King Kong 1933

Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack,

United states

"The Eighth Wonder of the World"

King Kong (Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933) is a
metaphorical fairytale for the Beauty and the Beast and at the same
time science-fictional because of the multi-layered discourse on
technology. The film follows an adventurous film-making crew that
travels to a distant and unknown island situated somewhere in the
Pacific region. Regardless of the low budged the directors and
producers, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, managed to
create one of the greatest adventure-fantasy film of all time.
"King Kong" opens with a talk about a dangerous boat journey to and
island, which the adventurer and movie director Carl Denham (Robert
Armstrong) saw on a map he bought in Singapore. He set off for this
mysterious island called The Skull Island with his crew. Upon
arrival the crew finds out that the island is inhabited by a tribe
who are performing a ritual most likely to their god. While Denham
is trying to capture this amazing moment, he is being spotted by
the tribes chief. The moment the tribes chief sees Ann (Fray
Wray), he wants to trade for her, which is being declined. Unhappy,
he orders his men to kidnap her. After finding out that Ann is
missing, Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) immediately heads back to the
Skull Island to rescue her. Meanwhile Ann is being strapped to tree
trunks as she sees the 50-foot ape approaching her. After that
story unfolds as the classic of an adventure to save a beautiful
lady from treacherous monstrosity, which gives the film a pinch of
horror. "The greatest of all horror films..." - Danny Peary, Guide
for the Film Fanatic 1991.
Fig. 1 Original theatrical poster by Keye Luke

From this point on the movie becomes

legendary. King Kong" is more than a
technical
achievement.(Roger
Ebert,
2002). Kong is a character facing the
issues of being the last of his kind,
which gives him the nobility of a King.
At the same time he is a metaphor of a
man looking for companionship, as is
proven in the scene where he removes
partially Anns clothes driven purely
out of his nature and sexuality. Alone
and misjudged, this monster finds what
he has longed for so long in the image
of Ann. In its own way he wants to do
the right thing. He cares for his
captive human female, attacks only when
provoked in order to protect her and
would be happy if left alone in his
kingdom.

Fig. 2 Kong Protecting Ann

Fig. 3 Ann waking up in Kongs paw

Fig. 4 First appearance of Kong

Fig. 5 Kong chewing on a native inhabitant

of the island

The battles Kongs goes through to protect Ann are unique in their
own way. This prehistoric jungle is being inhabited by dinosaurs and
other giant creatures. But as Kong is hungry for love, the other
beasts arent. The special effects, which compared to nowadays seem
rather primitive. For its own time this innovatory way of building
the scene and playing with it is an achievement. One of the
techniques used was called layering, which explained the use of
foreground, midground and background elements. Directors Merian C.
Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack use Willis O'Brien's stop-motion
special effects--spectacular state-of-the-art for the '30s--to
develop a series of tumultuous action scenes, both on the island and
in Manhattan, culminating with Kong's famous star turn atop the
Empire State Building.(Mark Chalon Smith, 1991). The film also was
one of the first to use Linwood Dunn's optical printer to matte
together shots of the animated models and battles and live actors at
the same time. The magic behind it was that the footage of the actors
was projected on a small screen, one frame at a time, behind the
models as they were animated. It is also interesting to point out
that some scenes were miniaturized to make Kongs model look bigger.
The oddly but believable effect, the filmmakers used to give Kong
realistic look was called muscles rippling. In other words, Kongs
whos model was covered with rabbits fur, was moved by the animators
between every stop-motion shot in order to make it seem as muscle
movement.
As a result of this King Kong was the first ever film to become
famous with an animated leading character.

Fig. 6 Kong on the Empire State Building

During its four re-released times (1933, 1938,

1942 and 1946) some scenes were excised by censors
such as the moment when brontosaurus kills three
sailors. In the original version they are the
number of five. Also the moment when Kong is
stripping Anns clothing, while holding her
unconscious in his palm. The killing of natives on
a scaffold in the village and the stomping of one
of them. The moment when Kong is dropping a woman
from the Empire State Building, which he mistook
for Ann and the chewing of a New Yorker victim.
Fortunately after the Production Code took effect
in 1935 all these scenes were restored back to
its original state. However there is one scene
considered lost and that is the giant spider-pit
sequence, which Peter Jackson recreated in his
2005 remake.

The remarkable film has numerous memorable moments, including Kong's battle with
a giant snake in a misty cavern, his struggle against a flying pterodactyl, the
screaming beauty (Fay Wray, known as the "Queen of Scream") held captive in
Kong's giant clenched palm, and the finale with the defiant Kong atop the Empire
State Building while circling aircraft shoot him down. Regardless the film
received no Academy Awards nominations.

The movie's final moments contain some of

the most memorable of all images and
sequences in film history. Atop the
building, Kong clutches the woman whose
beauty touched his lonely heart. He places
Ann on a ledge and then roars in defiance
at the planes, thinking he is saving her,
but he is not the only one trying save her.
At this point two conflicts take place,
question is whos cause is more noble or
maybe more true.
Fig. 7 Kong taking his goodbye with Ann

The airplanes fly around him like gigantic annoying mosquitos which he tries to reach out for,
but he fails. His battle however is lost. He is wounded. He takes his beloved Ann in his, wiped
from his own blood, hand to take his last look at her and returns her gently to the ledge. He
then takes another volley of bullets and he losens his hold from the building. Suddenly Kong is
no longer a beast without feelings, but an object of puty, as he falls down to his death on the
streets below the building. Shortly after Ann is rescued by Jack Driscoll, her future husband, on
the Empire State Dome.
It is an interesting fact to note that the films producers and
directors, Cooper and Schoedsack, played the roles of pilot and gunner in this plane-attack
scene, and one could say that they killed the beast they created.
The final scene of the movie finishes off with Denham correcting the police officer lieutenant,
saying:
Denham: Oh, no. It wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.

List of illustrations
Fig. 1 Original theatrical poster by Keye Luke
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Kingkongposter.jpg (accessed on 10.10.2015)
Fig. 2 http://www.alleycatscratch.com/movie/kong/1933/Kong/kongpair.jpg(accessed on 10.10.2015)
Fig. 3 http://150597036.r.cdn77.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/king-kong1.jpg (accessed on
10.10.2015)
Fig. 4 http://4.bp.blogspot.com/AE_zJFHPCvY/Tm0q233SzwI/AAAAAAAADUU/GCDJXs1lJ4Y/s1600/KingKong_085Pyxurz.jpg (accessed on
10.10.2015)
Fig. 5 http://oi59.tinypic.com/mifojm.jpg

(accessed on 10.10.2015)

Fig. 6 http://ucarochester-cgartsandanimation.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/fao-caa-yr-1-invisiblecities-2015_21.html (accessed on 10.10.2015)

Fig. 7 https://skeptic78240.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/kingkong-10.jpg?w=652 (accessed on

10.10.2015)

Bibliography
Roger Ebert (2002) http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-king-kong-1933
(accessed on 10.10.2015)
Filmsite Movie Review
http://www.filmsite.org/kingk3.html

(accessed on 10.10.2015)

Everything's Monkey-Dory in 'Kong,Mark Chalon Smith 1991

http://articles.latimes.com/1991-10-24/news/ol-253_1_king-kong (accessed on
10.10.2015)
Horror Film History http://www.horrorfilmhistory.com/index.php?pageID=KingKong
(accessed on 10.10.2015)

TCM, Frank Miller http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2690/King-Kong/articles.html

(accessed on 10.10.2015)