When it gets quiet around here, you can be sure we're working on something big. Today, it's a pretty amazing rarity. This is the "Continuity & Dialogue Script" for KING KONG vs. GODZILLA, dated June 7, 1963!
At 129 pages, this script covers the complete film, and came from a movie script and props dealer in California. In fact, here is the information about it that they gave me:
"This piece was deaccessioned by the Universal Script Files approximately 20 years ago...this Continuity & Dialogue Script was created after the American version was edited and ready for release...this script was to be used as a tool for further cutting of the film and dubbing tracks for international prints."
So which came first, the film or the script? It could be just as the seller said, but it's just hard for me to believe this script was typed after the film was dubbed, especially because there are several moments where the script doesn't match up with the finished film! These moments fell into two categories:
1) Sometimes there is dialogue that wasn't followed exactly. It's as if, when the dubbing (looping) was being done, things here and there fit or worked better, and perhaps such changes were decided on the fly. This type are the most common discrepancies that I found.
2) A few times there is dialogue or directions for ad libs listed that simply don't happen in the finished film. There aren't many, but it's still interesting.
Obviously, a "shooting script" is a different animal, and I'd speculate that things work differently in the case of a film that's completely dubbed, HOWEVER the film in question has some newly-filmed American scenes! So there's that.
Anything is possible, of course. Another clue is the cover date of June 7, when the film premiered in New York City on June 23, 1963.
ANYWAY, this blog being this blog...using a copy of the film, I've painstakingly compared it to the script over the course of two afternoons, and recorded all of the differences I've found! These are included in the download below, along with a full scan of the script itself. Enjoy!
4 comments:
Wow, thanks so much!!! I was wondering who won this. So glad it turned out to be you!
You're welcome! This whole experience reminded me I'd never gone back to my OTHER script, from the first episode of the 1978 Godzilla animated series, so that's next!
You never cease to amaze me in your rare Godzilla finds. Thank you so much for this!
You're welcome! Next we are going back to the Godzilla animated script I have. It's now been thoroughly scanned and man does it have lots of unused material!
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