King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Cast & Crew.
Michael Keith
Eric Carter
Harry Holcombe
Dr. Arnold Johnson
James Yagi
Yutaka Omura
Tadao Takashima
Osamu Sakurai
Kenji Sahara
Kazuo Fujita
Ichirō Arishima
Mr. Tako
Byron Morrow
Newscaster
Les Tremayne
Commander Roberts / General Masami Shinzo / Narrator (voice)
George Takei
Osamu Sakurai (voice)
Mie Hama
Fumiko Sakurai (uncredited)
Akiko Wakabayashi
Tamiye (uncredited)
Akemi Negishi
Chikiro's Mother (Dancing Girl) (uncredited)
Akihiko Hirata
Dr. Shigezawa (uncredited)
Bruce Mason
Misc. characters (voice)
Paul Howard
Misc. characters (voice)
Yū Fujiki
Kinsaburo Furue
Edgar Wallace
Writer
Jun Tazaki
General Masami Shinzo (uncredited)
Yoshio Kosugi
Farou Island Chief (uncredited)
Ikio Sawamura
Witch Doctor (uncredited)
Kenzō Tabu
Dreary Newscaster (uncredited)
Victor Millan
Rodrigo Infante (uncredited)
Haruo Nakajima
Godzilla (uncredited)
Shōichi Hirose
King Kong (uncredited)
Katsumi Tezuka
Godzilla in iceberg (uncredited)
Peter Zinner
Music Supervisor / Supervising Film Editor / Music Editor
William L. Stevenson
Sound Effects / Sound Effects Editor
Toshio Takashima
Lighting Technician
Hiroshi Mukoyama
Visual Effects / Compositing Artist
Kenji Aoki
Choreographer
Sadamasa Arikawa
Special Effects / VFX Director of Photography
Teruaki Abe
Production Design
Hajime Koizumi
Director of Photography
Eiji Tsuburaya
Special Effects / Visual Effects / Visual Effects Director
George Worthing Yates
Original Story
Takeo Kita
Production Design
Koichi Kawakita
Special Effects Assistant / Visual Effects Camera / Special Effects
Akira Watanabe
Visual Effects Art Director
Motoyoshi Tomioka
Special Effects / VFX Director of Photography
Yukio Manoda
Visual Effects Camera / Visual Effects
Herman Stein
Music
Masakatsu Asai
Special Effects / Special Effects Assistant
Koji Kajita
First Assistant Director
Henry Mancini
Music
Takashi Narita
Visual Effects Production Manager
Koji Hashimoto
Assistant Director
Sadamasa Nishimoto
Sound Effects
Shigeru Nakamura
Production Manager
Takao Saiwai
Visual Effects
Herschel Burke Gilbert
Music
Kuichirô Kishida
VFX Lighting Artist / Lighting Technician
Willis H. O'Brien
Original Story
Seiji Tani
Assistant Director
Yasuyuki Inoue
Visual Effects Art Director / Special Effects Assistant
Eizo Kaimai
Modeling / Costume Designer
Toshiro Aoki
Special Effects Assistant / Visual Effects Art Director
Yoshio Irie
Special Effects Assistant / Visual Effects Art Director
Yasuei Yagi
Modeling / Costume Designer
Yôichi Manoda
Special Effects / Visual Effects Camera / Special Effects Assistant
Teizô Toshimitsu
Modeling / Costume Designer / Sculptor
Kyuzo Yamamoto
Property Master
Kanju Yagi
Costume Designer / Modeling
Takashi Nakao
Still Photographer
Jiro Shirasaki
Visual Effects Art Director / Special Effects Assistant
Sadao Iizuka
Visual Effects
Teruyoshi Nakano
Special Effects / Special Effects Assistant
Fuchimu Shimakura
Matte Painter / Background Designer
Paul Mason
Writer
John Beck
Producer
Thomas Montgomery
Director
Paul Sawtell
Music
Heinz Roemheld
Music
Media.
Details.
Release DateJune 26, 1963
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 36m
Content RatingNR
Budget$12,000
Box Office$2,700,000
Filming LocationsJapan
Genres
Last updated:
This Movie Is About.
Wiki.
King Kong vs. Godzilla (Japanese: キングコング対ゴジラ, Hepburn: Kingu Kongu tai Gojira) is a 1962 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it is the third film in both the Godzilla and King Kong franchises, as well as the first Toho-produced film featuring King Kong. It is also the first time that each character appeared on film in color and widescreen. The film stars Shoichi Hirose as King Kong and Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla with Shoichi Hirose, Tadao Takashima, Kenji Sahara, Yū Fujiki, Ichirō Arishima, and Mie Hama playing other prominent roles. In the film, Godzilla is reawakened by an American submarine and a pharmaceutical company captures King Kong for promotional uses, culminating in a battle on Mount Fuji.
The project began with a story outline devised by King Kong stop motion animator Willis O'Brien around 1960, in which Kong battles a giant Frankenstein's monster; O'Brien gave the outline to producer John Beck for development. Behind O'Brien's back and without his knowledge, Beck gave the project to Toho to produce the film, replacing the giant Frankenstein's monster with Godzilla and scrapping O'Brien's original story.
King Kong vs. Godzilla was released theatrically in Japan on August 11, 1962, and grossed ¥352 million, making it the second-highest-grossing Japanese film in history upon its release. The film remains the most attended Godzilla film in Japan to date, and is credited with encouraging Toho to prioritize the continuation of the Godzilla series after seven years of dormancy. A heavily re-edited "Americanized" version of the film was released theatrically in the United States by Universal International Inc. on June 26, 1963.
The film was followed by Mothra vs. Godzilla, released on April 29, 1964.