HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GODZILLA! November 3, 1954

ゴジラよ、誕生日おめでとう !


Don't hate him because he's beautiful! The "Big G" has turned 61!

"GODZILLA" ROARS AGAIN ON VINYL RECORDS! King Records' Limited Edition Soundtrack LPs

伊福部昭生誕100年、ゴジラ誕生60周年記念企画 ! 


The retro jacket for King Records' GODZILLA Original Soundtrack!

For those who were excited by Death Waltz’s limited-edition vinyl LP for the Akira Ifukube original soundtrack for GODZILLA (1954), but lost out on getting a copy, you can now rejoice: Japanese label, King Records is gearing up to issue an analog release of their very own, along with the same for Ifukube’s KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962), as the “first complete limited-edition pressings” in Japan, on 180g vinyl LPs, just in time to celebrate both Ifukube’s centennial and the Big G’s 60th anniversary.

1960s Japanese movie poster vibe for KING KONG VS. GODZILLA!

For their first release, GODZILLA (KIJS-90015; 22 tracks, 37 minutes), King Records has gone back to the original 6mm master tapes, and striving for the best-ever sound quality, have employed the latest in mastering technology to match the warmth of the original masters as closely as possible. As for KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (KIJS-90016; 33 tracks, 50 minutes), the originals have been mixed down from the unprecedented 4-channel stereophonic masters to 2-channel stereo for the first time. The unique depth of the heavy bass has now been fully and faithfully reproduced for the first time (using the original 35mm film magnetic tapes as a guide).

The 6mm master tapes for GODZILLA with the original track listings!

Past and present CD releases, though forms of processing, including equalizing, frequencies, and other digital restrictions, could not fully represent the information native in the master tapes — therefore, the main impetus of the project was to replicate the original sound as closely as possible, in the name of posterity and for the heritage of Japanese film music. As for the jackets, it was decided to go with a retro-vintage design; GODZILLA sports art that mimics the 1954 theatrical program book, while KING KONG VS. GODZILLA apes the color and feel of the early-to-mid 1960s movie posters. Both LPs will street on December 24, 2014 for ¥3,600 Yen ($32.00 USD).

Please click the above-embedded links to order from Amazon Japan. It's unknown at press time whether there will be further LPs in this series, but if sales are strong, we could see MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA and GHIDRAH, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER. To quote Debbie Harry, dreamin' is free...

HAPPY 60th ANNIVERSARY, GODZILLA! King of Monsters Debuted on November 3, 1954

ゴジラ生誕60年のアニバーサリー !


You're not getting older, Big G — you're getting better!

Has it really been 60 years since Godzilla was loosened upon the world? I remember when the Big G turned 25 in 1979, and since I was born long after 1954, it felt like he had been around an eternity from my young perspective. There was no time before him from my frame of reference. I grew up with Godzilla and he was already eternal. Little did we know that when I was growing up, Godzilla’s time was nigh; the first cycle of films that started in 1954 would be winding down by 1975. How could Godzilla not continue? His popularity in the US was at an all-time high — we still hadn’t gotten any of the films following GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971) — he dominated local television, the pages of Famous Monsters and The Monster Times, and our thoughts.

As young Godzilla freaks, we drew pictures, created new monsters, and played with his toys (or made our own from dinosaurs figures) — even using the Aurora plastic model kit — but if you were lucky to live in Hawaii or California, you could buy what the kids in Japan had: 8” tall, soft vinyl “monster dolls” (we used to call them) with the iconic “Bullmark” logo branded on the bottom of their feet. As some of us got older, and remained fans, we organized, we started fan clubs, newsletters, fanzines, and hosted screenings. I was lucky to be retained as the “Godzilla/Japanese Film Expert” for our local horror host, Bob Wilkins, who had me talk about these films and television series on his shows, “Creature Features” and “Captain Cosmic,” thus pushing me in this direction.

The later films came, starting with GODZILLA VS. MEGALON in 1976 (our nation’s bicentennial), and his fans were legion, making the film a box office hit: There was no doubt that the Big G was the "King of the Monsters." Until the summer of 1977. STAR WARS exploded box office records around the world and Godzilla became an old hat, “So, 'last year.'” Even so, I — and others like me across North America — didn’t give up on our mon-star. Long before the Internet, we kept in contact through letters, fanzines, and phone calls. Still, even though Godzilla had been popular, he was looked down upon by many people — whether it was by those who still had a grudge against Japan or science fiction fans who saw the films as subpar — and so those of us who remained loyal, also had to be fiercely protective (not defensive) of the character and the films.

There were promises of revival movies that never materialized: “The Resurrection of Godzilla,” “Godzilla vs. the Devil,” and several US attempts, including a semi-remake, “Godzilla, King of the Monsters! 3D” (written by Fred Dekker and to be helmed by Steve Miner, which was more Gorgo than Godzilla). Finally, by the swelling nostalgic popularity at home, with record merchandise and home video sales, Toho announced an all-new Godzilla for 1984… It was a tenuous return, but one that would eventually spawn another thirteen films over the next two decades. In the 1990s, a new generation of US fans discovered the Big G and loved him. Old Timers discovered these new films, and new fanzines sprung up, as well as several conventions devoted to kaiju eiga.

This brave new fandom did not fade away, it has become stronger through cable and home video, the web, events and social networks. This has also grown to be embraced by those who just love monster movies and fantastic cinema — unscathed by the Roland Emmerich debacle — the reception to both editions of my book, “Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters” (Chronicle Books) has been phenomenal. New comic books, following in the footstomps those of the ‘70s and ‘90s, have taken off with a new, rabid following. And this summer's megabucks spectacle from Gareth Edwards won hearts and minds across the globe.

Everyone seems to have gone gaga for Godzilla. The Big G, kith and kin, have finally become “cool” (but we knew that already). After all, not only is Godzilla the first and greatest true kaiju ever to grace a motion picture screen, he is the one and true "King of the Monsters" — long live the king!

Dedicated to the memory of my childhood pal, Eric Worth

SCOOP! TOHO DISCOVERS LONG-LOST FOOTAGE! Japanese Satellite Cable Premieres In November

日本映画専門の『ゴジラ』公開60周年記念「発掘！お宝特撮特集」


Were original 35mm elements for KING KONG VS. GODZILLA found?

While Toho’s Visual Effects films have been run before on the Nihon Eiga Senmon Channel (Japanese Movie Specialty Channel), and this past spring and summer saw a countdown of every Godzilla title on the Satellite Cable station to usher in the domestic release of Gareth Edwards’ GODZILLA (2014), there was more amazing news dropped on their website this past Wednesday morning in Japan, that will be another great cause for kaiju eiga fans across the globe to rejoice.

For "Unearthed! Treasures of Visual Effects Collection," four films will be broadcast during the Big G’s 60th Anniversary — a cross section of Honda and Tsuburaya’s best, which isn't special in of itself, nor the premiere of new HD transfers, but rather that two of the films will be hailed as celebrations in of themselves. One of them, fans have been hoping on for decades, while the other is a completely mind-boggling surprising announcement, which I never saw coming.

There's more BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE? OMG, gag me with a SPIP!

Here’s the biggest news, first: According to the NESC website, some of the lost negative elements for the full-length theatrical version of KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962) have recently been discovered and will be restored for this presentation. There is no word on when or where the source elements were found, but this is extremely good news since the missing material was previously culled from a worn, anamorphic 16mm print (no "new" scenes have been found or will be incorporated into the film).

NESC's website stated that while this broadcast will be the premiere of a new, “High Quality” version of KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, it was also announced that the missing footage of this presentation will be non-HD (the NESC stating it's an “up conversion"), so although viewers will see a complete presentation, they're forewarning that it's not a full HD restoration (which is set for a future date). No other details were revealed; just a comment asking fans to be patient.

Meh. This old movie... again!? Who cares!? It's not even in color!

The second big one was dropped in the same announcement and on the same page — and with even less information divulged: Toho has discovered over three minutes of missing footage from BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE (1959), presumably never seen before! NESC’s website is promoting this as the “Long Version” of the film, boasting a running time of 96 minutes (the running time of the previously released DVD versions run 90 minutes and 13 seconds).

Despite what appears to be a discrepancy in running times (which is to be sorted out, I’m sure), this is the discovery that I’m most excited about, as I absolutely am bonkers for this film. As a kid, it delivered everything the other space pictures promised, but didn’t (or couldn’t deliver on), and in “flaming color and Tohoscope” to boot! Sure, it might not contain any visual effects footage, and it could be just some dialogue scenes, or some exposition that won’t change our lives, but I could care less — I can’t wait!

The Amazing Colossal Frankie swings in his first HD transfer!

Also running will be the US version of GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS (1956), originally released theatrically in Japan in a faux “cinemascope” by masking the top and bottom of the 35mm frame. This HD transfer will be the first broadcast ever on television. Also making its HD premiere will be the original theatrical version of FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON (1965), aka FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD, sans the Giant Octopus shot for the export versions.

All of the films will be aired on the same day, November 24th (sans the original GODZILLA running on November 3rd and November 24th), for one broadcast only! Those with friends in Japan will probably be pressing them for copies of these broadcasts — a great year to be a fan of these films just got better — you can bet that I’ll be looking forward to seeing them as soon as I can!

An important clarification on KING KONG VS. GODZILLA:

There is no "new footage" and there are no "new scenes" being added into the film. If you have seen the Japanese version, then you've seen everything. What was found, were the 35mm source elements, which had previously been considered "lost" after the film was shortened for Toho Champion Festival screenings in the '70s. These missing scenes were replaced (for all subsequent Toho Video releases since the '80s) using a 16mm anamorphic print, and the jump in quality was jarring. So, while the there isn't going to be anything "new", it's going to look a lot better.

(Special thanks to Kevin Pyrtle for keeping me on my toes!)

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF THE BEAST What the Creators of "Godzilla" Really Unleashed

獣の性質〜ゴジラのルーツ


In their very roots, Japanese Monsters are more than meets the eye.

Over and again, Godzilla is oft times referred to as a "force of nature" by westerners. Wind, Rain, Thunder, Earthquakes, Tsunamis are forces of nature. This divine monster is more than that. Much more. Godzilla, by the declaration of his creators, is "War Incarnate," said director Ishiro Honda in reference to the 1954 original — his hide covered in the keloid scars of nuclear bomb victims while his breath is the forbidden fire of Megiddo. No, he is not merely some simple force of nature. Godzilla is not just a reanimated prehistoric creature. Steeped in Shinto mythology, he is a kaiju — the eternal, undying supernatural vessel of mankind's judgment — our karmic retribution for having split the atom.

Godzilla is the apocalypse.

HAPPY 58th ANNIVERSARY TO "GODZILLA"! Premiered in Japan on November 3, 1954

Still the "King of the Monsters" after all these years! ©Toho Co. Ltd.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAESTRO AKIRA IFUKUBE! May 31, 1914 - February 8, 2006

お誕生日おめでとう、伊福部昭先生 !

The Maestro scoring KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, 1962.

To read more about Maestro Ifukube, please visit the Official Akira Ifukube English Website!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GODZILLA! November 3, 1954

The Big G from DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968)! ©Toho Co., Ltd.

キングコング対ゴジラ KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962)

Eiji Tsuburaya (center, right) checks out Shoichi Hirose's suit-fitting.

KING KONG VS. GODZILLA
Kingu Kongu tai Gojira (Toho, 1962), 98 minutes
Director ISHIRO HONDA • Visual Effects Director EIJI TSUBURAYA

One of the most misunderstood and maligned films in the Godzilla series; KING KONG VS GODZILLA had a most bizarre and unfortunate genesis. But, that's Hollywood for you...

In the late 1950s, visual effects master Willis O'Brien (King Kong) found no luck in pitching his latest idea, "King Kong vs. Frankenstein", to studios, but it did catch the attention of former Universal producer John Beck. Beck took on the project, but also found it tough going until he came to Toho Studios, who were interested in a return vehicle for Godzilla (and another spectacle for their 30th Anniversary roster, which included Hiroshi Inagaki's Chushingura).

Beck was able to convince Toho to foot the entire licensing fees for King Kong, which amounted to 80 million yen (approximately $250,000 USD in 1962; adjusted to current inflation, approximately $1.8 million USD), which was three times the cost of the average Toho production at the time — this hefty price tag allowed Toho the rights to the character for five years.

Almost immediately, the studio execs began slashing the film’s budget, and one of the first things cut were Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka’s plans to shoot the Farou Island scenes on location in Sri Lanka (instead, they shot the scenes on Oshima Island, 62 miles offshore from Tokyo).

Keeping the budget restrictions in mind, director Ishiro Honda, visual effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, and scenarist Shinichi Sekizawa envisioned an entertainment picture along the lines of MOTHRA (1961), and screenwriting began in earnest. Cast in the lead was popular actor and comedian, Tadao Takashima (Emperor Meiji and the Russo-Japanese War, 1957), the father of actors Masanobu (Godzilla vs Biollante, 1989) and Masahiro (Godzilla vs Destroyah, 1995).

He was paired with Yu Fujiki (Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple, 1955), another comic genius, who was the unbilled "Eiko Maru" radio operator in the original GODZILLA — Honda would cast them together again in ATRAGON (1963). Actresses Mie Hama (The Merciless Trap, 1961) and Akiko Wakabayashi (Akiko, 1961) became superstars in their own right, and shared the distinction of becoming "Bond Girls" in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967). Wakabayashi gave up acting when she was married in 1968, while Hama pressed on, and is still active today.

RODAN's star, Kenji Sahara, plays Hama's inventor boyfriend in a supporting role. Mr. Tako, the greedy Advertising executive, was played by Ichiro Arishima (Young Blood is Burning, 1947), a physical comedian who was beloved by audiences as the "Japanese Chaplin", and was featured in over a hundred popular films and television shows.

The infamous Kong suit was not up to the par of what Toho's effects department could accomplish, especially in light of the rather effective Abominable Snowman in Honda’s HALF HUMAN (1955), due to the budget cutbacks imposed because of the high fees in securing the rights to the character. Even so, two suits were constructed, as well as several puppets — apparently, Tsuburaya wanted this incarnation of Kong to appear comical.

On the other hand, Godzilla appears more powerful than before, and established the "classic" look of the 1960s. While the miniature sets were as elaborate as ever, with mountains and rivers, Tsuburaya chose to shoot much the action at normal speed, which doesn't always allow these characters the illusion of mass and size.

Tsuburaya also permitted suit actors Haruo Nakajima and Shoichi Hirose to freely choreograph their fight scenes, and they chose Pro Wrestling, which was extremely popular in Japan at the time, and actually came up with some memorable — if outrageous — fight tactics.

Still, Honda's version is fast, furious, and entertaining as all get-out, and was never intended to be taken as seriously the original GODZILLA. Sekizawa wrote a satire on the rise of rampant commercialization in Japan, also reflected in Yazuo Masumura's GIANTS AND TOYS (1958), which is not apparent in Beck's version, and is neutered beyond reproach.

The unintentionally laughable scenes for the US version were amateurishly shot by the unremarkable actor-turned-director Thomas “Tom” Montgomery (The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, 1961), and were cut haphazardly into Honda's, thus eliminating wonderful sequences from the original, to make room for Michael Keith (The Man and the Challenge, 1960) as the smug "UN Reporter Eric Carter", Harry Holcombe (Kisses for My President, 1964) as clueless "Dr. Arnold Johnson", and James Yagi (Bridge to the Sun, 1961) as the lost "UN Reporter Yutaka Omura".

All save for Akira Ifukube's Farou Island music, the maestro's thunderous stereo score was jettisoned whole by Beck — only to be replaced by jarring Universal library cues because they sounded less "Oriental" (culled from Creature From the Black Lagoon and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man). Apparently, Beck (who produced this version for $15,000 and pre-sold it to Universal-International for $200,000) never understood the film, and didn’t seem to catch on that it was done as a satire.

This was somewhat typical of the mishandling of these films in the early years, and why they are so misunderstood outside of Japan. Ironically, KING KONG VS. GODZILLA became the highest ticket-selling film of the entire Godzilla series in Japan (11.2 million tickets), while the US version broke summer box office records for Universal-International the following year.

For stealing his idea, O'Brien filed a suit against Beck, but couldn't afford to keep a lawyer to follow through, and sadly passed away before the film was released in the States. In the final outcome, it seems that John Beck was perhaps the most terrible monster of all.


Executive Producer TOMOYUKI TANAKA Screenplay SHINICHI SEKIZAWA Production Design TERUAKI ABE and TAKEO KITA Cinematographer HAJIME KOIZUMI Film Editor REIKO KANEKO Music AKIRA IFUKUBE Special Effects Production Design AKIRA WATANABE Special Effects Photography SADAMASA ARIKAWA Special Effects Director EIJI TSUBURAYA [US Version] Producer JOHN BECK Screenplay BRUCE HOWARD and PAUL MASON Music and Film Editor PETER ZINNER Director THOMAS MONTGOMERY

TADAO TAKASHIMA (Osamu Sakurai) KENJI SAHARA (Kazuo Fujita) YU FUJIKI (Kinsaburo Furue) MIE HAMA (Fumiko Sakurai) AKIKO WAKABAYASHI (Tamiye) JUN TAZAKI (General Masami Shinzo) SENKICHI OMURA (Konno) AKEMI NEGISHI (Faruo Island Dancer) YOSHIO KOSUGI (Faruo Island Chief) and ICHIRO ARISHIMA (Mr. Tako)

Classic Movie Art: BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE Columbia Pictures Insert Poster, 1960

アメリカ版『宇宙大戦争』のインサートポスター!


Artist, Unknown. 14" X 36". ©1959 Columbia Pictures Industries, Ltd.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GODZILLA! November 3, 1954

©1954, Toho Co., Ltd.