Movie of the Week: King Kong (1933)
Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack direct King Kong, Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong in this fantasy adventure where a film crew sail to Skull Island in search of the mysterious giant beast the natives worship and fear.
The first 15 minutes of ropey, hokey dialogue and blunt exposition always trick me. I assume King Kong is going to creak, show its age, unravel like an ancient scroll. Then we get to Skull Island and it is blockbuster heaven. A magical, spectacular and action packed adventure. As entertaining as anything made these recent summers. Sure, you can see how all the special FX are achieved but the lantern show is gamely complex and detailed. It is a rollercoaster of monster fights and dangerous deaths. Fay Wray screams her lungs out… she is quite the sexually frank character… the willowy innocent… one hot meal away from whoring herself out in Manhattan… to scantily clad lure for our furry titan. No wonder the dinosaur stomping, native chewing old romantic can’t wait to make her his. Yes, the iconic ending in New York is still as tragically sad as it is utterly thrilling. The limitations of 1930s filmmaking aside, this still feels a very modern, mature piece of popcorn hokum. Old furry butt has stood the test of time as a top afternoon watch!
10
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