King Kong
1933 Directed by Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Synopsis
An adventure film about a film crew in search of a monster on a remote island. The crew finds King Kong and decides to take him back to New York as a money making spectacle. The film is a masterpiece of Stop-Motion in filmmaking history and inspired a line of King Kong films.
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Part of **No Re-Watch November 2012**.
"It's a different thing taking a woman into danger."
You'd have to jump forward 50 years to Raiders of the Lost Ark to find an equally perfect pure adventure film. King Kong does everything right: Stunning ingenue, suspicious sailors, gruff but romantic leading man, headstrong expedition leader. We get gorgeous costume work on the natives, who of course live in the jungle. And then there's Kong.
Ah yes, Ray Harryhausen's genius model work that brings the creature to life. He seems so real at points, and Kong's action scenes against other giant creatures have never been better. (certainly, CGI looks less "life-like") Just watch the wrestling match with the T. Rex, ending with a…
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78/100
Finally! With the possible exception of To Have and Have Not, this has to be the most flat-out "classic" Hollywood movie I've made it this far without ever seeing. (Until recently I only watched 35mm prints in rep houses, always wound up being out of town or otherwise engaged when either one would screen.) Pretty much what I expected from having seen both remakes and numerous clips, though the tragic element is comparatively muted here—Ann never remotely bonds with Kong, shrieking her way through the entire movie (a choice that has its own admirable integrity), and it's only his vulnerability atop the Empire State Building in the last few minutes that sets him apart from, say, Godzilla, or the…
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old monkey
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Aunque esto podría ser dicho de cualquier película, nunca como en el caso de 'King Kong' es tan cierto aquello de que si no las has visto en pantalla grande en una sala cinematográfica no las has visto nunca. En estas condiciones, la película adquiere una nueva dimensión y la gran escala permite entender el impacto que pudo suponer para la audiencia de los años treinta y, sobre todo, sentir la maravilla y todo el poder mítico (por mitológico) de sus imágenes. Film verdaderamente inmortal.
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"You know what a 50-foot gorilla would see in a 5-foot girl?"
"His breakfast!"
That's what a top Hollywood Mogul responded with when asked the question by Merian C. Cooper in trying to get this film off the ground.
Thank God it got made.
This film is simply stunning. Superbly shot and the reason RKO was saved from bankruptcy. The visual effects, while stunning for the time, are only part of the film. It's excellent pacing and superb dialogue make it hard to take your eyes off it. From the moment of Denham pitching his idea, getting the girl and setting sail, the discovery of the island and its horrific inhabitants to the action packed and now infamous finale in…
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It's incomprehensible how they managed to pull off the technichal effects. They're simply amazing. The story still holds a certain charm as well.
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Great looking film for 80 years old! Better than any subsequent remake anyway... :)
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The special effects are rough, and there are some untentionally funny bits, but it's still a pretty dope adventure film.
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Some of the dialogue is dated, but the effects and everything else hold up very well.
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old monkey
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Aunque esto podría ser dicho de cualquier película, nunca como en el caso de 'King Kong' es tan cierto aquello de que si no las has visto en pantalla grande en una sala cinematográfica no las has visto nunca. En estas condiciones, la película adquiere una nueva dimensión y la gran escala permite entender el impacto que pudo suponer para la audiencia de los años treinta y, sobre todo, sentir la maravilla y todo el poder mítico (por mitológico) de sus imágenes. Film verdaderamente inmortal.
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Challenge: Top 500 Horror Movies
Those special effects, how? I mean, it's 1933!
I'm so impressed, good job! -
March 2 1933 a new film premiered that would become famous the world over and become the definitive monster movie for at least the next sixty years. An adventure story that had a simple theme, 'Beauty and the Beast'. The beauty was actress Fay Wray and the beast was simply known as 'Kong'.
Filmed over an eight month period it utilised not only the jungle set from the studios earlier pictures 'The Most Dangerous Game' (1932), the native huts from 'Bird of Paradise' (1932) and a redressed wall from Cecil B. DeMilles 'The King of Kings' (1927).
Willis O'Brien provided the stop animation effects, he had been working on RKO's 'Creation' but that project was cancelled in 1931 with only… -
Fantastic. Forgot how many other creatures are in this besides Kong. Surprisingly violent with lots of people munching, stomping and dropping by the dinos. Wray is gorgeous and Cabot is tough but 'aw shucks' charming. Fast paced, and humorous at times, even when the creatures aren't on screen.