Perhaps the most interesting thing about King Kong vs. Godzilla is that it exists as two very different movies. When the film was released in the United States, massive edits were made to Americanize it for western audiences, much in the same way the original Gojira was. Many scenes involving the Japanese actors were removed and replaced with footage of American actors playing newscasters and scientists. In addition to these huge changes, Akira Ifukubes amazing musical score was removed and replaced with stock music from other films such as Creature From The Black Lagoon and Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman. The result is a version of the film that, despite containing most of the same footage, has a very different pace and tone. Huge chunks of the movie are nothing but exposition dumps and attempted scientific explanations for the monsters, the most infamous moment being when one scientist claims Godzillas brain is the size of a marble. If youve seen the original King Kong Vs. Godzilla, chances are that this was the version you saw due to rights issues. Its not terrible, but the Japanese cut is superior. If youre a fan, check it out. Have you seen the original King Kong vs. Godzilla? Let us know in the comments below.
