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Summary: King Kong - Best Movie of All Time!
Review: The original King Kong is by far still the best movie of its type to this day. The terrific and exciting fight scenes between the creatures even today has not been surpassed. Nothing that Spielburg has done has reached the genius of Merian Cooper. When one considers that these scenes were done without the use of computer or animation but used stop action photography and 18" models, genius IS the only way to describe their efforts! And the scenes of the Ape destroying the village and New York are horrific and tremendous film making! The action is riveting! Dialog is a little corny but fun! "I've never seen it fail, some hard-boiled egg gets a look at a pretty face and wham! He crack's up and goes sappy on me!" "Don't be alarmed! Those chains are made of chromium steel!" "Well, Denum, looks like the planes got'em." "No, It was beauty that killed the beast!"Supurb film from beginning to end. And Fay Wray has the BEST scream in movie history. It is still used today on soundtracks!
No one's done it better! This film fits the classical form of a Greek tradgety. FANTASTIC!
Rating:
Summary: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST...
Review: As a young child in the nineteen fifties, I used to watch this film whenever it appeared on TV on "Million Dollar Movie". I loved it then. I love it now. Time has not diminished the capacity of this film to mesmerize and hold the viewer in its thrall. The story line is basic. Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), a filmmaker and entrepreneur, leads an expedition to Skull Island where he discovers its deep, dark secret. It is a land where time has stood still, and prehistoric monsters still hold sway over the island and its inhabitants. There, the natives pay homage to the one whom they revere as "Kong", and who is, indeed, king of the island. Denham, together with his beautiful, budding starlet, Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), as well as with the crew of the ship that brought him to Skull Island, investigates the strange ritual being performed on the island by its native population. Before she knows it, Ann finds herself captured by the natives. She is to become the bride of the mysterious "Kong". When Ann discovers who the mysterious "Kong" is, she starts screaming and doesn't stop. The ship's first mate, Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot), who happens to be in love with Ann, manages to rescue her from the clutches of "Kong". Notwithstanding the fact that "Kong" has taken a shine to her, Ann is relieved to have been rescued by the man whom she loves. Denham then arranges to capture the creature, whom he calls "King Kong" and takes him back to New York with them on the ship that brought them to Skull Island. There, King Kong makes his debut, one that movie lovers will long remember. The special effects of this film were superlative for its time and still pass muster today. The relationship between the beauty and the beast still makes the viewer sit up and take notice. This is an attention grabbing film that is as exciting today, as when it was first released over seventy years ago. It is a truly timeless, cinema classic. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Why not on DVD.
Review: I cannot understand why this film has never been recorded on DVD format.
It is one of the most famous films of all time and I'm sure it would be an instant success.
Even more so if it is done in color.
Rating:
Summary: You can buy it in australia
Review: I love this movie and it's available here in australia on dvd! Fay Wray has the best scream and the hairy ape can still tug on the old heartstrings!
Rating:
Summary: Hollywood's greatest flight of the imagination
Review: Nearly 70 years after its release, 'King Kong' still stands as the greatest monster movie ever made. The story of the giant gorilla captured on an uncharted island and brought back to be displayed in New York, where he escapes and creates havoc, has captivated generations of movie goers. No doubt it will continue to do so for many years to come. The special effects still look wonderful today, even in this era of computer generated monsters. This is mainly due to Willis O'Brien, Kong's animator. O'Brien was a master craftsman, and 'King Kong' is his finest hour. The photography also adds much to the mood of the film. The scenes on Skull Island, in particular, have a strange, almost dreamlike quality. 'King Kong' has variously been described as horror, science fiction, fantasy, and fairy tale. It is all these things and more. The scenes of Kong cradling Fay Wray (the great screamer) in his paw, fighting the Tyrannosaurus, and making his final stand atop the Empire State Building have become part of movie legend. The taut direction and Max Steiner's exciting music score all combine to make 'King Kong' fully deserve its reputation as a cinema classic.
Rating:
Summary: "It Reminds Me of That Awful Day on the Island!"
Review: So Fay Wray confides into the tuxedo lapel of Bruce Cabot, the brave first mate who saved her from the clutches of Kong. They stand in the wings of a theatre, looking at the giant ape now held by chrome steel chains on stage, but little do they know that Kong is far from vanquished, that his fury is only moments from being unleashed on New York City itself. "King Kong" really is one of my favorite movies of all time. Where else can you find gritty Depression era sentiments mixed up with a wild action horror film? Other horror movies from the 30s--"Dracula", "The Mummy", even "Frankenstein" for the most part--concern elegant drawing room aristocrats in full evening costume, but "King Kong" is about working class folks trying to make a living, whether it's cranking out a jungle movie like Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) or running a ship like Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot). And poor Ann Darrow, who can't even find work back in NY, becomes a figure of obsession for the dangerous natives of Skull Island. If you love movies like "42 Street" and "It Happened One Night", I assure you, you would find the same kind of dialogue in "King Kong". Every time I watch it, I focus on some other detail, like the mutterings of the ship's crew as they make their way through the marshes trying to track down Kong, who has absconded with Fay Wray in his fist. Or the wonderful histrionics of Fay as she reacts to Kong's battle with a Tyrannosaurus Rex--and remember, she's really seeing nothing, all the figures are really clay models added later! Or the little faces at the skyscraper windows who watch as Kong destroys an elevated train near Herald Square. Here is one movie I genuinely never tire of watching. I can't imagine that there's somebody who has never seen "King Kong", but if that's so, don't deny yourself the pleasure any longer!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing For Its Time And Still Quite A Movie
Review: The Story: A famous adventurer and showman, Carl Denham, goes in search of a legend and, on mysterious Skull Island, he finds, and eventually captures, the enormous gorilla-God, King Kong. Before the capture, Kong becomes entranced by Fay Wray, who is one of Denham's companions in adventure. Kong wants to keep Wray, and fights off a Tyrannosaurus Rex, a giant snake lizard, and a pterodactyl, before Wray's fiancee rescues her. After Kong is captured, he is brought to New York City in chains, to be put on display. He escapes, of course. Technical Commentary: This movie came before computer-animation, before Claymation, and before blue matte, but uses an 18-inch figure and stop-action filming (i.e., take a shot, move the Kong figure a tiny bit, take another shot, etc., etc., etc.) to produce a somewhat jerky but still surprisingly animated and detailed King Kong. I was amazed by some of the small details, like seeing the movements of Kong's nostrils as he sniffs Wray's perfume. I am a little surprised that this giant gorilla would be a meat-eater, and that the brachiosaurus tries to eat several people, but that's being picky. The music of the movie hints at how chronologically close its making was to the silent film era. Dramatic Commentary: The acting quality is weak for everyone except Kong. This animated super-gorilla shows a lot of feeling and expression, and manages to be both frightening and a victim. His death-scene is as dramatic and heart-wrenching as any on film. Overall, old, musty, and thoroughly enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: The "Rolls Royce" of the Monster Thrillers
Review: This is a thrill-packed monster movie that has achieved cult-classic status. The imaginative and skillful special effects are outstanding (considering that this film was released some 70 years ago), setting the standard for countless action/adventure films to follow. The story of the giant ape who is captured and transported from the jungle to contemporary New York City shows similarities to the fairy tale "Beauty And The Beast". The now legendary scenes with King Kong and a terrified Fay Wray, along with the closing remarks "...it was Beauty that killed the Beast" will stay with the viewer as a powerful commentary on society and its norms. This is clearly the greatest cinematic achievement in the genre of horror movies. This classic ranks with "Bride of Frankenstein" and the original "Dracula" as the leader in this art form. A must-see for any horror film enthusiast. The soon-to-be released DVD version promises to be the ultimate experience in viewing this masterpiece....
Rating:
Summary: "The eighth wonder of the world!"
Review: Classic horror epic is an adventure for the ages. The special effects are splendid, the actors deliver fine performances, and the snappy dialogue packs a wallop 71 years later. The sinister, foreboding Skull Island, the weird chants of the natives, the other-worldly shrieks and cries of the prehistoric giant birds and predators are quite realistic and make this film unique among others in this genre. Kong's titanic death struggle with the Tyrannosaurus rex is one of the film's great moments, as is the elevated train sequence that shows Kong taking out his frustrations on unwary strap-hangers. This film remains a towering work, made even more remarkable because the film-makers did not have the benefit of high-tech computer-generated images so common in today's science-fiction and horror films. "King Kong" is in a class by itself.
Rating:
Summary: Holy mackeral, what a show!
Review: This movie never fails to please because it is just basically good story telling, a solid buildup for the first 40 or so minutes and then action that never lets up and never lets you catch a breath untill the end. Some of the dialogue hasn't aged too well: "Gee,... I guess I love you" makes me cringe every time, and does anybody say "swell" anymore? "These seats cost me twenty bucks!" is a hoot and I use this movie as proof positive that it's not just Canadians who say "eh?" at the end of their sentences. (By the way, I didn't catch Alberta-born Fay Wray saying it but Cabot and Armstrong did a couple of times.) I am looking forward to the DVD release this year but my 60th anniversary VHS copy is okay for now. It's missing the spider scene and the questionable dialogue and the film source has a bit of artifacts but I find that the transfer to video tape is done a lot better than a lot of my newer movies on VHS. I find that Fay Wray's acting is probably the best of any actor in this movie and it's a shame her career did not grow beyond this movie. All things considered this creature feature is not one to be missed. Long live Fay Wray!
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