Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by eabaker »

scottzilla wrote:I just can't take it seriously
Convenient, then, that you're not supposed to take most of it seriously. With the exception of the Godzilla b-plot (because Kong is very much the a-plot until the two finally come together), the emphasis is on pretty broad comedy/satire, although the American cut does sometimes obscure this intent.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by scottzilla »

^ That's fair. I got the impression from all the cut ins that they were trying to make it something it wasn't.

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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by MechaGoji Bro7503 »

I just want the uncut Japanese version on dvd, the American version sucks.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Lain Of The Wired »

LSD Jellyfish wrote:Out of curiosity how many people on this site have seen the uncut Japanese version? I'm not trying to be snobby here, but I realized that there isn't an official release here for the original cut and even then still it's hard to come by.

The Japanese original is way better, there's no bullshit about Godzilla being dumb and the characters are better developed. There's some added snippets of Godzilla and Kong and in addition there's some completely removed scenes that enhance the threat of Godzilla.
I have and i disagree, solely because of the soundtrack
For example, when the octopus attacks and Kong explodes out of the water after getting blown up, those scenes play way better in the English dub with the added Creature score.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by The Octopus »

Check out this old pic from 1977. Its from the re-release of King Kong vs Godzilla. You have actors in Godzilla and King Kong suits handing out pamphlets. That Godzilla suit was the same one used 2 years earlier in Terror of Mechagodzilla. That "King Kong" suit looks like something you would see at a used car dealership sale promo.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Zarm »

That is an insult to used car dealerships. They would never be caught dead with that thing. :)

(EDIT: Actually, it kinda look like a Yeti from the Troughton years of Doctor Who...)
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Gojira-Fan »

This is a film I would say is good, but not great. However, it is also a super important film for setting the tone of the series going forward. This is the first time we are really to regard the monsters as silly (due to slapstick antics) as well as being human-like (in terms of the performances of the suit actor). This anthropomorphising of the monsters would continue for the majority of the Showa series.

The human scenes are decent as well. However, a lot of other Showa films surpass it in that area.

I can also actually tolerate the American version, surprisingly enough.

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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Maritonic »

Finally got to see the Japanese version of this, and MAN what an improvement over the American version.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Zarm »

Maritonic wrote:Finally got to see the Japanese version of this, and MAN what an improvement over the American version.
Absolutely. The lack of incredibly dry exposition makes a huge difference. Though I miss the strange pronunciation of 'Tarzan.' :)
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Maritonic »

Zarm wrote:
Maritonic wrote:Finally got to see the Japanese version of this, and MAN what an improvement over the American version.
Absolutely. The lack of incredibly dry exposition makes a huge difference. Though I miss the strange pronunciation of 'Tarzan.' :)
I found the most impactful change was the score. What a difference it makes, not having that (lovingly annoying) Creature From the Black Lagoon theme pop up every few moments. I LOVED the score for this film.

But I will agree with you about the "Tarzan" bit haha.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by eabaker »

Maritonic wrote:
Zarm wrote:
Maritonic wrote:Finally got to see the Japanese version of this, and MAN what an improvement over the American version.
Absolutely. The lack of incredibly dry exposition makes a huge difference. Though I miss the strange pronunciation of 'Tarzan.' :)
I found the most impactful change was the score. What a difference it makes, not having that (lovingly annoying) Creature From the Black Lagoon theme pop up every few moments. I LOVED the score for this film.

But I will agree with you about the "Tarzan" bit haha.
The score works much better, the pace works much better, and by and large the comedy feels more purposeful.

Other than, obviously, "Tarz'n," the thing I like about the American version is the way that the submarine scenes are re-structured; there's more tension to the way they play in the U.S. cut. But, overall, the Japanese version is far superior.
Last edited by eabaker on Fri Feb 09, 2018 8:45 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Maritonic »

eabaker wrote:
Maritonic wrote:
Zarm wrote:
Absolutely. The lack of incredibly dry exposition makes a huge difference. Though I miss the strange pronunciation of 'Tarzan.' :)
I found the most impactful change was the score. What a difference it makes, not having that (lovingly annoying) Creature From the Black Lagoon theme pop up every few moments. I LOVED the score for this film.

But I will agree with you about the "Tarzan" bit haha.
The score works much better, the pace works much better, and by and large the comedy feels more purposeful.

Other than, obviously, "Tarz'n," the thing I like about the American version is the way that the submarine scenes are re-structured; there's more tension to the way they play in the U.S. cut. But, overall, the Japanese version is far superior.
It truly is far superior. I'm glad I finally got to see it. I'll agree with you about the American cut of the Submarine scenes.

I really can't get over the score. I absolutely loved it. I have to find a way to track it down.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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Maritonic wrote:
eabaker wrote:
Maritonic wrote:
I found the most impactful change was the score. What a difference it makes, not having that (lovingly annoying) Creature From the Black Lagoon theme pop up every few moments. I LOVED the score for this film.

But I will agree with you about the "Tarzan" bit haha.
The score works much better, the pace works much better, and by and large the comedy feels more purposeful.

Other than, obviously, "Tarz'n," the thing I like about the American version is the way that the submarine scenes are re-structured; there's more tension to the way they play in the U.S. cut. But, overall, the Japanese version is far superior.
It truly is far superior. I'm glad I finally got to see it. I'll agree with you about the American cut of the Submarine scenes.

I really can't get over the score. I absolutely loved it. I have to find a way to track it down.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Terasawa »

A very distinct kaiju bootlegger (big in the '90s but not so much now) is responsible for the garbage subtitles on most copies of the Japanese version. The German Blu-Ray release has accurate subs, they're just not English...

Honestly I didn't think much of the Japanese version until I saw the film with accurate subtitles. The jokes are more clever and the exposition makes sense. I think the common English subtitle track is mostly made up or based on the American version.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Terasawa wrote:A very distinct kaiju bootlegger (big in the '90s but not so much now) is responsible for the garbage subtitles on most copies of the Japanese version. The German Blu-Ray release has accurate subs, they're just not English...

Honestly I didn't think much of the Japanese version until I saw the film with accurate subtitles. The jokes are more clever and the exposition makes sense. I think the common English subtitle track is mostly made up or based on the American version.
Just out of curiosity, how are the subtitles garbage?
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by King of the Monsters »

LSD Jellyfish wrote: Just out of curiosity, how are the subtitles garbage?
I've always heard they're just completely made up at many points and not that accurate to the Japanese dialogue. I still find that they diverge pretty drastically from the dub script, and I personally still prefer watching the Japanese version with bad fansubs than watching the US version.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Mr_Goji_and_Watch »

Yeah they reportedly just made up lines. You can probably ask SpaceHunterM for more detailed information, they were the first person I saw ever mention it and give an example of it.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Space Hunter M »

King of the Monsters wrote:
LSD Jellyfish wrote: Just out of curiosity, how are the subtitles garbage?
I've always heard they're just completely made up at many points and not that accurate to the Japanese dialogue. I still find that they diverge pretty drastically from the dub script, and I personally still prefer watching the Japanese version with bad fansubs than watching the US version.
Trust me, the "translation" hurts the overall experience of the film. You miss out on the slier wisecracks and gems like the pop culture references to Laurel & Hardy and Popeye.
Mr_Goji_and_Watch wrote:Yeah they reportedly just made up lines. You can probably ask SpaceHunterM for more detailed information, they were the first person I saw ever mention it and give an example of it.

Here's a brief example. You don't have to be a master of Japanese to discern that what's being said in the VDK script is just dead wrong. This brief section of full of basic stuff like "氷" (kōri), "北極" (hokkyoku) and "つまらん" (tsumaran) that pertains to the plot. I don't know how the subbers missed this.

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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by MaxRebo320 »

I've been aware of the poor "guess subs" for some time that are still in circulation to this day, though I am curious as to where one can go for the more accurate translation. I remember hearing that the subs supplied by Tokyo Monsters way back when were a lot more accurate (As I believe Jim Ballard is a Japanese speaker), but I can't clarify. I also know that German DVD has an official proper translation, though in German, of course.
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Re: Talkback: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Post by Zarm »

Dang. How does one tell if one has an accurate copy or these made-up versions?
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