For Godzilla's 60th birthday the Nihon Eiga Channel [in Japan] will be broadcasting four Ishiro Honda special effects features in High Definition: Godzilla (1954), King Kong vs. Godzilla, Frankenstein Conquers the World and Battle in Outer Space. Two of these movies will be receiving very special treatments.
In the case of King Kong vs. Godzilla it's important to understand that specific 35mm source elements have been missing for forty years. Since the 1980s Toho has been using 16mm anamorphic elements to fill in missing gaps for home video releases. (VHS, DVD, LaserDisc and Bluray.) As a result fans of the Japanese version have been watching something of a makeshift cut mashing 35mm and 16mm elements together.
Toho has recently found the missing 35mm source material for King Kong vs. Godzilla and restored it for a new HD broadcast of the film. While these source elements don't feature any new footage, the scenes will look significantly better and more consistent with the rest of the film.
New footage has been found for Battle in Outer Space, however! The highly inspiring, effects driven actioner will be broadcast with a new HD print that includes over three minutes of never-before-seen footage. It's not confirmed what kind of footage has been found, special effects or otherwise, but the fact that there's three minutes of unseen material from this movie is very exciting. I hope to take a gander at it soon.
With news of the found King Kong vs. Godzilla elements and new Battle in Outer Space footage I have to wonder if North American distributors are paying attention. Universal hasn't bothered to release the Japanese version of King Kong vs. Godzilla on home video and Sony has yet to give Battle in Outer Space the Bluray treatment. Lets hope things change soon.
(Or if fans wish to take action, you can contact Universal Home Video HERE and Sony Home Entertainment HERE. Remember to always be civil.)
The new HD restorations of King Kong vs. Godzilla and Battle in Outer Space premiere on the Nihon Eiga Channel in Japan, November 24th.
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Source: The Good, The Bad and the Godzilla
