Review of King Kong (1933) by Andy P — 29 Oct 2010

Hollywood's first ultimate monster-movie is a great adventure story about a film crew that travels to a tropical island where they discover fantasy creatures including dinosaurs, and a giant ape the tribesmen call "Kong".

The crew abduct Kong and showcase him on Broadway to reap the benefits. Kong, enraged, breaks free to run amok downtown New York. The film is nothing short of a masterpiece. Technically speaking, it broke new grounds in movie making.

To create the creatures, Willis O'Brien had to invent new techniques using a combination of stop-motion animation and a giant head for Kong. Sometimes actors would perform in front of a projection, while other times two pieces of footage would be composited together, for 1933 it's beyond impressive.

At the centre of the plot is a love story. Kong is infatuated by Ann (Fay Wray, in all her scream-queen glory) and takes her. Kong is indeed a unique "monster" in cinematic history. Consider the shark in 'Jaws', or Godzilla, or even the Predator.

These creatures are one-dimensional beings that exist simply to destroy the humans, whereas Kong believes he is doing the right thing. He cares for his captive and protects her. In fact, it is the greed of man that unleashes Kong's rage.

It's these themes that elevate the movie's status from great monster movie to cinematic masterpiece. It is a thriler, an adventure, a love story, and a tragedy. There is iconic moment after iconic moment, with it's greatest scene being the Empire State Building scene.

'King Kong' played a big part in my childhood. I have watched it countless times, and it gets better with every viewing. Even though it was made in 1933, it never gets old.