Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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

Post by LegendZilla »

Terasawa wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 8:57 pm
LegendZilla wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 7:48 pm If (King) Kong goes public domain in 2029, does that increase the odds of the original cut of this film being released in NA again?
Universal controls the North American rights to KKvG through 2057. The Kong character entering public domain has no effect on that.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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I'm working on the Japanese version right now. My second viewing, but the first was about eight years ago and under a variety of bad conditions, so it hardly counts. I'm liking the actual movie a lot so far, it's undeniably superior to the US edit in most ways, and it looks really nice on the Criterion disk. I'm able to really notice and appreciate the look of a lot of things that never stood out to me on the VHS I had as a kid, like those great stormy sky backdrops they used for the Arctic scenes, or the red stars on the tanks.

Big downside, though: the sound mix sucks. Dialogue volume is too quiet half the time, and much worse, Ifukube's score is all over the place. The Main Title theme belted out nice and loud (excellent opening track, by the way), but the music during Godzilla's attack on the military base was barely audible. Sound effects were booming like they should, but the music was buried. That's really obnoxious and distracting.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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JAGzilla wrote: Wed Nov 03, 2021 10:51 am Big downside, though: the sound mix sucks. Dialogue volume is too quiet half the time, and much worse, Ifukube's score is all over the place. The Main Title theme belted out nice and loud (excellent opening track, by the way), but the music during Godzilla's attack on the military base was barely audible. Sound effects were booming like they should, but the music was buried. That's really obnoxious and distracting.
In short, that's a feature, not a bug.

KKvG was the only stereophonic Godzilla movie until 1984 (and they've all been mixed in either two or more channels since then). The home video releases usually present it as four channels, but IIRC, it separates more like 5.1, only without that many channels involved. If you're watching the film with a setup having no more than two channels, IMO it sounds really unbalanced. Turn surround on for the Japanese version -- that is, if you have a surround setup.

Since stereo wasn't the norm in Japan in 1962, Toho also prepared a mono mix, which has only been available in Japan (on VHS in the '80s and on the last two disc releases). I'm not sure of the audio options on Criterion's release but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that it comes with only the 4-channel mix. However, there's also the possibility that it has either of the 1991 2-channel or 2001 5.1 mixes. These are all distinct mixes that have the score and sound effects tracked slightly different ways.

Incidentally, the new 4K/Blu-ray releases have the two 1962 mixes (4-channel and mono) as well as a *new* 2-channel track that's actually just the 1962 stereo mix downfolded to two channels.
Last edited by Terasawa on Wed Nov 03, 2021 11:11 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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Hm. Well, it's not Criterion's fault, then, at least. I don't have surround, so that's not an option. In any case, the music does improve a lot in some scenes. Oodako's theme and Kong's lullaby sounded good, and the music for Godzilla's attack on the train was loud enough. Also, wow does that scene play differently with Ifukube's track. It's so much more exciting and Godzilla comes across as honestly menacing. I love the US stock music, but there's really no question which works better.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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Just saw the US version of this film at a drive-in on a feature with Jason and the Argonauts.

This movie really hits different on a big screen. Somehow I found it easier to suspend my disbelief and the film was much more enjoyable in contrast with watching at home. The picture quality was great too which is a given considering Universal did a good job restoring it.

First time I ever saw a Japanese Godzilla movie at a drive-in also. Hope to do that again someday.

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

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Sounds like fun.

If anyone here likes Svengoolie, he'll be showing this on Saturday. He should have some fun with this one.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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Many people feel that this movie's version of Kong is to the character as GINO is to Godzilla. But at least in this movie Kong remains Kong in form and function. The real gripe people have is how the limited Special effects technology Toho had access to didn't do the big ape justice. At least in comparison to his debut in '33. Unlike GINO '98, in which the creative team (mostly the director) was actively spiteful towards Godzilla, Eiji Tsuburaya and company actually held the original King Kong near and dear to their hearts.

If To made this movie today with modern effects and a bigger budget, people just might see this incarnation of Kong in the same light the majority here views Shin Godzilla. Funny when you think about it. Hope my words make good food for thought.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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This masterpiece is 60 years old today (actually yesterday in Japan, but still).

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

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Happy birthday to my daikaiju-eiga gateway drug! It's still one of my all-time favorites.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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A childhood classic and my real exposure to the Godzilla franchise. Can never be thankful enough.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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Happy anniversary KK vs G.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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I was rewatching the final fight on Mt Fuji earlier last month, and the amount of dopamine I got from just those clips is unreal. It’s such an epic showdown, yet so funny. I love this movie with all my heart.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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Happy anniversary to the REALEST one :godzilla1962:
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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Godzilla says to eat your vegetables and you too will grow into a big, strong kaiju.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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edgaguirus wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 9:49 pm Godzilla says to eat your vegetables and you too will grow into a big, strong kaiju.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by MechaGoji Bro7503 »

Ah looks like I missed the anniversary!

I love this film, finally seeing the Japanese version years ago when the Criterion set released was incredible for me, there was something exciting about finding the original cut of a film you've seen countless times. And man was it the better version! I find this film's meta undertones to its structure to be an aspect that really sets this film apart not only from other films in the genre in general, but is something that the new film was missing. Shinichi Sekizawa's style is one I draw a great deal of inspiration from, and is a big reason why I adore the Showa series.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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I am guessing that Godzilla coming out of ice whereas he got trapped in ice in the last movie is a coincidence. Knowing the nature of the Showa era, continuity between films was a trivial factor.

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

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LegendZilla wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 9:06 pm I am guessing that Godzilla coming out of ice whereas he got trapped in ice in the last movie is a coincidence. Knowing the nature of the Showa era, continuity between films was a trivial factor.
I think the disinterest in strict continuity is why it's an iceberg rather than encasement on an island, but I imagine they expected a portion of the audience to at least remember "Godzilla trapped in ice."
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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eabaker wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 9:30 pm
LegendZilla wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 9:06 pm I am guessing that Godzilla coming out of ice whereas he got trapped in ice in the last movie is a coincidence. Knowing the nature of the Showa era, continuity between films was a trivial factor.
I think the disinterest in strict continuity is why it's an iceberg rather than encasement on an island, but I imagine they expected a portion of the audience to at least remember "Godzilla trapped in ice."
Back then audiences would not have cared as much as they do now. If audiences didn’t care, then studios didn’t either.

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

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Just because continuity wasn't a major, moneymaking, studio-mandated central pillar the way it is now doesn't mean the filmmakers couldn't choose to incorporate it into their films. Sometimes they chose to do it, sometimes they didn't.
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