What positives I would say about Jun Fukuda as a director if anybody asks?

For the discussion of Toho produced and distributed films or shows released before 1980.
Post Reply
gfan84
Samurai
Posts: 86
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2020 3:05 pm

What positives I would say about Jun Fukuda as a director if anybody asks?

Post by gfan84 »

I have been thinking a lot lately about my top three favorite non-honda directors. I absolutely mean no disrespect to honda, but I would like to see more praise into other directors beyond honda. I will say my other two on the heisei boards. As i said ealier jun fukuda is one of my top three non-honda directors. Most of his godzilla films are actually really good. For instance, I think ebirah horror of the deep as well as son of godzilla are underrated. I think mechagodzilla goes without saying. I think godzilla vs. megalon is highley entertaining. But if a fan anywhere asks what praise would I give him what would i say?

User avatar
Anguirus
Gotengo Officer
Posts: 1724
Joined: Thu Feb 27, 2014 10:31 am

Re: What positives I would say about Jun Fukuda as a director if anybody asks?

Post by Anguirus »

I really enjoy Vs The Sea Monster also, it is one of my favorites from the Showa Era. I have never understood why many find it mediocre. I love each of the characters also.

I would argue that each of his films are "fun" to watch.
Last edited by Anguirus on Mon Jul 26, 2021 5:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Tyrant_Lizard_King
Sazer
Posts: 12849
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 5:57 am
Location: The Planet Trade HQ
Contact:

Re: What positives I would say about Jun Fukuda as a director if anybody asks?

Post by Tyrant_Lizard_King »

Jun Fukuda is definitive proof that you don't have to be a fan of a franchise or genre to make a decent film in said franchise/genre.
Rocker, paleo buff, cryptid enthusiast, Dragonball fanatic, and lover of comic book, video game, manga, & anime babes!
Follow me on Twitter, if you dare! https://twitter.com/TLK_1983
Image

User avatar
Major sssspielberg!
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2226
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2017 7:48 am

Re: What positives I would say about Jun Fukuda as a director if anybody asks?

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

Fukuda made movies that ran at a tight clip. Personally, Honda's 60s stuff is the definitive "Toho Godzilla vibe" IMO, but when it comes to showing the franchise to someone new, I usually go Fukuda. They don't drag, and haven't much meat on their bones. Monster Zero for instance can turn some off when they're expecting Godzilla smashing stuff.
Kaltes-Herzeleid wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 9:44 am I love Final Wars. I praise Final Wars. Simple as.

User avatar
Terasawa
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5841
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:06 am

Re: What positives I would say about Jun Fukuda as a director if anybody asks?

Post by Terasawa »

His early action-oriented films are really stylish and very cool. For example, The Merciless Trap is a solid film noir and probably one of the best "classic-style" examples of noir in the 1960s (admittedly in large part because that genre faded out or evolved into something else in Hollywood in the '50s). It's also one of the grungiest Toho films I've ever seen, one of the few studio pix that doesn't shy away from showing the dirty underbelly of urban Japanese society. It's about an ex-con dump truck driver who's framed for the murder of a woman (implied to be sleeping with at least two men). The character with the most "refined" nature is a detective who doesn't seem too far-removed from that life himself. In that regard, it's apparently a unique film in the Toho canon (consider that the bulk of Toho's films in the '50s and '60s were slick, metropolitan, yet homogenized comedies). It's like a Kihachi Okamoto movie but grittier. For a programmer it's an absolute gem.

I like Godzilla vs. Gigan, but it's hard to think that was helmed by the same man who gave us that awesome slice of Japanese noir.

Fukuda is a good example of the problem with the studio system: Because he was under contract to Toho, he had apparently very limited ability to develop and seek out his own projects, so early in his career, he got typecast as a director of musical comedies and monster movies. (The same thing happened to Honda.) Those were not the kinds of movies he wanted to make, nor were they the kinds of movies he excelled at making. I think he remained under contract through the collapse of the studio system, so he never really got the chance to break out of the hack work he was assigned to for years.

Granted, his Godzillas still cut a quick pace and show off some of his sensibilities as a filmmaker, but as good as some of them are (Ebirah, particularly, IMO), they aren't as good as the movies he was clearly inspired to make.
Last edited by Terasawa on Mon Jul 26, 2021 9:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.
寺沢. He/him/his, etc.

User avatar
MaxRebo320
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2893
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2012 5:56 pm
Location: albaquarky
Contact:

Re: What positives I would say about Jun Fukuda as a director if anybody asks?

Post by MaxRebo320 »

Fukuda apparently got along will with notorious asshole Koji Tsuruta, which is apparently why Toho assigned quite a few Tsuruta vehicles (Including Secret of the Telegian, his only sci-fi role) to Fukuda.
Beta Capsule Reviews - Your Guide to Ultraman & other Tokusatsu episode-by-episode!
https://betacapsulereviews.wordpress.com
three wrote:leave me be maxrebo! damn you and your ability to play the game here....

Post Reply