The King Kong That Appeared in Edo (lost Japanese monster film; 1938): Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
(Added Lost box, fixed grammar and formatting) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{InfoboxLost | |||
|title=<center>King Kong Appears in Edo (1938)</center> | |||
|image=King_Kong_Edo.jpg | |||
|imagecaption=Advertisement for the movie, taken from the April 14th, 1938 issue of ''Kinema Junpo''. | |||
|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span> | |||
}} | |||
'''''King Kong Appears in Edo''''' is a 1938 Japanese monster film. The plot involves a woman who is mysteriously kidnapped and her father's attempts to offer a large sum of money for her safe return. In the movie, "King Kong" is actually a trained ape that the villain uses to kidnap the girl.<ref>March 1, 1938 issue of ''Kinema Junpo''</ref> The movie was made without the permission of RKO Pictures, who owned the rights to the character of King Kong at the time. | |||
The film was made in two | The film was made in two halves. The first part, titled '''''Edo ni Arawareta Kingu Kongu: Henge no Maki |キングコングは江戸出現：なしマキをヘンジない''''' (''King Kong Appears in Edo: The Episode of Transformation'') was released on March 31, 1938, while the second part, titled '''''Edo ni Arawareta Kingu Kongu: Ōgon no Maki |キングコングは、江戸出現：なし真紀黄金''''' (''King Kong Appears in Edo: The Episode of Gold'') was released a week later on April 7, 1938. Both films ran roughly 5 reels in length. | ||
Based on plot synopses and promotional materials, many believe that the ape is only referred to as "King Kong" in the title only. This leads some to believe that Zensho (the company behind the film) were trying to capitalize on ''King Kong's'' 1938 re-issue by promoting the ape as being giant.<ref>高槻真樹 (Maki Takatsuki). ''戦前日本ＳＦ映画創世記 ゴジラは何でできているか (Senzen Nihon SF Eiga Souseiki)''. 河出書房新社 (Kawadeshobo Shinsha publishing). 2014. Pgs.183-188.</ref> | |||
However Godzilla suit creator Ryūnosuke Kabayama (who later changed his name to Fuminori Ohashi) stated in a 1988 interview "The first model making to be counted as 'special art direction' in Japanese cinema was a giant gorilla which I did for the movie King Kong Appears in Edo fifty years ago. It was also the first movie to feature certain kinds of special effects." | However, Godzilla suit creator Ryūnosuke Kabayama (who later changed his name to Fuminori Ohashi) stated in a 1988 interview "The first model making to be counted as 'special art direction' in Japanese cinema was a giant gorilla which I did for the movie ''King Kong Appears in Edo'' fifty years ago. It was also the first movie to feature certain kinds of special effects." With this statement from the suits creator, there seems to be some contradiction over the actual size of the title character. | ||
The film has not resurfaced, and all that exists are posters and promotional images. Some believe that the film was destroyed in the 1945 Allied bombing of Hiroshima or Nagasaki. | |||
==Gallery== | |||
<gallery mode=packed heights=325px> | |||
File:Kingkongedo.jpg|Rare promotional photo. | |||
File:KinemaJunpo30March1938b.JPG|Magazine ad. | |||
</gallery> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
[[Category:Lost films]] | [[Category:Lost films]] | ||
Revision as of 02:14, 20 March 2016
Advertisement for the movie, taken from the April 14th, 1938 issue of Kinema Junpo.
Status: Lost
King Kong Appears in Edo is a 1938 Japanese monster film. The plot involves a woman who is mysteriously kidnapped and her father's attempts to offer a large sum of money for her safe return. In the movie, "King Kong" is actually a trained ape that the villain uses to kidnap the girl.[1] The movie was made without the permission of RKO Pictures, who owned the rights to the character of King Kong at the time.
The film was made in two halves. The first part, titled Edo ni Arawareta Kingu Kongu: Henge no Maki |キングコングは江戸出現：なしマキをヘンジない (King Kong Appears in Edo: The Episode of Transformation) was released on March 31, 1938, while the second part, titled Edo ni Arawareta Kingu Kongu: Ōgon no Maki |キングコングは、江戸出現：なし真紀黄金 (King Kong Appears in Edo: The Episode of Gold) was released a week later on April 7, 1938. Both films ran roughly 5 reels in length.
Based on plot synopses and promotional materials, many believe that the ape is only referred to as "King Kong" in the title only. This leads some to believe that Zensho (the company behind the film) were trying to capitalize on King Kong's 1938 re-issue by promoting the ape as being giant.[2]
However, Godzilla suit creator Ryūnosuke Kabayama (who later changed his name to Fuminori Ohashi) stated in a 1988 interview "The first model making to be counted as 'special art direction' in Japanese cinema was a giant gorilla which I did for the movie King Kong Appears in Edo fifty years ago. It was also the first movie to feature certain kinds of special effects." With this statement from the suits creator, there seems to be some contradiction over the actual size of the title character.
The film has not resurfaced, and all that exists are posters and promotional images. Some believe that the film was destroyed in the 1945 Allied bombing of Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
Gallery
- Kingkongedo.jpg
Rare promotional photo.
- KinemaJunpo30March1938b.JPG
Magazine ad.