King Kong of 1933 - Analysis - Assignment Example

King Kong (1933 An Analysis The film King Kong, The black-and-white version made in 1933 is a typical Hollywood film. All aspects of the film havetrademark Hollywood elements in them. The following passages will see an explication of this assertion. In many ways this is a ground-breaking film. It set a precedent for all the subsequent thriller/horror/animation films that have been made in Hollywood. It would not be an exaggeration to state that in all subsequent movies of these genres, traces of King Kong could be found. Not many people today would be excited at the prospect of viewing this 1933 edition. The reason being, they have already seen aspects of King Kong in many movies that the novelty completely escapes the mind. Is this a judgement on the true merit of the film? The answer is in the negative. The only proper way in evaluating the technical and artistic merits of the film is by taking into consideration the prevailing technologies available at the time of production. In this case, King Kong should be placed in the context of the available technologies of 1930s. For example, Willis OBriens stop-motion animation was a remarkable achievement at the time. So is the skilful performance of the leading lady Fay Wray (Stringer, p.409). The animation work of Willis OBrien received special appreciation. Eight years earlier, OBrien had worked as Special Effects Animator in the film adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyles "The Lost World". Given that the Hollywood in 1925 was in a stage of technological nascence, adds merit to OBriens work. Although King Kong is rightfully regarded as a ground-breaking film, it did follow a trend of films that involved monstrous beasts. Some such movies leading up to King Kong would be "Jazz Monkey", "Chang", Monkey Stuff", "Prohibition Monkey", and of course "The last world". All these movies except the last one expanded on the "Apes in Jungles" theme. The Last World depicted prehistoric life of dinosaurs. Some critics point out that King Kong has semblances to the classic fable "Beauty and the Beast" (McGowan-Hartmann, 2006). The realistic portrayal of an ape-like monster can be attributed to the film-makers backgrounds. Both Merian Coopers and Ernest Schoedsacks previous work experiences included documenting apes in their natural habitat. The transition from factual documentary making to adventure-horror-fantasy must have been challenging for both these men. In hindsight, their success in overcoming these inundated challenges had contributed immensely to the film industry world-wide. The screenplay by James Creelman and Ruth Rose was full of brilliance as well (Vaz, p.73). The RKO Studio, which produced the film in 1933, was in a tight corner financially. So the budget for King Kong was kept to the bare minimum. Due to some foresight, planning and efficient use of available resources, the film-makers were able to produce this masterpiece. For example, the shooting was scheduled in such a way that the benign climatic conditions of spring and summer seasons could be used for maximum advantage. When constrained by the low budget, Merian Cooper and Edgar Wallace decided to re-use the set built for the making of "The Most Dangerous Game" the previous year. By the way, "The Most Dangerous Game" was itself a big success. But King Kong managed to out-score this movie in financial returns (Vaz, p.73). The one aspect of King Kong that saw much innovation was its cinematography. For example, rear projection, dummy miniature models of characters, and other cameral tricks that were adopted during the making of this film were to become standard procedures in the film industry. In spite of such revolutionary innovations, King Kong did not receive even a single Academy Award nomination. The category where it would have swept all prizes was "Special Effects". Since there was no separate "Special Effects" department during the 1930s, this coveted recognition evaded King Kong. Also, the constant depiction of violence in the film and the popular acclaim that it received might have swayed the decision of members of the Academy (Stringer, p.409). In the movie, the character named Denham (who plays a notorious film-maker) fails to find a star actress to accept the role of the leading lady. His offers were declined because of the unconventional nature of the script - it seemed no one wanted to risk their careers. This situation was testing Denhams patience and balance. At this juncture, his eyes catch the sight of a poor and miserable young woman in one of the New York streets. Unkempt she might have been, but her underlying beauty was unmistakable. He decides then and there that she (played by Fay Wray) would be the leading lady in his film. He convinces the young woman that this is a rare and lucrative opportunity to achieve popular recognition and fame. The young woman complies. There are many a classic Hollywood thematic elements in this section of the narrative - "a chance encounter", "journey from obscurity to fame", "rags to riches", "the American Dream", etc. (Grover, 2005). Exploring further, more classic thematic pieces could be uncovered. For example, when First Mate Driscoll meets Ann (Fay Wray) in the deck, he develops empathy for her. This could be deciphered as a variation on "Damsel in Distress" scenario. First Mate Driscoll, a hard and tough shipman, mellows in the presence of a vulnerable and insecure woman (McGowan-Hartmann, 2006). This scenario too is played out in numerous other Hollywood productions. Damon Young sees the romance in the film from a different perspective: “The theme of domesticating femininity as that which tames and undoes the male subject through the force of its visual desirability is central to the film’s narrative economy….Insofar as Kong functions as a surrogate for the masculine ego unconstrained by civilization, the film stages the feminine power of desirability as a threat: Kong is destroyed by his love for Ann.” (Young, Damon) The director maintains an element of suspense and mystery during the adventurous voyage to an island, whose inhabitants are not known to the outside world. First of all, Denham, on whose orders the ship is run, does not disclose any information regarding their destination when the ship leaves shore. He finally decides to brief his crew members of their impending exotic experience. Even at that point there were more questions than answers. The crew only had a vague conception of their enterprise. The director is not just keeping his crew members in a state of uncertainty and anxiety, but also the audience (Grover, 2005). Movies in the horror genre exploit this aspect of human psychology very well. This is a time-tested technique used in narrative arts of all types - novels, plays, movies, etc., to keep the audience hooked to the narrative. Again, this is classic Hollywood. The narrative technique, which was very effective in arousing audience interest found varied expression in Alfred Hitchcock movies decades later (McGowan-Hartmann, 2006). The second half of the film is a showcase of visual innovations. The scene where King Kong would mount the Empire State building with his lady love in hand was masterfully crafted. Here, the giant beast takes on an array of fighter planes. The use of miniature models in arriving at a real-life visual effect was so perfect that it would escape our notice (Stringer, p.409) The movie has come to define Hollywood productions because it leaves room for various interpretations. This quality is manifest in all classic works of art and King Kong is no exception. The film can be classified under numerous genres. It is a romantic, adventure, horror, science-fiction, political film. The last adjective is quite interesting, because this particular description is not striking or obvious. It is political to the extent that it depicts American imperialist tendencies through the treatment meted out to the native tribes of the island. It is also political in that the movie making attitude displayed by Denham is purely capitalist - ruthlessly commercial and thereby inhumane. This inhumane subjugation is imposed on his own crew members and the native tribes. In many ways Denhams character was so typical of the Studio bosses of the 1930s and 1940s. Since Capitalism and Imperialism are both inherent qualities of all Hollywood productions, we can conclude that King Kong typifies the Classic Hollywood production. (Stringer, p.410) Toward the end of the film King Kong gets away from the crew members and goes in pursuit of Driscoll (The First Mate). Driscoll is shown to be taking refuge in a small cave near the ledge. This scene uses miniature rear projection technique to depict Kongs hand and Driscolls person in the cave. Though many attempts have been made prior to this using miniature rear projection technique, this scene stands head and shoulders above other for its flawless technical brilliance (Farmelo, 2000). King Kong was a huge financial success. It returned $5 million in North America alone. The budget for this movie was only $650,000. Hollywood essentially is a money-making enterprise. In this respect King Kong was classic Hollywood. It also holds the distinction of being the first film to be re-released in theatres across the world. King Kong also inspired a series of remakes, sequels and spin-offs. These later productions were not just confined to the big-screen. The influence of King Kong was to pervade into plays, cartoons, magazines, advertisements, television serials and many more (White, 2006). The fact that none of these subsequent productions found the same level of success as the 1933 version goes to prove the quality of the original version. This fact is succinctly expressed by Damon Young: “If King Kong in its original version provides material evidence of the sexism and racism that condition the emergence of cinema as the twentieth century’s premier form of mass entertainment, the contemporary remake nonetheless celebrates it as a masterpiece of genre. Where the new version pays faithful homage to the stylistic and formal innovations of the original, it does so at the expense of any ideological critique or reassessment of their terms. The new King Kong does, however, encourage an ironic reading by heightening the self-reflexivity that was already germane to the original film, which was about making a film” (Young, Damon) If a movies success is determined by its impact on popular culture, then King Kong surely was a success. A noted film critic once observed that the character King Kong is known to more people than any other on-screen character. The movies popularity was so pervasive that it attracted audience inclined to particular genres. This is made possible by the fact that the film contained sufficient offering of romance, horror, adventure, drama and fantasy. The seamless integration of jungle landscape with a metropolis landscape was superbly done. (Silverblatt, 1996) The 1930s were still a period of racial discrimination in America. Through out American history, from the days of the Declaration of Independence, the Black has always been represented in mainstream culture as a barbaric and primitive creature. In the movie, Kong was an ape, a Black creature that is portrayed as inferior to the white European people. The Black creature is fetched from the uncivilized jungle and terrorizes the civilized White city inhabitants. At the time of the release in 1933 some film critics alluded to the fact that the Black ape monster is similar in characteristics to that of a Black Negro. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the natives in the mysterious island were also Black. The fact that such assumptions did not raise disagreement, let alone an outrage, goes on to show the deep-seated racial beliefs of the American society in general and Hollywood in particular. Again, the captured monster is brought over to America to be displayed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". The capture and shipping of Kong has semblances of Slave Trade. Hence, fictitious as it is, King Kong is also a documentary of the attitudes and beliefs of the American society at that point in time. These sentiments are reflected in the following commentary: “The positioning of King Kong as the emotional centre of the film - its central figure of audience identification – brings both mass and sub cultural theories to bear on her subject. Kong is a popular hero who is also an exotic other, a tormented outsider who appeals to spectators outside the mainstream, including international, gay, black, and feminist audiences. Kong has been able to generate works of protest and liberation since his monstrous hybridism is open to complex decoding. While Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsacks original film is a colonial text, it is also a fascinating account of ethnographic encounter and trans-cultural contact, possessed of a clear use-value for those interested in multicultural and global concerns.” (Farmelo, 2000) Another significant achievement of the film was the rich detail with which Kongs character is depicted. A primate as he is, Kong displays of anger, melancholy and desire were human-like. To create such subtle facial expressions using stop-animation technique must have been a challenging and tedious proposition. Yet, it was done without a blemish (Farmelo, 2000). The scene in which Kong was introduced makes an impression on the viewer. The giant primate is shown going on a rampage in the jungle, destroying everything within reach. The grunts, growls and roars of Kong perfectly compliment the visual on screen. Then a long-distance shot of the thirty foot Kong is shown to place him in proportion to the surroundings. He then nears the site where Ann was being prepared by the tribe to be sacrificed to their Gods. On catching a glimpse of the beautiful Ann, Kong transforms from an angry and aggressive beast to one that is smitten by desire. Ann gets terrorized as the beast moves closer. She screams in terror and finally faints. But instead of making a snack out of Ann, he gently lifts her into his palm, his eyes glowing in admiration of her beauty. It is to the credit of the Directors that this scene was shot without a glitch. The transition of Kongs emotions from that of brutish violence to that of one in love was a delicate operation. But the directors succeed in bringing this scene to fruition in spite of the limited cinematographic technology available to them. It is for such flawless execution of a challenging project that King Kong remains a classic Hollywood product. (White, 2006) The crew sets out for a rescue mission with First Mate Driscoll in the lead. With Driscoll and Ann having already expressed their mutual attraction toward each other, another instance of "Damsel in Distress", "Knight in Shining Armour" sub-themes play out. The subsequent scenes of the exotic wild-life of the jungle draws much merit. The prehistoric creature Stegosaurus, the amphibious Brontosaurus and the winged Pteranodon were portrayed realistically. The shot from a ground-level perspective makes them appear larger and more frightening. The most spectacular and thrilling of these visuals is the one where Kong takes on Tyrannosaurus Rex in a battle. This vicious one-on-one combat keeps the audience in bated breath. The jaws, claws and tails of these prehistoric monsters were consistent with their scientific descriptions. (Silverblatt, 1996) Keith Breese’s following tribute is a fitting way of concluding this essay: “There are very few works of cinema that stand up to repeated viewings and decades of changing film mores and audience expectations. Most notable among these is the classic King Kong. While the special effects that really came to symbolize the film look a bit ragged and prehistoric today, they carry an emotional weight that remains unequalled by modern CGI trickery and model work. You can spout off all you like about the wonders of The Lord of the Rings’ Gollum but for all his slimy verisimilitude the guy still looks 2-D. There is, of course, a reason for that: He is. Kong wasn’t.” (Breese) References: J. Snead, Spectatorship and Capture in King Kong: The Guilty Look, Critical Quarterly, 1991. A. Silverblatt, Media literacy: Keys to interpreting media messages, - Canadian Journal of Communication, 1996. C White, King Kong: the building of 1933 New York City International Conference on Computer Graphics and Animation, 2006. J McGowan-Hartmann, King Kong vs. Rambo: A Cautionary Tale, Nebula, Grover, R. (Dec 20, 2005). A Hairy Run for King Kong? The remake boasts a hot director and fairly favorable reviews. But its slow start at the box office wasnt in Universals script, Business Week Online, p.NA. Thomaselli, R., & Stanley, T (Nov 14, 2005). IPod courts sports, Hollywood; Apple wants it all, from King Kong clips to football footage, Advertising Age, 76, 46. p.3.  Vaz, Mark Cotta., Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong. Library Journal, 130, 11. p.73(1).  DamonYoung, 2007, “Ironic Identities and Earnest Desires: King Kong and the Desire-to-be-looked-at”. The lesson of King Kong; The film industry., (Dec 10, 2005). The Economist (US), 377, 8456. p.68US.  Keith Breese, King Kong (1933): A review, Farmelo, G. (March 25, 2000)., Apocalyptic visions. The Lancet, 355, 9209, p.1105.  Stringer, J. (August 1999)., Tracking King Kong: A Hollywood Icon in World Culture, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 19, 3. p.409(3).  Read More