King Kong Review

King Kong Review:
Directed By: Ernest B. SchoedsackMerian C. Cooper
Starring: Fay WrayRobert ArmstrongBruce Cabo
Year of release: 1933

Fig. 1

The year is 1933 and a small film crew led by Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) is taken on an intrepid expedition to to search and film something that they believed to exist only in myth, the great beast Kong.

Kong:
Although initially created to incite fear in the audience the character of Kong is more than just a formidable beast is it delves deep into issues such as infatuation and the undying human wish to be free both of which where depicted in this film by a creature that although genetically close to human, wasn't.

 " King Kong explores the soul of a monster -- making audiences scream and cry throughout the film -- in large part due to Kong's breakthrough special effects."- Rotten Tomatoes

In my Opinion King Kong was one of the most Infatuation driven characters in history often going to great lengths in order to get what he desired in one particular scene they had captured the great ape and where beginning to show him off in a New York city theatre after seeing his golden haired maiden the ape then broke free of the shackles that bound him in order to be reunited with his 'love'. this scene to me also displayed a certain depression in the great ape as he had the power and ability to break free of the shackles at anytime but chose not to because he had seemingly lost all hope of being reunited with his chosen one.


Fig. 2

Technique:

"-some live-action scenes were miniaturized to make the Kong model look larger; searching for the right screen to project them on, the filmmakers hit on a screen made of condoms, to the consternation of a nearby druggist who could not understand their orders for a gross at a time. Haver also observes how Kong's fur seems to crawl during several scenes; the model was covered with rabbit fur, and the fingers of the stop-action animators disturbed it between every stop-action shot. The effect, explained by the filmmakers as "muscles rippling," is oddly effective." - Roger Ebert, Febuary 3rd 2002

The technical achievements made by King Kong were tremendous in helping get the modern day filmaking underway. Often having to invent their own techniques to shoot the film, Kong made itself a stand out film while many others where doing single stationary shot scenes which had very little action or pace to them. Kong also helped pave the way for the 'Summer Blockbuster' films like Transformers and the super-hero movies as the wall to wall action with cameras following it around a scene are still in use today and originated from Kong.

"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." - New York Times 1933


Fig 3.

Illustration List:
Figure 2: http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/3-king-kong-1933-granger.jpg
Figure 3:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAmHTe8rHB81ZUcyM3vIFDMyQ-HZHUdtph2bVunp09qgVL91IFbJqfcWTzqlyWLNaJAS-C1G5dAp8uEql2djDUWvyzvSVr_0ua2MOkYJgWgRyNgJZx5jr5eeZFSTBDnydaRusONrcZA0/s1600/kingkong1.jpg

Bibliography:
(Rotten Tomatoes)http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1011615-king_kong/
(Roger Ebert, 2002)http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-king-kong-1933
(Mordaunt Hall, 1933)  http://www.nytimes.com/movie/reviewres=9F03E3DC173BEF3ABC4B53DFB5668388629EDE

Comments

  1. Hi Tumo,

    Again, you have made some interesting and valid observations about this film, and how influential it has been in shaping contemporary film.

    I will direct you back to my previous comments regarding not using headings, but integrating the different subject areas into one...this will make your writing flow better for the reader. Also, try not to write in the 1st person (that is, saying 'I think', 'in my opinion' etc) There is an excellent guide in your Unit descriptor, under Essays and Articles, which will show you how to write in the 3rd person.

    Just from a layout point of view, make sure that you are consistent with your font style and size - at the moment, you have large and small, and a variety of different styles going on here! Stick to something professional, such as Arial or Helvetica.

    ReplyDelete

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