Ifukube Akira dead at 91

Aaron Gerow aaron.gerow
Wed Feb 8 18:49:16 EST 2006


The news services report that Ifukube Akira, one of Japan's great film 
composers, most famous for the theme songs for Godzilla, died on the 
8th or organ failure. He was 91.

Ifukube was born in Kushiro in Hokkaido and learned musical composition 
on his own, before becoming a lecturer in composition at Tokyo Geidai 
after the war. Akutagawa Yasushi and Mayuzumi Toshiro, both of whom 
composed for film, were among his students. Starting in 1947, he began 
composing for films and in 1954 did the music for Godzilla, which made 
him world famous. The IMDB lists over 220 films credited to him.

There are quite a number of CDs and books on and about him. It just so 
happens I will be showing Godzilla in class tonight. This screening 
will be dedicated to him.

Aaron Gerow
Assistant Professor
Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Film Studies Program
Yale University
53 Wall Street, Room 316
PO Box 208363
New Haven, CT 06520-8363
USA
Phone: 1-203-432-7082
Fax: 1-203-432-6764
e-mail: aaron.gerow at yale.edu





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