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Info Wanted: Godzilla Series ~API English~ Any Preservations?

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Has anyone ever done a preservation of the english language version of the 1960s/70s Japaneses monster movies?  When it came time to release the TOHO monster films overseas, TOHO produced english dub versions themselves.  These english language dubs are commonly referred to as The International versions, and can be found on the current DVD’s available from retailers.  But these TOHO produced dubs are not the only english versions ever made.  Some of the films in the Godzilla series (but not all) had been acquired by American Pictures (AIP), and they made their own english dubs for films like “Destroy All Monsters”, “Godzilla Vs. The Sea Monster”, “Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster”.  These API duds are much better and more entertaining, and a lot of us older fans grew up hearing them.

Did anyone ever think to preserve these? Sadly, the API versions are becoming very hard to find as most never had a official release on home video.   Does anyone have any of the API dubversions, and would you make them available if they are needed for a preservation project?

“First feel fear, then get angry. Then go with your life into the fight.” - Bill Mollison

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The AIP dub was included on the Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters Blu-ray of Destroy All Monsters, along with the Toho International dub.  I'm not sure if it was on their DVD edition.  Unfortunately, both went OOP almost as quickly as they were released.

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There have been some fan preservations, but the Godzilla fandom is much smaller and quite disorganized, so they aren't widespread and not many have gotten off the ground, plus finding good quality material for them is difficult enough. I'm hoping places like OT can change that.

It will be hard to find elements better than SP VHS tapes for the Titra versions of Sea Monster and Son of Godzilla, as those went directly to television in the late sixties. You'll be hard pressed to even find a reddened 16mm print.

Smog Monster on the other hand would be much easier. From what I've heard, the 1989 Orion video master was sourced from nice looking 35mm elements and there is an LD floating around, so that's one notch above the tape audio, plus the original AIP credits are in squished full frame 2.35:1, though I've heard the ending title card was cropped to 1.66:1 and then squished.

As for Destroy All Monsters, I have no clue where to find visual AIP elements outside of VHS quality bootlegs, but this video of the credits will give you an idea of what we're looking for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNt-5XCc1e0

There is an unauthorized DAM DVD on specialty Kaiju websites that has non-fluttery sound for the entirety of the film, so we may want to seek that out for the audio in favor of the MB release (Which I own).

For further information on the various English versions of Toho films, check out this thread: http://www.tohokingdom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7462

So, a new book came out and we learned so much, and it is called, “Anguilosaurus, Killer of the Living”.

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There were some full frame LD's from Paramount in the 90's. I never bought them as I was waiting for the Criterion releases that were unfortunately cancelled. Would the old English dubs have still been in use at the time?

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Where were you in '77?

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From 1956 to 1972, zero U.S. theatrical versions featured international dubbing. Only around 1976 did U.S. distributors use the dubs provided by Toho. With the exceptions of 1985 and 2000, no new American English dubs have been produced. To answer your question, the films featured in the UPA Godzilla library (The LDs you mentioned) have had consistent English dubbing since their theatrical releases.

So, a new book came out and we learned so much, and it is called, “Anguilosaurus, Killer of the Living”.

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The ONLY VHS Godzilla I have is Godzilla 2000.  I also seem to remember that the "international" version of this hadn't seen a release at all because Toho was very pleased with the US edit/dub which they did themselves.

I do have a foreign DVD release of 2000 which may in fact hold the longer version.  I will have to check.

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if it helps with your project:

 

Godzilla vs mecha godzilla (1970s)

Terror of Mechagodzilla

and Godzilla vs megalon

all have the same english dub so do not bother with those

 

 the media blasters DAM disc as mentioned has the aip dub, but a nice fan disc that was organized a number of years back via newsgroups had a sound editor using various tv broadcast and such to reconstruct and clean the aip dub. This was then made to fit the then ADV destroy all monsters disc.

I took it a step further and then made that audio fit the fareast flix destroy all monsters disc. They ripped the region 2 dvds and then added in removable english subtitles. I then added in the aip dub to that

 

Also most seem to forget that the DAM AIP version actually had a short end credit sequence. I have been meaning to up that to youtube since I recorded DAM off the tv twice back in the 80's and between the two could get the complete sequence

 

 

 

I am a faneditor, check out my stuff

http://fanedit.org/tranzor/

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we nee to get more people on preserving the aip dubs so we can have a sort of restoration.