A film crew set off to a remote island to shoot. However, they discover the island has a secret, in the shape of a giant gorilla called Kong...
There are some classic films that everyone knows, even if they haven't seen it. 1933's King Kong is one. Everyone has no doubt seen the image of Kong on the top of the Empire State Building, battling the planes attacking him. And of course, there is the iconic last line of the film, 'It was beauty killed the beast,' one of the greatest last lines in film history.
The film is regarded as one of the greatest monster films ever made, but in today's overload of CGI created action set pieces and creatures, why does King Kong still hold up so well?
Well the simple answer is that the film gets everything right. By that, I mean that the pacing of the film works well throughout. Unlike a lot of monster films, Kong doesn't appear for some time, as the film slowly builds to his appearance. When the filmmakers arrive on the island, we see the great wall, obviously keeping something out, but what? We see them prepare a woman as an offering to Kong. But all the while we are kept waiting, what is Kong? The directors, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack (both uncredited actually, instead credited as their production) slowly build to the reveal of Kong and is it worth the wait. Coming through the trees, towards a terrified Ann Darrow it's a stunning first appearance.
Cleverly, in an earlier scene, when Ann is filmed on the boat, she's imagining seeing something huge and terrible as she has to react to it. Of course, her reaction to something she has to imagine is completely different to something she actually sees and in both scenes, Ann makes both scenes work very well indeed. Actress Fay Wray, who plays Ann is very good in the role, even if she has to spend a lot of time reacting to something that would not have been there while filming. She totally convinces.
While Wray is the star of the film, the other actors and their characters are very good too. Robert Armstrong as the producer Carl Denham is superb, ambitious and willing to do pretty much anything to get what he needs. The way he meets Ann, persuading her to join his journey and film even with little experience, yet never being seen as seedy towards her. He has no romantic interest in Ann, he only cares about the film and the money to be made from it, which switches to the potential of even more money if he captures Kong returning him to New York. But he does care too. If made now, Denham might be more of a snivelling cowardly type, more interested in saving himself, but here, he is as heroic as anyone in attempting to rescue Ann.
Bruce Cabot plays John Driscoll, the first officer on the ship who falls for Ann. It's Driscoll who rescues Ann after Kong has taken her. Frank Reicher plays the ship Captain and although not giving a lot to do is pretty good too. As is the rest of the supporting cast.
Despite having a screenplay by James Creelman and Ruth Rose, the film has another three uncredited writers. Merian C. Cooper and Edger Wallace conceived the idea and story, with involvement from writer Leon Gordon. Now, how much is involvement each has I'm not sure, but the structure of the film is something modern filmmakers could learn from. It lets the characters develop before the action begins, which when it does is well paced and well done indeed. But even with all the spectacle it still allows character development.
The film has a terrific score from Max Steiner, it's very well shot, the production design is very good indeed.
But this film stands or falls on Kong and here the film delivers. Willis O'Brien and his team truly made something iconic. Using stop motion animation, Kong is a stunning creation. The way it is blended into the live action scenes is superb. Yes, by today's standards you can see the editing and how it was done. But, much like the work of stop motion artists these days, you can see the painstaking detail gone into the shooting of Kong and his scenes, including the brilliant fight with a T-Rex. Yet, what also shines through is the look of Kong. You feel his anger when Ann is rescued, or under a perceived threat later on from photographers. You also feel his pain at the end. It's truly astonishing work and in so many ways, puts a lot of of modern CGI infused monsters and carnage to shame, which when you consider King Kong was made in 1933 is truly staggering.
King Kong has been remade twice, once in 1976 and again in 2005 plus he's appeared in several other films too, battling Godzilla (something he's about to do again) and also returning in 2017 in Kong: Skull Island. Yet despite it all, it's the 1933 version of Kong that stands the test of time. It is without doubt the greatest monster film I've seen and one of the the greatest fantasy films ever made.
Rating - 5/5
(Not the original trailer but from a re-release)
No comments:
Post a Comment