King Kong: Movie Critique

The 1933 King Kong was produced by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. This style of collaborative work between two minds was pioneering for 1930’s Hollywood, but there are far more ground-breaking attributes to this film. King Kong was the first Blockbuster and established what it meant to be a high-budget, eccentric viewing experience. The opening credits are flooded with company names and credited expensive production assistance. This was absent in previous films from the Space Oddities Programme such as Caligari and Metropolis.

America at the time of King Kong’s release was a disaster; Fascism, racism, poverty and the challenges of the Great Depression rampaged the country. 1933 saw the election of Rosavelt, who was helping the country get back on its feet during this terrible time. ¼ of the country was unemployed, the stock market crash had only happened a decade previous…This was a strange time to be releasing a high-budget, risk-taking cinematic experience. The white American population were in a state of panic, not just from the state of the economy, but from the migration of black people into the country. America was in the aftermath of dismantling slavery, which was another confusing shift to society that shook the white American population. Bad cultural images were being built at this time, which is evident in the racist undertones in King Kong.

The 1930’s was allegedly the ‘golden age’ of Hollywood. By the release of King Kong, the movie industry was one of the largest In America. However, this was vastly assisted by the contributions of KKK members. Initially setting up film companies in the 20’s, they went on to promote their views through racist films, corrupting the industry. Jewish directors on the rise were viewed as “pollutants” in the industry, Racist contributors would remark that “Hollywood needs a Hitler”. “King Kong was also the favourite movie of the most notorious real-to-life villain in history – Adolf Hitler” – John Strand (2016). Looking back at the ‘Golden Age’, it was an awful, corrupted time for the industry and the country. It was also the dawn of mass controlling media. This film might have been used as a form of escapism for many Americans dealing with the terrible condition of the country. Was King Kong a projection of how America was feeling? Fear towards the future, and the perceived threat of different cultures migrating into the country?

Poster Art (2019)

King Kong includes some of the most culturally significant examples of stop motion in cinema. “And these special effects contribute some of the most iconic images in film history, not least of which is the famous scene with King Kong on the Empire State Building, swatting at fighter planes.” – Grantss (2019). What was presented became ground-breaking. Almost everything that came after (that involves similar visual effects) made strong links back to this film. For the time, scenes in the film were imaginative; producers were limited by the flat screens to create special effects. Techniques that combat this include the example of Kong and his battle with the crew in the jungle of Skull Island. Kong tries to deter the crew from chasing him by shaking the log that they all rest on…an interesting way of linking two mediums together (clay models, and filmed people), creating a fluidity that hadn’t been effectively done in film before. In fact, “when Kong shakes a log to dislodge the men clinging to it--were done in two days” – Roger Ebert (2002). Dimension is also pioneeringly created by silhouetting dramatic shapes in the foreground of shots and using screens to create immense environments behind. This can be seen when Kong infiltrates the beach as the tribal inhabitants run for their lives. This dramatic scene setup showed-off new techniques; screen and lighting experimentation makes a flat, fake collage of different mediums look more like a real environment.

Dimension Example (2019)

King Kong has an immediate issue with problematic racial narratives. The core plot involves an ape coming from a tropical country to trash America, racist undertones are already making themselves apparent. There is a relation between the capture and unveiling of Kong along with slave trade auctions. Kong “comes to the city merely a captive”. Racism is also underlined by the hierarchy that Is implied amongst all characters in the film. White men are portrayed with the most authority, and show assertive tendencies towards the tribe of Skull Island and even the female lead, Ann. “There is something on this island a white man has never seen”, implying that something only has recognition and importance once this has happened. Could the racist remarks and undertones in this film reflect the racist opinions of the 1930’s American population?

As the plot takes shape in King Kong, the crew settle themselves onto Skull Island. The tribal inhabitants are the ones to initiate the core storyline by capturing Ann, and the audience blames the tribe for the bad accounts that follow. This could be interpreted as an attempt to villainize the tribe, whilst putting the white Americans in a naïve and heroic position. This leads to the crew ‘stumbling’ upon Kong, taking him back to America like children showing off their discoveries.

Sexism is also prominent in the film, there’s nothing subtle about this theme. Within the first 10 minutes of the movie, before the voyage to Skull Island begins, repeated remarks about having a woman on the ship are made “Women are a nuisance on ships”. Ann doesn’t make this issue better for herself, as she is introduced to audiences as a very limp and fragile character; collapsing into the arms of the director before getting whisked away to an exotic island by a stranger. Upon our first introduction to Ann, audiences learn of her possible money struggles with her attempt to steal food. The film tried extremely hard to romanticize Americas current economic issues, and little else is shown to audiences about the struggles of American citizens. “men forget their wisdom when they see a beauty” suggests that sexism is also targeted the other way; insulting men for falling in love and disregarding them once they have a love interest.



Character design is another revolutionary theme explored in King Kong. The film pioneered monster films and established meta-figures. In the decade after the film was released, repeated rip-offs were produced, and the market for similar films has become increasingly saturated since.  

Some characters in the film would be controversial when viewed today. For example, the Asian crew member, whose uniform is altered to exaggerate stereotypes and suggest cultural appropriation. His amplified accent implies illiteracy, an example of this is his reaction to the tribes of Skull Island “me no like”. The character’s only role revealed to audiences is potato peeling and tending to the ship’s pet monkey.

The character of Kong is weighed down with further racist themes due to the presence of dinosaurs, suggesting that he is prehistoric and unexposed to the modernisation of 1930’s America. Additionally, all creatures that inhabit Skull Island try to, and ultimately kill the white American crew. This suggests that all the exotic inhabitants of the island are dangerous and unwelcoming, once again villainizing the foreign culture. King Kong tries hard to personify the dark, mysterious east.

Figure 2, Charlie The Crew Cook

Figure 3, Unwelcoming 

The soundtrack to King Kong is yet another ground-breaking characteristic of this film, being the first score dedicated to a motion picture. The orchestral track has flexibility; creating comedy with string instruments when Kong tickles the captured Ann and creating a more serious atmosphere by exaggerating the footsteps of the tribal leader, suggesting strength and authority. The music to this film also assists audiences with following the plot; muffled dialogue was often hard to understand. In these situations, audiences can translate the atmosphere of the music.



Overall, King Kong was an enjoyable watch and is an interesting piece of history. However, the innocence of its early technology and ideas is violently ripped off its persona once its context is revealed. I perceive the film as more of an insult to black migrants, rather than a fun exploration of monsters in modern America. Linking economic, political and cultural contexts to this film was an eye-opener, and I have a new view on this film along with everything else released during the ‘golden age’ of Hollywood…

Bibliography:

• Ebert, R. (2019). King Kong movie review & film summary (1933) | Roger Ebert. [online] Rogerebert.com. Available at: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-king-kong-1933 [Accessed 16 Oct. 2019].
• IMDb. (2019). King Kong (1933) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024216/ [Accessed 16 Oct. 2019].
• Pintrest (2019). Poster Art. [image] Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/370139663094059772/ [Accessed 16 Oct. 2019].
• Strand, J. (2019). King Kong (1933) Review. [online] Horror Freak News - The Best Horror Movies Website. Available at: https://horrorfreaknews.com/king-kong-1933-review [Accessed 16 Oct. 2019].
• Tor.com (2019). Figure 3, Dinosaur. [image] Available at: https://www.tor.com/2014/11/28/cinemas-best-and-worst-dinosaurs-2/ [Accessed 16 Oct. 2019].
• Wikipedia (2019). Figure 2, Charlie. [image] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Wong_(actor,_born_1906) [Accessed 16 Oct. 2019].
• Wordpress (2019). Figure 1, King Kong breaks through gate. [image] Available at: https://fanwithamovieyammer.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/171-tie-king-kong-1933-dir-merian-c-cooper-ernest-b-schoedsack/ [Accessed 16 Oct. 2019].