MOVIE OF THE WEEK: KING KONG

Note: Something new I'm going to be doing is "theme months." Every week's review will have something to do with each other. This month's theme is "Anniversary's" and to top it off, here's "King Kong" which just turned 75 on Sunday.

King Kong (Not Rated)

1933

100 Minutes

Fullscreen: 1.33:1

Does it get much better than “King Kong?” Think about it: What other movie can you name that features a giant gorilla who loves women, eating people, and climbing buildings in the New York City skyline? It’s been seventy-five years since the film was released, and it may look a little dated now, but isn’t it fun?

The story starts in a New York City harbor. Robert Armstrong plays Carl Denham, a famous director whose next film is going to be captured deep in the jungle. Denham is very secretive about his shooting locations and the crew of his hired ship is getting weary, as are the acting studios, who will not lend him an actress for the movie. Finally, wanting to stay on schedule, he runs out into the city and finds a girl named Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), who is more than willing to act. I’m sure that happens to Steven Spielberg all the time. But anyways…

Ann fits in okay on the ship and makes friends with almost everybody, including a love interest called Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot). While that’s going on, Denham tells the crew their destination. It’s a secret island he heard about which once apparently contained a giant monster and a mountain shaped like a skull. When they find it, we know we’re in for a treat because the Max Steiner music sets in, as does the fog.

After the men enter the island, the natives don’t really take to their liking. One of the fun things about this movie is that if you really enjoy it, you won’t mind the absurdities, like the captain of the ship who just happens to know the natives language. “What’s the word for friend?” “Balla.” “Balla! Balla!” It just so happens that the captain cools down the village folk and they make their plans to come back the next day for filming. But the locals like Ann and during the evening, they canoe to the ship and steal her from under the sailors’ noses. A rescue party is in order, but it’s too late. Ann has been sacrificed to the natives’ island bully, Kong, a giant gorilla. In one of the greatest entrances ever, the big ape bounds into the scene, growls for some close-ups, tears down some trees, and grabs Ann from off of a platform.

The scenes of giant Kong were made with little models covered with rabbit fur. If he attacked anyone, a clay human would be constructed (and consumed). For close-up shots, a giant, moveable gorilla head was constructed, and if you were lucky, he’d eat someone, screaming. This may be why King Kong even gets his own billing in the credits.

But anyway, Kong carries his woman into the jungle and the sailors rush off to find her. The next scenes contain incredible, early special effects, and we learn that not only are there gorillas on the island, but dinosaurs and huge bugs! A scene with giant spiders was filmed with them attacking sailors and devouring the remainder. After a screening which shocked the public, the film’s producer removed the scene and it’s still missing today. Peter Jackson filmed a new version of the scene for his 2005 remake of Kong and judging on how creepy it was, I can imagine the original must have been pretty scary for its time.

A lot of the acting isn’t very good, but do we really go to movies like this for acting? I don’t want to tell you any more because I want you to enjoy the surprises. But I will say that Kong is taken back to New York and if you see any of the movie at all, watch the pop culture-esque scene at then end on top of the Empire State Building. Long live the king!

Grade: A

And that's why "King Kong" is the Movie of the Week.

P.S. Here's the first ten minutes of the flick.