Monster Movie of the Week: King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962)

King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962)

Director: Ichiro Honda

Genre: Daikaiju eiga

THE MOVIE:

Almost immediately after the original Gojira, Toho studios prepped a sequel which is known here as Godzilla Raids Again, in which Godzilla tangled with his first monster opponent, Anguirus. The movie was not particularly well received and the King of the Monsters was given his first of many retirements, during which Toho developed a stable of other giant monsters such as Rodan, Mothra and Varan who starred in their own movies.

That's messed up. You just don't do that.

Meanwhile, in the US, King Kong special effects director Willis O’Brien was shopping around ideas for new Kong movie and caught the interest of Toho Studios, who opted to produce the film and bring Godzilla out of retirement to battle Kong in a kind of “event” movie. You'll notice that despite the fact that this is a Japanese movie, Godzilla gets second billing to Kong which is both a testament to the popularity of King Kong in Japan at the time and to the fact that Godzilla had been out of the limelight for a while with only one successful film to his name, eight years earlier. This was definitely a comeback for Godzilla.

Toho gives this movie the same kind of lush and colorful production that distinguished Mothra the year before and it continues a winning streak that would continue with the Toho's next kaiju movie, Godzilla vs. Mothra. It also marks the first time either Kong or Godzilla appeared in a color movie. To date, King Kong Vs. Godzilla remains the most popular of all of Godzilla’s movies at the Japanese box office and without its success there would likely been no ‘60’s and ‘70’s Showa Godzilla series. It also introduced a lighter tone to the series that would come to dominate the Godzilla movies of that era.

As with the original Gojira, this movie was heavily re-edited for American audiences, although not as audaciously as in the original. The American cut of the movie inserts a lot of hilariously-expositional UN newscasters who are following the “situation” via a large wire-suspended satellite that resembles a roulette wheel (are these the same miracle wires that they use to suspend Kong from the balloons later in the movie?)

Godzilla challenges King Kong to take back what he had said about his mama.

THE MONSTER/EFFECTS:

Godzilla gets a make-over in what is one of the best suits of the early movies and one that seems an ancestor to the later Godzilla 2000 suit. The ’62 suit looks evil and reptilian (at least from the side.) Kong, however, is very different from his appearance in his original movie in which he was realized as a stop motion puppet. Here, he’s a guy in a bad gorilla suit. The face is inexpressive, except in certain shots when a crappy hand puppet is used.

Most of the effects are pretty primitive and there is plenty of really terrible blue screening. There are some really good shots of a giant octopus that had me wracking my brain thinking “That looks so real. How did they do that?” Being the CGI whore that I am, it didn’t occur to me that they simply filmed an octopus on a miniature set, which questions all of my assumptions about octopus biology.

His lunch money stolen, Kong goes into a wild rage.

Honestly, I find many of the Showa Godzilla films a little tough to sit through what with the primitive special effects, the annoyingly light tone, and plots that are ridiculous even for movies about giant monsters. King Kong vs. Godzilla isn’t as annoying as say, Godzilla vs. Megalon (1972) but it’s not as cheesily entertaining either. But King Kong vs. Godzilla is remarkable for its historic importance and cross-cultural impact.

MONSTERS FEATURED:

Godzilla

King Kong

Giant Octopus

DVD AVAILABILITY:

The American version is available in a bare-bones DVD. The Japanese version can be ordered in a region free DVD.

Don't call it a comeback.

SEQUELS:

Godzilla continued in: Godzilla Vs. Mothra (1964) Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster (1964) Invasion of the Astro Monster (1965) and many others.

King Kong had one more Toho film:

King Kong Escapes (1967)

TRAILER

SEE ALSO:

Alien Vs. Predator (2004) Godzilla Vs. Mothra (1964)

TRIVIA:

In order to have Kong and Godzilla fight, Toho had to inflate King Kong’s size dramatically. Originally King Kong was between twenty and thirty feet tall whereas Godzilla is normally depicted anywhere between 150 and 300 feet tall.