- Document type
- Book review
- Published
- 16 February 2004
Japanese Movie Posters
- Publisher:
- DH Publishing
The Godzilla Chronicles - the History of Toho Fantastic Movies 1935 - 2000
- Publisher:
- B Media Books
- Review by:
- Tom Mes
For the collectors of Japanese movie memorabilia, the book Japanese Movie Posters will no doubt prove itself useful. Divided into several catch-all categories (Yakuza, Samurai, Monsters, Pink, etc.), this A4-size book reprints numerous film posters in glorious full colour. Although a number are of more recent date (one of the chapters is on "New Cinema"), the big draw here are of course the ads date from the fifties, sixties and seventies. Fans of Toshiro Mifune, Ken Takakura, Junko Fuji, Shintaro Katsu or Naomi Tani will find numerous full-page images to drool over.
Each chapter comes with brief introductions from two separate Japanese commentators (one of whom keeps screwing up names and titles with inexcusable regularity), and each individual poster with descriptions of the film and the poster design, plus a very welcome translation of the taglines.
Additionally, the value of each poster is given in US dollars, which sheds further light on the intentions of this book: in the back you can find information on how to order these posters from none other than DH Publishing itself. At the very least, you have to give the company credit for their smart business strategies. Whether you'd want to spend 30 dollars on a mail order catalogue is another matter. However, the beautiful poster reproductions on glossy paper make this book well worth a look.
Availability
Japanese Movie Posters
DH Publishing
And for the same collectors, there is one Japanese-language work that I believe is worthy of attention. With the obvious language complications we have chosen to omit Japanese books from our review section, but in the case of The Godzilla Chronicles: the History of Toho Fantastic Movies 1935 - 2000, the language might not be such a hurdle. This is an amazing, complete overview of every horror, sci-fi and fantasy film that Toho studios released in its entire existence, with of course a heavy emphasis on the mother of all rubber monsters, Godzilla and its many sequels and spin-offs. Every film gets at least a half-page treatment, with the kaijyu entries rubbing shoulders with such lesser-known titles as The Last War, Matango and The Three Treasures (starring Toshiro Mifune). It's all in Japanese, but with so many stills, behind-the-scenes photos, publicity shots (Mifune posing in front of the Godzilla statue on the Toho lot), vintage movie posters, and memorabilia on display, not to mention a guide to every monster and creature to come out of the Toho workshops, and above all English titles and exact release dates for every film, enthusiasts might well find their mouths watering at the goodies on offer.