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English lecturer Brad Congdon will be discussing exploitation and spectacle in monster films like "Godzilla" and "King Kong."

'Holy Mackerel! What a Show!': Spectacle and Spectatorship in Giant Monster Films

Department of English lecturer Brad Congdon (PhD) will be presenting this Literature Matters: Literature in the Community event

Event

Date: Wednesday, Sept. 25
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: Grace-Westminster United Church Social Hall
505-10th St. E., Saskatoon 

This event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Department of English.

About this event

When a character in 1933's King Kong first encounters the giant ape, he shouts, "We came here to get a moving picture, and we've found something worth more than all the movies in the world!" We all know how that works out for Kong. From the beginning, giant monster films have focused on the twinned themes of exploitation and spectacle. This talk discusses kaiju (“giant monster”) films such as Godzilla, King Kong, and Nope to analyze how filmmakers have used monsters to embody historical, cultural, and systemic fears and anxieties.  


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