KING KONG VS. GODZILLA

Godzilla and Kong duke it out by the seaside

KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (aka Kingu Kongu tai Gojira/1962). Director: Ishiro Honda. NOTE: This is the original Japanese version of the film with English sub-titles. 

A submarine has an unfortunate encounter with Godzilla even as Mr. Tako (Ichiro Arishima), the hysterical head of a pharmaceutical firm, wishes he had something fantastic to help advertise his products. He orders two employees to Faro island to investigate stories of a berry with amazing qualities as well as of the supposed God that lords it over the natives, Kong. Kong turns out to actually exist, and the berries help put the big gorilla to sleep. Kong is captured and taken by boat to Japan, but he breaks free and engages Godzilla -- also on the loose on the mainland -- although their first encounter ends in a draw. Which of the legendary monsters will win in their second epic slugfest? 

Godzilla is ready for his close up

Godzilla/Gojira had already appeared in several Japanese films since Gojira when the idea came to pit the big lizard against the famous Kong, with not very felicitous results. For one thing, although the movie gets a bit more "dramatic" towards the end, it comes off like a parody for most of its length. The "suitmation" FX for the two title characters are pretty pitiful (Kong has a kind of tortured expression under his comical mask, but that may be the angst of the actor in the headgear), and the process work is also poor for the most part. The best sequence actually has to do with a gigantic octopus -- this appears to be the real thing -- that slithers around the native huts and gets driven off by Kong.

Sahara and Takashima

The human characters -- aside from that low comedy bumbler, Tako -- consist of Tako's employee Osamu Sakurai (Tadao Takashima), his sister Fumiko (Mie Hama), Fumiko's boyfriend, Kazuo (Kenji Sahara), and Osamu's colleague, Kinsaburo (Yu Fujiki). At one point Fumiko is picked off a train by Kong and carried around in his humongous paw (everyone else seems to fall from the train to their deaths but there's no reaction to this). The film is shot in widescreen "Tohoscope" and the score by Akira Ifukube is better than the film deserves. Gotta love the chorus sung by the natives as Kong falls asleep!

By the way it is not true that Kong wins the fight in the U.S. version and Godzilla in the original. In both versions they fall into the sea, Kong swims back to his island, and Godzilla is presumed still alive under the ocean. 

Verdict: Kong deserves so much better. Hell, so does Godzilla.  **.