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Written By Ken HulseyThe 1933 American classic "King Kong" had a profound influence on Asian filmmakers. As soon as the iconic monster movie hit the scene, Japanese studios began producing their own "Kong" adaptations, like "Wasei Kingu Kongu" and "Edo Ni Arawarita Kingu Kongu," both featuring actors in gorilla costumes. The film also left a lasting impact on two legends of Japanese cinema - director Ishiro Honda and special effects pioneer Eiji Tsuburaya. Years later, this duo combined their talents to create the cinematic monster icon "Gojira" (Godzilla). For Tsuburaya in particular, "King Kong" held a special place, as the young cameraman studied the film frame-by-frame to learn how its groundbreaking visual effects were achieved. This hands-on analysis would inspire Tsuburaya's own storied career in movie magic.
The idea of pitting King Kong against another monster first came about in 1960, when Willis O'Brien, the special effects pioneer behind the original film, had developed his own sequel idea. However, Godzilla was not the monster O'Brien had initially wanted Kong to fight. Instead, Frankenstein was his monster of choice, but there were significant hurdles to using the classic Universal horror icon.
O'Brien believed he could easily secure the rights to use the "King Kong" name from the now-defunct RKO, but he worried about getting the rights to "Frankenstein" from Universal. To get around this, the monster's name was changed twice during development - first to "The Ginko" and then to "Prometheus," an alternate name for Shelley's original creation.
O'Brien pitched his "King Kong vs Prometheus" idea to all the major Hollywood studios, but they were ultimately turned off by his insistence on using the time-consuming and expensive stop-motion animation process. Only former Universal producer Jon Beck saw potential in the concept. Beck also took the idea from studio to studio, but still found no takers - until he looked outside the US and approached Japan's Toho Studios.
Toho wasn't interested in using Frankenstein, but due to the influence of Tsuburaya and Honda, they expressed interest in making a King Kong film. Seeing an opportunity to bring back their famous monster, Toho agreed to the project, but on the condition that Godzilla replace Frankenstein as Kong's opponent. Beck complied, and Toho even agreed to pay a hefty price for the rights to use "King Kong" - a cost that significantly impacted the film's production budget.
With Toho's two monster titans "locked in," the studio began production on what would become the most popular monster movie in their history. However, the high cost of using King Kong ate up a significant portion of the film's budget, forcing several cost-saving measures.
Filming had to be moved from Sri Lanka to the nearby Oshima Island off Tokyo's coast, and the King Kong costumes were not as detailed as those used in prior films. Puppets of various sizes were even utilized for some of the effects shots, indicating the budgetary constraints.
While the final result may not have matched Honda and Tsuburaya's original vision, the Godzilla suit design was a major improvement over the previous films. This new, more reptilian look, better aligned with Godzilla's dinosaur ancestry, would serve as the basis for all Godzilla suits throughout the 1960s. Personally, I consider this my favorite Godzilla design of all time, though I know opinions on this can be subjective, and I also appreciate the GMK design.
Despite the budget restrictions, Tsuburaya managed to produce some of his best miniature sets for the film.
Mr. Tako, the head of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, is frustrated with the television shows his company is sponsoring and wants to boost his ratings. When a doctor tells Tako about a giant monster he discovered on the remote Faro Island, Tako believes using the monster would be a brilliant "publicity stunt." He immediately sends two men, Sakurai and Kinsaburo, to find and bring back the monster.
Meanwhile, the American submarine Seahawk gets trapped in an iceberg - the same one that held Godzilla captive back in 1955. The submarine is destroyed when Godzilla breaks free from the ice. As a rescue helicopter circles the iceberg, Godzilla heads towards a nearby Soviet Arctic base, ignoring the tanks and rapid-fire artillery sent to stop him. Godzilla's atomic ray melts the tanks' defenses, allowing him to advance and raze the base to the ground.
Back at Pacific Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Tako is relieved that Kong is now dominating the headlines instead of Godzilla. However, a JSDF ship intercepts the raft and orders them to return Kong to Faro Island, as Godzilla has just come ashore in Japan and the authorities don't want another monster entering the country.
Unfortunately, Kong wakes up from his drunken state and breaks free from the raft. Reaching the mainland, he encounters Godzilla in a valley. The two titans engage in a fierce battle, with Kong initially throwing rocks at Godzilla, but the latter's atomic breath forces the giant ape to retreat.
The JSDF desperately tries to stop Godzilla from entering Tokyo, digging a pit filled with explosives and erecting a barrier of high-voltage power lines around the city. Though the electricity drives Godzilla away, Kong later approaches Tokyo, tearing through the power lines and seemingly growing stronger from the electrical current. The JSDF then decide to transport Kong via balloons to Faro Island, hoping he will confront Godzilla there.
The next morning, Kong is dropped onto the summit of Mt. Fuji, where he and Godzilla resume their battle. After a prolonged and intense fight, Kong eventually drags Godzilla into the Pacific Ocean. Only Kong emerges from the water, slowly swimming back to Faro Island, leaving the fate of Godzilla uncertain.
The versions of "King Kong vs Godzilla" released in Japan and the US differed significantly. The original Japanese cut, written by Shinichi Sekizawa, was a fast-paced satirical commentary on commercialization. However, the Americanized version produced by Beck lost this nuance. Beck inserted scenes with American actors to give the film a more serious tone, but this just made the tone feel awkward when combined with the original Japanese footage. He also made a major misstep in removing Akira Ifukube's original score, replacing it with music from Universal's "Creature From The Black Lagoon" to make the film seem less "Oriental." One thing that did remain consistent was the ending - in both versions, Kong emerges victorious and swims away, contrary to the common assumption that Godzilla triumphed in the Japanese release.
"King Kong vs Godzilla" (1962), also known as "Kingukongu tai Gojira," was directed by Ishiro Honda and written by Shinichi Sekizawa, Bruce Howard, Paul Mason, Willis H. O'Brien (who worked on "King Kong vs Prometheus"), and George Worthing Yates. The film was produced by John Beck and Tomoyuki Tanaka, with music by Akira Ifukube and Hans J. Salter (for the U.S. version). The special effects were created by Eiji Tsuburaya. The cast included Tadao Takashima as Osumu Sakuri, Kenji Sahara as Kazuo Fujita, Yu Fujiki as Kinsaburo Furue, Ichiro Arishima as Mr. Tako, Jun Tazaki as General Masami Shinzo, Akihiko Hirata as The Prime Minister, Mie Hama as Fumiko Sakurai, Akiko Wakabayashi as Tamiye, and Akemi Negishi as Chikiro's Mother.
While the final result may not have matched Honda and Tsuburaya's original vision, the Godzilla suit design was a major improvement over the previous films. This new, more reptilian look, better aligned with Godzilla's dinosaur ancestry, would serve as the basis for all Godzilla suits throughout the 1960s. Personally, I consider this my favorite Godzilla design of all time, though I know opinions on this can be subjective, and I also appreciate the GMK design.
Despite the budget restrictions, Tsuburaya managed to produce some of his best miniature sets for the film.
Mr. Tako, the head of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, is frustrated with the television shows his company is sponsoring and wants to boost his ratings. When a doctor tells Tako about a giant monster he discovered on the remote Faro Island, Tako believes using the monster would be a brilliant "publicity stunt." He immediately sends two men, Sakurai and Kinsaburo, to find and bring back the monster.
Meanwhile, the American submarine Seahawk gets trapped in an iceberg - the same one that held Godzilla captive back in 1955. The submarine is destroyed when Godzilla breaks free from the ice. As a rescue helicopter circles the iceberg, Godzilla heads towards a nearby Soviet Arctic base, ignoring the tanks and rapid-fire artillery sent to stop him. Godzilla's atomic ray melts the tanks' defenses, allowing him to advance and raze the base to the ground.
Back at Pacific Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Tako is relieved that Kong is now dominating the headlines instead of Godzilla. However, a JSDF ship intercepts the raft and orders them to return Kong to Faro Island, as Godzilla has just come ashore in Japan and the authorities don't want another monster entering the country.
Unfortunately, Kong wakes up from his drunken state and breaks free from the raft. Reaching the mainland, he encounters Godzilla in a valley. The two titans engage in a fierce battle, with Kong initially throwing rocks at Godzilla, but the latter's atomic breath forces the giant ape to retreat.
The JSDF desperately tries to stop Godzilla from entering Tokyo, digging a pit filled with explosives and erecting a barrier of high-voltage power lines around the city. Though the electricity drives Godzilla away, Kong later approaches Tokyo, tearing through the power lines and seemingly growing stronger from the electrical current. The JSDF then decide to transport Kong via balloons to Faro Island, hoping he will confront Godzilla there.
The next morning, Kong is dropped onto the summit of Mt. Fuji, where he and Godzilla resume their battle. After a prolonged and intense fight, Kong eventually drags Godzilla into the Pacific Ocean. Only Kong emerges from the water, slowly swimming back to Faro Island, leaving the fate of Godzilla uncertain.
The versions of "King Kong vs Godzilla" released in Japan and the US differed significantly. The original Japanese cut, written by Shinichi Sekizawa, was a fast-paced satirical commentary on commercialization. However, the Americanized version produced by Beck lost this nuance. Beck inserted scenes with American actors to give the film a more serious tone, but this just made the tone feel awkward when combined with the original Japanese footage. He also made a major misstep in removing Akira Ifukube's original score, replacing it with music from Universal's "Creature From The Black Lagoon" to make the film seem less "Oriental." One thing that did remain consistent was the ending - in both versions, Kong emerges victorious and swims away, contrary to the common assumption that Godzilla triumphed in the Japanese release.
"King Kong vs Godzilla" (1962), also known as "Kingukongu tai Gojira," was directed by Ishiro Honda and written by Shinichi Sekizawa, Bruce Howard, Paul Mason, Willis H. O'Brien (who worked on "King Kong vs Prometheus"), and George Worthing Yates. The film was produced by John Beck and Tomoyuki Tanaka, with music by Akira Ifukube and Hans J. Salter (for the U.S. version). The special effects were created by Eiji Tsuburaya. The cast included Tadao Takashima as Osumu Sakuri, Kenji Sahara as Kazuo Fujita, Yu Fujiki as Kinsaburo Furue, Ichiro Arishima as Mr. Tako, Jun Tazaki as General Masami Shinzo, Akihiko Hirata as The Prime Minister, Mie Hama as Fumiko Sakurai, Akiko Wakabayashi as Tamiye, and Akemi Negishi as Chikiro's Mother.
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