Kong
For nearly 90 years, a twice-remade 1933 film about a giant ape has been called everything from “classic” to “racist.”
Introduction
In disclosure, I love the original 1933 “King Kong.” It remains one of my very favorite films and is an absolute marvel for its time.
Created by filmmaker Merian C. Cooper, the character made his initial appearance in a novelization of the same name, co-written by Cooper and Edgar Wallace, released earlier the same year. The film was directed and produced by Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, with a screenplay by James Creelman and Ruth Rose, and a majestic score by Max Steiner.
Radio Pictures’ “King Kong” was released in New York City on March 2, 1933, in Los Angeles on March 24, and in the rest of the U.S. on April 7. The film was an immediate sensation, grossing the equivalent in today’s dollars of over $200 million worldwide in its initial run ($10.6 million on a budget of $672,000).
Today, the film is as relevant as ever.
Kong: The Eighth Wonder of the World!
The closest comparison to 1933’s “King Kong,” in terms of advanced filmmaking technology of the time, would be 1925’s silent “The Lost World,” based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel of…
