KING KONG VS. GODZILLA
Universal Home Video
91 Minutes. 2.35:1. Color. 1963

Starring Michael Keith and James Yagi
Directed By Inoshiro Honda

In retrospect, one can say that the clash between the "two mightiest monsters of all time," as the posters read, was inevitable. The two monsterous icons of not only classic cinema, but popular culture, faced each other in King Kong Vs. Godzilla, the product of planning and re-planning, as the original script (and title) called for a creature created by Dr. Frankenstein. Toho Studios put a change to that.

It was a first for many reasons, one being that it pit two of the most popular giant monsters from science fiction films against each other. Another first is that it was the first time that Kong and Godzilla appeared in color.

Available only in a standard full-frame presentation on television, DVD and on home video, King Kong Vs. Godzilla has finally been released by Universal Home Video in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

Pacific Pharmaceuticals has suffered a lack of publicity, and its president, Tako, has commissioned his employees (Sakurai and Aru) to embark on an expedition to Faro Island, the home of a legendary, giant gorilla, known to the natives as Kong. They are to capture him as a gimmick to boost their ratings. At the same time, the giant dinosaur, Godzilla, has emerged from an iceberg. Godzilla destroys a nuclear submarine, the Japanese countryside and a battle position of the military. As much of Japan prepares for evacuation, the expedition, the expedition to Faro Island returns with the captured Kong. Kong escapes and arrives on the Japanese mainland.

After a brief battle between the two giants, the Japanese military's first line of defense fails against Godzilla. The military then sets up a network of high-tension electrical towers around Tokyo. The blockade is successful in keeping Godzilla out, but Kong is able to enter the city (in this variation of the Kong story, Kong thrives on electricity). Cornered on top of a building and holding Sakurai's sister captive in his hand (ala Fay Wray), Kong is on the defensive. The military is at a loss as to whether or not they should start firing at him. Sakurai and Tako alert the General to the fact that a juice taken from certain berries on Faro Island cause Kong to sleep. They load the juice into rockets and explode them in the air above Kong. The fumes put Kong to sleep, and Sakurai's sister is freed.

The military then rig up an airlift with helium balloons to take Kong to Mt. Fuji, where Godzilla seeks refuge. When the monsters meet, a long battle ensues. The battle seems to be in Godzilla's favor until a lightning storm strikes.....

Over the years, King Kong Vs. Godzilla has become a cult favorite. The film even became a Thanksgiving weekend staple in the local television market in the New York area (along with the original King Kong, Son of Kong, Mighty Joe Young and a few other Godzilla movies). Although the Thanksgiving monster movie marathons of WOR Channel 9 have been gone from the airwaves for over 20 years, Universal Home Video brings this classic back to DVD with a new transfer.

King Kong Vs. Godzilla is presented 2.35:1 and has been enhanced for 16x9 screens. The same full frame print has circulated on television, cable, VHS and DVD over the past couple of decades, which actually didn't look too bad. However, the new presentation is more colorful, and has a sharper image overall. The black levels are on the mark, and the image bears little or no artifacting. There are a few shots in the film that suffer from print damage, but the widescreen image in itself more than makes up for it. Much information is gained on the sides of the image.

The Dolby Digital mono soundtrack is clean and full. The music and sound effects really shine through and it is highly probable that the film will never sound any better than it does on this disc.

Unfortunately, the version on this release is the Universal International version, with much footage taken out of the original Japanese version, replaced with English speaking scenes presented "newsreel" style. Many of the subplots are gone, and the film's original message is gone (the denouement reveals that man should be careful how he treats the animal kingdom, as Mother Nature's wrath will be incurred). Ifukube's original musical score is gone, and replaced with library music (as some film buffs would notice, an excerpt from Creature from the Black Lagoon can be heard many times throughout the film). With all of these changes, it is as if the viewer is watching a completely different film.

Universal's release of King Kong Vs. Godzilla is bare-bones, including only different language and subtitle options. Although it would have been nice to have included extras, the widescreen presentation will have to suffice for fans. Several trailers for this film exist, but it is unknown as to why they have been omitted.

Although saddened by the absence of this film from store shelves (the Goodtimes Home Video DVD version of this film has been out of print for several years), fans of this classic film can now rejoice and enjoy this film all over again. It is refreshing to see such a film get the widescreen treatment it deserves. Highly recommended buy for any serious collector!