King Kong vs. Godzilla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids King Kong vs. Godzilla |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Ishirō Honda |
| Produced by | Tomoyuki Tanaka |
| Written by | Shinichi Sekizawa |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Akira Ifukube |
| Cinematography | Hajime Koizumi |
| Editing by | Reiko Kaneko |
| Studio | Toho |
| Distributed by | Toho |
| Release date(s) | August 11, 1962 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Budget | ¥150 million (Japan) $200,000 (USA) |
| Money made | ¥430 million (Japan) $2.7 million (USA) 554,695 admissions (France) |
King Kong vs. Godzilla is a 1962 Japanese science fiction crossover kaiju film featuring King Kong and Godzilla, produced and distributed by Toho. It is the third film in the Godzilla franchise and Showa series and the first of two Japanese-produced films featuring King Kong. It is also the first time both characters appeared on film in color and widescreen.
The film is directed by Ishirō Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya and stars Tadao Takashima, Kenji Sahara, Yū Fujiki, Ichirō Arishima, and Mie Hama, with Shoichi Hirose as King Kong and Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla. Produced as part of Toho's 30th anniversary celebration, this film remains the most attended of all the Godzilla films to date.
An American production team produced a heavily altered English version that used new scenes, sound and dubbing. The American production was released theatrically in the United States in the summer of 1963 by Universal Pictures. The film was released in Japan on August 11, 1962.
Plot
Mr. Tako, head of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, is frustrated with the television shows his company is sponsoring and wants something to boost his ratings. When a doctor tells Tako about a giant monster he discovered on the small Faro Island, Tako believes that it would be a brilliant idea to use the monster to gain publicity. Tako immediately sends two men, Sakurai and Kinsaburo, to find and bring back the monster. Meanwhile, the American submarine Seahawk gets caught in an iceberg. The iceberg collapses, unleashing Godzilla (who, in the Japanese version, had been trapped within since 1955), who then destroys the submarine and a nearby Arctic military base.
On Faro Island, a giant octopus attacks the native village. The mysterious Faro monster, revealed to be King Kong, arrives and defeats the octopus. Kong then drinks some red berry juice that immediately puts him to sleep. Sakurai and Kinsaburo place Kong on a large raft and begin to transport him back to Japan. Mr. Tako arrives on the ship transporting Kong, but a JSDF ship stops them and orders them to return Kong to Faro Island. Meanwhile, Godzilla arrives in Japan and begins terrorizing the countryside. Kong wakes up and breaks free from the raft. Reaching the mainland, Kong confronts Godzilla and proceeds to throw giant rocks at Godzilla. Godzilla is not fazed by King Kong's rock attack and uses its atomic breath to burn him. Kong retreats after realizing that he is not yet ready to take on Godzilla and its atomic breath.
The JSDF digs a large pit laden with explosives and poison gas and lures Godzilla into it, but Godzilla is unharmed. They next string up a barrier of power lines around the city filled with 1,000,000 volts of electricity (50,000 volts were tried in the first film, but failed to turn the monster back), which prove effective against Godzilla. Kong then approaches Tokyo and tears through the power lines, feeding off the electricity, which seems to make him stronger. Kong then enters Tokyo and captures Fumiko, Sakurai's sister. The JSDF launches capsules full of the Faro Island berry juice in gas form, which puts Kong to sleep, and are able to rescue Fumiko. The JSDF then decides to transport Kong via balloons to Godzilla, in hopes that they will kill each other.
The next morning, Kong is dropped next to Godzilla at the summit of Mount Fuji and the two engage in a final battle. Godzilla initially has the advantage due to its atomic breath and nearly kills Kong. After knocking Kong out with a devastating dropkick and tail smacks to the head, Godzilla begins burning the foliage around Kong trying to cremate him. Suddenly a bolt of lightning from thunder clouds strike King Kong reviving him and charging him up. The monsters continue their fight with the revitalized King Kong beating up Godzilla. Kong continues to throw rocks to attack Godzilla as Godzilla uses its atomic breath to keep Kong at a distance. The two monsters destroy Atami Castle and both fall off a cliff together into the Pacific Ocean. After an underwater battle, only Kong resurfaces. Kong begins to swim towards his island home. There is no sign of Godzilla, but the JSDF speculates that it is possible that it survived.
Images for kids
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A painting done by Willis O'Brien for the proposed King Kong Meets Frankenstein. The project evolved into King Kong vs. Godzilla, with Godzilla replacing the giant Frankenstein Monster as King Kong's opponent.
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A Shinto priest performs a purification ceremony prior to the start of filming.
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Eiji Tsuburaya and an octopus wrangler work with a live octopus among the miniature huts.
See also
In Spanish: King Kong vs. Godzilla para niños
