directing such classic Japanese monster movies as "Rodan," "Mothra," "Attack of the Mushroom People" and the original "Godzilla," Honda has been a much-overlooked figure in mainstream international cinema.

"Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men" is the first book to cover in English print Honda’s life as well comprehensively evaluating all 25 of his fantasy films. It gives objective and critical analysis of Honda's filmmaking methods, themes and relationships with actors and technicians.

Making use of extensive interviews from Honda’s colleagues, as well as a wealth of original source material never before gathered into one volume (including unpublished essays), the book is an affectionate tribute to arguably the most-prolific and influential director in the history of fantasy films.

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OMG, I must buy this. The original Gozilla film was the best of the entire lot!

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The man did set the standard for Giant Monster Destroys Cities type movies by which all others are judged! I agree with Ranger_Miffy, I must get this book!

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TOHO studios had a panoply of genius for Honda to work with. Excellent screenplay writing by Sekizawa. The godfather of modern special effects - Tsuburaya. Arguably Japan's greatest composer - Ifukube. Amazing acting talent in Akira Takarada, Kenji Sahara, Akira Kubo, and Toshiro Mifune. And some of the most beautiful women in cinema history - Kumi Mizuno, Yumi Shirakawa, Akiko Wakabayashi, and Mie Hama. Yet in the end, it was HIS vision caught on film. Quite violent and bleak in his monster and alien infested futurism, but often colorful and comedic, with poignant social commentary and prediction. Hideous atomic bred kaiju and gorgeous Japanese girls, what more could you want in a movie?

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