King Kong Escapes (1967)

July 22, 1967 (JP) • Action, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction • 104m

Overview

An adaptation of the Rankin/Bass cartoon, "The King Kong Show". King Kong is brought in by the evil Dr. Who to dig for Element X in a mine when the robot Mechani-Kong is unable to do the task. This leads to the machine and the real Kong engaging in a tremendous battle atop Tokyo Tower.

Director

Ishirō Honda

Writer

Takeshi Kimura

Top Billed

Akira Takarada

Keywords

japan giant monster mad scientist giant robot tokyo, japan dinosaur united nations tropical island kaiju foreign agent tokyo tower king kong tokusatsu coproduction

Where to watch

Check streaming options on TMDB

Top Billed Cast

Akira Takarada

Lt. Commander Jiro Nomura

Mie Hama

Madame Piranha

Rhodes Reason

Commander Carl Nelson

Linda Miller

Lieutenant Susan Watson

Hideyo Amamoto

Dr. Who

Yoshibumi Tajima

Henchman

Sachio Sakai

Henchman

Ryuji Kita

SDF General

Ikio Sawamura

Native

Nadao Kirino

Henchman

Shōichi Hirose

Henchman

Kazuo Suzuki

Henchman

Tōru Ibuki

Henchman

Naoya Kusakawa

Susumu Kurobe

Henchman

Haruo Nakajima

King Kong

Hiroshi Sekita

Mechani-Kong/Gorosaurus

Kei Taguchi

(voice)

Akiko Santo

(voice)

Osman Yusuf

Submariner (uncredited)

Tadashi Okabe

Soldier (uncredited)

Seishirō Kuno

Soldier (uncredited)

Yasuhisa Tsutsumi

General (uncredited)

Andrew Hughes

Reporter (uncredited)

Crew

Ishirō Honda

Director

Akira Ifukube

Original Music Composer

Hajime Koizumi

Director of Photography

Ryôhei Fujii

Editor

Takeo Kita

Production Design

Eiji Tsuburaya

Visual Effects

Arthur Rankin, Jr.

Technical Advisor

Takeshi Kimura

Screenplay

Tomoyuki Tanaka

Executive Producer

Shoichi Yoshizawa

Sound Recordist

Toshio Takashima

Lighting Technician

Hisashi Shimonaga

Sound Mixer

Ken Sano

First Assistant Director

Sadamasa Nishimoto

Sound Effects

Yasuaki Sakamoto

Production Manager

Eiji Tsuburaya

Special Effects

Teruyoshi Nakano

Special Effects

Teruyoshi Nakano

Special Effects Assistant

Teruyoshi Nakano

Visual Effects

Teruyoshi Nakano

Visual Effects Director

Motoyoshi Tomioka

VFX Director of Photography

Motoyoshi Tomioka

Special Effects

Yôichi Manoda

Special Effects

Yôichi Manoda

VFX Director of Photography

Yoshiyuki Tokumasa

Visual Effects

Yoshiyuki Tokumasa

Visual Effects Camera

Yasuyuki Inoue

Visual Effects Art Director

Kuichiro Kishida

Lighting Technician

Kuichiro Kishida

VFX Lighting Artist

Hiroshi Mukoyama

Visual Effects

Hiroshi Mukoyama

Visual Effects Compositor

Eiji Tsuburaya

Visual Effects Director

Sadao Iizuka

Visual Effects

Koichi Kawakita

Visual Effects

Koichi Kawakita

Visual Effects Camera

Takashi Nakao

Still Photographer

Takashi Nakao

Visual Effects Camera

Arthur Rankin, Jr.

Executive Producer

Jiro Shirasaki

Special Effects Assistant

Jiro Shirasaki

Visual Effects Art Director

Fuchimu Shimakura

Background Designer

Fuchimu Shimakura

Matte Painter

Teizô Toshimitsu

Costume Design

Teizô Toshimitsu

Modeling

Teizô Toshimitsu

Sculptor

Eizo Kaimai

Costume Design

Eizo Kaimai

Modeling

Kanju Yagi

Modeling

Kanju Yagi

Costume Design

Yasuei Yagi

Modeling

Yasuei Yagi

Costume Design

Nobuyuki Yasumaru

Costume Design

Nobuyuki Yasumaru

Modeling

Haruo Nakajima

Stunts

Hiroshi Sekita

Stunts

Saburo Doi

Visual Effects

Heihachirō Ōkawa

Translator

Fumio Nakadai

Special Effects

Reviews

John Chard

⭐ 5/10

June 26, 2019

It's very easy for us to understand. You see, as ridiculous as it may sound, Kong is a male and, uh, Miss Watson is... Well, see for yourselves, gentlemen.

King Kong Escapes is directed by Ishirô Honda and written by Takeshi Kimura. It stars Rhodes Reason, Mie Hama, Linda Miller, Akira Takarada and Hideyo Amamoto. Music is by Akira Ifukube and cinematography by Hajime Koizumi.

King Kong Escapes' actual Japanese title is King Kong's Counterattack and it was a live action tie-in to the 1966 animated series simply called King Kong (AKA: The King Kong Show). Knowing this really helps to set you up for what to expect from King Kong Escapes, for it is in essence a live action cartoon!

Pic on a plot basis is as you would expect all very silly. It features an evil genius who has invented a mechanical robot King Kong, an Asian babe intent on boosting her nuclear arsenal for world domination, a UN submarine crew complete with pretty lady to melt the real Kong's heart, and naturally some creature smack-downs.

Naturally the effects work is dicey, but fun with it, though Kong looks too daft for menace value, in fact he looks like he has been on the Columbian Ciggies! There's a cool fight with Gorosauras, a leaping dinosaur whose fight tactic is to repeatedly drop kick its enemy with both feet! While it all builds to the inevitable big face-off finale as the two Kong's tear it up. Who wins? Will Tokyo be obliterated? Well you wont really care but you will have fun getting there!

Characterisations are wonderfully cheese laden, none more so than evil Dr Who (Amamoto), resplendent in black cape and with deadly pointed eyebrows. He sets the tone early on, with a devilish glint in his eye as he sets about aiding the sultry Madame X (Hama) with bonkers science fiction pumped machinations. Rhodes Reason sticks his chest out for American heroics, likewise Takarada for the Japanese front, and Miller (appallingly and strangely dubbed) potters about looking pretty and keeping Kong in check. Hooray! 5/10

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Status

Released

Original Language

Budget

—

Revenue

$2,800,000

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King Kong Escapes (1967)

Where to watch

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

John Chard

Recommended Movies

Hacksaw Ridge

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Bullet Train

Tokyo Noir

Status

Original Language

Budget

Revenue

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