Space Oddities Film Reviews - King Kong

Fig. 1. 'King Kong' Poster. 

'King Kong' is a 1933 film directed and produced by Merian C. Copper and Ernest B. Shoedsack. The film was widely considered as the first Hollywood blockbuster, which in turn, changed the course of cinema towards large budget films. The film itself is based around a director, Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), who hires an actress, Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), to travel to an island in the Indian Ocean to capture location shots for his new picture. The story is essentially a twisted version of the well know tale of Beauty and the Beast. Throughout the film there are many metaphors and stereotypes that were unchallenged at the time, which seem absurd to a modern audience. However, there is no doubt that the picture had a large influence on cinema for better or worse. 

Fig. 2. Still from 'King Kong'.

1933 was the peak of the American Great Depression. The public was poor, many were homeless and without jobs as a result of large companies going out of business. With a similar effect to many other countries throughout history taking solace in the arts during a rough period, films like ‘King Kong’ offered a sense of escape from the American public’s everyday lives. Many of these films related to social situations of the time, making the viewer feel as if they had a solution to their problems. However, with such a vast audience, these large-scale Hollywood films made it easy for certain groups to spread their propaganda. During the 1920's, Klan groups began to produce feature length films, such as 'The Toll of Justice'. Like the posters, the films presented ideas and themes that furthered their cause against minority groups, their main target being Jewish people. At the same time, many Jewish directors and companies were gaining power in the film industry. As a result, groups like the Klan looked at the industry and decided that it was the source of their problems. They started to promote this idea in their films and some of these themes can be seen creeping into 'King Kong'. However, with an average sum of funding to create this picture, for its time, it's audiences were astounded at the visual aspects presented before them, as Roger Ebert explains in his review, "Although it has the scope and feel of an expensive epic, "Kong" had a relatively moderate budget of about $600,000. Sequences that would take weeks these days--such as when Kong shakes a log to dislodge the men clinging to it--were done in two days". (Ebert, 2002). The actual process of making this film was fairly forward thinking in terms of visual aspects. 

Fig. 3. Still from 'King Kong'. 

Fig. 4. Still from 'King Kong'. 

Alongside other controversies, Hollywood was ignoring the problem with the racial politics of the time. 'King Kong' reflected these ideals, which were sadly extremely racist. This was clear in many other Hollywood films being produced at the time, and although things are slowly changing, it can still be seen to this day in cinema. The film presents the stereotypical view white-Americans had on black people at the time. As a result of the ban of slave trade, many of those who had been taken from their countries now found themselves on the streets without jobs. This led to the largely white-American public labelling the black community in a bad light. Although many state that 1920-30's was the 'Golden Age' of cinema, you don't have to dig to far before you see all of these important issues that were unchallenged. The clearest example of racism in 'King Kong' is Kong himself. There is an obvious connection between Kong being captured and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, the imagery produced in the film resembles old drawings of slave auctions. Kong is taken from his native home and placed on stage like an object. Again, in the first shot we see of the villagers of Skull Island the racial stereotypes are sure to make a modern audience uneasy. After Kong escapes and is shot down Denham states "Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast". Although Denham is referring to the idea that Kong sacrificed himself to save Ann from the planes, it becomes rather absurd to a modern audience as he was the one who took Kong from his home and caused him to be captured in the first place. "It’s a straightforward enough adventure story, but historically “King Kong” has been viewed by some film critics as a kind of racist allegory, symbolically depicting white America’s view of black people at the time. Critics have drawn connections between the capture of Kong and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, with Kong’s disastrous escape in New York symbolic of the perceived “disaster” of granting black people in the U.S. true freedom." (Blay, 2017). The film continually presents racist, misogynistic and stereotypical views on the world. 

Fig. 5. Newspaper clipping. 

'King Kong' uses a mixture of live actors and stop motion and man-made special effects to create an action-packed film. Through projections and other techniques, the film makers managed to create a monster that the actors could interact with. Although there were some continuity errors with the actual size of Kong throughout the film, the process and outcome were ahead of its time. It gives the audience a sense of adventure, showing an enthusiastic group travelling to a far-off land to fight an evil monster. There’s no doubt that the film jump started the future of cinema, it influenced the idea that characters could be a part of other worlds (e.g. ‘King Kong vs Godzilla’). “Through multiple exposures, processed "shots" and a variety of angles of camera wizardry the producers set forth an adequate story and furnish enough thrills for any devotee of such tales.” (Hall, 1933). 

Illustration List:

- Copper, M. & Shoedsack, E. (1933). Figure 1. 'King Kong' Poster.  https://collectibles.knoji.com/ten-valuable-1933-king-kong-movie-collectibles/

-Copper, M. & Shoedsack, E. (1933). Figure 2. Still from 'King Kong'. http://www.popculturecast.com/2017/03/king-kong-1933-movie-review.html

-Copper, M. & Shoedsack, E. (1933). Figure 3. Still from 'King Kong'. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/257057091200895660/

-Copper, M. & Shoedsack, E. (1933). Figure 4. Still from 'King Kong'. https://www.listal.com/movie/king-kong-1933/reviews

-Edwards, G. (2013). Figure 5. Newspaper clipping. https://cinefex.com/blog/king-kong-or-not/

Bibliography:

-Blay, Z. (2017). huffingtonpost.co.uk. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/this-video-breaks-down-the-racist-history-of-king-kong_us_58c19101e4b0d1078ca4d309?ri18n=true&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9jb25zZW50LnlhaG9vLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAAVYqBu93vXwTuK0CsdhIJmDHEPeYhw5uCW5bHzM8ooO70rdGPLkcn3XOi9ekZNi0s1bS_-aDGMewu9M790qYk-1Rz7ObF8iorVRoUtEMpy4U55qd50_Wwur5rINMg9HtwNtNNmhpqpdF1Yrb-j7hdKzJgTJfxPYgzLrqofPVxBZ

-Ebert, R. (2002). rogerebert.com. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-king-kong-1933 

-Hall, M. (1933). nytimes.com. https://www.nytimes.com/1933/03/03/archives/a-fantastic-film-in-which-a-monstrous-ape-uses-automobiles-for.html