> Shireen, I saw the Godzilla movies as a metaphor, too, in the context of the
> ecology "movement" of the 60's. You know your earlier post about monsters
> helping people deal with fears? I wonder if the Godzilla movies were a way
> for the Japanese population to deal with the horrors of Hiroshima and
> Nagasaki? I wondered why they didn't have the monsters attack New York?
> But now that I think about it, they may have been truly fearful and not
> bitter.
Absolutely correct. Godzilla is very closely tied to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
If you watch some of the early Godzie movies, you see references to the great
lizard being spotted near nuclear bomb detonation sites. And in these movies,
monster insects and other giant animals roam the "islands"--these are also
references to the mutative effects of radiation, and many of these "islands"
have a tropical South Pacific setting where much post-WWII nuclear testing
was conducted. (Y'know I still haven't figured out my favorite moth, Mothra,
and her two singing fairy friends.)
There's a whole genre of monster movies based in the US, like Creature
from the Black Lagoon. And I believe that Godzilla attacked New York in
his last incarnation.
But what does this all have to do with fish? A lot actually. These stories
carry subtle messages about how humans are damaging our environment
and affecting the creatures that depend on it. But to make the point more
obvious, I think we need a monster fish. Any ideas for a new monster movie
involving fish? Hmmm... maybe something is "brewing" in Ray Wolff's
gar pond... the Gargatuan Gar. :-)
> Godzilla-- "the real Mother Nature". She's not the kind grandmotherly type
> :-)
And neither am I...
- sg
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org