Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

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LSD Jellyfish
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Oh wow, I never conciously noticed it, but yeah that's Gamera's roar. I'm not sure if roars are really copyrighted in the same way. Would be funny if Gamera's roar was public domain, or just not enforced. A lot of the early Ultraman series blatantly reuse various Godzilla roars throughout.

Anyways, watching that scene again, it's pretty brutal. Godzillasaurus getting blasted apart, with red blood flying and oozing everywhere, has to be one of the most graphic things in a Godzilla film ever. The concept is so bizarre too: can't think of another film featuring an American warship firing upon a giant "normal" dinosaur.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by edgaguirus »

The only thing that comes to mind is the scene in The Land that time Forgot where the sub fires on a pair of Styracosaurs. Of course, it's a German sub, not American.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by DoctorMafune »

Back in Shinjuku now (after too many years away from Japan), seeing the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building yesterday brought back terrific memories of watching this film in Toho's Ginza Theater in '91.

Normally, I like to see a film from the very beginning, but in that case, my friend's impatience and our heading in for the last reel first, really paid off.

We sat down just as Godzilla arrived in Sapporo (my first look at the Big G on a Japanese screen.) That scene — complete with Ifukube's masterful score — blew me away. Little did I suspect that the climactic battle between the now 100-meter Ghido-Godzi and Mecha-King Ghidorah would outdo even that.

Kawakita's enormous miniatures setting the onslaught in Shinjuku provided a perfect backdrop for one of the most breathtaking kaiju battles to date. I remember being astonished at how spectacular it was. It remains one of my favorite scenes of the entire series: and in particular, it's hard to match that distant view of MKG in profile unleashing gravity bolts on Godzilla, for sheer awe.

For me, that may actually have been the best way to get a first look at this film, given that the rest of it, for my money, was a lot more uneven than the final act. (My friend considered even the G vs MKG battle to be a letdown, saying that "Ghidorah is too weak.")

Hard to argue that that. But to this day, I think that G vs. KG's final reel was more than worth the price of admission.
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LSD Jellyfish
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

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DoctorMafune wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 8:39 pm Back in Shinjuku now (after too many years away from Japan), seeing the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building yesterday brought back terrific memories of watching this film in Toho's Ginza Theater in '91.

Normally, I like to see a film from the very beginning, but in that case, my friend's impatience and our heading in for the last reel first, really paid off.

We sat down just as Godzilla arrived in Sapporo (my first look at the Big G on a Japanese screen.) That scene — complete with Ifukube's masterful score — blew me away. Little did I suspect that the climactic battle between the now 100-meter Ghido-Godzi and Mecha-King Ghidorah would outdo even that.

Kawakita's enormous miniatures setting the onslaught in Shinjuku provided a perfect backdrop for one of the most breathtaking kaiju battles to date. I remember being astonished at how spectacular it was. It remains one of my favorite scenes of the entire series: and in particular, it's hard to match that distant view of MKG in profile unleashing gravity bolts on Godzilla, for sheer awe.

For me, that may actually have been the best way to get a first look at this film, given that the rest of it, for my money, was a lot more uneven than the final act. (My friend considered even the G vs MKG battle to be a letdown, saying that "Ghidorah is too weak.")

Hard to argue that that. But to this day, I think that G vs. KG's final reel was more than worth the price of admission.
They had an airing of this recently in a theater in Tokyo? Huh? Pretty cool.

Agreed with everything you stated. I've forgotten to mention this before, but the big downtown buildings of the Shinjuku Building, and the climactic fight taking place there, tie nicely into the films themes of Japan someday becoming an economic super-power. People often deride the Heisei series minatures for being less "detailed" than Showa ones, but honestly they do a fantastic job at representing what they should be.

Thanks for sharing the memory here!
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by Legion1979 »

LSD, he's saying he saw it in a theater all the way back in 1991.

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Legion1979 wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2023 3:39 am LSD, he's saying he saw it in a theater all the way back in 1991.
Whoops, I got it. It's not unheard of though. They do do re-airings of older Toho films at Toho theaters around Japan here and there. Just a couple months ago there was a Mothra 1961 show near me.

Still, really thankful Dr. Mafune shared that memory. It's a great one.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by edgaguirus »

Speaking of the fight between Godzilla and MKG, I think the setting was well used. The pair of buildings between the two kaiju are used like a physical barrier in the first half of the fight. Each monster lashes out with beams, and pieces of the buildings are being blasted off. It's an interesting way to use the cityscape to add visual appeal to the battle.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

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Another aspect I love about the film is the films music. Particularly, I adore how Ghidorah's theme is emotionally versatile. In the Fukuoka rampage, it gives a feeling of dread and hopelessness. In the first fight with Godzilla, it displays an epic battle of two titans. When Mecha-King Ghidorah first appears after the the casts wonders about Emi, it displays hope. In the aforementioned scene of Godzilla and Mecha-King Ghidorah blasting each other thru Shinjuku, it's a battle of desperation and survival. When Mecha King Ghidorah is flying off with Godzilla, it has a short sense of triumph.

I love Akira's music and he definitely earned the academy award for this film score.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by Legion1979 »

I've been watching this film for almost 31 years. At no point during the score have I ever noticed any variety in the Ghidorah theme. To each his own and if you hear it that's good for you, but I do think you're assigning emotions to these music cues that aren't really there.

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by StardustGenius »

The Sapporo attack is one of my favorite Godzilla rampages. Looks really good. I can only imagine what it would look like in theaters. I like that part where Godzilla's foot caved in the underground mall.

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

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I love the shot of Godzilla approaching the military line, knocking over the Sapporo TV Tower, while the Godzillasaurus theme reminds us that this monster is Shindo's savior dinosaur. One of my all time favorite Godzilla moments. I wish I'd bought that stupid Blu-ray two-pack while it was affordable. I haven't seen this movie in ten years, and never in anything better than VHS quality...
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by edgaguirus »

It's probably on streaming services, if you watch shows like that.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

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edgaguirus wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 10:00 pm It's probably on streaming services, if you watch shows like that.
None that I'm subscribed to, and I'm not subscribing to a new one just for this. It'll get another Blu-ray release soon. Inside five years, I'm sure. It probably won't be any high end boutique label because of Toho's restrictions, but someone will pick up the rights to the Heisei and Millennium movies once Sony lets them all go.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

Can't you buy it on YouTube?
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

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Major sssspielberg! wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 9:06 am Can't you buy it on YouTube?
I don't immediately see it there... Someone did upload GvM:TBFE, though, which is kinda tempting. Haven't seen that one in even longer. Nah, I'll wait, though. I don't mind. This gives me a reason to look forward to (and pay for) the next physical releases, when they come.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by UltramanGoji »

The 4:3 English dub is on YouTube. Unofficially, of course. But its there.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by shadowgigan »

LSD Jellyfish wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:19 pm The concept is so bizarre too: can't think of another film featuring an American warship firing upon a giant "normal" dinosaur.
While I do agree its bizarre, I think the film was also trying to tell us the Godzillasaurus was more than just a "normal" dinosaur.
Legion1979 wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 10:09 am I've been watching this film for almost 31 years. At no point during the score have I ever noticed any variety in the Ghidorah theme. To each his own and if you hear it that's good for you, but I do think you're assigning emotions to these music cues that aren't really there.
I think you may be misinterpreting his post. Its completely possible for the same musical cue to produce different emotional responses in different contexts.

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by StardustGenius »

I'll have to go and track down some of those Heisei Perfection art books, because there's a lot of stuff planned that wasn't shot. I like the Teruyoshi Nakano approach to planning out sfx sequences. Aim real REAL big first, then let the budgets set your limitations. I think some of that rubbed on Kawakita for better or worse.

On the subject of this movie, I have to see various comparisons of the color tones for this movie in home releases. It feels both cooler and warmer than a lot of the other Heisei movies, which generally have warmer colors after 1991.

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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by GigaBowserG »

StardustGenius wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 2:42 pm I'll have to go and track down some of those Heisei Perfection art books, because there's a lot of stuff planned that wasn't shot.
There're quite a few storyboard sequences for Godzilla vs. MKG in particular. MKG firing his middle head Laser Beam at nearby windows, causing it to ricochet off the glass and hit Godzilla on the back; MKG being able to manipulate gravity and cause rubble to rise into the air; Godzilla's heat ray causing a tempest of fiery explosions to ignite above MKG and pummel into/around him; Godzilla's radioactive blood raining on military troops, sizzling their bodies and choking them; MKG firing and converging all 3 beams together into 1 powerful beam to strike Godzilla; etc.
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Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Post by StardustGenius »

That one with the radioactive blood I didn't know about! Really now? I know there's one I brought up before about American satellite lasers bombarding Godzilla from space.

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