King Kong. 1933. Directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack and Merian C. Cooper.

(6/18/00)

This is the first time I have ever seen King Kong in a theatrical setting--the way it was meant to be seen. It is a film that certainly seems to be symbolic. It practically cries out for interpretation. What is this tale really all about?

It starts out with the written words of a proverb about how the beast looked at beauty and would fight no more and was from that moment on as one dead. This proverb could be real or fictitious, but it tells us from the outset that the encounter with beauty is a dangerous one. And then we meet Carl Denham, a showman who wants to take a young woman out to an uncharted island inhabited by a giant creature and make a film on the subject of "beauty and the beast." Why? Why is this subject of such interest to him?

On the voyage he warns Jack, a tough sailor man, how guys go soft when they get taken with women--and that is exactly what happens. When Jack decides he loves Ann he starts gushing all over her like a kid.

Then Denham uses Ann as bait to capture and shackle the beast. It almost doesn't work for Kong breaks loose. But he is brought down by airplanes and Denham declaims, "It was beauty killed the beast" in a way that suggests the he finds some pleasure, some satisfaction in this. Again, the question is, "Why?"

Denham himself is not soft. He pursues his goal with single-minded determination. He uses people to get what he wants. Some of them die. I find it particularly disturbing that he enlists Ann in this project without making it clear to her how dangerous it is and that she is risking her life. And he shows absolutely no sexual interest in her. Denham is determined to protect himself from the fate that befalls Kong.

The movie crew travels to an island. There is a native village which is cut off from the rest of the island by a huge wall. Beyond that wall are monsters--mostly of the prehistoric variety. It is easy to see the part of the island beyond the wall as the subconscious. In there are primordial forces that man must protect himself from.

When Denham and his crew venture beyond the wall I had a strong feeling that they had no business going in tere. They are invaders and totally outmatched except for one thing--their weapons. They only prevail through technology and it is by technology that Kong is defeated.

Ann is retrieved from danger beyond the wall and Denham announces his plan to use her as bait to capture Kong. And then something fascinating happens--Kong breaks through the wall. It is an image of the barriers that protect us from our unconscious demons being broken down. But he breaks through only to be captured.

Kong is captured and brought to New York City where he breaks through his chains and runs amok. The very act of bringing him there seems a desecration or violation. This monster from a primitive land certainly seems frightening climbing the buildings of New York and he certainly does a lot of damage. But he is helpless, he is trapped against airplanes armed with guns.

Kong seems a terrible monster, but he has been brought there against his will. He didn't decide on his own to come and go on a rampage in the streets of New York. He is confused and bewildered. Perhaps by rendering Kong helpless and destroying him Car Denham hoped to destroy the beast within his own subconscious.

That ape sure has personality and that is one of the things that makes this film a classic. Kong is an animated character, but he is very vividly realized. He is tender with Ann and ready and able to protect his treasure from those other creatures that would seize it. He is--in his way--loving and appreciative and it is sad to hear Ann's screams, warranted though they are. Kong is full of love and tenderness towards Ann, but all he is--and all he ever can be--is a monster. It is doubtful whether she will ever be aware of that tender feeling. Neither Ann nor Jack nor Denham ever really "see" Kong.

Photographically, the film has a very old-fashioned look to it. I am not sure if that describes it accurately. It has, at least, a distinctive visual quality. And it takes a long time building to the entrance of Kong. That is very effective. The special effects, meticulous as they are, do not persuade me. It is obvious that these are mechanical creatures. I can't imagine how audiences in 1933 reacted to them.

Nonetheless, the film has really gripping moments. One is when a man on a tree branch is eaten (or attacked) by a prehistoric monster. Another is when Kong crushes humans underfoot as if they were ants or small insects. But what really got to me the most was the native girl who was slated to be the bride of Kong. We see her in the midst of a native ceremony and she looks so terrified and helpless.

On the other hand, I wasn't particularly grabbed by the moment when Kong undresses Ann. At least, not this time around. And all that stuff in the jungle with the animated monsters didn't interest me that much. The climax on the Empire State Building was interesting to watch, but I knew it well enough so that I wasn't involved. But I do acknowledge that it was a hightly imaginative scene and a striking image of the primordial in conflictwith civilization.