Fifty years ago, a mega-mon-ster appeared on Japanesemovie screens in a frightfulmood, stomping on build-

ings,scooping up Tokyo pedestriansand spewing fire across wholeneighborhoods. Gojira, as Godzillawas originally known, was bornfrom a nuclear accident.The giant,mutant reptile was also born to star-dom. In an allegorical tale that rep-resented the fear and trepidation ofpost-World War II Japan, that firstmovie, directed by Ishiro Honda,was a box office smash in Japan andwent on to become a cult favoriteand classic around the world.

On Saturday, Dec. 4, Columbia’sDonald Keene Center of JapaneseCulture and its Weatherhead EastAsian Institute threw Godzilla a50th birthday party, inviting notedscholars to a daylong symposiumtitled “Global Fantasies: Godzilla inWorld Culture.” Highlights of theprogram included a congratulatorymessage from New York Yankeesslugger Hideki Matsui signed “FromOne Japanese Godzilla to another.”

Movies featuring Godzilla andthe slew of fellow monsters fromthe movie franchise are the firstJapanese cultural product to havewon a truly global audience, trail-blazing a path that has been fol-lowed more recently by such EastAsian pop-culture goods as HongKong action cinema and Japaneseanime. In an indication of howbeloved Godzilla has become, thecharacter was honored with a staron the legendary Hollywood Walkof Fame in late November, com-memorating his long-term contri-butions to show business both inthe United States and abroad.

Like all actors committed totheir craft, however, Godzilla has aserious side.He has had a profoundeffect on the U.S.–Japan alliance. AsAmbassador Hiroyasu Ando, consul

general of Japan in New York, com-mented during the event, theGodzilla films symbolize the impor-tance of pacifism, the hallmark ofJapan’s post-war diplomacy andnew relationship with the West.

The monster has brought togeth-er other cultures as well. “Withinthree years of Godzilla’s 1954 filmdebut,” said Greg Pflugfelder, associ-ate professor of Japanese historyand organizer of the symposium,“hehad rampaged across theaterscreens on five continents as well ason both sides of the Iron Curtain.”AtColumbia’s Global Fantasies event,the audience viewed a 1967 SouthKorean film produced during theyears of a Korean ban on Japanesecultural imports.

Columbia’s symposium alsoincluded talks on the history of theGodzilla phenomenon through thepresent day. Speakers representingdiverse academic disciplines dis-cussed such subjects as:“Wrestlingwith Godzilla: Manga Monsters,Puroresu and the National Body”;“Godzilla Mon Amour: Under-standing Why and How We Lovethe King of Monsters”; and “Post-Godzilla Monsterology in an Age of

Information, Virtuality and TechnoIntimacy.”

Participants also toured an exhib-it, “Godzilla Conquers the Globe:Japanese Movie Monsters inInternational Film Art,” on display inthe C.V. Starr East Asian Library.Thefirst-of-its-kind presentation tracesthe origins of the kaiju eiga genre inearlier forms of popular representa-tion and commercial culture inJapan. The installation also exploresthe transformation of Godzilla

imagery as it traveled across theglobe during the latter part of the20th century. The exhibit, whichcloses to the public later this month,can also be viewed online at www.columbia.edu/cu/ealac/dkc/calendar/godzilla.

In spite of his popularity duringthe past half century, Godzilla willtake what is likely to be his finalbow on the big screen in Godzilla:Final Wars, opening in Japan inDecember with a U.S. release to fol-

low. Waning ticket sales and theadvent of computer-generated spe-cial effects have made the rubber-suited original Godzilla less popularexcept with die-hard fans.

But fans have at least one moreopportunity to see the monster.Theexhibit and last week’s symposiumare part of a yearlong programsponsored by the Keene Center andthe Weatherhead Institute to honorthe “living” legend as he turns 50.The events will culminate thisspring with a film festival called“Godzilla for Thinking People,” tobe held in the Roone ArledgeAuditorium of Alfred Lerner Hall.

Dianne Murphy’s favoritesong is New York, NewYork. Even during hertime as director of ath-

letics at the University of Denver,where she transformed the depart-ment into a NCAA Division I pow-erhouse, she had an affinity forFrank Sinatra’s classic.

“I have always loved that song,”says Murphy,stretched out in her spa-cious new office in Dodge FitnessCenter.“It says a lot about what we’retrying to do around here.”Being ableto make it in this town certainlyopens a lot of doors, and that’s justwhat Murphy plans to do withColumbia’s athletic program.

As her first month on the jobdraws to a close, Murphy is intenton ensuring that Columbia takes fulladvantage of its location. Duringwhat she calls her “looking, listeningand learning” period, Murphy seestwo major advantages going for-ward: the recruitment potential ofbeing able to offer an excellent edu-cation in the greatest city on Earthand a major alumni network that iswaiting to become more active insupporting successful athletics—two big things to cheer about, as faras Murphy is concerned.

“Being in New York is anabsolute asset for lots of reasons,”says Murphy. “How great that canbe for recruiting—to be able tobring a young man or woman intoNew York City. In addition to a

world-class education, they’ve gotall these cultural activities availableto them, all these professionalsports and an alumni network thatcan help them.Whether it’s gettinginto graduate school, getting a jobon Wall Street, medical school,whatever it may be—why wouldyou go anywhere else? We have todo a better job marketing what agem this place is.”

At the same time, Murphy hasbeen surprised at the amount ofalumni and community supportshe’s received since she began thepost. “Alumni just love this place,”she says. Actively seeking morealumni funding can help build theprogram: The more successful

teams become, the more attractiveattending games and matches willbe. “I’m telling you, people aregoing to come out of the wood-work,” Murphy says.

Overall,“it’s about setting, meet-ing and maintaining high expecta-tions,” says Murphy. “There arethree words you’ll hear me talkingabout here: integrity, quality andexcellence. That’s what I’m about.You’re never going to be perfect,but you sure better strive for it. Idon’t think we’ve set the bar highenough at Columbia. It’s not okayto be average academically, so whyshould it be [okay to be average]athletically?”

“I am more encouraged todaythan I was a month ago,” saysMurphy. “I really believe we havegot the kind of university that willattract great coaches and great stu-dent athletes. If we didn’t have thatquality of institution, I’m not sosure we could do it.”

As an example of bringingColumbia athletics to a largerstage, Head Coach Joseph Joneswill lead the men’s basketball teamonto the floor of Madison SquareGarden to take on the ACC’s NorthCarolina State in the DreyfusHoliday Festival tournament onDec. 28.The winner of that match-up will face either St. John’sUniversity or Canisius College onDec. 30. For ticket information,turn to page 10.

12 TheRecord JUNE 11, 200412 TheRecord NOVEMBER 8, 2004

Athletics

New Athletic Director Murphy Charts Ambitious Course for ColumbiaBy Colin Morris

Dianne Murphy was named 2004Women’s Basketball CoachesAssociation Administrator of theYear.

First-year center Ben Nwachukwu and his teammates will battle NorthCarolina State at The Garden on Dec. 28.

Godzilla Blows Out 50 Birthday Candles—Incinerating ThemBy Katherine Moore

Clockwise from top left: Renderingof a monster-filled Japanese folktale using the tradition of kirigami,the art of paper cutting; thishumorous drawing portrays tworokurokubi, creatures with longelastic necks, smoking and beingfitted for eyeglasses, detail of aposter promoting an early Godzillafilm.