King Kong Tribute Thread (THE REAL KING KONG!)

[Omegamorph]

While minor, I couldn't help but notice how there's some similarities

Not minor at all...

''I felt like doing something big. That was my motivation. I thought of different ideas. I like monster movies, and I was influenced by 'King Kong.' ''
-Tomoyuki Tanaka (source)

King Kong (along with Lost World '25) is the forefather of ALL giant monster films, narratively speaking, and Godzilla was GREATLY influenced by it (along with Beast '53, of course) in a number of significant ways.

[eabaker]

As part of my marathon leading up to Kong vs. Godzilla, I re-watched the original King Kong 33'. Solid flick, and easily way ahead of it's time. Obviously, some of it is outdated by todays standards, mostly socially. However, still great and will always be significant. One thing I liked is how Kong is a mystery up until you see him. The film isn't burdened by modern acts and film structures, such as a cold opening kill. We don't see Kong until around an hour in, and it must have been shocking for audiences at the time, how he sort of just suddenly appears.

Also I want to talk about something I realized about how it might relate to Godzilla. While minor, I couldn't help but notice how there's some similarities: An Island with it's own superstitions and natives, and a group of outsiders go there. They encounter the monster, and the monster winds up in a big city. Fairly standard stuff by todays standards, but I recognized a similar pattern to 54. Additionally, Kong must be the first movie monster to destroy a train? The way Godzilla destroys the train in 54 must have been inspired by Kong attacking the platform train in 33...

I do have to say something controversial though: I don't remember the film's characters being so bland. Jack and Ann are iconic, as is Carl, but that's about it. The rest of the characters are either stereotypes or do nothing, and it's all very surface level. It's fun though...but still!

Next Kong film I'm gonna watch after Gojira is KKVG and then KKE. Should be fun!

Jack and Carl perhaps but Ann being iconic? All she really does is just scream throughout the whole film.

I'd argue that there's a little more to Ann's characterization than that, but that's beside the point as to whether or not the character is "iconic." Fay Wray's performance in King Kong was the cornerstone of her status as the first "scream queen" of cinema.

[Major sssspielberg!]

I watched the original Kong for the first time in over a decade last night. I gotta say, the score was incredible, and the animation was sometimes way better than I recalled. Like, it was uncanny how smooth and real it was in some scenes.
But... I was legitimately uncomfortable with how (((OF ITS TIME))) the the first act of the movie was. Not gonna lie I can usually get a giggle out of that kinda stuff in a dark kinda way, like "haha this was really normal thinking back then, glad it's less that way now." For instance, I still laugh at "Something on that island no white man has ever seen" (well... What about a hispanic man? Or a white lady, Mr. Denham?) but it just. Kept. Coming.
I guess I should consider myself blessed that I'm able to look back on films from the past with that lens, and that at least in Kong the positives *just* barely outweigh the uncomfortable stuff.

[Rody]

As part of my marathon leading up to Kong vs. Godzilla, I re-watched the original King Kong 33'. Solid flick, and easily way ahead of it's time.

I see we were on similar wavelengths: I'm also doing a Kong/Godzilla marathon, and of course the 1933 original had to be the starting point.
I honestly have grown to love this movie, whereas I don't think I gave it much credit as a kid. There's definitely a lot going on in the film, even if a lot of it is subtle; and it's genuinely exciting to recognize how much the film was making history in the decisions made for production, music, special effects, etc.
I get a kick out of some of the dialogue, too - when Carl is warning Jack about falling in love, and stops himself because he "feels the opening theme coming on" (or something like that), my first thought was you could put a line like that in a modern, self-aware Disney musical, and no one would bat an eye. It's great.

Also I want to talk about something I realized about how it might relate to Godzilla. While minor, I couldn't help but notice how there's some similarities: An Island with it's own superstitions and natives, and a group of outsiders go there. They encounter the monster, and the monster winds up in a big city. Fairly standard stuff by todays standards, but I recognized a similar pattern to 54. Additionally, Kong must be the first movie monster to destroy a train? The way Godzilla destroys the train in 54 must have been inspired by Kong attacking the platform train in 33...

I recently also watched Godzilla 1954 with the Classic Media commentary, and Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle, and they point out some of those similarities as well. Those similarities hadn't ever considered to me, but I totally see them now, and I really like it; I really get the sense of not only how King Kong deeply inspired Godzilla, but how Godzilla naturally evolved from King Kong into a new era for film and a new standard for the genre.

I do have to say something controversial though: I don't remember the film's characters being so bland. Jack and Ann are iconic, as is Carl, but that's about it. The rest of the characters are either stereotypes or do nothing, and it's all very surface level. It's fun though...but still!

Yeah, the rest of the cast is just kind of there. They do their parts well enough, but they're ultimately little more than background characters.
On a slightly random note, on my latest viewings it occurred to me that Bruce Cabot kind of acts and sounds like a precursor to Harrison Ford. Is it just me? I know it's coincidence at best, but still...

[edgaguirus]

Carl is the one that stands out most of the cast. He's charismatic and flippant, but still has a conscience. Jack Black's version of Carl lacked that conscience, and showed a dark side to showmanship that made the character unlikable.

[tbeasley]

A Harryhausen Kong would have been something else...

[LegendZilla]

Since the original King Kong film from 1933 is set for the public domain in 2029, that makes me wonder : when will the character himself enter as well? Just so you people know, the original piece of art in which a character (in this case Kong), debuts is not the same as the same happening the character him/herself. In order to back up my claim I will provide you with this : https://www.reddit.com/r/GODZILLA/comme ... ill_enter/

[mikelcho]

I remember Mick Martin and Marsha Porter's old movies-on-video books said this about the 1933 King Kong: that it utilized every form of special effect, some of which are still secret.

Of course, they also said this about the 1956 Godzilla, King of the Monsters!: that it was originally released in 1954 and in color, but the scenes of Raymond Burr that were added for American release two years later were accidentally shot in black and white, so the entire U.S. version had to be released that way.

I believe these tidbits are in the first edition of their book, Video Movie Guide 1986.

[The Octopus]

A Harryhausen Kong would have been something else...

Its a shame he never got to work with the character that inspired his career. Eiji Tsuburaya got to work with Kong. Twice! I believe Ray was supposed to do the effects for the planned Hammer remake in the late 60s that RKO squashed.

[Zasraniec]

That is awesome! A shame we got the 76 Kong instead of a Harryhausen Kong. Makes me wonder how it could have been. Especially iconic scenes like the T-rex fight and the finale.

[Bluezilla]

Anyone besides me think O'Brien's stop motion animation was smoother than Harryhausen’s. Ray’s models were built from better materials and armatures and I’d have liked to see what O’Brien could have done with them. I wonder how Harryhausen would have overcome the displaced fur problem. It was still an issue with the sabretooth in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.

[The Octopus]

Alan Moore wrote a comic book series about a woman in purgatory who is stuck watching movies in an endless loop called CINEMA PURGATORIO. The movies are used as metaphors for seedy behind the scenes aspects about the industry. In issue 4 he references Willis O'Brien's life using King Kong as a stand in.

[Al Diplodocus]

Fun fact: Peter Jackson created for April Fool's jokes two sequels for King Kong 2005. One would remake Son of Kong, the other, Into the Wolf's Lair, would be about Deham and Jack's crew trying to defend Skull Island from the Nazuis and eventually they ride Kiko while gunning down the nazis. Bigjackfilms and The guardian have more information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j70EG01kwcU
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/apr/04/news1

[SoggyNoodles2016]

Fun fact: Peter Jackson created two sequels for King Kong 2005. One would remake Son of Kong, the other, Into the Wolf's Lair, would be about Deham and Jack's crew trying to defend Skull Island from the Nazuis and eventually they ride Kiko while gunning down the nazis. Bigjackfilms and The guardian have more information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j70EG01kwcU
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/apr/04/news1

Those films were April Fool's jokes, Jackson had no legitimate plans to make either.

The closest thing to a sequel was going to be what was Skull Island when Universal was working on it as a prequel to Jackson's Kong before Legendary brought it to WB (ironically, then it was going to be directed by Adam Wingard)

[Zasraniec]

Not gonna lie. I wish those weren't jokes.

[SoggyNoodles2016]

Not gonna lie. I wish those weren't jokes.

I both agree and don't.

They're good ideas but I don't know if they'd work with Jackon's universe or character.

[Zasraniec]

Not gonna lie. I wish those weren't jokes.

I both agree and don't.

They're good ideas but I don't know if they'd work with Jackon's universe or character.

Jackson's Universe? No. Jackson's style? Yes! Not sure if you know this, but his first few films were basically over the top B Movies and they were AWESOME! So those silly concepts could definitely work if Jackson goes back to his roots. However if he is trying to keep the same feel from his 2005 Kong film than I certainly agree it would be very jarring to say the least.

[tbeasley]

Not gonna lie. I wish those weren't jokes.

Yeah me too. It sounds right up Jackson's alley - a pulpy, WWII adventure story with a giant ape.

The Skull Island sequel with Wingard sounds cool too - essentially an adaptation of the World of Kong book.

[Pkmatrix]

Since the original King Kong film from 1933 is set for the public domain in 2029, that makes me wonder. when will the character himself enter as well? Just so you people know, the original piece of art in which a character (in this case Kong), debuts is not the same as the same happening the character him/herself. In order to back up my claim I will provide you with this : https://www.reddit.com/r/GODZILLA/comme ... ill_enter/

The character himself and the story was declared public domain by U.S. Federal Court in 1976 due to the movie's novelization, which was copyrighted before either the movie or screenplay thus legally making it the original work, not having its copyright properly renewed in 1960.

[mikelcho]

Not gonna lie. I wish those weren't jokes.

Yeah me too. It sounds right up Jackson's alley - a pulpy, WWII adventure story with a giant ape.

The Skull Island sequel with Wingard sounds cool too - essentially an adaptation of the World of Kong book.

I'm still trying to find if there was possibly any truth to him finally making King Kong Meets Frankenstein as a film - both as a sequel to his 2005 version of King Kong and as a tribute to Willis O'Brien, who originally conceived the story.

I can't even find my thread "Total mystery: King Kong Meets Frankenstein?" anywhere on this website and I know it's supposed to be here somewhere.