Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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Gailah 1966
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Gailah 1966 »

Watched this great movie last week. It´s still fantastic. Japanese version is slightly better than US or european version imo.
I love the hidden 4th monster in this movie <3
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Jeff-Goldblum2 »

What's the deal with the Creature From The Black Lagoon music?

American version obviously.

It's not even used to represent a particular monster, first you hear it with the Giant Octopus, then King Kong, then Godzilla and then back to King Kong again later.

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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Terasawa »

Jeff-Goldblum2 wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 4:48 pm What's the deal with the Creature From The Black Lagoon music?

American version obviously.

It's not even used to represent a particular monster, first you hear it with the Giant Octopus, then King Kong, then Godzilla and then back to King Kong again later.
It's just supposed to be horrific monster music, not representative of a specific character.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by edgaguirus »

The English version uses a variety of music taken from older films. Beck replaced all the Ifukube scores in order to make the film sound more western.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by MaxRebo320 »

edgaguirus wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:33 pm The English version uses a variety of music taken from older films. Beck replaced all the Ifukube scores in order to make the film sound more western.
I always found that claim amusing considering the title theme in the Universal/Beck cut originated from a movie about Samarkand/Genghis Khan, deliberately made to sound "oriental".
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Terasawa »

edgaguirus wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:33 pm The English version uses a variety of music taken from older films. Beck replaced all the Ifukube scores in order to make the film sound more western.
I think that's taking soundtrack editor's Peter Zinner's quote a bit out of context.

"...we added the music, which was a compilation of things from several different composers, things in the public domain. They [Beck] didn't like the original music, they felt it should be sort of Westernized, and that's what I was told to do."

I don't think the directive was "don't make it sound Eastern" but rather "score this the way we would in Hollywood." In other words, it's not how Ifukube's music sounds necessarily but how it functions in the movie itself.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by eabaker »

Terasawa wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 6:51 pm
edgaguirus wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:33 pm The English version uses a variety of music taken from older films. Beck replaced all the Ifukube scores in order to make the film sound more western.
I think that's taking soundtrack editor's Peter Zinner's quote a bit out of context.

"...we added the music, which was a compilation of things from several different composers, things in the public domain. They [Beck] didn't like the original music, they felt it should be sort of Westernized, and that's what I was told to do."

I don't think the directive was "don't make it sound Eastern" but rather "score this the way we would in Hollywood." In other words, it's not how Ifukube's music sounds necessarily but how it functions in the movie itself.
Yeah, the "Eastern" sounding music in the American version is there specifically to sound "exotic," not to reflect Japanese film scoring practices.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Kaltes-Herzeleid »

Replacing Ifukube's score was by far one of the most egregious things about the American edit.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by daveblackeye15 »

There's a few parts I found the change in music an improvement. One being the octopus attack, another when Godzilla rises up after the failed trap.
I like this sequence too. https://youtu.be/pPAxkJAN21o?t=81

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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Spuro »

daveblackeye15 wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 5:48 pm There's a few parts I found the change in music an improvement. One being the octopus attack, another when Godzilla rises up after the failed trap.
I like this sequence too. https://youtu.be/pPAxkJAN21o?t=81
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Terasawa »

eabaker wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 9:42 am Yeah, the "Eastern" sounding music in the American version is there specifically to sound "exotic,"
They might have even thought that, at times, the original soundtrack didn't sound Japanese enough. The music that plays over establishing shots of Tokyo in Beck's version is stereotypically "Asian" (one of these is even just a gong being struck); Beck or Zinner (or both) might have thought that was necessary to properly set the stage for an American audience. Instead, it just borders on being offensive.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by The Killer Meteor »

Whatever happened to Michael Keith?

Probably the least likely actor ever to headline a major studio release.

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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by mikelcho »

edgaguirus wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:33 pm The English version uses a variety of music taken from older films. Beck replaced all the Ifukube scores in order to make the film sound more western.
That's not entirely correct.

The Faro Islanders' music used to help Kong go to sleep after he drank the soma juice was part of Ifukube's score for the film. There was also some bits and pieces in some of the Faro Island scenes because no one could find anything to replace it with.

If you'd like to hear Ifukube's music for the film, look up La-La Land Record's U.S. 2006 CD release of the original soundtrack for King Kong vs. Godzilla. Until the release of Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 by Criterion, this was the only way you could've heard it in this country and still have it be legit.

One thing I found out about this soundtrack: if it had been kept in the film, we would've had Ifukube's Godzilla theme a whole lot sooner than we did.
Last edited by mikelcho on Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:28 pm, edited 5 times in total.

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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by The Killer Meteor »

I think also the music when they briefly trek through the jungle is Ifukube's.

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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by JAGzilla »

Kaiju-King42 wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 6:22 pm That comment section is horrendous. :?
I think the word you were searching for was 'hysterical'. Yeah, there was a lot of predictable shitting on practical effects, but we really shouldn't pretend some of those comments aren't accurate. "Kong looking like he just came out of an Egyptian tomb" killed me. :lol:
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by edgaguirus »

Well, Kong does come from Pharaoh Island.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by mikelcho »

edgaguirus wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:35 pm Well, Kong does come from Pharaoh Island.
Aaaah, good one!

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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by mikelcho »

The Killer Meteor wrote: Tue Mar 30, 2021 11:58 pm I think also the music when they briefly trek through the jungle is Ifukube's.
Yes, you're right about that one, too.

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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by edgaguirus »

I watched this one not long ago, and had some fun with it. I heated up some corn and ate one anytime a monster appeared on screen. Has anyone here tried that?
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by eabaker »

edgaguirus wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 1:33 pm I watched this one not long ago, and had some fun with it. I heated up some corn and ate one anytime a monster appeared on screen. Has anyone here tried that?
Do you mean popcorn, or were you just devouring ears of corn at an insane rate? And, if the latter - why?
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