Live Life Team
The original version of ‘King Kong’ probably ranks as one of the granddaddies of monster/horror films. It was quite sensational for its use of stop-motion animation in the creation of the monster Kong and the others of Skull Island. In fact, a number of scenes were considered too intense for their day; for instance, one scene of Kong peeling off Ann Darrow’s (Fay Wray) clothes was called indecent, and cut for many years. Another scene that was lost and never restored concerned the fate of the men thrown off the log bridge by Kong. In the original version, the men fall into a ravine and are devoured by giant spiders and crabs. But since the audience at the premier was so upset by the scene, the producers immediately cut it; ever since, the footage has been lost.
The movie doesn’t waste time getting into the story. Robert Armstrong plays Carl Denham, a documentary filmmaker who has chartered a boat to take him to Skull Island. He brings Ann along, the only woman on a ship full of men, to give the audience (as he puts it) “a pretty face to look at.” On the island, the natives instantly want Ann for Kong because she’s a stunning blonde. A lot of the strength of the picture comes from Wray’s performance. Many times, it’s not what’s shown on the screen that terrifies you; instead, it’s her reaction to what she sees. Her screams will just about chill you to the bone!
The other strength of the picture is that Kong is not shown to merely be a beast. At the end, as the planes riddle him with bullets, you can’t help but feel sympathy for him. That says a lot for the movie, when you consider that he’s just a stop-motion puppet.
