King Kong (1933)

Written by James Creelman & Ruth Rose

Directed by Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack

1998 List Ranking: 43

2007 List Ranking: 41

Like Frankenstein before it, King Kong seems to be one of those stories that everyone knows without ever actually seeing it. Most of us know about the giant monkey that kidnaps a woman, is taken to New York, and climbs the Empire State Building with her as planes fly around and attack it. How this sort of thing seeps into the public consciousness is fascinating, but suffice it to say that, from a plot perspective, there wasn’t anything particularly surprising about this film, even if I weren’t a big fan of cinema.

What is surprising is just how well the film is made overall, especially given the time. Sure, there are things that no longer hold up in quality, and things that made me laugh unintentionally, but as a whole, its a pretty well-put-together film.

Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) in the clutches of Kong

Before I get into the big stuff (pun ABSOLUTELY intended), I want to discuss the human performances. Leading the cast is Fay Wray as Ann Darrow. For a role that, on paper, requires a lot of screaming and a bit of swooning, Wray does an excellent job of making Darrow likable and sympathetic, which also makes what happens to her more dramatic. Once Kong takes her, she has even less to do (by my memory, once he takes her away, she has 2, maybe 3 more scenes with actual dialogue). The rest is just screaming and…laying on the ground. I mean…a paycheck is a paycheck, I suppose. The other two leading actors, Robert Armstrong as Denham and Bruce Cabot as Driscoll, are adequate. They both have little moments to shine, but there’s nothing particularly standout about either of their performances (although after the natives on Skull Island notice the group and interrupt their ceremony to sacrifice a young girl to Kong, Armstrong’s delivery of “Too late, they see us!” is edited just perfectly to elicit an unintentional belly laugh from me).

Kong’s first close up

The star of the film, obviously, is Kong, and directors Cooper and Schoedsack smartly delay his appearance for nearly 45 minutes.  That first appearance is the culmination of certain tension, as not only is Kong alluded to in the title (obviously), but the characters talk about him, then we hear him, then we see SOMETHING moving behind the trees and bushes before he finally makes his appearance. It’s a great example of suspense and tension being drawn out, and I’m sure it influenced many future directors (I think of Spielberg’s Jaws as a prime example).

That tension actually permeates the film, making the film a great example of how to have your audience on the edge of their seats.  For example, once Kong takes Darrow, the film doesn’t follow her, which would be the obvious choice, but rather immediately follows the rest of the crew as they figure out their plan to search for her. In fact, we don’t see Darrow again for nearly 10 minutes, leaving the viewer to make up all kinds of horrible outcomes as the rescuers encounter trial after tribulation trying to follow her. What’s even more impressive is that that suspense still holds up, particularly in the final sequence in New York.

That human is CLEARLY looking like a snack

The film is probably most remembered for its special effects, so I would be remiss in not discussing them. Obviously, while it was probably astounding for the time, the animation doesn’t appear to hold up today. Kong has the random fur movement signifying stop motion animation, the stop-motion human characters are lifeless and jerky, and the other dinosaurs are animated with less precision than Kong. I can only imagine, however, what the audience must have thought when seeing the film. I can only imagine that it was like seeing Jurassic Park’s dinosaurs for the first time: jaw dropping and viscerally real. There is a sequence in a cave that has six or seven different photographed elements all combined to create the illusion on screen, and it’s amazing (once you move past how silly the action actually looks today). The dinosaurs in the film are, admittedly, silly by today’s standards: the stegosaurus is DRAMATIC AS HELL, and that long-necked dino is legitimately just snacking on people. 

The dramatic finale

As silly and sometimes cringe-worthy as the special effects are, I’d argue that, in some cases, they still hold up today. Watching Kong meet his demise atop the Empire State Building was still emotional, watching as he comes to terms with his injuries, looking at Darrow one last time, and then succumbing definitely was more emotional than I thought it would be. Again, it’s not perfect, but taken in context, it’s incredibly impressive.

Overall, while it’s not a perfect film, King Kong still impresses with its storytelling, visuals, and then-groundbreaking special effects. To many, the film looks laughable now (and don’t get me wrong, I definitely made my share of snarky comments during it), but it’s a major step forward in visual effects and of “monster” movies, so I think it definitely earns its place on this list.

FINAL GRADE: B