King Kong, originally filmed in 1933, was a sensational film, as The New York World-Telegram stated, “This King Kong is one of the very best of all the screen thrillers, done with all the cinema’s slickest camera tricks” (Pitts 171). It has a position in film history that is somewhat irreplaceable for mainly its aesthetic values and influence upon the genre of thriller and the film industry as a whole. Nevertheless, this classic film was reproduced, more than once. The 1976 version of the film, directed by Guillermin, became an instant hit despite being swarmed by critics and die-hard fans. The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads that the film represents a significant visual upgrade over the original, but falls short of its classic predecessor in virtually every other respect (“KING KONG1976”). As it turns out, the 2005 version included even bigger, amazing computer-generated spectacles. Spectacles, driven almost completely by technology, appear to be the key ingredient in cooking a successful blockbuster.

As far as I am concerned, my connection with the film starts with Naomi Watt’s starring in the film’s 2005 version directed by Peter Jackson. As a child of around 10 years old, I found the film spectacular in creating grand scenes such as Kong standing on the top of a skyscraper and Ann staring romantically into Kong’s eyes. Nonetheless, I found the acting somewhat weird—why would a beautiful girl develop any feeling for a giant monster and why is the monster so obsessed with the human girl? Viewing the film’s 1976 version answered all my questions. The simple answer is, this is a story based purely on imagination and intended to impress instead of moving the audience to tears with a human-animal romantic affair.

Naomi Watts in King Kong (2005)

De Laurentiis, the producer of the film, “believed that audiences were ready for a larger-than-life, visual feast” (Lambie). It would appear that the filmmakers deemed it high time that the latest technological achievement was adopted to create new spectacles for viewers to behold and marvel at. The result was one of the most expensive and difficult productions of the era, with cost-overruns and technical problems (Lambie). To a large degree, the 1976 version focuses very much on the grand spectacles seen in the 1933 version, which is the primary reason why the latter was a huge success. And so is the 2005 version, featuring even bigger and better spectacles, this time also with a very beautiful girl as Ann. Creating spectacle and enhancing the stark contrast between Ann and Kong was clearly again prioritized. In the official trailer, one can see how Jessica Lange as Ann Darrow was dressed in a sexy outfit while being held in the hand of Kong (“King Kong (1976)” 00:01:30). It was horrifying and yet it was fascinating—it makes the audience wonder just what riveting, exciting, or even sexual events would unfold between a beauty and a beast who is so vividly presented. In a certain way, it is many men’s desire to be as fearsome as the giant gorilla and to do whatever they want to do with a helpless, sexy woman.

The world was undergoing drastic technological changes when the film was released. The U.S., China, and USSR all conducted nuclear tests and achieved success in this year. While this evidence signifies the technological advance demonstrated by the film, it implies mankind’s unstoppable scientific breakthrough and people’s general desire for more. It would take more than props such as that adopted in Jaws to impress people. In fact, computer-generated imagery as a convenient tool to design spectacles, has created more possibilities for cinema. J. P. Telotte coined the term “imperative of seeing”—“our desire to see things we are not supposed to, and especially to see into life’s shadows, regardless of the menace this hiddenness might hold” (391). This is where all the horror, romance, and amazement lies, which also sets the tone of the entire film.

The film features a fearsome monster but he has a tender heart. It even makes the audience cry. Kong is the villain and the victim, which is quite unconventional. In the meantime, I think it is quite strange for an animal, without any hint of humanity to do what Kong does in the film. The possibility of that is nearly naught.

 

Works Cited

Pitts, Michael R. RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929-1956.   McFarland & Company, 2015.

“King Kong1976.” Rottentomatoes, www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1011617-king_kong.

Accessed 19 Oct 2020.

“King Kong (1976) Official Trailer #1 – Jeff Bridges Movie HD.” Youtube, uploaded by

Movieclips Classic Trailer, 2 Feb. 2013,      www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xh1IoF_UsY&t=13s. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020.

Lambie, Ryan. “The Struggles of King Kong ’76.” Denofgeek.com,

www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-struggles-of-king-kong-76/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020.

Telotte, J. P. “The Movies as Monster: Seeing in King Kong.” The Georgia Review, vol. 42, no.

2, 1988, pp. 388-398.