When Kong is brought to New York, he is dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World and seeing him on film in 1933 must have been a wonderous experience.  Indeed, interest was so strong that it opened at the two largest theaters in New York with a combined 10,000 seat capacity and sold out ten shows a day for the first four days.

King Kong begins and ends in New York City.  Carl Denham, a filmmaker played by Robert Armstrong, is known for shooting in remote and exotic locations but he needs to continually surpass his last shoot to impress viewers.  He wants to film in a new location but is so secretive that he cannot find a leading lady to take the role.  He meets down on her luck actress Ann Darrow, played by Fay Wray, while she is trying to steal a piece of fruit, and offers her “money and adventure and fame … the thrill of a lifetime.”

After a long sea voyage, the crew arrives at remote Skull Island.  Ann is kidnapped by natives and tied up as a sacrificial offering on the large wall surrounding the village.  Soon, Kong arrives and carries her off into the jungle.  Other monstrous denizens of the jungle threaten her, but Kong protects her and is clearly smitten with her.  Meanwhile, members of the ship’s crew led by Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) begin a search for her.  Eventually, Jack finds her and, while Kong is distracted, he snatches Ann and races back toward the village with Kong in hot pursuit.  Denham is waiting with gas bombs to incapacitate Kong and transport him back to New York where he will become the centerpiece of a theatrical production.  On opening night, photographers snapping pictures panic Kong and he breaks free.  All hell breaks out as he rampages throughout the city in search of Ann.

When watching this movie today, you know the special effects are dated.  In an odd way, this almost makes them more effective.  In this, King Kong is much like the Universal monster movies from the same period.  The special effects just feel right.  The use of stop-motion photography makes Kong’s movements a bit choppy and there is something creepy about it to this day.  There is also something about Kong’s size that captures your attention.  He almost seems to grow during the film as the puppets and miniatures are filmed at different camera angles and your eye compares them to other objects in the frame.  By the end of the film, when Kong is at the top of the State Building, he appears 60 feet tall or more, much larger than he appeared to be earlier in the film.

King Kong’s special effects are legendary but there is much more to this film.  The score was also groundbreaking.  Max Steiner wrote a feature length score to accompany the film rather than simply borrow bits of music from other sources.  Because the score goes with the movie, there are points where it can and does carry the film.  It leads you from emotion to emotion from the wonder of seeing a prehistoric beast to the terror of it chasing you through the forest.  At other times, the score pairs beautifully with Kong’s expressions and conveys his emotions.  It was masterful for its time. 

Faye Wray’s screams are also legendary.  A talented actress, she is unfortunately most remembered for screaming her way through this film.  She later said that she recorded hours of screams so that there would be plenty when it came time for editing.  She deserves far more credit than most give her for this film.  In most of her scenes with Kong, she had to act curious or terrified in reaction to nothing.  Consider the scenes at Kong’s lair.  There is a close-up of her being held in his hand and she must look up and react to Kong.  We forget that there isn’t really a monster in front of her.  In fact, there is nothing in front of her.  She is acting out a completely imaginary scene and she is very good at “faking it.”  

There is another aspect to King Kong that became a staple in many future monster and horror films.  We feel sorry for the beast.  Yes, he wants to keep Ann a prisoner in his mountain lair forever, but he also protects her from many dangers and is very gentle with her.  His feelings for her lead to his downfall as they get him gassed, captured, transported back to New York and put on display and, finally, toppled from the Empire State Building.  He is the king of all movie monsters, and he must die in the end, but you don’t feel good about it.  The most recent remake King Kong (2005), takes this sympathy to a new level. 

In the ninety years since its release, King Kong has been remade many times with ever more sophisticated special effects.  Many of those newer films are enjoyable but none of them are better than the original.  Modern computer-generated imagery can make monsters appear more lifelike but there is something about the 1933 version that just works.  In part, this is due to the groundbreaking nature of the original.  As much as any other film, watching King Kong makes you feel like you are watching movie history.