Was this your first time seeing the movie? If so what did you think of it? What were your expectations for it? Did you like it? Why? Did you dislike it? Why? If this was not your first time seeing it when did you first see it? What impression did it have on you then? What impression does it have on you now? Make sure you are familiar with all the principal players behind the scenes. Who were Tomoyuki Tanaka, Ishiro Honda, Shinichi Sekizawa and Eiji Tsuburaya? What role did they play in making King Kong vs Godzilla? Contrast the characters in King Kong vs Godzilla with those from King Kong (33). How is Mr. Tako like/unlike Carl Denham? How are Sakurai and Kinsaburo like/unlike Jack Driscoll? How is Fumiko like/unlike Ann Darrow? How is Japanese Kong like/unlike American Kong? As with King Kong (33), King Kong vs Godzilla features a style of special-effects that most of you are probably very unfamiliar with: tokusatsu = actors in monster costumes made to look giant via miniature sets. Both Hollings and Kalat spend some time talking about this style of film making. Why did special-effects artist Eiji Tsuburaya develop tokusatsu/"suitimation"? What do you make of the story related by Kalat concerning Tsuburaya's choice to use a miniature horse for a scene during the making of the film Frankenstein Conquers the World? What do you think this says about the Japanese approach to special-effects? What about Koichi Kawakita's comments that CGI is "too realistic" for fantasy or sci-fi films? How does all of this relate to Hollings claim that "for that makers and consumers of kaiju eiga [Japanese monster movies], reality becomes a series of commonly accepted gestures - that is to say, a ritual." What do you make of this? How did Willis O'Brien's proposed 'King Kong vs Frankenstein' film lead to Toho's King Kong vs Godzilla? What happened there? Why was King Kong vs Godzilla a significant film for both the characters of King Kong and Godzilla on a purely cinematic level? There are three aspects in particular at play here. According to both Hollings and Kalat, one fact lost on most American audiences is that King Kong vs Godzilla was intended as what kind of movie? What popular genre of Japanese films inspired it? And the answer isn't kaiju/monster movies. Kalat writes that in the films of writer Shinichi Sekizawa "human conflict comes first, and monsters cope with that." What does he mean by this? How did Universal Studios change King Kong vs Godzilla when it was released in America? What do you make of these changes? According to Hollings how did King Kong influence the Godzilla series? How did Godzilla influence King Kong? Hollings seems to be arguing that even though King Kong was the first giant movie monster that Godzilla came to define the rules of the genre. What do you make of this? Agree? Disagree? Which monster do you think has had a bigger impact on pop-culture? As mentioned in previously in class, Kalat discusses two possible interpretations of King Kong vs Godzilla. One is that King Kong = America and Godzilla = Japan. Now that you've seen some of the film what do you make of this? How does Kong behave in ways that might be seen a stereo-typically American? What are some problems that Kalat has with this argument? Kalat's other theory is that the movie is a comment on the Japanese economy and capitalism circa the 1960s. What is his evidence for this? How was King Kong vs Godzilla received upon its initial release? Box Office? Reviews? Awards? Accolades?