My intention for this SBP series, especially with the original 50's through 70's era Godzilla is to watch them in their original edit and tongue, with subtitles. Unfortunately sometimes you're just stuck with what you have at hand, and what I have at hand is the Universal-released edit of KKvsG. I know there are some major differences (7 minutes difference in the edit, the bulk of the score has been changed, scenes shifted, and a weird United Nations News framing sequence) so I will need to loop back on this one after all is said and done.
That all said, KKvsG is the first giant moster movie I can recall seeing. I was a young, young lad (possibly around 5 years old), and recall there being a screening at my local library. I have vague memories of the experience, but also the memories might not be truthful, as I remember it being black and white, which apparently it never was
Name: King Kong vs. Godzilla
Japanese Name: Kingu Kongu tai Gojira
Director: IshirÅ Honda
Studio: Toho with Universal International
Year: 1963
The Story:
A cheap-ass United Nations news desk reports on some Chilean troubles and then some issues with Japanese shipping routes. A UN nuclear sub is on its way to help. The newsman reports on rare psychotropic berries that Japanese science crew has discovered on Ferro Island, a berry the local natives are defensive of, as they use its psychotropic effects to placate a giant beast that cohabitates on the island.
A pharmaceutical company is both after the berries, and saving the flogging rating of the nature TV show it sponsors. The executives plan a one-two-punch of going to the island to both get more berries and capture this giant monster on camera.
Meanwhile, back at the "UN newsroom", events transpire on the UN nuclear sub "Seahawk". Unfortunately the ship gets wedged between shifting ice floes and its engines are destroyed. The tube full of bad actors are trapped aboard the flooding ship, their deaths all but certain, especially as Godzilla awakens from the very same ice. Smash cut back to the "UN newsroom" (because all of the footage, including the terror aboard the submarine, was "cut to" footage) to an entirely disaffected reporter, who tells of Godzilla's journey towards mainland Japan, where the army is there to fruitless meet him.
The conceit of cutting back to newsrooms is very annoying, crippling the narrative flow of the film. The reports of Godzilla terrorizing Japan sends the pharmaceutical exec into a rage... he wants his own monster (I guess big pharma people are always assholes). His TV crew is on their way to Ferro Island, where we cut to the ... oh boy, Japanese actors in brownface playing tribal natives. The natives are unhappy about the visitors, but they curry their favour with a transistor radio playing pseudo-calypso music and cigarettes...even the children want a puff. "It's okay, they're all smoking." And then lightning cracks in the sky, signaling the arrival of their god.
News reports cut into the proceedings, to explain what Godzilla might be, as the creature approaches Hokaido. And then cut back to Ferro Island in the search for the tribal god. An errant gunshot triggers the ire of beast and a rockslide interrupts the hunting party. One of the Japanese men is injured, and the young smoking tribal boy is sent to get red berry juice to soothe him, but he's attacked by a giant octopus going after the berry juice supply. The ruckus caused trying to fight the octopus rouses King Kong who faces off against the cephalopod, driving it away. He then tucks into some red berry juice and gets pass-out blotto. The pharmaceutical men abscond with Kong towing him from the island to Japan on a raft full of dynamite. The government, though, tells the pharmacy team the creature is considered a menace, and must be returned to Ferro Island.
Meanwhile, Fumiko, a character we've barely met is on a train headed straight for Hokaido where the weather forecast predicts Godzilla will be. Government officials discuss dropping an atomic bomb on him. The train light attracts Godzilla's attention so it stops and evacuates to waiting buses. Fumiko runs into the woods and then starts splashing in a stream. Somehow her boyfriend Fujita finds her, and the two hide from Godzilla's rampage.
Meanwhile, on the seas, Kong awakens, and is not happy. He's set free and heads towards Japan's mainland, where speculation is the two creatures are old sworn enemies and set for a titanic tussle. The army dumps dozens of tankers worth of gas along the path Godzilla is taking luring him into pitfall laden with explosives. Godzilla survives.
Kong attacks Tokyo, chomping on electrical wires. Tokyo is told to evacuate, but it's too late. Kong picks up a skyrail train and becomes transfixed by the screaming Fumiko dangling from it. He then climbs a modestly sized building while the army plans to fire rockets full of red berry juice to rain down on Kong to put him to sleep. Fumiko's brother and Fujita plays rhythmic drums to help lull the beast. Somehow in Kong's passing out process Fumiko is neither crushed nor in a similarly narcotic-induced sleep.
Kong is airlifted by balloon to intercept Godzilla, with the hope the two beasts will kill one another. They don't. They fall into the ocean and Godzilla fucks of to god(zilla) knows where and Kong swims home. The end?
The Creatures:
Godzilla, explained by a boring white guy from a boring museum, classifies Godzilla as a possible cross between a T-rex and a stegasaurus, between 97 and 120 million years ago. He thinks Godzilla considers Japan home, but postulates that "as a reptile" he might shy away from electricity. Boring white guy thinks Godzilla's brain is the size of a marble. The suit, in colour, looks like the familiar pear-shaped Godzilla form we're most used to. The tail action on this version of the beast is wonderful. I'm always surprised by Godzilla's tiny face. This Godzilla doesn't like the high-tension electrical wires, and avoids them were previous 'zillas didn't. The whole purpose of this sudden aversion to electricity is obviously to set up that it's his weakness, and just so happens to be Kong's strength.
King Kong here is a giant ape with ratty, matted fur, heavy breasts, and the derpiest of faces. It's the poorly painted-on eyes. Kong likes to shred the red. Boring museum guy thinks Kong is a big thinker because he would have a big ape brain. The costume doesn't look like fur, it's ill fitting, lumpy and wrinkly, and generally looks awful. It looks even worse wet. Apparently Kong draws strength from electric voltage, which makes no sense, but there you go.
The Battle:
Starts with Godzilla having the high ground. Kong throws boulders at godzilla. Godzilla responds with atomic breaths and taunts. Kong's fur is singed and he walks away, scratching his head. Not so titanic, this tussle. Kind of boring, actually
To start round two. Kong gets the higher ground but gives it up so he can get behind Godzilla and grab him by the tail. It doesn't work. Kong chucks more rocks, which a swing of Godzilla's tail sends it right back at him. Kong is hesitant to engage Godzilla's because of his atomic breath, but takes a few shots and gets in there. but he unfortunately brains himself on some rocks. Kong gets no less than two concussions this fight. To add insult to injury, Godzilla hits him over the head with his tail repeatedly and Kong seems down for the count. But a fortunate twist of thunder and lightning supercharges Kong up which gives him static cling hands that Godzilla doesn't like one bit. Kong jams a tree down Godzilla's throat. They grapple rolling down a cliffside into the ocean, causing an earthquake that splits the land. Kong swims home, and Godzilla disappears. It's pretty weak stuff.
The Humans:
There's two news reporters, one American, and one Japanese, as well as boring museum guy who get as much screen time as any of the original actors. I hate these news guys, passionately.
There's handsome manly Sakurai and total sub Furue who are our guides on Ferro Island, for what it's worth. Sakurai is Fumiko's boyfriend, and her brother, Fujita's best friend. Fujita invented a near-invisible threat that has the strength of a steel cable. This seems important as it's needed to lift Kong by balloon to fight Godzilla (but if you take miniature scaling into account the thread we actually see would be thick cable density in size, so not that remarkable...it's a weird super-science conceit the film asks for).
There's also Mr. Tako (great name), who is an utter man-child, prone to temper tantrums, but somehow very successful. He's the head of the big pharma company and the show producer that Sakurai and Furue work for.
None of these human characters are explored at all in this rendition beyond exceptionally basic beats. They're an unfortunate casualty of trying to re-edit to Americanize the story (and tell, more than show, as if there's something so complicated about this story) as much as possible.
Friend or Foe:
Godzilla could be picking up from Godzilla Rides Again, trapped in ice, but this American rendition seems to pretend like this is the first time we're ever seeing Godzilla, except everyone in Japan knows the creature is Godzilla.
Kong's story is basically a truncated retelling of King Kong, only giving him a mortal enemy this time, and no meaningful entanglement with Fujita.
The Sounds:
The tribal chanting is very exotic sounding, a pastiche of the original chanting from King Kong.
Kong's roars sound like they're coming out of a Speak'n'Spell.
When he pounds his chest it sounds like banging on sheets of aluminum.
The Message:
Big Pharma sucks?
Apparently director Honda wanted to satirize the Japanese TV industry with this film, but it loses all of its intent in the butchering and insertion of the loathed UN newsdesk reporters.
Rating (out of 5 Z):
Zz
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