Kingu Kongu tai Gojira (1962)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Ishirô Honda

Writers:

Bruce Howard (american version)
Paul Mason (american version)

Release Date:

26 June 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The motion picture screen beckons you to adventure that thrills the emotions with shock and terror!

Plot:

A pharmaceutical company captures King Kong and brings him to Japan, where he escapes from captivity and battles a recently released Godzilla.

Plot Keywords:

Berries | Godzilla | Giant Ape | Island | Monster

Cast

Tadao Takashima	...	Osamu Sakurai
Kenji Sahara	...	Kazuo Fujita
Yu Fujiki	...	Kinsaburo Furue
Ichirô Arishima	...	Mr. Tako
Jun Tazaki	...	General Masami Shinzo
Akihiko Hirata	...	Dr. Shigezawa
Mie Hama	...	Fumiko Sakurai
Akiko Wakabayashi	...	Tamiye
Akemi Negishi	...	Chikiro's Mother (Dancing Girl)
Senshô Matsumoto	...	Prime Minister
Senkichi Omura	...	TTV Translator Konno
Sachio Sakai	...	Obayashi (Mr. Tako's assistant)
Haruya Kato	...	Obayashi's assistant
Nadao Kirino	...	General's Aide
Kenzo Tabu	...	Dreary Newscaster

Also Known As:

King Kong vs. Godzilla

Runtime:

Germany:82 min | Japan:98 min | USA:91 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo (Japan theatrical release) | Mono (Westrex Recording System) (US version)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | UK:PG

Company:

John Beck

Trivia:

Special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya deliberately gave King Kong a semi-comical personality, because he did not want Kong to frighten young children, and wanted the general audience to root for Kong over the more frightening Godzilla.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The soldiers climbing all over Kong to attach the harness and balloons to him are badly animated "soldiers" (you can see the buildings through them).

Quotes:

Rescue Copter Pilot: [the iceberg is breaking open] What's that Al?
[a large creature emerges]
Rescue Copter Pilot: Ah! It's Gojira!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996)

Soundtrack:

A SI ANAROI

A fun monster-rumble

Director Ishiro Honda, who first brought The Big G to the screen in the brilliant 1954 film GOJIRA (re-edited in the US as Godzilla King of the Monsters) decided to scrap the heavy messages and themes of the original film when he made King Kong vs. Godzilla, however he does appeared to have had a great deal of fun making this goofy rubber monster classic. Godzilla breaks out of an iceberg he was imprisoned in and heads to knock down Tokyo. Meanwhile, a pharmaceutical company discovers King Kong on an island full of Japanese actors in blackface playing the natives (!) and the flamboyant CEO decides to bring Kong to Japan as a publicity stunt. The government decides to pit the two titans against each other on the top of Mount Fuji in the climatic scene of the movie. Much of this film is film is intentionally goofy, particularly the island scenes. The screenwriters decided that electricity makes King Kong stronger, but it weakens Godzilla (to make sure it would be a fair fight). Honda also put in several homages (parodies) to the original 1933 King Kong. The final battle on Mount Fuji is similar to watching WWF wrestling, except better, because they're wearing monster suits. If you want a film with epic romance and sweeping drama, you should watch Gone With the Wind, but if you're in the mood for campy monsteriffic fun like only the Japanese can do, watch this.