History Film / KingKongVsGodzilla

See also ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'', a modernized take on the showdown that's part of the Film/MonsterVerse.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Kong and Godzilla both have one. Godzilla trashes a nuclear submarine and attacks a military base, where he melts tanks and sets the entire complex ablaze with his heat-ray. Kong battles a giant octopus, which shows he is indeed powerful, but clearly outmatched by Godzilla.

''King Kong vs. Godzilla'' also remains notorious for being one of the most poorly preserved Kaiju Films from the 1960s and has had a rough history on video. In the 1970s, the film was edited down to 74 minutes for the Toho Champion film festival... on the original negative. As consequence, the cut 24 minutes went missing. In the 1980s, Toho's first video release used an awful 16mm print for all cut shots, but in 1991, the cut portions magically reappeared in 35mm, which Toho used for a marginally better restoration. Then those elements went missing again, somehow, and Toho's DVD is just an upscale of the laserdisc master. For Toho's Blu-Ray release, most of the rediscovered segments were finally integrated again along with footage from the U.S. cut. Finally, in 2014, the uncut version of the film underwent a serious digital 4K restoration that finally used the entirety of the available Japanese camera negative, as the shots from the first reel were uncovered again. The restoration was simulcast on TV and in Toho owned theaters in the summer of 2016, and was met with very positive reception from audiences.

The film was a commercial success back in 1962, and made over 350,000,000 yen at the box office, with a budget of 5,000,000 yen. Contrary to popular belief, the fight is a draw in both versions. At the time the movie was made, King Kong was still more popular than Godzilla. The Godzilla suit used in the film, named the [=KinGoji=] suit by fans, remains very popular, and the design was used for some of the earliest Godzilla merchandise stateside. In the [[Film/MothraVsGodzilla following installment]], the costume was reused for a few "big pool" scenes, namely when Godzilla is seen swimming towards Iwa Island, and later when Godzilla falls into the sea, covered in the webbing of Mothra's larvae.

Originally released in 1962, Creator/{{Toho}}'s 30th anniversary, ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'' was the most commercially successful film in the franchise until the release of ''Film/ShinGodzilla'' in 2016. The Japanese version of the film had a satirical tone, while the American version excised it in favor of a more conventional approach. The biggest difference between the two versions of the movie is the removal of most of Music/AkiraIfukube's score, which is usually regarded today as one of the maestro's greatest works ever. The only pieces of music to survive this alternate edit were the natives' chants and a brief piece that plays during the jungle trek. It was in this film that Godzilla's theme would be properly introduced, although it was first heard by American audiences in 1964 with the tastefully intact release of ''Film/MothraVsGodzilla'', although the ''Godzilla'' theme in that film was also a modified version of the theme heard here. Fortunately, La-La-Land Records released the original Japanese version of the score, in its original stereo along with two bonus tracks, in America in 2005.

Originally released in 1962, Creator/{{Toho}}'s 30th anniversary, ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'' was the most commercially successful film in the franchise until the release of ''Film/ShinGodzilla'' in 2016. The Japanese version of the film had a satirical tone, while the American version excised it in favor of a more conventional approach. The biggest difference between the two versions of the movie is the removal of most of Music/AkiraIfukube's score, which is usually regarded today as one of the maestro's greatest works ever. The only pieces of music to survive this butchery were the natives' chants and a brief piece that plays during the jungle trek. It was in this film that Godzilla's theme would be properly introduced, although it was first heard by American audiences in 1964 with the tastefully intact release of ''Film/MothraVsGodzilla'', although the ''Godzilla'' theme in that film was also a modified version of the theme heard here. Fortunately, La-La-Land Records released the original Japanese version of the score, in its original stereo along with two bonus tracks, in America in 2005.

[[Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain Seven years after Godzilla's defeat]], Mr. Tako, a television executive bored of a science program show with very low ratings, decides to he wants to raise his ratings when he discovers a creature known as King Kong, and so enlists TTV to find, and capture the creature in order to do so. However, outside of the former Kamiko Island, a nuclear submarine is set to investigate an iceberg with high radiation. To the horror to many, the iceberg contains the radioactive creature Godzilla. With two monsters on the loose, Japan decides King Kong should be the one to defeat Godzilla, but which of these monsters will emerge victorious?

[[Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain Seven years after Godzilla's defeat]], Mr. Tako, a television executive bored of a science program show with very low ratings, decides to he wants to raise his ratings when he discovers a creature known as King Kong, and so enlists TTV to find, and capture the creature in order to do so. However, outside of the former Kamiko Island, a nuclear submarine is set to investigate an iceberg with high radiation. To the horor to many, the iceberg contains the radioactive creature Godzilla. With two monsters on the loose, Japan decides King Konng should be the one to defeat Godzilla, but which of these monsters will emerge victorious?

* SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer: On European posters for the film, Godzilla was often greatly reduced or often completely absence, and even [[MarketBasedTitle the titles were changed to omit mention of Godzilla completely]], becoming ''The Return of King Kong'' in Germany, and ''The Triumph of King Kong'' in Italy.

* ContinuityLockout: For some people, it may be their first movie without the knowledge of the first film of the franchise unless they saw ''[[Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters1956 Godzilla: King of the Monsters!]]'' while ignoring ''Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain''. In the Japanese version, all 3 movies are connected while the English language versions suffer horribly by ContinuitySnarl and {{Retool}}ing.

** Out of universe, Toho decided to move the series in a lighter direction despite Creator/IshiroHonda not wanting to turn a serious monster film into a comical one.

* {{Urban Legend|s}}: There's an old myth that the film has two endings. A Japanese ending where Godzilla wins and an American ending where King Kong wins. For the record, however, '''both''' the Japanese and American versions have the same ending, but the American version cuts Godzilla's roar out, leaving only Kong's.

* ContinuityReboot: On Kong's side. He lives on a place called Faro Island instead of Skull Island, and the events of the original ''Film/KingKong1933'' are never brought up; humanity seems to be encountering him for the very first time. Averted on Godzilla's side, as he is introduced escaping from the iceberg that he was trapped in at the end of ''Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain''.

[[caption-width-right:320:This can't end well...]]

[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/KKvsG_02_3219.png]]

* LighterAndSofter: The first two films, ''[[Film/{{Gojira}} Godzilla]]'' and ''Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain'', were more or less intended to be {{Horror}} films, with the former having a greater emphasis on tragedy of post-war Japan, the aftermath of Hirohima and Nagasaki's destrution of two nuclear bombs, and victimizes Godzilla as a victim of the same nuclear warfare Japan did. This film whisked the series off in a more whimsical, fantasy driven direction, and fewer moments of entirely serious drama are seen throughout the film. Godzilla himself has moved from being a tragic monster villain to just more of a general [[JerkAss jackass]].

* LighterAndSofter: The first two films, ''[[Film/{{Gojira}} Godzilla]]'' and ''Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain'', were more or less intended to be {{Horror}} films. This film whisked the series off in a more whimsical, fantasy driven direction, and fewer moments of entirely serious drama are seen throughout the film. Godzilla himself has moved from being a tragic monster villain to just more of a general [[JerkAss jackass]].

* LighterAndSofter: The first two films, ''[[Film/{{Gojira}} Godzilla]]'' and ''Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain'', were more or less intended to be {{Horror}} films. This film whisked the series off in a more whimsical, fantasy driven direction, and fewer moments of entirely serious drama are seen throughout the film.

* EvasiveFightThreadEpisode: The reason why this movie exists is to show the two most famous giant movie monsters from America and Japan duking it out. In terms of who is actually stronger, Godzilla's atomic breath gives him a ranged edge, but Kong is shown to have an advantage in melee, especially when he gets his electric power boost. While the ending is ambiguous to a degree, Kong is officially the victor.

* EvasiveFightThreadEpisode: The reason why this movie exists is to show the two most famous giant movie monsters from America and Japan duking it out.