King Kong Film Review

The original King Kong movie is a massively influential film, not just for building a massive film franchise that spans 8 movies currently released, 4 spin-off movies and another couple of movies on the horizon, but also because it shows the beginning of very large-scale production using stop motion integrated into the large amount of action.

King Kong once again encompasses the common theme of an evil monster and a damsel in distress. The blonde lead female, played by Fay Wray is a beautiful woman struggling in the wall street crash, who agrees to go on an undescribed journey with a man she has never met. She is incredibly annoying throughout the rest of the film, being a pathetic stereotype of a woman. “It’s a 96-minute screaming session for her, too much for any actress and audience. With the blonde still screaming while in Kong’s palm atop the Empire state, after having screamed all the way from the first reel, another unbelievable fact is that Kong shouldn’t drop her and look for a non-screamer – even if he has to settle for a brunet.” Bigelow (1933). This section of Bigelow’s review shows that according to contemporary views, Wray’s performance is overwhelming for the audience, and in some ways, may take away from the believability of the stunning animation process of Kong himself.

Fig. 1 Wray Struggling (1933)

The portrayal of Kong himself is highly interesting when compared to the portrayal of the ethnic islanders. “Those villagers are the worst kind of stereotype: They dance around in loincloths and coconut bras, commit human sacrifice, try to trade six of their women for the production’s blonde woman (Fay Wray), and worship a gigantic beast that kills them. It is, by today’s standards, ridiculously racist”. Zakarin (2017). Kong himself on the other hand, “cares for his captive human female, protects her, attacks only when provoked, and would be perfectly happy to be left alone on his Pacific Island. It is the greed of a Hollywood showman that unleashes Kong's rage, and anyone who thinks to exhibit the beast on a New York stage in front of a live audience deserves what he gets--indeed, more than he gets.” Ebert (2002). This portrayal ultimately leads to us having a stronger and more sympathetic attachment to Kong that the other humans presented in the movie. This can easily be linked to a social commentary on the state of America at the time. In 1933, Black Americans were still considered second class citizens. This often lead to them living in slums and earning money any way they could. They were used and abused by White Americans, often being used as domestic servants or for other menial tasks. It is also worth mentioning that the Black men and women in the film were White actors who were Blacked up. Obviously, this is now a controversial issue, but was common practice at the time.

 Fig. 2 Kong meets Redman (1933)

Fig. 3 Skull Islanders (1933)

There were also some scenes that were considered inappropriate post release and were removed for the 1938 re-release. One infamous scene which was removed was the men being shaken from the fallen log and then being attacked by giant spiders. This was never reintroduced to the original film but has been included in subsequent remakes. Another scene that was removed after the introduction of the Motion Picture Code was “Kong curiously removing some of Wray's clothes, tickling her, and sniffing his fingers. Closeups of humans being crunched between Kong's jaws were also cut for various versions, but now the movie is intact again--except for the spiders.” Ebert (2002). This early form of cinema was really experimenting and pushing the boundaries of what audiences found acceptable, and what would sell. This meant that often these experimental and developmental films caused some outrage in their content; imagery and content that we wouldn’t bat an eyelid at now.

Overall, I think it’s true to say that Kong is influential; not only for its technical development but also for its development and pushing of the content being presented in cinemas. King Kong truly was the foundation upon which most subsequent monster and alien films are based. Despite its clearly racial and sexist undertones, King Kong really is a pillar stone of modern cinema. 

Bibliography

Bigelow, J. (1933) King Kong At: http://variety.com/1933/film/reviews/king-kong-2-1200410783/ (Accessed on 26/10/17)

Ebert, R. (2002) Great Movie King Kong 1933 At: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-king-kong-1933 (Accessed on 26/10/17)

Hall, M (1933) A Fantastic Film in Which a Monstrous Ape Uses Automobiles for Missiles and Climbs a Skyscraper At: http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F03E3DC173BEF3ABC4B53DFB5668388629EDE (Accessed on 26/10/17)

Zakarin, J. King Kong's Long Journey from Racist monster to Woke Hero At: https://www.inverse.com/article/28860-king-kong-skull-island-politics-racism (Accessed on 26/10/17)

List of Illustrations

Figure 1. Wray struggling (1933) [GIF] At: http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxmcbqLgzL1qg6rkio1_500.gif (Accessed on 26/10/17)

Figure 2. Kong meet Redman (1933) [film capture] At: https://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/king-kong-1933.jpg (Accessed on 26/10/17)

Figure 3. Skull Islanders (1933) [film capture] At: http://voxatl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/KingKong_059Pyxurz.jpg (Accessed on 26/10/17)