King Kong vs. Godzilla

Kingu Kongu tai Gojira

According to the scenario’s first draft, King Kong was supposed to take on Frankenstein, in San Francisco. Following a series of unfortunate (and not so transparent) events, Japanese studios Toho got their hands on the script and KingKong clashed with Godzilla in Mount Fuji. One of the most legendary monster clashes in cinematic history, which blatantly satirizes post-war Japan’s TV mass culture, while expressing a bitter remark on the still fresh horror of the nuclear devastation.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Ishirō Honda

Script: Shinichi Sekizawa

Cinematography: Hajime Koizumi

Editing: Reiko Kaneko

Sound: Sadamasa Nishimoto, Hisashi Shimonaga

Music: Akira Ifukube

Actors: Tadao Takashima, Kenji Sahara, Yū Fujiki, Ichirō Arishima, Mie Hama, Shoichi Hirose, Haruo Nakajima

Production: Toho Studios

Producers: Tomoyuki Tanaka

Sets: Teruaki Abe, Takeo Kita

Format: Blu-ray

Color: Color

Production Country: Japan

Production Year: 1962

Duration: 90'

Contact: Fernsehjuwelen

Ishirō Honda

Japanese director Ishirō Honda, a lifelong friend of Akira Kurosawa, established himself as a director with the documentary The Blue Pearl, the first ever Japanese film to feature underwater sequences. The film that earned Honda immense popularity was Godzilla, a huge box office hit produced by the legendary Toho studios. Throughout his career, Honda directed more than 40 films, primarily but not exclusively in the sci-fi genre.