King Kong (1933)

[akiratubo]

Wow!  Now this is a good movie!

I had forgotten how good the original Kong is.  I purchased the new "Collector's Edition" DVD and watched it yesterday.  Needless to say, it is loads better than the VHS tape I used to have.

The first thirty minutes are perfect buildup.  We learn that Denham and crew are carrying heavy rifles, explosives, and gas bombs.  The assignment is so dangerous no agent will commit an actress to it.  (I like how Denham's griping about having to put a girl in the movie probably mirrored the thoughts of Kong's makers.)  Once Denham finds a girl, he takes test footage of her seeing something huge and horrible, and then screaming.

The reveal of Skull Island and the natives is PERFECT.  Especially in the innovative way they used music and sound to create a sense of looming danger.  The stop-motion birds that fly across the scene are a nice taste of what the audience is in store for in a few minutes.  The natives' Kong-dance is perfectly realized, as well.

And, of course, this finally brings us to our first look at Kong himself.  Stop-motion Kong is a real work of art yet to be equaled by any other cinematic beast, be it another stop-motion monster, a guy in a suit, or computer generated.  He's jerky, sure, but he has so much personality and character it's simply marvelous.

For a full third of the movie, stop motion monsters are constantly onscreen.  The amount of ambition on the part of the filmmakers to pack their movie as full of monsters as possible is commendable.  That it came off so perfectly is a testament to their craftsmanship and hard work.

Kong's fight with the t-rex is still probably the best such battle to be put to film.  They really go at it, it lasts for a good amount of time, and it gets across that Kong has done this a few times before.

Though some view the final act, with Kong rampaging in New York, as something of a let down, I rather like it.  He stomps all over us puny, soft things until we let out the really big guns, or planes, rather.  And it takes one hell of a lot of bullets to take the big sucker down.

Something else King Kong gets right is its treatment of the human characters.  Denham comes off perfectly.  Driscoll is a bit wooden but is given enough good moments that we like him.  I've read plenty of people complain about Ann Darrow's constant screaming and struggling in Kong's clutches but, really, what the hell else is she supposed to do?  The mere fact that she keeps trying to get away demonstrates that she's got plenty of guts and can keep her head about her in a crisis.  She gets plenty of characterization in the first act -- as much as anyone gets in this kind of movie, anyway.

I only wish I could have been in the audience in 1933 with no idea of what I was about to see.

-------

The theatrical trailer for the new King Kong leaves me with mixed feelings.  Adrian Brody is too much of a wuss to play the Driscoll part and I haven't liked Jack Black since Neverending Story III.  I'm not too keen on the natives appearing to be white people in zombie makeup led by a spooky little girl, either.  But the glimpses of the monster battles were very promising and Kong's rampage through New York looked pretty good.

That they have chosen to play up the "love story" angle is disappointing, in my humble opinion.  1933 Kong's love story was very one-sided.  Ann Darrow wanted the hell away from Kong, forever.  Original Kong was a giant, dangerous animal.  He didn't tug at your heartstrings with his winning pesonality.  However, his circumstances did elicit sympathy.  He didn't ask to be taken from Skull Island and shot off the top of the Empire State Building.  Kong's huge fall, literally and figuratively, must have really struck a cord with Depression-era audiences.

[Dr. Kobb]

Nice write-up of one of the all-time greats, akiratubo.  I really, really wish they hadn't decided to roll with this remake.  Granted, it'll be better than the `70's disaster, but some films just shouldn't be touched.  What's next?  "Wizard of Oz"?
Granted, Jackson did a stupendous job with the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but I still have much apprehension about this.

[daveblackeye15]

Nice job Akira. I've been wanting to rewatch this one for a whiel but I can't find the one at my house (the colorized version). At my grandma's house I was delighted to find that there was a black and white tape (with the uncut scenes that have since become part of the norm) to my dissapointmen the tape wouldn't go down all the way into the VCR.

But thankfully it would appear that there are one or two new DVD's coming/have come out. Cool.

I am interested in how the Kong vs T-Rex fight will go in this one. I believe the dinosaur is more accuratly portrayed and I think the previous incarnation of what the Rex looks like (original film) had a built that made it so that it could have a much cool way of fighting.

we'll see. I doubt it'll be as good as the original but it should at least be entertaining.

[odinn7]

Very nice write up on an excellent classic. It seems like you almost share my feelings for this movie. As a child, this was one of my most favorite movies and I watched it every time it came on tv. It always held my attention from beginning to end and I will always have fond memories of it. I think I will need to buy this DVD.

[Just Plain Horse]

That was a good writeup, and I always thought the movie was flawless up until they brought Kong back to civilization. I love the the feeling of the island... You really get the feeling there are creatures of a wide variety (the stegosaur, the pteranodon, several smaller reptilian nasties, and the strangely carnivorus brontosaur...) it's the only way you can actually make a big ape fit right in. I've heard that after Kong shook the sailors off the log, several spider-like nasties show up and start feasting on the corpses... but that it was edited out (which is a damn shame). The original Kong is the only great ape movie I could ever really get into.

I suspect the new one will have a more graphic fight bewteen Kong and the T-Rex, but I don't think it will be any better then the original, nor any more fun than when Kong stuffed a tree down Godzilla's throat :) I wish more Japanese monster movies would try to follow the formula of keeping the monsters onscreen once they appear instead of taking the usual "15 minute break" after one good scene. Um, there's an enormously powerful monster lurking around- why are we still paying any attention to the feeble Japanese scientists and military men?!?

[Flangepart]

Is this the new DvD?
The part where Peter Jackson and his gang talk about the creation of the "Spider pit sequance" is cool, i think.
I'd say they do have affection for the original, and are trying to make the remake click with fans.

Your right about Anne Darrow wanting to get away from kong. She was justly terrified! Yet, it looks like Jackson is going to use the 76 versions " Girl lovea ape" vibe. The way the chick looks at Kong in the trailers gives that away.

And yes, if you ask me, twas not beauty that killed the beast...
Its was a 1000 foot fall, preceded by about 2000 bullets! The woman was just the motivation for his downfall...and guys, how well do we know THAT story!

[dean]

I'm pretty sure the remake will be good: the '33 version did have it's own slight sentimentality about it all as well, especially from Kong's facial expressions.  I still find it funny that I did an essay which uses King Kong [original] as part of my "Love Stories and Film Narrative" Subject at Uni this year.  I wonder how that went...

Also I'd love to see an uncut version of the '33 film with that spider pit bit which was deemed to violent and was cut out of the film, that would be cool.

[Dr. Kobb]

I, too, would love to see that infamous bit of footage, Dean!

I wonder if they'll have a part like that in this new version?

[Susan]

I don't want to see another computer animated monster again. they all look like video game images. The original was great, haven't seen it in years but remember some very creepy scenes...i remember the log scene scared me for years. I'd like to see the dvd version as it's uncensored (I guess kong chewing on islanders was too scary)

gee am i the only fan of the bad 70's version? It's just so trashy it's good. I still feel a little sad when i see the twin towers put against the moonlight. I used to watch this movie and "sinbad and the eye of the tiger" over and over when I was 6. I have to admit my parents video collection shaped my movie taste.

Plus Charles Grodin is great!

[daveblackeye15]

I want to see the Spider pit scene also!

WAAH!

The footage was probably destroyed since I pack then I doubt they thought "Let's save this scene so that in the future they can re-releast this uncut since it'll be considered tame by then"

I want to buy the new DVD and I want to see the crappy remake, just because it's been many years since I saw that.

I ,some what proudly, have a copy of King Kong Lives.

[odinn7]

I also am a fan of the '76 re-make only because I grew up with King Kong being one of my favorite "monsters".  The movie's not that good but I do enjoy it. And wow, was Jessica Lange HOT back then!

I even had a model of Kong when I was a kid, as well as Godzilla, the Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Werewolf, any of you remember these models?

Here's the Kong model

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

Oh, I love the 33 King Kong.  Once I got it, Son of Kong, and Mighty Joe Young (1949) and had a black and white claymation apefest.  My dad came in and saw me watching Joe, and was all enthused.  He saw it at the Saturday matinee as a kid.  We bonded over the apes.  
Also, and unrelated, the first "adult" movie I can remember seeing is the 1976 version of Kong.  I was 4 or5 and a friend of my folks took all us kids.  Seeing it recently as an adult, it was much less gripping than I recall.
-Ed