Merian C. Cooper, Edgar Wallace and the cast and crew at RKO Radio Pictures are essentially responsible for the success and legacy of the King Kong franchise that is still going on today. It all started with this Pre-Code picture from 1933. Directed by Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, it tells the story of a film crew that go to a tropical island to shoot a picture. I know that sounds like a terrible idea, but they went along with it anyway. They eventually capture a giant ape, Kong, who essentially has a crush on the blonde lead actress named Ann Darrow (played by Fay Wray), and the crew bring him back to New York City where he will be known as "The Eighth Wonder of the World". The film also starts Robert Armstrong as Carl Denham, the film's director and Bruce Cabot as Jack Driscoll, a sailor who is another member of the crew and Ann's love interest. The film was eventually remade in 2005 with Peter Jackson directing, Naomi Watts playing Wray's role, Adrien Brody as Cabot's role (where he job in this version is a playwright and screenwriter and not a sailor) and Jack Black playing Armstrong's role. Both films are equally great by the way, but I might make a blog stating which one is better based on casting, directing, cinematography etc. There is also a remake made in 1976 starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange (in her film debut), but it is a modernised version and doesn't follow the original storyline, whereas the 2005 remake does.
This was the film that got me into old Hollywood movies as a whole as well as old horror and film noir movies. It is considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time due to its set, storyline and stop motion portrayal of Kong and I believe it is an essential movie for those who want to get into old Hollywood movies and those who want to watch something thrilling and exciting.
"And lo! The Beast looked upon the face of Beauty, and it stayed its hand from killing. And from that day, it was as one dead."
Based on the so called "Old Arabian Proverb" that isn't actually a proverb but instead a quote written by Cooper himself, it is clearly obvious as to what is going to happen in the movie. Kong is going to feel somewhat attracted to the lead actress (you know, because most male leads in old films like this one do) and try to make her his for life. When I first watched this, I genuinely thought that this was an ancient proverb that a wise man once wrote, but unfortunately I was exposed to a complete lie for many years. When I found out that it was written by Cooper, I was severely disappointed and the film felt a little different and the magic sort of faded away, but the overall vibe of the film felt exactly the same. I still enjoyed its original beauty.
Speaking of love interests, the one thing that I believe shouldn't be written in was the romance between Ann and Jack. I know it was expected at the time to have a little romance in literally anything that was shown on the silver screen, but for a genre like King Kong or The Creature From the Black Lagoon, I don't think it goes very well. I do enjoy a little romance in a film, but I don't enjoy it if it is in an action or a horror movie and it is a main part of the story because that is not what I am here for. I am here for the action, fright and death. The romance is quite distracting to the audience. For Ann and Jack especially, their romance was definitely unnecessary and should've made it without them having a small fling. Cabot and Wray's performances separately were very melodramatic and over the top, especially Wray who was best known for being a quote "scream queen", which is a phrase used to describe an actress who is prominently known for starring in the horror film genre and are often portraying damsels-in-distress or other vulnerable characters. Ann Darrow is an example of a character who is a damsel-in-distress and she is played by one of the first scream queens in Hollywood. I think we can all agree that Fay Wray was a very beautiful woman who can play over the top damsel-in-distresses very well. That was what she was known for. I must watch her in other projects. I'll look into what other stuff she had done, but King Kong made her famous and rise to stardom. I'll tell you one more thing. She really suited blonde hair and it really stands out. I don't know and care if it is natural or dyed, she looked really pretty.
A lot of horror movies back in the golden years of Hollywood are definitely not scary to a modern audience, but they probably scared the undying sh1t out of the audience at the time. I can picture them in the stylish, vintage cinema quivering in their seats with their eyes wide open and the shocks escaping their vocal cords. I do this every time I watch an old horror movie. I actually remember having this thought when watching The Creature From the Black Lagoon and the I thought the contrast between the creature and the dramatic music in the background every time it comes on the screen. I should rewatch it and give it a review. Anyways, my point is that it is not as scary as it is making it out to be. If you watch the trailer, it is advertised as this absolutely terrifying and electric picture that will startle millions of people in cinema. However, the one thing that I did find creepy was Kong himself. He looked like he had a rare mutation and not like a gorilla at all. He also moved like a robot and was completely emotionless. I totally understand that it was 1933 and that CGI wasn't fully developed and not cared about until many years later, but they could've made him look more like an animal. My favourite scene does actually involve Kong, and no it is not the famous scene with Kong climbing the Empire State Building with Ann in his giant hand and attacking helicopters. It is actually the scene where he fights a Tyrannosaurus Rex in the middle of the jungle while Ann watches in fear. This is because I really enjoy action scenes that don't go on for a very long time. Yes, I must admit that this scene and actually the majority of the film is slow paced, but this scene is actually very underrated and not talked about enough. It's essentially robotic-looking creature vs another robotic-looking creature. Seriously though, the stop motion for both creatures and making them fight each other is actually really impressive for its time. I bet absolutely nothing at all that audiences at the time would have been absolutely shocked and stunned by that scene and any scene with Kong in it as a collective, especially the Empire State Building scene.
The cinematography is better than most old Hollywood films that I have watched. This was probably due the budget being more than the average movie that year (ranging from $200,000 to $400,000). This film's budget was exactly $672,254.75 ($16,537,415.14 in 2025). There was a lot going on, which is good for me because I love a film that has a lot of stuff going on in one scene. I prefer that over watching two people having a long conversation that is completely irrelevant to the storyline. The music too really showed how dramatic and over the top this film is. Max Steiner, who is considered to be one of the greatest film composers in Hollywood, did a really good job at capturing the key moments in each scene and creating magic by using just sheet music, a pen and an orchestra.
Overall, I personally believe that it was a pretty good watch, not one of my favourite films but it was still pretty good. If you want to get into films from the golden age of Hollywood, then I would definitely recommend this one. This film may not be for the faint hearted.
8/10
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