What if I told you that there was a Japanese giant monster
film that predates Gojira by 16 years?
If you’re a film buff, you’d probably tell me I’m full of shit, but I
could show you some stills of a giant ape terrorizing Tokyo that would blow
your mind.
Not so sure I’m wrong now?
Well, to be honest you’d still be correct. Technically, I’m full of shit, but those
stills tell a fun story.
When the film industry first boomed in the U.S., a series of
studios sprung up that are affectionately referred to as “poverty row”. They created cheap, quick films that tended
to try to cash in on whatever the latest movie craze was at the time. The film industry in Japan was no different
and in 1938, Zensho Cinema was one such company. They were so cheap that even after the invention
of sound, they continued to produce silent films all the way up until their
demise in 1941. So why would a cheapo
movie studio even consider taking on the expense of a movie that required
special effects?
The answer is simple:
King Kong.
In 1938, King Kong was getting a Japanese release. Zensho knew this and commissioned a quickie
film about a man whose daughter is kidnapped.
The villain who kidnapped her did so with the help of a trained pet
gorilla named…
wait for it…
wait for it…
King Kong.
The only problem is the gorilla isn’t a giant. It’s just a normal gorilla. I won’t bore you with the details of the rest
of the plot. You can find that on
Wikipedia.
Zensho titled the film King Kong Appears In Edo and to drum
up the connection with the American film, they produced stills that make the
ape appear king-sized. These were used in all
of the advertisements of the time, leading moviegoers to believe they were
paying for a special effects extravaganza when in fact it was a drama with a
normal sized (though admittedly murderous) gorilla.
The film has since been lost and all that remains are the
stills, so those who find them and don’t know the story can be forgiven for
thinking that Gojira wasn’t the first giant monster to terrorize Tokyo.
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See you next week!
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