Throughout
the whole month, I’ve reviewed every single theatrical movie that revolved
around the giant ape King Kong. It should come as no surprise that I chose to
close things out with the original masterpiece that started it all. To refer
the 1933 “King Kong” classic as the
greatest entry in his cinematic franchise would be a gross understatement …
because “King Kong” truly is one of
the great motion picture classics ever made. Back in the early 1930’s, film in
general was still in its infancy, and even sound movies were very rare. This
was the achievement that pioneered the whole special effects industry, and
proved that cinema is a medium best suited for fantasy, adventure, imagination,
and escapist thrills. I always viewed movies as a means to see things that
could never exist in real life, and this right here was the film that kicked
down the door, and inspired generations of filmmakers. Now, I’ve truthfully
never looked back on “King Kong” as
one of my personal favorite movies or anything like that, but it is a movie
that I’ve always respected, and have certainly enjoyed on repeat viewings. Actually,
for a guy that loves big summer blockbusters, big special effects and big
action, I’m always surprised that 1933’s “King
Kong” remains just as entertaining an experience as it is. There’s never a
boring moment, as the buildup in the opening is strong, and everything else is
just an exciting adventure that never once lets down.
The excitement begins with an ambitious
filmmaker named Carl Denham, who’s dead set on delivering out-of-this-world
excitement to viewers. Once he comes into possession of a map to an uncharted
island, he decides it would be the perfect spot to shoot a winning motion
picture. Into his midst walks a penniless young woman named Ann Darrow, who’s
just looking for a direction in life. Taken by her beauty, Carl encourages her
to be an actress, and subsequently take the lead role of his movie. The journey
is soon underway, but the mysterious Skull Island might be more dangerous then
they realized. It’s the home of carnivorous dinosaurs, aggressive natives, and
a giant gorilla named King Kong, who’s viewed as the lord of the land. The
natives see the beautiful Ann as a perfect sacrifice for their figurative ape
God, and thus she’s captured and presented as an offering. Upon their first
meeting, Kong takes a curious liking to her, and takes Ann as some sort of
prize. The remaining team set out to rescue her, and battle waves of ferocious
dinosaurs along the way. To make matters worse, Carl Denham now realizes that
his picture is in ruins, and looks to Kong as a new means of making a big hit
attraction.
On the surface, this may seem like a basic
set-up for an adventure movie on a mysterious island, but it’s also, in its own
right … a tragic romance.
In fact, “King
Kong” could be viewed as one of the first classic film versions of “Beauty and the Beast”, which is sited
all throughout the movie. We have a beautiful woman taken away by a monster,
not because it’s evil, but because it’s longing for a companion in a lonely and
savage world. The girl in return can sympathize with the monster, but she can’t
give him her love in return. In the end, it’s the beast’s desperation to have
this girl that leads him to his unfortunate, yet inescapable demise. Further
remakes of “King Kong” would deepen
the connection between woman and beast, and in my view, they were far goofier
as a result. This movie keeps it very simple, and truthfully, I think it works
better when I can just sympathies with a monster acting on some kind of
internal instinct, rather than a cringe romantic connection between a woman and
a giant gorilla. Fay Wray is all around very likable as
our female lead Ann, and she’s a key component to why the film works. She’s
nothing deeper than a pretty damsel, but brings the role to life in a way that
makes us care for her. There’s also subtlety in the performance, where through
certain looks, she knows Kong has feelings, and she regrets that she can’t
convey anything back to him. Robert Armstrong is also very charismatic as Carl
Denham, and personally is my favorite character in the movie. He so easily
could have been the one-note greedy business man, and while his actions are
obviously questionable, you can tell there’s still a good man underneath the
thrill obsessed filmmaker.
While King Kong in general will always
be regarded as one of the all-time greatest giant movie monsters, there’s a lot
more to him than just another giant monster. From the technical side, King Kong
is brought to life masterfully through stop motion effects, as well as full
scale animatronic hands, feet and a giant robotic face for close-up shots. While
he’s never exactly looked real, Kong always felt very alive, largely thanks to
select facial expressions, and an animalistic behavior. You can tell Kong is a
creature motivated by feelings, but he lacks the intellect to know right from
wrong, which in turn makes him all the more unpredictable, and potentially dangerous.
It also makes us feel more sympathetic toured him whenever he gets himself into
trouble. Thematically, this version of King Kong remains the darkest, as it’s
mostly focused on the situation of being either trapped or pursued by a
relentless creature that can’t control its emotions.
Actually, the whole tone of the movie is
a delicate balance between exciting adventure and grim horror. While it’s easy
to brand this movie under the category of adventure-fantasy, lets also
acknowledge its status as a horror movie, and one of the best of the whole
decade. Sure, it doesn’t have the same Gothic look and tone that’s typically
associated with the horror genera, but it still fits the category in other
respects. For instance, Kong in this film is far more savage, and violent. The
scene in which he terrorizes the native’s village was considered very
disturbing for its time, especially the close-up shots of him putting people in
his mouth. There’s also a scene in which Kong kills at least twenty team members
crossing over a gorge on a log, which was considered a gruesomely high body
count for the time.
Even the effects were so new, and intense that warning
signs were placed outside the theater stating that if you have any kind of
heart condition, you shouldn’t watch this movie. While this film obviously
won’t be scaring any modern-day viewers, it was never the less an intense
experience for an early decade of movie goers. Also, this movie contains more
screaming then most typical slasher films. This especially applies to Fay Wray’s
bloodcurdling screams, which are some of the most famous of the whole genera.
It’s also worth noting that giant movie monsters didn’t become common place
until the 1950’s. Thus, King Kong was frequently roped in with the only other
popular monsters of the time … namely “Dracula”
and “Frankenstein”.
The black and white look also helps give
the jungle setting a very ominous and foreboding atmosphere. On that note, for
an old B&W movie, it still looks gorgeous to this day. The map painted backgrounds
are epic spectacles, and the jungle setting is very submersive.
Part of the appeal
comes from knowing that most of the environment was built by hand, and the
detail on display is stunning. The whole film is shot with a sense of awe and
wonder, and even select camera movements were quite innovative for the time.
Now, back in 1925, there was a silent picture titled “The Lost World”, which featured stop motion Dinosaurs that were created
by one Willis O’ Brien. The creature effects in that film were extraordinary
accomplishments, but it’s here in “King
Kong” where Willis O’ Brien's creature effects really shine. Just like Kong, all the Dinosaurs
featured in the film are stop-motion, and every encounter with them is
down-right thrilling. My favorite scene of all is Kong’s battle with the T-Rex.
This was the first truly classic monster battle ever captured on film, and it still
holds up as an exciting sequence, with a memorable finishing movie of Kong
breaking its jaw. Now, ever sense the very first Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton was
found and assembled, it’s had a distinguished reputation as one of the most famous
carnivores of all time. So to see the legendary T-Rex back in his prime of fame,
get bested by this giant ape, it really helped put the spot light on Kong as a
force to be reckoned with.
Once we segue into the third act, the
movie takes on a new identity as we switch from an island adventure, to monster
on the loose in a big city. Once again, the details on display are outstanding.
For instance, when Kong attacks the train, you can look closely and see stop-motion
people crawling out the windows. It’s still an exciting spectacle all these
years later, with detailed models, and an elevated sense of urgency that never
lets down. This is also when all the most effective horror moments come into
play, most notably the scenes with Kong’s big hands reaching into apartment rooms,
and grabbing helpless female victims. The iconic climax on the roof of the Empire
State Building needs no comment. It’s one of the most influential, and imitated
action sequences in film history. Looking back, it’s really cool to see all the
camera tricks and versatile energy on display. It’s also quite tragic seeing
Kong get gunned down by the plains, and it closes the film on a high note.
In
more ways than one, “King Kong” was
ahead of its time, especially considering that giant monster movies weren’t
common place yet, and horror was just coming into form with the more Gothic
creatures.
There’s also one noticeable difference between Kong and his two
compatriots … while “Dracula” was an
important starting point for sound horror, it’s also been surpassed by the arguably
superior 1958 "Dracula" remake. The same applies for “Frankenstein”, which despite being another big stepping stone for
the genera, was also upstaged by its superior 1935 sequel “The Bride of Frankenstein”. “King
Kong” however remains the unsurpassed masterpiece that none of its
follow-up films could measure up to. In my view, if you have a burning desire
to pursue film-making, then do yourself a favor and watch this movie. Even if it
doesn’t fit into your wheelhouse of monster movies, it’s such an important
technical marvel to look back on and admire. It’s also an important achievement
in original imagination, as there was no real source material to base this on.
With a timeless story of beauty and beast, ground breaking visuals, and innovative
filming … “King Kong” maybe nearing
100 years, but it’s still an engaging experience, and one of the great motion
picture classics.
Thanks for reading my review of the 1933 Horror/Fantasy classic “King Kong” ... and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!
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