Episode 97 of the podcast takes on the intergalactic conflicts and rebel alliances of Rogue One (Gareth Edwards, 2016), an anthology feature film and prequel to Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977) that tells the origin story of the ‘Rogue One’ starfighter squadron and the creation of the Death Star. Special guest for this episode is Dr Jonathan Wroot, who is Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for Film Studies at the University of Greenwich. Jonathan has published research on home media formats and Asian cinema distribution, including the co-edited collection entitled New Blood: Framing 21st Century Horror (2021) and his recent monograph on the Zatoichi film and TV franchise. He has also contributed to the podcast series Beyond Japan and Second Features, as well as the 2022 Japan Touring Film Programme. Listen as they discuss Jedis, the Jidaigeki (時代劇) period film, and longstanding East Asian influences upon the Star Wars saga; the relationship between Zatoichi the blind swordsman and Rogue One’s own blind warrior Chirrut Îmwe; hope, alliance, and the religious structures of Gareth Edwards’ spin-off story; the generic implications of ‘the Force’ upon science-fiction/fantasy distinctions via questions of rationality; digital de-aging technologies and the virtual recreation of youth; and the challenges of Rogue One to expand the Star Wars brand by taking spectators back into the fictional world of Hollywood’s most famous space fantasy.
**Fantasy/Animation theme tune composed by Francisca Araujo**
**This episode was produced and edited by Leon Waldo**
Mary Poppins Returns (2018) (with Christian Kaestner and Frederikke Glick)
Ex Machina (2014) (with Andrew Whitehurst)
The Valley of Gwangi (1969) (with Astrid Goldsmith)
Corpse Bride (2005) (with Emily Mantell)
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012) (with Richard Haynes)
Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) (with Robert Maslen)
Mr. Bug Goes to Town (1941)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) (with Stuart Messinger)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) (with Simran Hans)
King Kong (2005) (with Barry J.C. Purves)
The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) (with Shaun Gunner)
Waltz with Bashir (2008) (with Bella Honess Roe)
Gulliver’s Travels (1939)
Pogles’ Wood (1965-1967) (with Simon Costin)
Aladdin (1992) (with Steve Henderson)
Peppa Pig (2004-) (with Richard Dyer)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Society for Cinema and Media Studies 2019 (Part 2)
Society for Cinema and Media Studies 2019 (Part 1)
Coco (2017) (with Eavesdropping at the Movies)
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