Movies This year’s G-FEST theme was Godzilla vs King Kong, so King Kong vs Godzilla was screened on Saturday night. In preparation for Rhodes Reason’s session on Saturday, King Kong Escapes was screened Friday night. Both films were accompanied by supplementary material and were shown at the Pickwick Theatre. The theater is located at 5 South Prospect, Park Ridge, IL, which is nearby the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
KING KONG ESCAPES
G-FEST celebrated the 40th anniversary of King Kong Escapes by welcoming its star, Rhodes Reason, for his first ever sci-fi convention appearance. King Kong Escapes gained world-wide distribution through Universal Pictures when it was first released. It employed the talents of Toho’s A-list staff and actors, including director Ishiro Honda, spfx director Eiji Tsuburaya, composer Akira Ifukube, and actors Akira Takarada, Mie Hama, and Hideyo Amamoto.
Friday evening, July 6th
Time: 10:00 PM
KING KONG VS. GODZILLA
The “Battle of the Century” brought together the two monster monarchs for their only cinematic encounter. The most successful of all Godzilla films (in terms of ticket sales), King Kong vs Godzilla was significantly altered for international release. Employing the talents of Honda, Tsuburaya, Ifukube, and the acting of Tadao Takashima, Mie Hama, and Akiko Wakabayashi, it remains a treat to this day. This was a great chance to see King Kong vs Godzilla, not only in a huge theater, but one packed out with fellow G-Fans.
Saturday evening, July 7th
Time: 10:00 PM
